Page 125 of June

“We can stay in if you want, but I kind of did a thing.”

“A thing? Like a reservation?”

“Not exactly. But, apparently, Jodie made a reservation for her and Viv.”

“They’re on their first date. It’s really very cute.” Caroline pointed to Viv’s desk. “Jodie got her flowers.”

“I should’ve broughtyouflowers,” Enid said.

“I don’t want flowers, Enid. I just wantyou.” Caroline sat in her desk chair, looking defeated. “I swear, I was in a better mood earlier, but I saw how excited Viv was with Jodie, and I know I want that.”

“To date Viv and Jodie?” Enid made a bad joke as she walked over to the chair and knelt in front of Caroline, rubbing her hands over Caroline’s thighs.

“No, to dateyou,” Caroline replied. “I didn’t expect you to be in another state while we were doing it, but that’s what I want.”

“I still have to get the job,” Enid replied.

“You will,” Caroline said, looking away. “I’m not one of those girls, Enid. I wasn’t planning on finding a girlfriend or trying to make distance work. I don’t want to be sad all the time, missing you because you’re somewhere else, and I can’t get there.”

“I don’t want that, either.”

“But I want you to have what you want,” Caroline said. “As much as I want this with you, I can’t stand in the way of you having the job you’ve been wanting.”

“I have the interview tomorrow. Let’s not worry about this until after that, okay?” Enid cupped Caroline’s cheek. “We won’t be out long, I swear. I just wanted to show you something. Is that okay?”

“And it can’t wait?”

“It can, but I asked Melinda for her help, so…”

Caroline looked at her confused and said, “Okay. I’m not really hungry, though.”

“Good. It’s not a dinner thing,” Enid said and stood.

???

Enid pulled her car into the parking spot she had been lucky to find and put the ticket she’d just grabbed in the window. Then, she turned to look at Caroline, who’d been pretty quiet the whole drive to the Square. Enid tried not to worry too much because she still had to get the job offer and accept it, but it was getting worse, seeing Caroline look dejected and knowing that it was all Enid’s fault.

They got out of the car, and Enid took Caroline’s hand as they walked. Caroline didn’t push her away. In fact, she squeezed Enid’s hand so tightly that Enid knew Caroline was trying to hang on like this was her last night in New Orleans before she moved for a job that she didn’t even have yet.

“So, I was talking to Melinda about your art.”

“My art?” Caroline looked over at her. “Not the art Ithinkyou’re talking about, right?”

Enid laughed, and it felt good to laugh.

“Notthatone, no. I think that art stays between you and me.”

“And Viv, who has technically seen it,” Caroline said.

“Yeah, and Viv.” Enid stopped them at the light, waiting for it to change so they could cross the street. “Melinda knows practically everyone in this city, I think, including the artists who show their stuff in Jackson Square.” She nodded ahead, where several artists had their paintings, watercolors, chalk drawings, and sketches hanging on the fence and on the ground beneath, where even more were laid out. “I told her about the characters you make, and she mentioned that there’s this guy who has fun art like that, and he sells pretty well out here. It’s his full-time job. His aren’t like yours necessarily. He does his own characters with spray paint, and he does them live, but he makes decent money at it, I guess. Melinda told me he’s been here for years doing this, and he’s been working with a gallery recently and might end up with a show there.”

“You brought me here to look at his stuff?” Caroline asked.

“No, babe. I mean, yeah, but I thought you could talk to him and ask him questions about how it works out here and how you could maybe display your own stuff here one day. Melinda checked with him, and he said he’d be up for it.”

“I don’t know that I want to display my stuff, Enid.”

“You don’t have to. I was just… I can see how happy it makes you when you’re drawing, Care. I can see it on your face.”

---