"That would be fabulous," Olivia said, quickly accepting the offer. "And perhaps in return I could photograph you, something for the back cover of your first cook book."
"I think I have a way to go before anything like that happens," Stephanie laughed.
"I don't think so," Olivia smiled. "Trust me, I have a sense about people and I can tell that you're going to succeed at anything you put your mind to."
Stephanie blushed at the compliment, hiding her embarrassment behind her wine glass as she took a long, healthy swallow of the delicious beverage. She could feel a light buzz coming on, the result of two glasses in a short span coupled with having only had a small snack all day.
"Is there a young man in your life?" Olivia asked, changing the subject.
"Well, I have a friend, but it's nothing serious," Stephanie answered. "He's just someone to do things with."
"Things, huh?" Olivia smiled, then added, "Well, it's good that you have someone, and I agree that you're much too young to take things too serious. Life has too many opportunities that you should explore and enjoy before you settle down."
"Have you settled down?" Stephanie asked, wondering why she had asked that.
"Goodness no," Olivia laughed. "I'm more of a love and leave 'em satisfied sort of girl. I can't ever imagine settling down with just one person."
Even though she'd kept her language gender neutral, Stephanie was now pretty certain which sex the older woman preferred the company of. Which made her again ask herself what she was still doing here.
"Does your friend live here in the city?" Olivia asked.
"No," Stephanie said, adding without thinking, "he lives in his parents' house out in Bayside."
"Oh, that must make things difficult," Olivia offered.
"Difficult?" Stephanie repeated, thinking that while it was a bit of a ride out to Queens and back, Jason seemed to manage it without any problem.
"I meant for the two of you to have some alone time," Olivia clarified.
"Oh, he just stays over then and ..." Stephanie answered without thinking about it beforehand, stopping midsentence when she thought she was giving out too much information.
"I see," the older woman noted with a knowing smile. "Like I said, it's good to have a friend to share things with."
Stephanie wondered if Olivia had someone in her life, but didn't get the chance to ask as she quickly changed the subject.
"Would you like to see the rest of the apartment?"
"I'd love to," Stephanie replied, having wondered how it compared to the one she was living in.
"Come along then," Olivia said as she picked up her glass and indicated that Stephanie should bring hers along as well.
-=-=-=-
They returned to the living room where Stephanie had the chance to more carefully examine some of the photographs she had only glanced at before. After the brief lesson in light and shadow Olivia had given earlier, she was able to appreciate much more of the artistry that had gone into the images.
Her interest in the photographs was quickly overshadowed, however, when she noted a ten-inch statuette resting on the center of the mantle over a fireplace. Bathed in the light of an overhead fixture, it was without doubt the centerpiece of the room. At first, Stephanie thought it was a copy of Rodin's The Kiss, which she had seen in her art class back in college. But then, after giving it a closer examination, she realized that while the marble sculpture did bear some resemblance to the famed work, it had one notable difference. Both of the nude figures depicted in the small sculpture were women.
