“What would you do if you weren’t working at Lowenthal Properties?” I asked curiously.
“I don’t know.”
She paused.
“Well, that’s not totally true. I studied architecture in college. I’d love to be an architect, but my parents wouldn’t hear of it.”
I nodded sympathetically. “My parents don’t understand why I joined the company with Ariel and Maeve, they call it ‘my little hobby’ even though AGM is more than ten times more profitable than Sanderson Real Estate Services. And my partners keep telling me to disconnect so I can work with them full-time, but I don’t have the heart to disappoint my parents that way.”
Nicole smile. She had such a pretty smile.
“I think we’re both alike that way,” she said softly. “Our duty to the family legacy comes first.”
“What about dating?” I asked.
“Dating, what’s that?” she joked. “I haven’t done a lot of it, despite my mother’s efforts to fix me up. I’m pretty sure she thinks if she doesn’t find the right guy for me I’ll die alone.”
Ah, so she was bisexual. That answered one question I had.
“You haven’t been tempted by these guys?” I asked half-teasingly.
She shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “I’ve slept with guys back in high school and college when I was experimenting and it was more than enough for me to realize that’s not what I want. My worst sex with a woman was so much better than my best sex with a guy, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
Hm, not bisexual then. Why did her mother keep fixing her up with men then? Maybe Nicole’s mother was one of those people who thought lesbians were just confused women who hadn’t found the right guy yet. I had a feeling my mother thought that as well, although she was smart enough not to say anything.
“What about you?” she asked. “Is there someone special in your life?”
She watched me carefully, like my answer was important to her.
“Nope, not now, not for a long time.”
“And you and Ariel and Maeve…?”
I shook my head. “We’re all like sisters. We’ve talked about it before, how much easier it would be if we were into each other that way, like we’d make a kick ass throuple, but the attractionisn’t there. Not even a glimmer. We probably know each other too well.”
“Theo told me that Ariel recently fell in love.”
“Yeah, Sadie’s a great girl,” I said. “She’s not who any of us would have imagined Ariel ending up with – especially Ariel – but we all love Sadie, and she’s been great for my friend.”
“Maybe someday you and Maeve will find someone to fall in love with too.”
There was a wistful tone to Nicole’s voice that made my stomach clench. I stared into her eyes for a long time before answering, “Yeah, maybe we will.”
Nicole
Something changed between me and Grace after our ‘get to know you’ dinner. As we got deeper into our conversation, I realized that we had more in common than I would have thought. In retrospect, it was too bad that we’d been sworn enemies throughout school, otherwise I probably would have been good friends with her and her little posse. Maybe AGM would have been MAGN. Or NAGM.
But I wasn’t one to have regrets, so I didn’t really dwell on it. I felt like Grace and I were taking a tiny step towards becoming friends, and to be honest, I could use some more friends. That’s why when Grace invited me to her “Found Family Dinner” I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“Tell me what to expect,” I asked after I agreed to go.
“We started it a while back. Between us, Grace, Maeve, and I know so many people who are estranged from their family because of their sexual orientation,” she explained. “As you know, we talk about ‘found family’ in the queer community a lot…”
In fact, I didn’t know that. I was embarrassingly isolated from the larger LGBTQ+ community. I didn’t have any queer friends. More than that, other than casual hook-ups, I’d only dated two women seriously since I came out, and both of those relationships lasted less than six months. But I nodded anyway.
“It’s super casual,” Grace assured me. “Dinner always includes the three of us, and if we’re dating someone we sometimes bring them too. Sadie comes now. And Theo and his husband, and any friends that need something to do. It’s a great way to make new friends. Plus we go dancing afterward, if you’re into that kind of thing.”
