“So, how was your day?” Tina asked, as she placed her phone on the coffee table.

            “Stressful. Graduate students are so grade-conscious, it’s driving me insane.” Bette said, drinking her Pellegrino. “But, I do have some good news.”

            “Yeah?” Tina looked at her, her eyes clearly showing interest. Jodi rarely had that look in her eyes when they talked. Bette smiled to herself at the thought. “What’s the good news?”

            “My work load might get lighter.” Bette announced. “I’m thinking of selling my gallery.”

            “What? You’re selling it?”

            Okay… not the answer she was hoping for, but at least she got something.

            “I might. It’s a challenge to manage it, and I think I need something more stable.” Bette replied, putting her bottle on the table. “I have teaching jobs to help me with my finances, and Phyllis says that after I sell the gallery, she can promote me to dean, since the current dean of the art school would be retiring in a few months. That can open up my schedule, since I won’t need the other teaching jobs. Helena Peabody told me that the Peabody Foundation is willing to give me whatever it takes for me to sell it, plus a consultancy position at the Board of Directors. I don’t think I’ll get that kind of money anywhere with where I’m going.”

            “It’s not a bad deal,” Tina mused. “But it’s your gallery. It has a part of you that a teaching job can’t contain. You built it, you owned it, and you ran the whole show.”

            “Well, CU has a gallery, and they want me to channel my experience and run it.” Bette answered. The blonde knew exactly what was holding her back. “But you’re right. The gallery is more than just a building. It does represent a huge part of me. That’s why I’m thinking about it.”

            “I understand why you can’t let go of your teaching jobs,” Tina said, taking a swig of her Pellegrino. “People don’t exactly come to LA to see art. And it is difficult to run a gallery, especially your kind of gallery. Eric says you have a lot of problems with censors.”

            Bette sighed. This was probably the downside of having a housemate who just broke up with her boyfriend. “That’s true. And Jodi wasn’t exactly open to the idea of a compromise. Whenever we dealt with artists or financiers, she always insisted that I have my way with them.”