Try REI. There are a lot of last years models on sale. I bought a K2 Mach 1 for $380 because it was on sale from $629. I use a $20 to boot.

I went to their web site and looked at the specs. It has a lot of nice features for a lower priced bike. I might even say it's one step or a half step up from entry level. Getting women's specific geometry is also a plus. You said you liked the bike. Did you get to ride it very much, how did it feel? Are you getting it from a good bike shop? If you like the bike, and you like the fit, it seems to me like it would be a decent purchase. Be aware that this is a road bike, not a tri bike. My opinion is that if you are only going to have one bike, that bike should be a road bike (you will get disagreement). You could ride this bike in a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon. It would be a good training bike, and you can take it out for group rides. If you want to save and upgrade to a tri bike later, that's okay, you can never have too many bikes.

Another important consideration would be the expected terrain. If you expect ot ride in hilly areas be sure to get a triple front gear. You will find that by using the easier gearing to go up the big hills, you will avoid spiking your lactic acid. Remember you would still have a marathon to run after the ride. Rider will made fun of the granny gear but for tri's they help to avoid the spike and provide better overall performance.

There has been a lot written about the angle of the upright tube on the Tri-bikes set to save the muscles for the run.

Also tri-bikes come with areo-bars that allow up to rest your elbows on the pads and to ride in a more aerodynamic position. Unlike cycleing events tri-events do not allow drafting. plus resting the elbosw of the pads reducesthe strain on the lower back. Although it take practice get comfortable riding in the aerobars (they do feel strange). Tribikes allow you to shift gears while staying aero.

PS: I personally prefer the road bike too (becuase of the feel and I do not do many tri's) but you should know the reasons that the choices are made.