Bette left a crying Candace in bed after spending a final night with the carpenter.  She got in her car and thought about Tina’s question “Can you stay away from her?” and how it took her four months to realize the answer.  She only hoped that it wasn’t too late for her and Tina to work things out.  It was a long shot but she had to try.  Bette drove straight home to wash off the scent of the other woman and think of something she could say or do to get Tina to give her another chance. 

     She walked inside the cafe and noticed Alice, Shane, Dana and Tonya seated at a table closest to the entrance.  Inhaling deeply she braced herself for whatever verbal attack or social snub she was about to receive, as long as they told her Tina’s whereabouts that is all she wanted.  She slowly approached the gossiping quad and listened as two of them stopped talking and were looking at her.  What she received was quite the opposite of what she had expected.  Shane looked at her and smiled.

“Hey there missy” Shane pulled out a chair for Bette.

“Good morning” Bette shyly smiled and accepted the offered seat.

“Long time no see stranger” Alice greeted with a hug.

“Well I figured I wasn’t welcomed” Bette looked down at the table cloth “and was ashamed to show my face so I just didn’t come around” Bette then looked back up at their understanding faces.

“Nonsense Bette whatever happens between you and Tina is just that.  We’ll never stop being a friend to either of you” Dana reached across the table to offer her hand to Bette.

“Thank you Dana” Bette smiled gratefully and took Dana’s hand in hers.  Bette cleared her throat as if it had suddenly gone dry then carefully looked back down in her lap, “Is umm, is Tina around?”  Everyone looked at each other then turned back to Bette.

“She has been pretty busy lately with the new job and settling into her new pad” Shane answered carefully knowing Bette had been out of the loop.

“New pad?  I thought she was staying with you Alice?”  Bette let go of Dana’s hand and looked at her friend.