“Ewwwww,” Bette said, completely unable to stop herself.

“I can’t help it,” Tina shrugged, “hormones.”

Bette nodded. Of course you can’t help it, she wanted to say, you’re pregnant and you’re gorgeous and you’re supposed to be sending me out in the middle of the night to bring you back Yoohoo by the caseload and Slurpees by the barrel. Bette couldn’t even allow herself to wonder if Helena Peabody was doing pre-dawn Slurpee runs for her wife. That thought was too impossible to consider. Almost as impossible as the fact that Tina was no longer her wife.

“Bette,” Tina said, looking at her expectantly.

“Right. Seltzer is fine. Thanks,” Bette said.

In the short time that Tina was gone, Bette took a deep breath and a quick inventory. She had been in Tina’s company for about five minutes and so far, no one was screaming, crying, or throwing things. This might be some kind of record. Maybe they’d both had their fill of the drama that had characterized the first weeks after they separated. Or maybe this calm was merely proof that, as Alice told her, Tina was moving on with her life. Bette felt her heart clench and she closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself.

“Here you go.” Tina stood before Bette with her drink.

“I want to talk to you about the house,” Bette blurted, reaching to accepting the glass.

“What?” Tina asked, drawing her hand back reflexively.

“The house. I’ve got something I want to discuss with you.”

Tina paused for a moment before setting the seltzer down on the coffee table in front of Bette and sitting across from her on the other couch. “Isn’t this a conversation we should be having with Jane?”

“No. I think we can handle a simple discussion without a referee, don’t you?” Bette asked, trying to keep the tension out of her voice. “Besides, this isn’t a legal proposition. It’s a personal one.”

Tina’s eyebrows arched almost imperceptibly. Was it skepticism? Sarcasm? Bette couldn’t tell. But she knew she had Tina’s attention, and she was going to plunge forward while momentum was on her side.

“I would like to move back into the house. With you.”