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  I still felt like a puppy kicker.

  “I know,” she said. “And I’m sorry. I don’t want to try and guilt you. Just promise me you’ll come to the next Winter X-Games if I qualify.”

  “You’ll qualify.” I hugged her tight and that’s when the tears started to flow.

  “I wish things could be different,” she said.

  “Me too.” I sniffled. “I promised Miss Baxter I’d come back and prepare something special for her birthday this year. So we’ll see each other then.”

  “Yeah, um…I guess.”

  I lifted Anise’s chin so that her eyes met mine. “You’re so cute when you get flustered,” I teased, but neither of us laughed.

  We hugged for a long time, not saying anything else. What was there to say? There might be a good chance that we’d find love together if I stuck around, and maybe we had already. But how long would it last? How long before one of us felt slighted because we had given up our dreams for love?

  I kissed Anise quick on the lips before burying my head on her chest. It was better this way, I told myself. A clean break. Anise has her mountain, I have my restaurant. It was the best possible outcome considering the situation. That’s what I told myself anyway.

  I thought back to Miss Baxter, and her dear old friend who happened to own the hotel where I worked before coming to her boarding house. Did Miss Baxter know someone at Cirqulara in Chicago? Did her sphere of influence extend that far?

  Maybe she saw the writing on the wall and knew that if I stayed here at her boarding house that I’d always be wondering about missed opportunities. Maybe she had made a call to help get me my dream job. That wouldn’t surprise me. But that didn’t mean I had to feel good about it.

  THE END

  ABOUT DAVINA LEE

  Davina Lee is a writer of sappy lesbian romance and erotic fiction. A resident of Wisconsin, Davina can be found enjoying a local micro-brew, squeaky-fresh cheese curds, or a good protest march down at the capital.

  ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

  JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!