Shopping with two teenagers is exhausting. Jashanna was easy. I didn't think she'd ever been on a shopping excursion like ours and was trying not to ask for too much. But Gracie kept finding things that she said would look great on her, and she had to make sure her girlfriend was stunning, and every time Jashanna would just get a sheepish look on her face and give in. I was just tagging along to provide the credit card.

American Eagle, Hot Topic, Macy's, Hollister, Box Lunch, and more. We stopped all over, getting things we needed, only to find that we were woefully unprepared for everything Jashanna didn't have. As we went, we realized that she had also lost all her makeup and perfume, her favorite plushies, hoodies, and posters. We weren't able to get everything, but Gracie popped into Build a Bear to make her some plushies while I helped Jashanna pick up more clothes.

But for all of the work that we put in, we had a blast. Neither of the girls had to spend hours in changing rooms or anything like that. Yes, maybe when it was time for Jashanna to get some nice dresses, then we would do that, but for now we were making excellent progress. By the end of the day, the car was pretty much packed to the roof, and Jashanna was a little overwhelmed at all of her new things. But that was a good thing.

Of course, they also had me pick out my Halloween outfit too.

I was torn with the final look, which came from multiple stores, because I thought I looked great, but I was also worried about it being a little bit over the top. I had a black leather skirt that was a lot shorter than I normally would go for, a sheer white button down shirt that you could see my black bra through, and that the girls only allowed me to button two of the middle buttons on so I was pretty much spilling out of it, a red tie to loosely wrap around my neck that would hang between my breasts, which didn't need anything else to draw attention to them, some nice stockings and garters, a new pair of shiny black heels that would be completely impractical at work, and some fake glasses that would make me look stern.

My feet would be aching for me to sit down, but my skirt would be so short that it would show the thong I'd be wearing under the outfit if I did. But if I wore my hair in a messy bun then I'd probably look like the overworked CEO who just came home and needs a drink and a horny intern to help her forget all about her day. Yeah, I know, I felt like a pervert just thinking about it.

But the girls were gushing over the look and claimed that I'd grab any single girl there. Yes, they were rooting for me to end up with a woman, so they kept bringing it up. But I was still just hoping for someone to love me, and I wasn't so worried about any particular gender. The way they were acting made me wonder if they were already trying to set me up with someone. Was there a teacher at their school they might have invited to the party? I didn't mind, they were obviously having fun playing matchmaker, and it wouldn't alter how I felt about anyone once I met them.

"Are we done?" I finally asked once we got home. We had picked up some Thai food for dinner, because we were all exhausted and there was no way I was going to cook after the day out at the stores.

"Yes!" Jashanna groaned as she flopped back on the couch. Swiftie and Karma quickly jumped up on her for some pets, which she started doling out immediately. "Thank you so much for taking care of me like that. I'll do my best to pay you back some day."

I snorted and shook my head. "Nope. There is no need to pay me back. I'm treating you like my daughter, and I'm not making them pay me back either. Just keep being the same person that you are every day, and that will be more than enough."

Grace lay down on top of Jashanna and leaned in for a kiss. "Tell you what, you can pay me back instead. Just give me lots of those sweet kisses and we'll call it even."

A host of giggles over there made me smile at the pair of lovebirds. "That's a steep price, babe. But I think I can manage a few kisses to pay you back."

"A few? I was thinking daily kisses for years!"

"You really drive a hard bargain," Jashanna said, leaning in for another kiss. "I better pay up before you send you smooch collectors on me."

"Are you two planning on being sickeningly sweet all the time?" I wondered as I put my feet up. I was tired but satisfied with all that we'd accomplished today. Yes, we still had to paint Jashanna's room before the furniture arrived, and then get her all unpacked but we were making a lot of headway. I just hoped that she'd truly feel that this was her home soon. After spending the entire summer here, I thought she might already lean in that way, but having her own room would help with it too.

"Yep. We're gonna be sweet all the time," Gracie replied as she buried her face in Jashanna's neck. "Hopefully you'll have someone to do the same thing with soon."

I liked the sound of that. Those times had been few and far between for me. Honesty the only snuggles I'd had in recent memory had been all the girls on movie nights. And, surprisingly, Zee. I know, it might seem odd to have that during a one night stand, but she cuddled into me all night, and that might have been even better than the actual sex. Okay, a close second anyway.

"And you know girls snuggle better than guys," Jashanna pointed out. I wasn't sure how she knew that, or if she was guessing, but she was absolutely right based on my previous partners.

"Are you going to ask Quinn if she knows anyone?" Gracie asked with an odd undertone to her voice.

I thought about that. I still hadn't talked to Quinn about any of the things that were going on, from Zee to Elliot and Jashanna. I owed her a call and knowing her she would very much suggest setting me up with someone, Luckily, I was still going to hold firm to the Halloween timeframe. However, she was also a veteran of dating apps, and she could give me some ideas of what I might be getting myself into when trying to navigate them.

"I haven't talked to Quinn about any of the stuff going on. But I should," I admitted.

"But no dates until Halloween, right?" Jashanna asked quickly. Yeah, I was almost certain they were setting me up with a teacher now, and most likely a female one. I could give them that win.

The worst thing was, I had a dim recollection of meeting most of the teachers during orientation, but I couldn't remember them. Granted, I hadn't expected to potentially date any of them so maybe now I'd take a little more notice if I were to meet them again. But I wouldn't spoil their surprise, it was too sweet of them to try helping me out.

"Right. Not till after Halloween. I won't even download a dating app, I promise." I pretended not to notice both of them breathing a sigh of relief, confirming my suspicions once more. "But I do need to talk to her, because there have been a lot of things going on that I haven't filled her in on. Let me call her, then I'll reheat the food."

I made my way to my room and lay back on the bed while putting my Air Pods in, then dialed Quinn's number. My friend hadn't even answered when two little furry kitties jumped up to the bed, no doubt having been drawn my movement. They did seem to flit about a lot, looking for whoever would give the most pets or provide the best napping spot.

Karma settled in a little ball in the crook of my arm, while Swiftie kept head butting me for more attention. I started scratching her ears when Quinn finally answered. "Demi! How are you? I haven't talked to you in ages!"

"Quinn, it's been just a few weeks!" I had literally called her the morning I was bringing Hollie up to FSU because I wanted to make sure there was no other advice I could give her. I'd met Quinn when we were both attending there as Freshmen, and we'd bonded very quickly. When I was pregnant as a student, she was by my side, helping me get assignments turned in and taking notes when morning sickness was rough. Elizabeth supported me at home, but it was Quinn who was my rock at school.

"That is way too long, and you know it. Is everything okay? How are the girls?"

I took a deep breath and dove right in. "I've started the process of divorcing Elliot."

"Wait, hold on. Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's a long story, but I already talked to a lawyer, and he'll be served next weekend."

"Okay, stop right there!" I could hear clattering on her end and her breathing getting louder. "I'm on my way, I'll be there in 15 minutes!"

I couldn't help but snort in laughter. "Are you really driving over here?"

"Yes! And I'm bringing wine!"

"Perfect. Do you want some Thai food? We brought a lot home after shopping, and you are more than welcome to share."

"Fuck yes! Oh man, this is better than any news I've heard in years!"

"Okay, okay, let's not go nuts. He hasn't even been served yet so things still have a long way to go."

"I don't care!" There was a sudden clatter and a curse on her end. "Are you still there? I dropped my phone. But I'm getting in the car, so get the food warm and we can have a nice talk."

"Fine, fine. We'll all be ready for you. Gracie and Jashanna already know a lot, and I have a feeling they'll want to talk with you about setting me up with someone."

"Oh! This is even better. Okay, I'll see you soon." She ended the call as I heard her car start, and I just shook my head as I headed back out to the kitchen with the kittens tagging along again. It was time to get food ready!

***

A/N - Hey, you made it to Chapter 13! Anyway, just wanted to say Hi, and thanks for reading. If you're reading while this is still being published, and wanna read some other books, I have like 2 dozen gxg novels, so check one out. Oh, and if you're enjoying this, then drop a few votes or comments! 

-Lo