As the assistant to Bette Porter, James learned early to read his boss’ body language. On Monday, her movements were smooth, friendly. On Tuesday, the friendly tone was gone. By the time Wednesday was almost over, he knew Bette was two idiots away from a dress-down.

With that in mind, he armed himself with what was hopefully good news. Knocking on the door, James waited until Bette acknowledged him before telling her the good news.

“Looks like you’ll have your wish after all,” he commented as he handed the message slip to her.

“It’s about time,” Bette mumbled. “Howard’s a jackass whose sole intention is to turn all students into art drones.”

“Art drones?” he resisted the urge to laugh.

“Stuffy, conservative and uninspiring,” Bette answered dryly. She mumbled a few more choice words, and this time, James chose to laugh out loud. His boss was extremely articulate, and creative, when she was in the mood to yell at someone. When they were back in CAC, James was amused by the many ways Bette could offer a verbal lashing without the use of profanities.

“You also have a message from Alice. She said something about San Diego.”

“Shit. I totally forgot about that. Remind me to call her before I leave today.”

“Will do, Bette,” he left her office, smiling.

She relayed the news to Phyllis, who congratulated Bette on a job well done. Feeling much better, she decided a celebratory dinner was in order. After sending James on an errand, Bette picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello there,” Bette purred, smiling at the sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line. It was an amazing feeling she had long forgotten.

“Jesus, Bette,” Barbara replied breathlessly. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

“Why on earth would I do that?” she answered innocently. “Listen, I do have a reason for calling. Are you free for dinner tonight?”

“With you? Always. What’s the occasion?”

Bette chuckled. “Caught a tailwind with the budget work so I thought I’d celebrate. So how about it?”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, there’s a thing I was hoping to attend later. Would you like to be my date?”

“Are we talking black tie or casual?”

“The mayor’s wife is putting together a charity event for the women’s shelter,” the former senator offered. “It’s at the Staples Center, but it’s formal.”

It was an easy decision for Bette. “You’ve got a date, Senator Grisham.”

Barbara smiled, pleased at how well things were progressing with the elusive Bette Porter. “Splendid. I’ll come pick you up at 7.”

“I’ll be the one in the dress,” Bette answered.

“Trying to catch the mayor’s wife’s attention?” the woman quipped. “She’s looking forward to seeing you again, by the way. I can’t imagine why.”

The dean chuckled. “There’s only one woman on my mind.”

“Lucky her.”

When she hung up, Bette caught the reflection of the orchid plant. She turned to the source, smiling even wider when her eyes land on Angelica’s photo. In two days, she would get to see her baby again. Life was good to her. Still, there was one thing left to do.

“Hello, Alice,” Bette greeted the woman after waiting for her to answer the phone.