Free Heart of the Matter by KI Thompson

in a while. She had forgotten how to talk to someone in an interesting, flirtatious manner. Her every word sounded superficial and trite. Thankfully their time at the Kennedy Center had preempted further conversation and she could relax somewhat until their ride home.
    They were lucky to get a cab after only a ten-minute wait, but inched along due to the emerging crowd and traffic. Sandra attempted to fill in the silence with the details of her work, and Ellen tried to appear interested, but the specifics of passing legislation didn’t appeal to her and her mind wandered.
    “I’m sorry. I must be a dreadful bore, going on and on about my work.”
    “No, of course not,” Ellen quickly reassured her, guilty that Sandra had obviously noticed her disinterest.
    “First dates can be rather awkward,” Sandra said. “You’d think at my age I’d be a lot smoother.”
    Her sigh sounded so wistful that Ellen almost touched her in apology. “I’ve had a really nice time tonight. The wine was lovely, the music enchanting, and the company both. Thank you so much for an enjoyable evening.”
    “Thanks for being so kind and for putting up with me.” The cab stopped at the curb in front of Ellen’s building and Ellen reached for the door handle. “Thank you again for such a wonderful time.”
    “Here, let me at least walk you to your door.” As Sandra asked the driver to wait, Ellen climbed out, her heart racing. She hoped Sandra wasn’t expecting anything more than a kiss good night.
    ❖
    Kate drew the hooded sweatshirt over her head and pushed her arms through the sleeves. She stood in front of the mirror and saw a gangster in a B-movie. If I was the guy in the liquor store, I’d think I was being held up . She tugged at the sides, covering her face as much as possible. The shadowy look only made her seem more threatening, but she didn’t care.
    While the irritating stitches had now been removed, the resulting white skin, speckled with dots where the stitches had been, made the damage look worse. Her arm had a similar scar, but under a sleeve it didn’t matter. The doctors had mentioned plastic surgery, if she was interested. She had seen the results of the cosmetic surgeon’s art firsthand. Several colleagues had gone under the knife, trying to extend the warranty on their time in front of the camera. But the wind-tunnel effect turned her off and the possible complications gave her pause. Still, she might look into her options. Improvement would probably come too late to save her career, but at least she wouldn’t be humiliated every time she showed her face in public.
    She grabbed her keys and wallet and headed for the door when muffled conversation in the hallway made her stop and peer through the peephole. Ellen stood at her door talking with another woman.
    Kate couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but Ellen seemed to be asking the woman in. The woman shook her head and said something, an excuse of some kind, Kate supposed. Then the woman put her arms around Ellen’s waist. Kate was surprised and grinned when she realized what she was about to witness. Sure enough, the woman brought her lips to Ellen’s and they kissed.
    “Well, I’ll be damned.” She let out a low whistle. It was a gentle, unhurried kiss, but not terribly passionate. It was definitely not the kind of kiss Kate would ever waste her time with, but she didn’t know what kind of woman Ellen was interested in.
    When the two separated, Kate studied Ellen with interest. She certainly looked good tonight; the dress she wore revealed a deep cleavage. Kate considered herself a breast woman and was surprised she had never noticed Ellen’s. Then again, she did have other things to think about of late. She watched the woman return to the elevator and Ellen retreat to her condo.
    Her mind flew to the angry note Ellen had left, and the lewd thoughts she’d just conjured up about her neighbor disappeared.
    In their place grew the