As busy as their schedules were Bette and Tina did not veer off having family time with Angie or couple time for them. They still had date nights. They also had one day a week that they put aside to spend time just talking. Sometimes the conversations were about specific issues, sometimes it was just a matter of catching up with each other’s lives, other times it was free flowing. Regardless of the agenda the most important thing was to be deliberate in keeping the lines of communication open.

They sometimes had these talks late at night in bed after making love or while sharing a bubble bath after Angie was put to bed. They also enjoyed finding quiet secluded spots in and around the city that offered privacy where they could talk without interruptions. Weather permitting they would sometimes take a picnic or buy food from a deli or street vendor and find an alcove in the local park to eat and talk. This was the setting for their conversation regarding living arrangements for the next few years.

They’d been leasing a three bedroom loft in New York’s Tribeca area for the past two while their home in West Hollywood remained vacant however now that they’d committed to another three to five years in New York they had some decisions to make.

“What do you think Tee … should we keep the house and maybe think about leasing it or just outright sell it?”

“That all depends. Do we continue to lease here or do we want to look at purchasing a home? I mean New York is where we’ll be spending the better part of the next three to five years so it makes sense to sell the WeHo house and invest in something here don’t you think?”

“I agree that it makes sense for us to invest in a home here. Currently it’s a buyer’s market but we need to get a good price for the WeHo house to swing it. I also want to own the gallery space and that will take significant capital investment. If we do buy here would you want to live in the city or move to the suburbs?”

“Bette Kennard-Porter in the ‘burbs’ … I don’t think so.”