Page 9 of Semantics
“Hopefully not,” Stella agreed.
They talked throughout their meal, getting to know one another a bit, and Stella liked this woman. She really did. Amber was smart and funny, just like Jen had said, but there was something in the back of Stella’s mind that kept shifting her focus from the beautiful and accomplished woman sitting in front of her back to the annoying woman she’d known for a few months about a decade ago.
“So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and ask if you’d like to do this again sometime,” Amber said when they arrived at Stella’s car in the restaurant’s parking lot later that night.
“Yeah, I’d love to,” she replied and meant it.
“Great. I’ll call you?”
“Please do,” she said and felt Amber lean in.
Her date didn’t go for a kiss on the lips, though, which Stella appreciated. Amber’s lips landed on her cheek instead, and Stella smiled at the gesture.
“Drive safe,” Amber told her before she headed to her own car.
When Stella got home about twenty minutes later, she ignored the three pings from her phone, knowing that it was only Jen checking in on her date, which could wait, and she grabbed her laptop. Then, she found the account for Violet’s company, reviewed the details once more, added herself in the CRM as the account owner, and used the templated email that her reps sent once they first got an account. She checked it over thoroughly to be sure that it was good and hit send.
CHAPTER 3
“So, I’m starting to think that Arlowe might be right. I must be high or drunk, right?” Sarai asked in the kitchen the following morning as she sat down next to Violet at the round kitchen table that fit just the four of them comfortably.
She placed the open box of cereal that she’d carried over with her on the table, leaned back in her chair, and sipped the coffee she’d just made before she set the cup down, picked the box back up, and shoved her hand down into it, pulling out a handful of dry cereal that she then ate.
“You know we have bowls, right?” Violet said.
“Overrated.”
“Also, that’s communal cereal, Sarai. You can’t at least pour it somewhere instead of eating out of the box?”
“Only Arlowe likes this one, and this brand still comes with a toy inside for kids that she collects, so…” Sarai stuck her hand back into the box to pull out a small object wrapped in plastic. “I’m holding this for ransom.”
“What is that?” Violet asked and laughed a little.
“Hell, if I know. But if she wants it, it must be mine.”
“I still can’t believe you two never dated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you didn’t, but sometimes I wonder.”
“Oh, gross.” Sarai made a face that told Violet that she did not agree with her assessment. “She’s like my sister. All of you are.”
“It’s amazing that none of us ever got together initially, when you think about it,” Arlowe noted as she walked into the room. She then proceeded straight over to Sarai, yanked the small toy from her hands, and said, “Thanks for fishing this out for me. I knew I could count on you.” She shoved the toy into her front pocket. “Now, if you want it back, you’d have to get to at least third base.”
“Gross,” Sarai repeated. “I don’t even want to get to first base with you.”
“Feeling’s mutual, little sister,” Arlowe said and rubbed Sarai’s head.
“You’re four days older than me!” Sarai exclaimed and tried to fix her hair once Arlowe removed her hand and stole the box of cereal from her.
“We have some weird conversations in this house,” Violet said to no one. “And why do you agree with Arlowe now?” she asked Sarai and looked back down at her computer.
“Wait… You agree with me about something?” Arlowe joked as she chomped on a handful of cereal and handed the box back to Sarai.
“About the hardware. I’ve been doing some research, and I think we should try to make it work.”
“What?” Violet asked, looking up. “I just put out feelers for the software we decided on yesterday.”
“We need to do that, too,” Enya said as she walked in. “I need help. I can’t do it all on my own; not on our timeline, anyway.”
Enya sat down in her usual seat and took the box from Sarai.
