“If you actually thought there was a chance that Carrie and I would leave together, you wouldn’t have invited Helena.”
“That’s not true,” Nia replied. “Sometimes, we have to face losing what we want before we’re willing to admit that we want it. In your case, that would mean admitting it to Helena, who is with Jennifer right now, in the room right next door.” Nia pointed to the wall behind the dresser. “Helena could also leave with Jennifer. She could make a match with Sharon or Debra. When I make these events, I keep in mind all the possibilities.Youcould leave with Sharon or Debra. Not all of those relationships would last forever, perhaps, but some of them could. They all have potential.” Nia shrugged an elegant shoulder.
“I don’t want anyone else.”
“Well, you don’t want to be in arelationshipwith anyone else, but we both know that one of the reasons you and your ex broke up was that you wanted to try thingsshedidn’t in the bedroom.”
“You can’t use your insider information against me.”
“I’m not. You put it on your form, Becky.” Nia laughed a little. “Give this a try, okay? You know I’m usually right.”
“What if she’s…”
“Then, that was whatsheneeded. You have to keep in mind that just because you’ve been in love with her, it doesn’t mean that she’s been in love with you or that she’s yours to get jealous over. And sex can just be a physical act, Becky. It doesn’t have to have emotions tied to it. It’s better when it does, in my opinion, but it can also be two people relieving tension or exploring something within themselves with no strings.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ve had no-strings sex before.”
“So, if that’s what they’re doing tonight, let them do it. You don’t want no strings with Helena. You want more.”
“But you could’ve put us together tonight. Why didn’t you?”
“Because I am basically working with a massive jigsaw puzzle at every single one of these events. There are eight of you here, and to make it all work like an orchestra playing the best symphony of their lives, I need to put pieces in the right place. It could be that Sharon and Gage needed to be together tonight, which meant you couldn’t be with either of them, or that I thought Kristina and Debra would make a good first-night match, so you couldn’t be with either of them, and so on. I’m always searching for the best possible outcome for everyone here, and Becky, I am very good at what I do.”
“I know you are,” Becky admitted on a sigh.
“Then, you should go back to Carrie’s room and at least go over the cards I gave you.”
“She went for a walk when I disappointed her.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” Nia said and stood up. “I’m sure she’s in her room, wondering why she spent so much damn money on this event. Just be honest with her. And, hey, if both of you are interested in a little stress or tension relief, go for it.” Nia winked.
Becky stood and sighed, feeling a little embarrassed and still somewhat upset. Talking to Nia did make her feel a little bit better about the whole thing, so when she left her room, she knocked on Carrie’s door and waited, expecting Nia to be wrong, which wasn’t all that bright on her part because, of course, Nia was right. Nia was always right somehow, and Becky hadn’t ever understood her friend’s gift. They didn’t spend all that much time together, with Nia traveling all the time, but Becky was always impressed with how Nia could see into the souls of people and connect them together.
“Hi,” Carrie said when she opened the door.
“I was rude to you earlier, and I am very sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. And I’m not up for anything physical because I’m still a little in shock here, but I would love to get to know you better, even if it’s just for us to be friends when we leave here. Want to go through some lame questions with me?”
Carrie laughed and replied, “Sure. Come on in.”
CHAPTER 15
Kristina
“I’m thinking none of this yet, but if you want to come back later, we can,” she said, looking toward the den that was filled with sex toys.
“Okay,” Debra replied.
“So, should we go to your bedroom or maybe mine?”
“Yours is fine,” Debra stated with little enthusiasm.
Kristina was wondering, as they walked down the hall, if Debra had no enthusiasm because Kristina didn’t appeal to her physically, or if it was just nerves. Debra looked older than her, but she wasn’t sure by how much. It didn’t matter to her, though. Age wasn’t important in someone she could fall in love with. Debra had short brown hair that was tucked behind her ears and blue eyes that were beautiful but also appeared a bit broken. Kristina wondered if Debra could see the brokenness inhergreen eyes.
Maybe Debra just wasn’t a fan of redheads. Kristina was the only redhead here, and Debra probably wished she hadn’t gotten paired with her first. Her ex-wife hadn’t been a fan of her red hair. In the beginning, it had been fine, and she’d had no complaints, but as they had gotten deeper into their marriage, little comments had emerged about how red hair was not her favorite, and one day, a box of an at-home hair color kit had appeared on their bathroom counter.
