Page 45 of June

“If that’s the case, you should tell herthat. I’d want to know if your mother wasn’t where I was when we were first dating.”

“You would? Wouldn’t it have hurt because you were already in love with her?”

“Yes, it would have hurt, but it’s better to know. She should be able to make her own decisions.”

“I know. You’re right,” Enid said.

Then, she thought about Jill standing in a wide black space in her mind. Caroline was standing there, too, but about five feet away. Enid thought about the spark her father had been talking about, and when she pictured both women, she knew she felt a spark. It just wasn’t for Jill.

CHAPTER 12

“You look nice,” Jodie said of Caroline’s outfit.

“Yeah,” Viv added.

“How wouldyouknow? You’re reading a book,” Caroline remarked, looking at her roommate, who was lying on her bed with a book in hand.

“I looked up,” Viv said without looking up.

There was a knock at the door, which they usually only closed when neither of them was there or they were asleep, but Caroline had closed it because she wanted a real date experience, and that involved her date knocking on her door. Enid had just texted to say that she was downstairs, but one of the girls in the dorm had let her in, so Caroline didn’t have to go all the way down to get her.

‘So much for that increased building security,’she thought to herself as a way to distract her brain from how nervous she was.

Then, Caroline took a deep breath and turned to her friends.

“You.” She pointed at Jodie. “Sit in my chair and don’t make any comments. Just say hello. That’s it.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Jodie said with a mock-salute but moved back until her butt was in Caroline’s chair.

“Viv… You always behave, so just keep doing that.”

“Um… Will do,” Viv replied, still not looking up from her book.

Caroline turned around and pulled the door open, finding Enid standing there, looking sexy as hell in a pair of dark jeans and a black V-neck shirt, which looked like it had been made just for her.

“Hi,” Enid greeted.

“Hey,” Caroline replied with a smile. “I’d invite you in, but there’s really nothing to see. You’ve also seen it all before, so…”

“Hi,” Jodie said from behind her.

“Oh, hey,” Enid replied, looking around Caroline and waving at Jodie. “Hi, Viv.”

“Hey,” Viv said back without looking away from her book, just how they’d rehearsed.

“I’d say more, but she told me I’m not allowed to,” Jodie addednotin the way that they’d rehearsed.

Enid laughed and replied, “Then, I won’t say anything back so that I don’t get you in trouble.”

“And we’re leaving now,” Caroline said and pulled the door closed behind her. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Enid asked.

“You having to pick me up in a dorm room. I’m almost twenty-one, and I still live in the dorms.”

“I’m twenty-four and live with my parents.”

“Yeah, but you have a reason or an excuse. I just need to ask my parents if they’ll pay for an apartment instead of a dorm room or get a job and pay for it myself.”

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