I sighed happily and disentangled myself, relaxing against the couch cushions. Kyle snickered at me. I grinned at him.

I felt good the whole day because of the great news of ‘Spencer and Kyle: Tru Luv 4Ever and Ever’ (which Spencer has since told me I am not allowed to refer to it as, or else they’ll stop being friends with me). It seemed like there were resolutions to life now. I had a good job and a good place to live, my friends were finally together, Bette and I were closer than ever, and I wasn’t too lame and stupid when it came to her anymore.

It just seemed like a sign, though, the Spencer and Kyle thing, a sign that I should tie things up because that was the direction life was taking. Which was why I met Sarah for lunch and told her that I didn’t think we should see each other until I was completely on track with my life.

“It’s not fair to you,” I told her, “for us to be dating when I’m… likely to act like a total head-case when it comes to my ex. I made a mistake. It was too soon.”

And Sarah was extremely good-natured about it. I wasn’t surprised. She’s a good person, and extremely easygoing. If only she didn’t have that gap in her teeth, you know?

Bette, however, was not the most fun person to be around. ‘Operation: Charm the Pants Off Tina’ (another title I was forbidden to use) was not going well. Bette had sent flowers. Bette had made phone calls. Bette had shown up at Tina’s office wearing the tight jeans and sunglasses (that was my suggestion; it worked whenever she did it to me). Nothing was working.

“I don’t get it,” Bette said as we walked down Rodeo Drive, shopping for my birthday present. “The flowers thing isn’t foolproof, of course, but the flowers thing in combination with a few phone calls has never failed me. What about that?” She pointed to something obscenely expensive and fascinatingly vulgar-looking in the window of Cartier.

I made a face. “Are you trying to get me into bed, too?”

Bette glanced at the bracelet again and shook her head, chuckling. “Oh. I’m not paying attention.”