“Out of the mouths of babes” Tina thought as she speed dialed Bette’s cell phone number. Bette didn’t have long to wait. The phone rang a few seconds later.

“Hey Tee. What’s going on? What’s this message about Angie wanting us to be girlfriends?”

“I’m sorry Bette. I didn’t mean to shock you with such a cryptic message. I do have an explanation but it’s already pretty late are you sure you want to hear it now? You should get some sleep. You have a long drive tomorrow.”

“Do you seriously think I would get any sleep right now not knowing what this is about? Tina…stop stalling. I’ll be fine for the drive tomorrow I promise. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“OK. Remember yesterday evening when I told you that my conversation with Kate caught me off guard and I needed some time to figure things out?”

“Yes. I remember.”

“Well Kate said a lot of things to me at lunch that really gave me pause. As a matter of fact I was speechless by the end of the meal.”

Bette sensed Tina was still stalling but she didn’t interrupt. She waited for her to continue. After a pause Tina finally found her courage and opens her heart to the one that holds it captive.

“Yesterday at lunch Kate told me that she has fallen in love with me.”

This was exactly what Bette had feared. She’d waited too long to express her feeling and now Tina had found love with someone else. Bette was waiting for the other shoe to drop expecting to hear that Tina was in love with Kate too but that wouldn’t explain the text message. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts of defeat that she almost missed what Tina said next.

“She said she fell in love with me even though she knew I had feelings for someone else. At first she suggested we take a break from each other while I sort things out. She’s in Vancouver for a couple of weeks and she thought that would give us the time apart that we needed. I couldn’t give her an answer Bette. I didn’t say anything. By the time we drove back to the center she’d concluded that there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. She said my silence spoke volumes. Fact is she broke up with me and told me to let the feelings surface and to deal with them because I would never be happy otherwise. She called me a heartbreaker and told me that hers should be the last heart that I break.”