Page 56 of Iris Kelly Doesn't Date

Stevie winced. “What, my bathing suit literally breaking, followed by an encounter with a power femme and topped off with my cranky ex isn’t romantic?”

Iris laughed. “Shocker, I know.”

“What can we do to fix that?” Stevie asked, because she wanted to fix it. She wanted to help Iris, hold up her end of the bargain.

And maybe, a little part of her didn’t want to go home to her empty apartment and listen to the pipes squeak while her neighbor next door took their fifth shower of the day.

“Well,” Iris said, “I’ve heard that watching a movie with some popcorn and an obscene amount of wine in a small town can be pretty romantic.”

Stevie tapped her chin, pretending to think. “That’d be a pretty good research opportunity for you, I think. I’m in.”

Iris grinned and threw the car into reverse.

IRIS’S APARTMENT WASopen and eclectic, with turquoise appliances in the kitchen, a vibrant red L-shaped couch, colorful pillows strewn around haphazardly. There were potted plants everywhere, herbs on tables and windowsills, various art on the walls, and twinkle lights twisted around the large main window’s curtain rod. In the adjacent room, there was a huge bookshelf, books organized in a rainbow of color.

It was all very... Iris. Even though Stevie didn’t know Iris that well, the apartment’s vibe fit her somehow.

“You have a lot of books,” Stevie said, then winced at the banality of her conversation. Clearly Iris had a lot of books.

“I do,” Iris said, heading down the hall. “Just let me change really quickly.”

Stevie nodded and perused Iris’s bookshelves, finding many of her favorites among the rainbow.

“Want a drink?” Iris said, coming back into the living and kitchen area wearing tight yoga pants and a fitted green tee, the color making her eyes look like emeralds. Her hair was still damp, drying in varying curly and wavy patterns.

“Um, water, if that’s cool,” Stevie said.

Iris’s hand froze on a wine bottle.

“You can drink,” Stevie said quickly. “I just shouldn’t on my meds.”

Iris nodded and put back the bottle. “No problem, sweetums. I’ve got seltzer.”

Stevie laughed and shook her head as Iris dug into the fridge and came out with two cans of LaCroix, handing one to Stevie as she headed for the pantry. She grabbed a giant bag of white cheddar popcorn and nodded toward her red sofa.

“Okay, so,” she said, plopping onto the couch and turning on her TV. “We’ve got all the basic streaming choices available. The question is, which romantic comedy isthemost romantic?”

Stevie settled in the opposite corner and popped open her drink. “Hands down,Serendipity.”

Iris laughed. “Oh my god, a John Cusack fan?”

Stevie shrugged and hid her blushing cheeks behind the cool can. “I mean, he’s not my type at all, but I love the fate aspect of it.”

“Ah. Kate Beckinsale, then.”

Stevie grinned. “Like any self-respecting sapphic our age, Kate was part of my formative experience. I saw that movie for the first time when I was, like, eleven, and... yeah. I found her pretty.”

Iris smiled. “For me, it wasBlue Crush.”

“Which girl?”

“All of them?”

Stevie laughed. “You’re bi, right?”

Iris nodded. “I guess that’s important information for my fake girlfriend to know.”

“It is.”