Harley shook her head from side to side, as if unable to make up her mind about whether I was just teasing Katy unmercifully. Or whether I was being serious.

“You sound like you have experience with those,” Annie said sardonically, looking at me closely.

“Uh huh,” I nodded, and took the cappuccino that Harley had made for Annie, and handed the big cup and saucer to Harley’s suspicious friend. “I used one fairly recently, actually. On this dish of a woman … during the flight over from Hong Kong.”

I gave Harley a regretful sideways glance as I picked up Katy’s cup, hoping Annie hadn’t caught our special look.

Annie’s eyes popped. Harley was speechless, and, I could see, utterly confused, given what we’d agreed about last night.

Katy sputtered, “Are you … um … a ..”

“Lesbian,” I said. “Uh, huh. Yes.” I handed Katy her cappuccino.

Somehow, Annie hadn’t been surprised, or hadn’t reacted that way, but Katy set her cup and saucer down roughly on the countertop with nerveless fingers.

Harley still hadn’t said a word, and crossed her arms across her chest, looking at me with a serious gaze as she leaned back on the counter. Her hazel eyes were calm, warm, and loving as she regarded me. I sensed that she trusted me to lead us out of this strange conversation twist I’d introduced with two of her oldest friends.

“Now that is very interesting,” Annie said slowly as she sipped on her cup. “Isn’t it Harley?”

Harley cocked her head to one side, still leaned casually against the counter, and looking at me with a mix of puzzlement and trust. After a beat, I saw that she had decided on something, and, as she opened her mouth to answer Annie, for some reason, I was afraid she was about to tell them something about how serious we were getting, or that I’d slept over last night. In her arms. Up in the roof, under the stars, and would leave little to the imagination.

I didn’t want to give Annie that weapon until I knew what she was up to.

So I cut in. And I decided to bring Jack into the mental landscape Annie was forming about Harley and me.