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That started the two women on a new fit of giggles. For some reason, Megan felt, it also sealed their friendship.

“So, um…what do you do for a living?” Sienna asked, and Megan sensed her companion was trying to get her mind off the sounds coming from the third floor, and since Megan also didn’t want to spend the next however-long-it-took-for-Angela-and-Dee-to-have-sex listening to Angela and Dee have sex, she gratefully gave Sienna a brief rundown of her job at BeachSoft.

“What about you?” Megan asked when she was done. “What do you do?”

Sienna sighed.

“I am an apprentice tattoo artist,” she answered.

“That’s so cool!” Megan exclaimed. Tattooing had never been anything she considered, career-wise, but she had always been envious of tattoo artists because they got to make a living creating artworks every day.

“Well, if it’s any consolation,” Sienna began, “you probably make a whole lot more money than I do. I have to hold down two waitressing jobs just to stay afloat until I can start taking tattoo clients on my own.”

Megan nudged Sienna’s shoulder with her own.

“You’ll get there,” she told her. “I’m just jealous you eventually get to be a full-time artist,” Megan said. “And every day you’ll be asked to create something different. It will never be the same day twice. How cool is that?”

Sienna laughed, blushing.

“You should switch careers, then,” she said. “Give up the cushy I.T. salary and join the ranks of the almost-impoverished.”

“No thanks,” Megan said with a smile. “I like my cushy I.T. salary. Maybe someday I’ll use some of it to open my own art gallery.”

“Wow! Really?” Sienna asked. “Wait, so you’re an artist?”

“I am,” Megan told her. “In fact, I was planning on doing some drawing while I was here at the house this weekend.”

“Nice! Will you show me your stuff?”

“Only if you show me some of your tattoo concepts.”

Sienna blushed again.

“Okay, you got a deal.” She turned around and pushed herself up and out of the pool. “I’m going to take a shower. Meet me in the living room in twenty minutes?”

“Sure,” Megan said, also getting out of the pool. While Sienna scampered inside, Megan toweled off and then spent a few minutes at the deck’s railing looking out over the beach, sipping her cocktail. She had been right, Chloë knew how to mix a mean drink. Whatever it was Megan was now drinking was potent stuff and she resolved it would be the last one she had, otherwise she’d end up breaking her promise to Vanessa to not get shitfaced.

“Hey, bestie! What’s up?”

Abby had come out of the house, smelling faintly of garlic, and now stood by Megan at the railing.

“What’s up is I’m starving!” Megan told her. “When’s lunch going to be ready?”

“Keep your shirt on. Less than twenty minutes.”

“So, I came out to my family yesterday,” Megan stated. It was odd how Abby was only hearing about this now, Megan considered. Not too long ago, Abby would have been the first one Megan called after such a momentous event. But that was pre-Vanessa.

“Whoa! Congrats!” Abby said, putting her arm around Megan and pulling her in for a squeeze. “How’d they take it?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m disowned, but I’m totally fine with that,” Megan answered truthfully. “I gained a lot more than I lost, at least that’s how I feel now. And it turns out Molly is fine with it; she came over yesterday to say so.”

“Way to go, Molly,” Abby said.

Megan beamed.

“Yeah, she was wonderful.”

“Sucks about the parents, though. But as long as you’re okay?” Abby said.