She saw Lou in profile and, out of nowhere, it hit her again how beautiful she had become. How Mia had reacted to meeting her before their past had been unveiled. Perhaps it hadn’t been instant attraction, but if not that, then at least something very close to it. The woman sitting next to her must be over the moon. Mia wondered whether, if things hadn’t been the way they were between her and Lou, she would be the one sitting next to her in this theatre right now. She had certainly been on a path to ask Lou out. She hadn’t wanted to rush things because of her new job at the Pink Bean and her hopes had quickly been thwarted by Lou’s cold demeanor toward her, but that first week, when Mia had been none the wiser, the thought had definitely occurred to her. Now, she sat watching Lou on a date with someone else. And was that woman truly so much better than Mia? At this stage of her life, when Mia had turned everything around, had grown out of the malice that she carried with her for those few years in high school, was she not just as worthy to go on a date with a woman she was attracted to?

Maybe she should fire up that Tinder app later on and give it a second chance. If women like Lou were to be found on there, Mia should give it another go.

Chapter Eleven

At first sight, Meredith was lovely, but it was hard to focus on what she was saying with Mia Miller’s eyes burning a hole into Lou’s back. As Lou sat there, she was hyperaware of Mia’s presence in the cinema. Even though she couldn’t see her from where she sat—she had spotted her a few rows farther up when she and Meredith were searching for their seats—she could feel her. Lou was of half a mind to suggest skipping the movie and moving on to the dinner portion of this date, but when they had been texting earlier today, Meredith had been very enthusiastic about it and had emphasized that the movie would soon go out of circulation and this afternoon was the only chance they had of getting their minds blown by it on the big screen.

Lou had switched on her phone that morning with more urgency than usual. And she knew the reason for her eagerness: the possibility of something. As soon as her phone had booted up and she’d switched on the Tinder app, there it had been: a message from Meredith. Lou had immediately come clean and told her about knowing Robin, upon which Meredith had answered she knew very well who Lou was.

Your recent, refreshing, and utterly beguiling presence in and around the Pink Bean has not gone unnoticed, Meredith had messaged back.