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“Oh, no, it is. I can tell from the way you are avoiding that this is going to be good.”
Lea’s cheeks tinged pink. “It’s really not.”
“Tell me,” Jewel pressed. “I want to know.”
“Fine. It’s nothing big. We met on this dating site. I’ve since deleted my profile, so don’t you even dare try to find it. It was a disaster, and I should have known better. But we met, we went on one date, and there we are sitting at the restaurant, awkwardly trying to have a conversation, and the waitress shows up and happens to be the ex, and apparently I was being used to make someone jealous.”
“No way!” Jewel’s eyes went wide with surprise.
“Yeah. Needless to say, there was no second date.”
Giggling, Jewel shook her head. “I would imagine. What did you say?”
“Nothing. I ate my meal and left. Got a few messages after the fact, but I ignored them. I’m not going to be used for that.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Jewel’s jovial demeanor changed to melancholy. The thought of Lea dating sprung some emotions in her belly, and she wasn’t quite sure where they were coming from. A touch of jealousy played in there, which felt odd. She’d never thought of Lea dating someone before. They’d only ever talked about Jewel’s failed love life. But Lea? Willingly going on dates and then sharing nothing of them when they were disasters like this one? How much of their friendship was one-sided?
“No, so I deleted the profile. I haven’t been on a date since, but…I don’t know, J, you don’t think I’m too old for dating?”
“Too old?” Jewel snorted. “You’re right in the prime of your life.”
“No.” Lea flushed. “You are. I am most assuredly beyond the prime of my life, but thank you for the compliment.”
“You’re never too old to date. I hear about couples getting married in nursing homes all the time.”
“Oh thanks, now I’m geriatric.”
“That’s not what I meant! And you know it.” Jewel giggled. She grabbed her donut and finished it off, glad to see Lea finally eating hers. She had pushed, and she had gotten something of an answer. Still, she wanted to know why Lea never talked about it before. “You’re not too old to date. I wish you’d do it more often.”
“Why?”
“I want you to be happy.”
“J…” Lea gave her a soft look. “I don’t have to be with someone to be happy. I am happy. Do you hear me longing for a relationship I don’t have? No. Because I’m settled and happy with what I have. I don’t need someone else to make me happy.”
“But wouldn’t it be nice?” Jewel eyed her carefully, trailing her gaze from Lea’s hands to her face. “To have someone when you come home at night?”
“Sure. I guess it’d be nice, but I’m really fine living here by myself with the life I’ve made.”
“I admire that. I wish I could live like that.”
“You’re young, and trust me, you have way more prospects in town than I do. You haven’t taught everyone for the last seventeen years. I either taught them, or they are parents to someone I taught.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Oh, it’s true.” Lea’s eyes crinkled, the wry smile on her lips also had a tinge of hurt to them.
Jewel leaned over and pressed a hand to Lea’s thigh. “I could help set you up, if you wanted.”
“No, really, I meant what I said. I’m fine and happy with the life I have.”
“But I want you to have love, too.”
“I do have it.” Lea blinked at her like she had three heads. “I’ve got love with my friends and family.”
Jewel rolled her eyes dramatically and flopped into the couch. “You’re ridiculous, but I will let this pass, because I do love you. Still, you should help me set up my profile. I have no idea what to say on those things.”
“I will help only if you promise to never push me to date again.”
“Deal.” They shook on it.
It was after lunch before they got to setting up two separate profiles for Jewel. While Lea was cleaning up Jewel’s mess in the kitchen, Jewel stared at the profiles side by side. She pulled her lip between her teeth as she glanced at Lea in the kitchen. Well, it may as well be now or never. Brady had broken up with her over it, and she didn’t want to hide it anymore. Maybe she could find what she hadn’t in men if she focused on women. She’d never really dated a woman seriously before, but it couldn’t be that hard, could it? It really couldn’t be all that different. Dating was dating. It was awkward and it sucked until an actual relationship started or no relationship started.
She went back in and edited her profiles, clicking the “interested in both men and women” boxes each profile provided. Saving it, she quickly closed and logged out of the websites and went to help with the disaster she had created. By mid-afternoon, Jewel made her exit so they could both work on grading and lesson plans.
When she got back to her house, she slipped inside. That feeling in the pit of her stomach from their conversation about dating hadn’t gone away. Staring straight ahead as she leaned against the front door after shutting it, Jewel tried to place exactly where the feeling had been coming from. It definitely was jealously.
Lea had gone on a date and kept it entirely a secret. She must be jealous that there was someone out there who knew something about Lea that she didn’t, especially because they’d been such good friends for so long. Lea was very easily the best friend Jewel had had in her entire life, including her middle school bestie who had managed to fade and come back multiple times over. They were fantastic together so long as they were in the same room or on the phone, but first someone had to make that call or visit.
Pushing off the door, Jewel sat at her kitchen table and dragged over the music she had pulled for the high school choir. The Beatles medley was a hit. While it had been fun, it was going to be a stretch whether or not they’d have enough time to polish it before the spring concert. Getting to work, Jewel spent the rest of her afternoon and evening immersed in music.
