“What?!,” Mike exclaimed.

Brom swallowed, and then added, “With capers!”  He turned sideways to look at Bette.

“I know you’ve explained already how you made this, but I still don’t understand how you managed to squeeze in cooking something like this, in the middle of everything,” he said, then took a long drink of his cappuccino.

“Cooking helps me think,” she answered briefly.  “When Martin and Yves came by to get their things, after I saw them out, during that break in our discussion I began to think you’d be hungry, since I was feeling hungry myself.  So I thought I’d whip something up.  Helps me with the creative process.”

She smiled companionably at Brom then at Mike, who was still ribbing Brom about finagling a gourmet breakfast out of Bette.  She cleared her throat as she rested head on her steepled fingers.

Brom put his fork down while Mike quieted down.

“I know that you both think that there’s just too much uncertainty out there right now for me to consider this,” she started, as Brom narrowed his eyes and Mike sat back with his arms across his chest.  “But, whatever it will take to make happen, Tina and I need to see each other today.”

She set her chin determinedly and looked up at both of them.  “And we will.”

As they both opened their mouths, she held up her hand, “I can join a flight to San Francisco that one of George’s planes is scheduled to make out of Teterboro in a few hours. And Tina can take a flight out of LA to meet me in San Francisco. We can stay in whatever hotel you feel is safest, Brom.”

Brom fixed a long look at her and blew a breath out. Mike leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.

“Look, Bette, I know how important Tina is to you, and how worried you are about her,” Brom started.

Mike shook his head, which was still buried in his hands, and interrupted him.  “Bette only loves a few things in this world, Brom.  Tina, Angelica, and art.  And Tina is far and away at the top of that list,” he sighed.

He looked up at Brom, then back at Bette, “I know it’s not logical, and that this goes against one’s natural instinct for self-preservation, but you might as well ask her to stop breathing if you ask her not to see Tina right now.”