Lenore waits for Bette to elaborate. “Payment plans?”

Bette gently laughs again. “I’ve never been asked that particular question before….”

Lenore smirks. “So…no?”

Bette shakes her head. “No….”

Lenore laughs and then looks up at the ceiling. “The way you said that reminds me of this conversation I once had with DeNiro years ago…”

Bette looks over Lenore’s shoulder and locks in on Tina conversing with a pretty woman dressed in a Whitney Houston costume. Lenore’s voice fades away as she watches the woman flirtatiously laugh while touching Tina’s arm; after a few beats, she looks away and gives Lenore a courteous smile.

“…. So that’s when I said, I will not….no, I shall not be your love interest in Heat…. can you believe his audacity?”

Bette once again gently smiles. “No, how dare he…” She says, pretending to know what the hell Lenore is referring to…”

“Anyway, we’ll continue this conversation later….” Lenore says, reaching out and adjusting Bette’s jacket while making intense eye contact. “I’ll have my people call your people….” She then slides her hands away from Bette and walks away with a little something extra in her hips.

Bette shakes her head, trying to forget the weird interaction as she walks away. “What the fuck?”

***

Porch….

About an hour later, Tina is sitting on the steps enjoying a glass of wine and the cool night air as she listens to the bustling parting inside.

A few beats later, she looks back and smiles when Bette steps outside.

“Hey…you needed a break too, huh?” Tina asks.

Bette smiles as she walks over and sits down next to Tina. “Yep….” She then sighs taking in the fresh air before sipping her drink.

They sit in comfortable silence for a few beats before Tina turns and looks at Bette. “I know we’re in party mode right now…but would you mind if I ask you something?”

Bette looks at Tina curiously. “Of course….”

“I’ve been meaning to bring it up for a while, but things have been pretty hectic the past few weeks, but um….” She looks down at her wine glass and then looks back at Bette. “W…why did you keep the old house?” She quietly asks.

“Oh…” Bette looks away from Tina and stares out into the yard for a beat before she responds. “Well….at first it was because I wasn’t sure if or when you would decide to come back….I guess I was holding out hope that you would, and on top of everything else, I didn’t wanna be the asshole that sold our home; I mean, I wanted you and the baby to have something to come back to… you know?”