“No. No, this is where I WANT to be.
She’s in Seattle right now, with her lover. She even charged it to my credit card, can
you believe that?” Bette said ruefully; and Candace laughed, a hard critical laughter that Bette had never heard coming from her before.

“And you are here with your
lover of 4 months. How appropriate is
that?” Candace shot back, the sarcasm dripping from her
pouty lips.

“That is not what I mean. I mean, I mean if she’d been home, I’d be
here. If she’d been gone, I’d been here. If I’d told her first, I’d be here!” Bette said her voice strong and willful. Candace opened the door and said.

“Go get your wife back.” Bette stood up, moving towards Candace, her hand flat on the door and she
slammed it shut.

“I am where I want
to be.” Bette insisted; Candace met her eyes, and Bette smiled, leaning in and kissing her
quickly. Candace simply nodded, taking Bette into her arms.

Bette was at the CAC, trying to get her mind
off Tina, that she’d flown off to find a woman
she hardly knew in a heartbeat. She
didn’t understand her thinking; Bette wanted to talk to her, to settle this finally. She just didn’t know what she was going to
say to Tina once she saw her.

Candace had finally allowed her to stay with
her, and two days had passed and she still hadn’t gone back to her own house. She turned her cell phone off and this was
her first day back at work. She wanted
to lose herself in the art; in her work.