“I’ll get it, I’m getting it,” Kit said, quickly wiping her hands off on a towel and going to Bette’s back door.

“Hello!”

Once Bette heard the unmistakable voice, she sagged in relief, then tensed again in annoyance as her friend tipped into the kitchen on her kitten heels with Kit following behind.

Bette raised an eyebrow and regarded an eager pixie face while struggling to keep her irritation in check. “Alice, what exactly are you doing here?”

“I came to help,” Alice said breezily, setting her purse down and clapping her hands together. “What can I do?”

“Leave?” Bette suggested with false sweetness.

“Come on now Bette, we could use Alice’s help,” Kit interjected with a somewhat sheepish look.

“Right. The picture is suddenly becoming clearer. Alice wormed it out of you, Kit, and you told her you were coming here to help me cook a meal for Tina, is that right?”

Kit shrugged helplessly. “Not exactly. She just sort of overheard me talking to someone else about it at The Planet.”

Bette rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“Stop being so… churlish,” Alice commanded. “You’re lucky to have us here to help you. And anyway, what were you thinking inviting a date over here for a home-cooked meal? You can’t cook at all.”

“Neither can you,” Bette shot back. “And if all you’re going to do is criticize me, Al, then you can –”

“Yes, yes, I can leave,” Alice waved a hand and swung into the fridge and helped herself to a small bottle of flavored seltzer water and sat down at the kitchen table. Twisting off the cap, she observed Bette mildly as she rinsed and dried the casserole dish. “We both know you want me here for moral support. What are you wearing?”

Bette eyed Alice balefully for a moment, then looked away, shrugging. “I haven’t decided yet,” she admitted.

Alice set her bottle down and stood up, taking Bette by the wrist. “Come on, I’ll help you pick something. We’re just in Kit’s way, anyhow.”

Bette allowed herself to be pulled into her bedroom while Alice chattered on about something or other, gave Bette a little push down on her bed and opened Bette’s closet with relish, flipping through Bette’s impeccably tailored suits and designer evening dresses with a scrunched up face.