Bette chuckled and stood again to pull her purse over her shoulder. “I have a meeting in a few minutes, but …”

“Porter.”

They both turned to a voice at the top of the staggered stairs to see another professor, beaming with a smile.

“Hey, when are you gonna check out my piece? Huh?”

From the unusual intonations of the woman’s words, Tina assumed she was deaf. She turned quickly to Bette, watching the response.

“I’ll be right there,” Bette answered, trying to sign her words. “I’m talking with a student right now.”

“I know you’ll love it.” And with that, the beaming woman was off.

Tina turned to Bette again, a look of disbelief over her expression. “Uh huh. And who was that?”

“Professor Lerner,” Bette answered, seemingly unphased. “What?”

“She’s into you,” Tina smirked, finding that Bette really was oblivious.

“No, goodness no. She just told me how terribly she feels about my separation, and she’s trying to cheer me up through art. She knows how I love it and how it’s a part of me. She’s just being nice … what? Why are you still looking at me like that?”

Tina leaned in, but only to whisper. “Call me tonight. Tell me how it goes with her.”

From the quirky movement of Tina’s eyebrows, Bette had to laugh. “Have a nice evening, Tina.”

“Mmm hmm,” Tina chuckled, walking up the stairs as she turned over her shoulder to catch Bette staring at her legs. She didn’t let on that she’d seen, but she moved with purpose and strength. Professor Porter was checking her out, and she would put on a show.

Bette snapped herself out of her stare to go and visit with Jodi Lerner, very quickly realizing that Tina had been right. While art did serve to relax her, she was tense after she knew Jodi’s reason for such happiness.

However, it was hard to admit she’d been so naïve. And even harder to call Tina, but she still wanted to speak with her about what had transpired between them.

“Hi.”

Bette sat nervously on her couch, the phone to her ear as she played with the material of her shirt. “Hello, Tina?”

“Mmm … so how did it go with Professor Lerner?”