“Ok! Well… what time should the rest of us be there?” Alice interrupts.

Shane breaks the staring contest to look at Alice, Carmen bites her bottom lip, smiles and does the same. “I don’t know… six or six thirty?” Everyone nods. Shane glances back at Carmen who catches it and looks down.

“Alright, well I should get back to Wax,” she says standing. “I’ll see you guys tonight.”

“See ya, Shane,” Alice says with a wink. Shane gives her a faked confused face and smiles.

“What’s Wax?” Carmen asks once Shane is out the door.

“It’s this really cool skateboarding shop,” Jenny answers.

“I don’t even know what to call it,” Alice says. “I mean, Shane cuts hair there, they do tattoos, but then the sell skateboards and clothing and there is a skate-park in the front. But that’s just by day, as soon as night hits it’s this club. I dunno, I guess you could call it a skate-shop turned clubbing hair slash tattoo parlor.”

“Let’s just say it’s a shop that can’t make up its mind,” Dana says and they all laugh.

“Sounds cool,” Carmen replies. “I think you guys may just have to show me it.”

“In due time, my friend,” Alice says patting her on the back and standing. “But at the moment, we need to head to my place of work, I’ll show you the chart thing I’ve been ranting about.”

“Right.”

“We’ll see you guys tonight,” Alice says as her and Carmen head for the door.

5:45p.m. at Shane and Jenny’s

Shane is buttoning up her shirt when she hears a knock at the door. She walks to the front and opens the door to find Carmen and Alice on the other side. “Hey!” she greets with a smile.

“Hey,” they both respond stepping into the house.

“Ok, well let’s start the tour,” Shane says. “This is the living room obviously; and that’s the kitchen right there. If you go out that door, it’s the back yard and that right there is Jenny’s studio; she’s out there right now writing.”

“Oh cool,” Carmen says nodding. Alice walks into the kitchen and puts her case of beer in the fridge, taking out a cold one to drink.

“And if you follow me I’ll show you the room that will be yours,” Shane says leading her down the hall. She opens the door into an empty room, save the lonely dresser. “Unfortunately we don’t have a bed to offer you…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I wasn’t expecting you would,” Carmen replies. “Alice said this house was originally intended for Jenny and her fiancé.”

“Yeah,” Shane says with a bit of a humorous sigh. “That didn’t quite go as planned.”

“I guess not,” Carmen smiles. They stand still for a moment looking at eachother.

“Hey guys I’m bored! Hurry your asses up or I’ll be drunk before anyone even gets here!” Alice yells from the kitchen.

Shane and Carmen both let out a small laugh. “Well anyway, this is the bathroom right over here,” she points to a slightly open door. “We all have to share ‘cause there’s only one. And right over here,” she says opening the door to the room across the hall. “Is my room.”

“Well that’s not fair!” Carmen whines

“What’s not?”

“You have a bed…” Carmen teases.

“Yes,” Shane laughs. “Yes I do.”

“It looks comfy too,” she continues with a pout.

Shane raises one eyebrow and smiles. “Beds have to be. I don’t care about anything else in the house as long as the bed is comfortable; it’s where I spend most of my time.”

"I bet it is," Carmen laughs and gives her a slight push. Shane smiles as she watches Carmen walk down the hall to join Alice in the kitchen.