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“H ow is it going?” Linden asked.

“Not any different than the last time you asked,” Jill replied. “Like, thirty seconds ago.”

“You have a better view.”

“We’re sitting next to each other,” Jill argued.

“Will you leave her alone?” Melinda spoke to Linden. “She’s on a date. Just eat your food. She’ll tell you how it went after.”

“So, this is new, right? Asher dating women?” Monica asked.

“Yes. It kind of came out of the blue,” Linden said.

“How out of the blue?” Bridgette asked. “I know this is her first date with a woman, but is it for real? She just dumped a boyfriend. Maybe it’s just a midlife thing.”

“Babe, did you just refer to a thirty-seven-year-old woman as having a midlife crisis? Did you forget who you’re marrying?” Monica teased.

“You had your midlife crisis young. Then, you met me and went crazy long enough for me to convince you to be with me.”

“It’s not a midlife thing. She seems serious,” Linden answered. “I don’t think she’d go on a date if she wasn’t serious about maybe having something with a woman. She’s not that kind of person. I didn’t think she’d move this fast, though. I just put her on the app. I thought she would scroll through a bunch of people, decline a lot of messages and coffee invites, and eventually, she’d meet someone through work or out somewhere.”

“If you didn’t think she’d meet someone, why add her to the thing to begin with?” Sophie asked.

“Because she looked lost,” Linden said before taking a drink of her water. “She asked me for help, and I didn’t really know what else to offer her other than my support and to put her on an app where she could casually scroll. If she decided she wasn’t ready or that she didn’t want to go through with it, she wouldn’t have to worry. It’s just a dating app, you know?”

“Well, she’s on a date now,” Kyle said, nodding toward the booth. “I’ve seen them laugh a couple of times.”

“They’re laughing?” Linden asked, trying to peer around the bar. “Is Ash laughing, too, or just the date? Asher doesn’t laugh easily.”

“I see her laugh all the time,” Melinda noted.

“With us, yes, but not with strangers,” Linden replied. “When we first started working together and sat across from one another, I thought she had such a stick up her ass. She hardly ever smiled, never just talked with anyone, and was all about work, work, work. It took me a couple of weeks to get her to even smile at me and, like, a month to earn a laugh. Is Emily really making her laugh?” Linden leaned over a little farther.

“Hey, I’m eating here!” Jill exclaimed. “Don’t lean over my plate and get hair in it.”

Linden sat back down and shook her head at Jill. Then, she picked up her fork and knife and continued eating the steak she’d ordered, which had gone cold since. She might be more nervous than Asher, which she hadn’t expected. It made no sense. It was Asher’s date. Linden didn’t have anything to gain or lose based on how the evening went.

“She’s getting the check,” Bridgette said.

“Who is? Ash or Emily?” Linden asked.

“Why did you sit there if you wanted to spy?” Jill asked.

“Asher. She just handed the waitress her credit card. She didn’t even wait for her to put the check on the table.”

“Oh, that’s not good,” Monica noted.

“What’s not good?” Bridgette asked.

“She just handed the waitress the card,” Kyle said. “If it was going well, she would’ve waited, right? Delayed the check.”

“Maybe they’re planning on going somewhere else now,” Sophie offered. “Like, they don’t want dessert here because they’re going to get some of that at Asher’s place.”

“Dessert?” Linden asked before she swallowed hard.

“Yes, Linden,” Bridgette said. “You see, when two adults like each other, sometimes, they go to a private place and express that like by tearing each other’s clothes off and touching each other. Hands and mouths are involved. Sometimes, people call that dessert .”

“Very funny,” she replied, glaring playfully at Bridgette. “She’s not going to sleep with a woman on the very first date, is she?”

“ You did, didn’t you?” Melinda asked.

“Not the same thing. And no, I–” She stopped when it hit her.

Asher could take Emily home, and she could sleep with her. It could happen. Her best friend was about to sleep with a woman for the first time. Even if it didn’t happen tonight, it would happen. Linden couldn’t see Asher making a big deal out of dating women if she was just going to find a new boyfriend without ever having sex with a woman.

“Hey.”

Linden looked up and spotted Asher standing at the head of the table. Emily wasn’t standing next to her.

“Hey,” she said. “How did it go?”

“Are you heading out now for some dessert?” Bridgette teased.

“She means well,” Monica added, rubbing the back of Bridgette’s neck.

“She went home,” Asher said.

“Ash, what happened?” Linden asked.

“It was fine. Just kind of fizzled into more of a friendship thing, maybe.”

“That happens,” Sophie replied.

“Why, though?” Jill asked.

“Well, she has a daughter that I didn’t know about. No big deal in general, but I don’t want to date someone with a kid. It’s the first woman I’d be dating, and I guess I’m selfish. I want to be a priority in a relationship, and I couldn’t ask that of a mom, you know? Your kids are number one. It’s my fault for realizing this very important thing about myself just now because a lot of women I might end up meeting could have kids, but I just don’t want to go there.”

“I don’t think that’s selfish. I think you know what you want. That’s important,” Sophie replied.

“She’s very smart, has a great job, and she’s beautiful, too. I just wasn’t feeling it. There wasn’t a spark.”

“She made you laugh,” Kyle noted.

“She did?” Asher seemed to ask herself. “Oh, no. I just spilled sauce on myself.” She pointed to her blouse, which had a wet spot on it. “I was able to get it out with water, but I was laughing because, of course, I spilled something on a date.”

“Are you okay?” Linden checked.

“I’m okay,” Asher replied, looking down and smiling at her. “But I was thinking about maybe getting out of here and drowning my sorrows in a real drink. Anyone interested in paying the bill and joining me across the street?”

“I’m in,” Jill said.

“Me too. I can’t stay too long, though. I need to call Bryce,” Sophie said.

“I need to get home,” Bridgette replied. “Early meeting with someone who wants to pick up our cards in a chain of stores they own in San Francisco.”

“I’m with her,” Monica said. “But I’m sorry it didn’t work out, Asher.”

“I’m picking my sister up at the airport at seven tomorrow morning, so I’m going to call it a night,” Kyle said.

“And I’m with her,” Melinda added, pointing at her girlfriend.

“Let’s go,” Linden replied. “I just need a minute to pay, and I’ll buy your drinks tonight.”

“You will?” Asher asked.

“Yes. And we shouldn’t be drowning sorrows tonight. We should be celebrating because you just did something brave, Ash. You learned something about yourself and went for it. That’s great. Let’s celebrate, okay?”

Asher nodded but didn’t say anything else. Minutes later, they’d all paid their respective bills and were outside, saying goodbye to Melinda and Kyle, along with Bridgette and Monica. Sophie, Jill, Asher, and Linden walked across the street to a bar where they knew they would be able to dance if they wanted to, get a decent drink, and find a place to sit if they were lucky. It was only a little after nine, so the place wasn’t crowded yet. Linden went to the bar and ordered drinks for everyone, including a strong one for Asher, who hadn’t driven, so she could really enjoy herself tonight if she wanted. When she returned to the group, they’d found a round table with four chairs, which would be impossible to find in another hour.

“So, no spark?” Sophie asked Asher.

“Thank you,” Asher said to Linden when she placed her drink in front of her.

“You’re welcome,” Linden replied with a smile.

“And yes, no spark,” Asher replied to Sophie. “Why is that, though? I mean, I think she’s my type. Not that I have any experience with types when it comes to women, but she’s all the things I said before: smart, pretty, well put-together.”

“What did you talk about besides the fact that she has a kid?” Jill asked.

“Work, mostly. She’s a curator. I’ve been to that museum a few times. I did a wedding there once, actually. It was really sweet. This older couple had been married for decades and wanted to renew their vows. They met during the war, when she was a nurse and he was in the hospital. They’re both NOLA locals, so they wanted to make it special and do it there.”

“That is sweet,” Sophie said. “All those years together. Crazy.”

“Do you want that with Bryce?” Jill asked before taking a drink.

“Yeah, of course. Maybe not to renew our vows at a war museum, but I hope we get married one day.”

“So, you two talked about work?” Linden asked Asher.

“Mostly.”

“Maybe that’s it.”

“What?”

“Maybe you’re just too similar.”

“Similar?”

“Well, you’re obsessed with work. Maybe she is, too.”

“I’m not obsessed with work,” Asher said with a headshake.

“Close to it.”

“I like what I do.”

“So do I. But when I’m on a first date with someone, I don’t mostly talk about it.”

“Well, I’m not you, am I?” Asher said.

“Obviously,” Linden replied with a smile. “But I might be right. Maybe she’s just too much like you for there to be a spark. Opposites attract, right?”

“Is Bryce your opposite, Soph?” Jill asked.

“Not complete polar opposites, but we’re not all that similar, either.”

“I don’t think we were the same,” Asher said. “She just didn’t make me want to go out with her again. She said she could get me into the museum for free, though, so if anyone wants to go, let me know.”

“I get free tickets to stuff all the time through work,” Jill replied.

“I’ve been there a bunch, but thanks anyway,” Sophie added.

“I’ll go with you,” Linden said.

“To the museum I’ve been to already?”

“Yeah. Why not? It’s free, and it’s a good museum.”

“That you’ve been to with me.”

“But we paid for it then. This time, it’ll be better because it’s free.”

“We’re not going to take advantage of free tickets to a museum honoring war heroes, Linden.”

“I’m trying to be supportive here,” Linden said with another smile.

“Just keep buying me drinks,” Asher replied and took a drink. “My God, this is strong.”

“Yeah. Just let the ice melt,” Linden suggested. “It’ll get better.”

“What did you tell them to put in here?”

“It’s a double. We’re celebrating, remember?”

“Oh, I love this song,” Jill said. “Who wants to dance?”

“I’m not much of a dancer…”

“Not what Bryce tells us,” Jill remarked to Sophie.

“I can really only dance with her because she walks me through it.”

“Ash?” Linden asked.

“No, I’m wearing three-inch heels. I’ll get knocked over.”

“Linden, come on. Dance with me,” Jill said, tugging on Linden’s hand.

“Fine. Okay. Okay,” she replied, laughing.

“Watch our drinks?” Jill asked.

When Sophie nodded in response, Linden allowed herself to be pulled to the dance floor, and there she was again, dancing with Jill. They were up close, pressed to one another as the music slowed down and then sped up again. Jill’s arms were around her neck. Linden’s were on Jill’s hips, but she hadn’t wrapped them around her waist.

“So, is Asher really okay, you think?” Jill asked.

“I think so. Probably just disappointed.”

“Yeah, I would be, too. I don’t envy her.”

“Why not?”

“Coming out later like that; it’s just hard. I’m glad she did it. It’s just got to be hard to put it all together like that when you’re almost forty.”

“She’s thirty-seven,” Linden corrected. “And, yeah, it’ll be hard, but I don’t know if it’s harder to come out later or when you’re young. I’m glad I came out when I did. I had a lot of time to figure out what I wanted, and now, I’m going for it.”

“Women. You want women,” Jill replied with a laugh as she pressed into Linden a little closer.

“I want experiences with women, yes.”

“Sex.”

“Not just sex. Dancing is good, too.” Linden’s arms went around Jill then, and she pulled her all the way against her. “Like this. This is good.”

“ This is dangerous.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s been a long time, but I don’t want to sleep with you.”

“I’ll choose not to take offense to that,” Linden said.

“Want to make out, though?” Jill asked. “That could hold me over until I can find a woman who’s not part of my friend group who wants to actually date me.”

Linden laughed and said, “Let’s just dance.”

When she looked up, though, she spotted someone she recognized standing over by the tables.

“Oh! That’s my friend.”

“Friend or friend ?” Jill asked.

“Hold on,” Linden said instead of a response, letting go of Jill and making her way over to the table. “Rory, hey.”

“Linden, hi,” Rory said with a smile.

“Just out for a drink?”

“I’m here with a friend. She owns a bar. Well, she just bought it, technically, so she’s scoping out the competition.”

“You have a friend who bought a bar in this city?”

“Yeah. Crazy, huh? She won the lottery, actually. Not enough to retire on, but enough to buy a bar, which she has wanted to do since she finished bartending school. Is this your girlfriend?”

“Huh?” Linden turned to see Jill standing next to her.

“Oh, no. This is my friend, Jill. We were just dancing.”

“Hi,” Jill said.

“Nice to meet you,” Rory replied. “What do you think of this place? My friend is walking around now, but any ideas on what she should keep for her place or not do at all?”

“The dance floor is nice,” Jill replied. “But more tables and places to sit. New Orleans’ bars always have a shortage of places to sit.”

Rory chuckled and said, “I’ll let her know.”

Linden looked over at Asher and Sophie, who were still at the table. Asher was looking at her inquisitively. She might need to ask her what those stares meant because Asher had been giving her more of them lately.

“We’ve got a table over there, with some friends waiting, so I’ll let you get back to your scoping, but it’s nice to see you.”

“You too,” Rory said.

As they walked off toward their table, Jill noted, “She’s younger than me , Linden.”

“What? I didn’t sleep with her. I met her through work. A friend of hers got married, and I planned the wedding. We’ve hung out a few times, but it’s not like that. I don’t even know if she’s into women.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“No. I don’t want to sleep with every woman on the planet, Jill.”

“She’s cute.”

“ You want her number?” Linden asked.

“Is she still in college?”

“No,” Linden said while laughing. “But she hasn’t been out of it all that long, either.”

“Who was that?” Asher asked.

“Rory. She’s here with a friend, scoping out the place.”

“Oh. Why?”

“I’ll tell you later. Want to grab another drink with me?”

Asher nodded.

“Hey, you still owe me a dance. We didn’t even finish our first one,” Jill said, pointing at her.

“I’ll be right back,” Linden replied.