Lil tells Bernie, "Don't explain."

"...Is this your new girlfriend?" the esthetician asked.

Bernie blinked at the question, still surprised to see Tamara here. She remembered pointing out Tamara at a party once as "See, the girl who looks like Lara Croft, with the full lips?" Or today, maybe a better description would be "Lara Croft as a yoga instructor wearing a sports bra." Dark hair in a long braid, muscle definition in her neck and forearms, and definite nipple bumps on her full breasts.

Lil held on to Bernie's hand as Bernie hesitated.

"Don't explain, Bernie," Lil said. "It's just too complicated." Was Bernie staring at Tamara's tits?

"You are looking good, Tamara," Bernie said, returning a compliment for a compliment.

Yup, Lil thought. They were nice ones. Lil was a little envious.

Tamara pouted her full lips and smiled. "I work on it."

Lil looked at Tamara. "And this is a date," Lil said, laughing.

"Lil, um," Bernie stammered.

"Okay, sorry," Lil told Bernie. "You're so good to me. I'm having a wonderful time." She squeezed Bernie's hand, then let go. Looking to Tamara, she said, "We did book an appointment together. Are you ready for us?"

"Right this way," Tamara said. "Come on back." She eyed Bernie, tongue-tied and blushing. and Lil, giggly and beaming. "Lovebirds."

Lil confirmed with Tamara that she was getting the full pedicure treatment, foot bath, massage, trim, buff, with pink gloss polish with just a little glitter.

Bernie took a deep breath and composed herself. "No polish, please."

"But you'd look great in a crimson or a ruby!" Lil protested. "I'd love to see you in something really deep and rich. It's sandal season, might as well flaunt our toes!"

"It'll chip," Bernie said. "On the pool deck or somewhere. It always does." She looked to Tamara.

"No polish," Tamara confirmed. "That'll give us more time, so I'll finish with a foot massage for you." She nodded at Bernie. "You like those, right?" Tamara gave a slow blink.

"Sure?" Bernie said. Was Tamara throwing a hint? She remembered Tamara from the Hillel Center Lesbian group. One of Raquel's lovers. Maybe? It had been a little while.

"All right, sit yourselves down and get comfortable," Tamara said. "If you want, we have sparkling water, iced tea, or herbal energy drinks." She gestured to a glass-fronted mini fridge.

"Thanks," Bernie said. "It's been a thirsty day." She got out a can.

Lil laughed. "Oh hey, that's a pomegranate sparkling water, will you reach me one of those?"

Bernie handed Lil the chilled can. It was the last one of that flavor, but there was a different brand with a tall pink can that had a pomegranate and rose flavor. She drank thirstily from the tall can while Tamara started with Lil.

Lil sighed with pleasure as Tamara cleansed her feet, trimmed and buffed her toenails, and smoothed out the stiff, rough-surfaced calluses on the edges of her feet. "Mmm, that feels so good," Lil purred as Tamara massaged her feet and worked each toe gently.

Tamara and Lil chatted as Lil's feet went through the steps of a treatment that would make them worthy of showing off, even flaunting, in Lil's cute new sandals.

"After Steve I was thinking maybe I should just quit dating guys, you know?" Lil said, filling in Tamara with the story of her woes.

Tamara laughed. "Take it from me," she said. "Dating girls instead of guys isn't a cure for avoiding self-centered assholes and cheaters."

Lil laughed.

Bernie cringed internally. What Raquel had put her through made Bernie wonder if that's exactly who Tamara was talking about.

"So I'm keeping it light," Tamara said. "Nothing deep. Not going steady. No moving in with anybody. Maybe that would work for you. Get to know yourself. Set some boundaries and expectations."

"Now you're sounding like my mom," Lil said. "Well sort of. 'Let the guys fight over you' always worked for her. Never for me." Lil reached over and squeezed Bernie's shoulder. "Bernie has been so much better."

Bernie felt a wave of sensation ripple through her body from Lil's friendly squeeze. Her heart beat faster. Was she getting turned on by her boyfriend's sister, the good-natured but shallow blonde princess who envied her mom and couldn't stand up for herself?

Bernie closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to center herself. She was here to cheer Lil up by going shopping and humoring her little beauty whims. But Lil's questions about her mom had put Bernie off balance, and when she closed her eyes, she saw in her mind's eye what she had spied on through the curtains of the van Gary was taking care of -- her boyfriend and his and Lil's mom masturbating to orgasm together with a finger up each other's butts. Her heart thumping, Bernie snapped her eyes open and stared at a photo on the wall, a pleasant seascape with sailboats. But it didn't clear her mind of the notion that Gary might be a shallow, good-natured blond prince, ill-used by his last steady date Sharon, trying to make things work for too long, just like Lil with Steve. That brought a smile. Maybe it was fine to enjoy a little shallow sweet optimistic good nature. She had nothing to fear from Lil, not really. She reached back and squeezed Lil's shoulder.

By the time Lil's pink glitter nail polish was smoothly applied, her feet up on a cushion for them to dry, Bernie was feeling jittery. She squinted through her glasses at her drink can. Oh. Her pomegranate rose quencher had actually been an herbal energy drink. Her nerves tingled and she felt restless.

"Are you ready or do you need a pee break?" Tamara asked. "Those energy drinks go right through me."