(from Houseguest 5)

"I guess I screwed up." Shane’s face had lost the vibrancy it had while she was speaking of her future.

It was all Tina could do to keep from agreeing about ***** up, but she knew that that was the last thing she should do. "We won’t tell." Tina knew if Bette had any idea of, well, any of the things Tina had an idea of, it wouldn’t go well for Shane. "As long as you promise to talk to my friend tomorrow."

Shane gave a half-smile. "Tomorrow."

"And I’ll get you something else to wear while those are being washed." Tina leaned forward on the back of the chair, using that to create some distance from the unpredictable woman. "So, are you staying?"

 —————————

Bette noticed something familiar about the woman digging in the garden, but it took her a moment to place it. It wasn’t Tina, that much was sure. This woman didn’t have Tina’s curves. Bette could always pick out Tina from any angle, especially this one.

Then it dawned on her. It wasn’t the person that was familiar. It was the clothes. The woman digging in the garden was wearing her jeans.

That meant that Tina hadn’t gotten rid of their guest.

Bette tried not to let this upset her. She hadn’t, after all, told Tina to get the woman out of the house. But she didn’t expect that her wife would be taking in boarders, especially if the two of them hadn’t discussed things.

"Hey there."

As Bette was pulled from her musings she looked down, and saw that it was, indeed, still the guest who was doing the digging. Now, however, she was sitting on the walkway and drinking a beer.

One goood point of this could be that there was a good chance all the beer Alice had left at their house after the last party would finally go away.

"Tina around?" Bette felt kind of stupid asking a stranger the location of her own wife.

"In the house, I think." Shane looked overhead. "Better get back to this before I lose the light."

At least she appeared to be doing something. Bette could appreciate that factor in having a guest.