~~~~~

Kit greeted Tina with open arms. "Look who’s fashionably late!"

"Sorry, the babysitter was stuck in traffic," she replied, hugging her back. "How’re you doing?"

"Busier than a whore on dollar day! Trying to get everything just right for my sister."

Kit led her by the hand to a corner table piled with gifts where Bette was chatting away with Shane, Max, Alice, Tasha, Phyllis and Joyce; they made room for them to sit down and greeted each other happily. When Joyce embraced Tina, Phyllis prodded her with an elbow and gave her a look. Joyce whispered in Tina’s ear.

"Sorry about the mix-up with the documents when you came by the office. Wasn’t anything you didn’t know about, right?" She clucked her tongue and grinned knowingly.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Tina took a moment to absorb this before composing herself, then settled in and looked around the table. "So who else hasn’t shown up yet?"

"Yeah, where’s Jodi?" Alice asked, turning to Bette.

Bette shifted uncomfortably. Not wanting anyone to feel sorry for her at her own birthday party (or give Jenny any more material), she lied. "One of her sculptures got damaged in New York right before a showing, so she flew out last night. I don’t know when she’s coming back."

Everyone chimed in with various interjections – "I’m sorry" – "That sucks" – "Aw, sweetie" – but Tina said nothing, a glimmer of relief in her eyes. For once, Bette did not miss the not-so-surreptitious and meaningful glances that the others directed at Tina.

Max pointed to a poster-size present in a particularly pink and frilly giftwrap. "Jenny couldn’t make it, but she wanted hers to be opened first."

Tina piped up smugly. "Yeah, one of the suits threw a fit over a location scene that’s shooting first thing next Monday, so she had to stay home and do a total re-write. Shame, huh?"

"I think that’s the best gift Jenny’s ever given me," Bette said with a huge smile, as she tore away the paper. However, her smile was immediately replaced with mortification upon seeing that it was a large, framed print of the actress portraying Bev in Lez Girls.

"Oh, Happy-Fucking-Birthday … " proclaimed Joyce.