She said carefully, “I find her interesting.”

I swallowed hard.

“But that’s all. I don’t plan on dragging this on for very long.”

I could hear something else in her tone, so I supplied it for her: “Except?”

Bette glanced apprehensively at Spencer and Kyle, the latter of which looked so interested in Bette’s elaboration that he was about to fall off his damn chair. She sighed. “Except, I think you had a point.”

“I did?” I asked, my voice getting all surprised and squeaky.

“Well, yes.” Bette clasped her hands together and stared at them contemplatively. “About the fact that Tina has a boyfriend. I don’t… you’re right. I’m not comfortable with doing anything while she’s… attached. So to speak.”

I breathed out, trying not to look as relieved as I felt. As long as Tina remained with Eric, Bette wasn’t going to sleep with her. I looked up to say something to her, but she was gathering up her things.

“I should get to work,” she said. “Can I have my…” She gestured toward the planner I was still holding.

“What, your diary?”

I tossed it toward her and she caught it, an amused smirk dropping off the corner of her lips. “I’m not the one who keeps a diary.”

Kyle looked surprised. “You keep a diary, Al?”

I made a face. “It’s a journal. And I don’t really keep it so much as I write down boring things that I need to remember.”

“It’s a diary,” Bette confirmed, standing up.

“Yeah,” I said sarcastically. “It is. ‘Dear Diary. Today I saw Bette. She’s so dreamy. I-’”

“See you later.” Spencer spoke to Bette and cut me off rather efficiently.

“Yeah,” Bette said, waving to the boys. She glanced at me with a nearly imperceptible amount of discomfort, said “I’ll call you later, Alice,” and took off.

Kyle glared at me.

“What?”

He tsked. “All I wanted was a nice breakfast with the four of us, and you had to go and make everything awkward.”

I pouted. “All I did was call her on her *****. She needs that once in awhile. Anyway.” I grinned, pretty pleased with myself. “Looks like she won’t be sleeping with Tina anytime soon.”

“Yeah,” Spencer said, “but didn’t you sort of get the idea that…” He trailed off and looked to Kyle for help.

“What?” I asked.

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “That Bette’s sort of… inventing obstacles so that she doesn’t have to go through with it? Or magnifying them?” I stared at him blankly and he hastened to explain: “I mean that she’s holding onto the fact that Tina is in a relationship so that she can drag this out longer. Before she sleeps with her.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Maybe she feels guilty about what she’s doing and doesn’t want to… make things worse.”

I shrugged. Certainly possible. “I can see that being true, but what-”

“Maybe she likes Tina more than she’s letting on,” Kyle cut in abruptly. “And she’s looking for an out.”

Spencer nodded to confirm that he agreed with this assessment. I must have looked as pale and oxygen-deprived as I felt because Spencer added hurriedly, “I mean, I’m not sure. You know her better than I do, right?”

I licked my lips nervously. “Right.”