Bette gave her a half-smile, and cut in as she walked around Diane to head to the bathroom to brush her hair out, ”Fine. Fine. So let’s just agree that we all had fun last night, and leave it at that, shall we?”

Diane chuckled, ”Deal!” Touchy. Touchy.

Five minutes later they were walking down the hall, heading towards the front door of the equestrian estate, chatting about the current deal Diane was helping Mark structure for one of Mark’s longtime clients.

”Bette, can I ask you something?” Diane asked, suddenly changing the subject abruptly when they’d reached a lull in their easy conversation. She stopped walking. Bette also stopped walking, and turned around to look at Diane, head tilted slightly in a questioning manner. ”Sure! What is it about? Mark being difficult?”

Diane waved her hand as if to dismiss that thought, ”No … No. Not about Mark. He’s been a teddy bear with me. Tough on the others, yes, but a real softie with me.”

Bette smiled, ”Well, he thinks the world of you, Diane.” She licked her lips and crossed her arms in front of her, waiting for Diane to resume.

After a minute, Diane continued, ”It’s about me and Jules.” She took a breath and looked at Bette in the eye. When it came to the most serious things in her life, over the past few years there was no advice or opinion she valued more than the beautiful brunette’s. And the situation with Jules last night certainly qualified as a serious thing.

”She asked me to get married last night,” Diane started haltingly. Bette smiled, but said nothing, waiting for Diane to come to the point. Diane was usually direct and could explain quickly and concisely to Bette whatever was on her mind. But when it came to Jules, Bette knew from experience that Diane was all thumbs. And when it was about something serious between her and Jules, Diane grew more nervous. All her nervous ticks came out at such moments: entwining her fingers together, tucking her hair behind her ears repeatedly, and licking her lips continuously. Like now.

She knew last night hadn’t been the first time Jules had asked Diane to get married. She knew of a recent attempt, before she and Diane had left for Luxembourg, while Jules and Diane had been slow dancing in the terrace of Bette and Tina’s duplex after a successful party Alice and Shane had thrown for social media types. Even Shane had said the terrace setting that night had been exceptionally romantic.  So Diane hasn’t said yes, yet, huh?