CHAPTER TEN: Apologize

Tina just stood there staring at Bette for what seemed like forever. Her mind was still catching up with what her eyes were showing her. Is this real? She thought as Bette Porter continued to hold her gaze with a nervous and slightly terrified look on her features. A minute later she saw the brunette raise her hand and do the most awkward looking wave ever. The smile on her face was just as weird looking and Tina had to bite her inner cheeks to keep from laughing when she thought she saw the sides of Bette’s mouth twitching in anxiety. Was the nervous wreck standing on the sidewalk below really Bette Porter? She asked herself as Bette shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Dinner’s ready!" She heard her dad call for her in the dining area. "Tina c’mon!" She heard the sounds of plates and utensils being set on the table.

"Okay Daddy!" Tina answered a little distractedly, keeping her gaze on Bette. If this is not a joke and you’re serious about apologizing, she told the heiress inside of her head, then you will not mind waiting until I finish my dinner. Tina quickly tore her eyes from the brunette below as she walked back to her bed and placed the letter inside the envelope. She tucked it under her pillow before she left her bedroom and made her way to the dining table.

"Dinner is served." Ken motioned at the food on the table and he pulled a chair for Tina to sit on. "Here you go," He said as Tina was set into place. He walked around to the other side of the table and sat down directly in front of his daughter. "Something wrong with the meatloaf honey?" He asked when he saw how Tina sat unmoving and just stared at the food in front of her.

"No no, nothing’s wrong." Tina quickly shook her head and reached for the serving spoon and placed a healthy serving on her plate.

Ken dismissed Tina’s faraway look as just a manifestation of the fatigue she felt for the day she had and dropped the issue. "Okay then." He smiled as he grabbed his fork and placed a piece of meatloaf on his plate. "Eat up."