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“So Roger has gone back to LA because Kit has collapsed “
“Oh god – this is terrible “
Tina and Shane were having coffee during a shopping trip. They both were shopping for their wedding outfits and after a couple of hours braving the Christmas madness they had escaped for a coffee and some cake.
“I get the impression from Bette that Roger didn’t really know what to expect when he got back”
“Do you want me to try and find out?”
“Are any of the others talking to you?”
“Tasha is trying to keep a channel open. Jenny isn’t talking to me and is mad as hell with me for deserting her and coming out here. Alice –well Alice is being Alice”
“That phrase annoys me – too many people excuse Alice just because she is Alice. Sorry – don’t let me get on my soapbox. When I think about how she treated Bette – and then for her to start advising Roger on how to approach Bette for money. God it makes me mad “
“It is rich coming from her but then again she has always been like that “
“And people let her get away with it – sorry – I can rant for America about her”
“Don’t worry – I don’t blame you. You have to do what is right for you and your family and that means Bette and Angie”
Tina sighed “I don’t think I am in Bette’s good books at the moment “
“Why is that?” Shane couldn’t imagine Bette ever getting too fed up with Tina.
“Well partially it was because we had lunch with Peggy yesterday and I got well steamed on cocktails with her”
“Nothing wrong with that. I have to say that it’s never seemed to bother Bette when other people drink”
“Normally it doesn’t “
“So what happened?”
Tina looked embarrassed “I got really horny – which is what drinking expensive cocktails tend to do to me. Anyway – I got fresh with her at a bad time. Angie was just in the other room and I was really throwing myself at Bette. I think Bette would be mortified if Angie caught us making out – so she doesn’t like it when I get fresh with her at the wrong time”
Shane nodded “I can understand that”
“And I do as well – -except yesterday I was not amused by it. Then later on I told her that my mother says they are thinking of moving to the city to be close to us”
“And?”
“I was being ultra-sensitive – really touchy and she was distracted – half way through talking about it she got the call from Roger and she just wanted to go and be on her own. I didn’t handle it well. I got really tetchy – accused her of not wanting them to live in New York”
“Did you have a row?”
“Not as such. She went off for a long swim and when she got back she was tired and she fell asleep on the sofa and just didn’t want to talk. I messed it up Shane”
“Because you were drunk?”
“Because I was drunk, because I was horny and I wanted sex and when she said that instead of talking about them moving here in theory we should be talking about how they would live – where would they live and what would they do. I flipped at her and I feel terrible. She’s got a lot on her plate at the moment – like the gallery and Kit and I was really not helping her yesterday”
Shane sipped her coffee – it seemed to her that unlike back in LA the disagreements between Bette and Tina now didn’t seem as volcanic. They argued – what couple didn’t but Bette handled it better because she was now a much calmer person and Tina didn’t get as wound up by Bette.
“So- do you want your parents to move to New York?”
Tina sighed and shook her head “Yes and no “
“And why is that?”
Tina laughed at Shane’s comeback
“Yes because they are my parents and having them back in my life has been amazing. And Angie loves seeing her grandparents and this is a chance of being a family that I never thought I would get”
“And no because?”
“Bette is right – New York is expensive and they will both need decent jobs. Plus – well – the thing that I suspect Bette will not say to me is that they do have opinions about us and about what happened when I was 17 that are not true “
“Such as ?”
“Dad says that if I had been able to tell them I was gay it would have stopped what happened with my boyfriend”
Shane had the most poker of all possible poker faces. She could hear shocking news and still take it in her stride. For once her face did give her away – she looked at Tina with disbelief
“That sounds like an excuse to me – and from Bette’s point of view it looks like he is shifting the blame to you “
Tina nodded “That is what Bette says”
“It might not be what your dad intends – but that is what it seems to be implying “
Tina sipped her coffee “And when he says this it really annoys Bette. I don’t want there to be a row”
“This is not the Bette who argues as easily as the earlier model “
“Yes but I don’t want there to be any arguments. I don’t want to scare my parents off”
“They have just found you again – it is going to take more than an argument to make them run away from you. You wouldn’t walk away from Angie because of an argument “
“I can’t take the risk Shane and the more that they are in our lives the more likely that one of them will pass the buck about the death to me and Bette is still protective of me –more so now “
“Especially as you know that Bette is right “
Tina nodded “Especially as Bette is right but her being right would also mean me being in the middle of a row between my new wife and my parents “