I checked myself out in the mirror once I changed into my bikini. I'd placed Zee's sweats and underwear in my hamper to be washed, and I wished I could return them. Even having paid for them, I felt bad for taking them, but I'd loved the thought of her clothing on me, touching me all day. My bathing suit wasn't anything too revealing since I wasn't in love with my body, but I wasn't bad. I could see why Zee might have wanted to have me for a night, though I definitely made out better in the bargain. The entire night I was jealous of how toned and firm she was, and I missed having those qualities.

I ran my hand over the stretch marks, courtesy of Gracie, with a frown. Hollie had been a smaller baby, just over five pounds, and I'd been very good about putting lotion on my belly multiple times a day. But Gracie was bigger, over nine pounds, which was a sign of her 6'1" stature going into her Junior year. I was working a lot more, so the lotion didn't always get applied as much as I wanted. Certainly, Elliot wasn't helping with that, as he was onto other women by then. Having Gracie was worth it, but my body would never recover. But the pink bikini looked good, having a nice contrast with my tan skin. Living in Florida kept a nice color on me most of the year, even if my dermatologist would scream at me about it.

I was still sore after lunch, and I figured this was the perfect time to get some sun and relax in the hot tub. I could already hear the girls in the pool, splashing happily, so I grabbed a towel and made my way downstairs to join them. I poured a nice glass of chilled pinot grigio, and stepped out into the sun, enjoying the warmth before I stepped into the hot tub. The girls were indeed having fun in the pool, but I turned my back to them, placing my kindle and wine on the edge of the hot tub before gently lowering myself into it.

Once I was situated, I turned back to greet the girls, only to see them whispering and staring at me with their mouths open and eyes wide.

I cocked my head at the two of them, then frowned. "Are you two alright?"

Both of them rushed over to the edge of the pool, plowing through the water until they were hanging onto the edge of the hot tub. "Who was she?" Gracie blurted. "Tell us all about her!"

"Are you really into girls?" Jashanna added.

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "What? Wha... Wha... What are you talking about?" I sputtered.

Jashanna giggled at me, nodding knowingly. "Come on mom, only a woman would have clawed up your back like that. No guy would, that's for sure! And if she was doing that, we can only imagine what caused it."

I had a sudden memory of Zee's nails on my back in the shower, which was before I'd told her not to give me any hickeys. When I looked in the mirror upstairs, I couldn't see my back, so I had no idea that they were even there! "Shit!"

"Come on mom, tell us!" Gracie begged with a little whine. "You haven't been with anyone in ages, and it was obviously good!"

I groaned to myself, leaning back as I thought about the consequences of this situation. They obviously didn't seem to care that I'd cheated on Elliot, though neither of them even liked him these days so that was hardly shocking. Maybe me telling them this would let them know I supported them too, so it would put them at ease? Fuck it, I was already busted so I might as well tell them, though with a lot less details than they'd want!

"Fine, but you two can't tell anyone, okay? And when I say anyone, I mean anyone!" I looked them both in the eyes, and they quickly nodded. With a deep breath, I dove in. "The weather was really bad, and I stopped for dinner, and the waitress there told me there was a hotel nearby because I was pretty tired. I called up and got a reservation while I waited for the food, and when I got there with the food, there was a gorgeous young Cuban woman trying to check in, but I got the last room. I didn't mean for anything to happen, I just was trying to be nice, so I told her she could crash with me. I figured she could sleep on the couch or something."

"I'm guessing neither of you slept much!" Gracie snickered.

"Oh? Like you two sleeping together and showing up with a backwards shirt when I got home?" I fired back, making both of their eyes go wide. "Don't worry girls, really. I love the idea of you two together if that is what's going on."

They shared a look, then Gracie put her arm around the shorter girl. "Yeah, we're together. But we'll talk about that after you tell us about the tiger you were with!"

"She wasn't a tiger!" I giggled at the thought. Okay, maybe a little bit. "We were both soaking wet, and starving, so we shared the food I got, then needed to warm up from the wet clothes."

"With friction?" Jashanna asked with a laugh.

"I'm not telling you all of that! I'll just say that it was a wonderful night. I know I was wrong to cheat on your father, but it had been a really long time since I'd been with anyone, and she was very persuasive." Not that I'd needed much arm twisting.

"I never even knew you liked girls!" Gracie squealed with a pout. "You have no idea how happy I am to know that!"

"Honestly, I was going to talk to you two about that today. I mean, about me supporting you, that is, I hadn't planned on telling anyone about Zee."

"Zee?" Jashanna perked up immediately. "Is that her name? Are you going to invite her here? Can we meet her?"

I shook my head slowly. "No, sorry. I don't think I'll see her again unless we run into each other on the road again. I didn't even get her number." I looked down, once more wishing I'd gotten it.

Gracie slapped her head. "Mom! You have to be kidding me! We've all been waiting on you to ditch dad for years, Hollie too. Hell, even Nana doesn't like him, and he's her son! Now that you found a hot girl you didn't get a number? You're one of those useless lesbians!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that, but it was good to hear. "Zee was only 22, and I don't know that you would want me with anyone that young. But, if it helps, last night made me realize that I need to do make some changes in my life. I need to talk to your Nana first to make sure she understands, but I think she will. And no, we will not tell her about Zee, okay? And no, I'm not a useless lesbian, but I guess I'm a useless bisexual."

Gracie nodded her head quickly, while Jashanna mimed zipping her lips.

"We won't say anything, but I'm glad you're ditching him," Gracie said with a sigh. "I know he's my dad, but I barely even know him. You deserve someone better, and I kinda hope it's a girl. And really mom, 22 is young, but she's still an adult. It isn't like we need a stepmom, we just need someone to make you smile like you are today. You're great at taking care of the rest. I don't think I've seen you smile this much in years."

"We'll see what happens. I haven't been single in a long time, and it might take some getting used to dating again. There are so many dating apps that I could try, but I need to make sure I find someone that treats me well, but that you two and Hollie like too. Just because I want to be happy, doesn't mean I want someone that you all hate."

"Me too?" Jashanna wondered. "I get to help find someone for you with Gracie?"

I moved to the edge of the hot tub opposite them and pulled them both into a hug. "Yes, you get to help pick too. You've been a part of our lives for over a decade, and we love you. Even if you and Gracie weren't together, I would love you, and consider you a part of the family. Do you understand that?"

She nodded quickly, and I felt her sob quietly against me. We never really talked about her mom, but I knew she didn't like being at home. Was that why she was upset earlier when I mentioned that it was a week before school started? Because she'd have to go home? I squeezed her tighter, not letting go of either of them until she seemed to be a little better.

"Okay, I changed my mind," I announced. "No rom com tonight. We're going to stream the Eras Tour."

"Yes!" they chorused.

"Can we blast it?" Gracie wondered.

"Hell yeah. We're gonna blow the surround sound speakers out."

"Awesome!"

"Now, which of you wants to tell me about you two. How long have you been together as more than friends?"

They shared a quick look before Jashanna nodded to Gracie who then did the talking for the pair. "We've liked each other for a long time, but I think we were always nervous. If I knew you liked girls we probably tried earlier, but we started kissing and admitting we wanted to be together at the beginning of the summer."

I felt a little surge of happiness at how cute they were together. I've heard stories about how two friends could be reluctant to start a relationship because they don't want to lose the friendship, but I was glad that they could overcome it and start down the path to more.

"Girls, I'm not going to give you a lot of advice, unless you ask for it, but I will tell you a few things. First, you have to talk about things that you're feeling, both good and bad. That could be jealousy, or it could be happiness. Don't hide things from each other, okay? Don't rush too fast either. You have your whole lives in front of you, and you'll have a lot of time to do everything under the sun with each other. Now, if either of you ever want to talk to me about things, either together or alone, I will be here to answer the best that I can. Don't worry about being embarrassed, I think the scratches on my back can show I don't mind a little of that."

"Thanks mom. We'll probably ask a lot, and maybe we can ask you to take us places for dates? Like maybe you could drop us off?" Gracie asked hopefully. I gave both of my girls a nice allowance, benefits of me having a well paying job, even if I didn't spoil them. Did Jashanna get one? Honestly, I hadn't even seen her mom since we'd moved here ten years ago, so I had no idea what her home life was like. The fact that she was at our house all summer might be a good indicator though, unless it was just for the pool and Gracie. I couldn't even remember the last time Gracie had gone over to Jashanna's house for a visit.

"Yeah, I think I can do that if we plan ahead. I'm sure we'll find ways to do dinner and movies and I'll let you have privacy while I do other things." Depending on where they wanted to go, I could easily keep myself busy for a few hours while they were out and about.

"Or we could have a double date!" Jashanna said shyly. "Not together, that would be weird, but we could help you find someone cool."

"You two are gonna be my wing women, huh?"

"Yes!" Gracie yelled. "Absolutely!"

"I think that would be fun," I agreed. "But do me a favor, okay? Don't make me race into anything. I want to make sure I find the right person this time. I want you both to like whoever I find, and Hollie too, but I'm going to be very picky. Plus, I still need to get a divorce."

They both nodded with wide eyes. "Okay, no problem. We can do that!" Jashanna promised.

I guess I was going to have dating helpers.