“Sorry.” Briley fiddled with her glasses. “I just hate stereotypes and people always assuming only rednecks listen to it. I’m not a redneck, but there is nothing wrong with being one. There are many facets of country music and I have never understood why someone would tear down something someone else enjoys. A few years ago, I visited my mom. She told me to put some music on, so I did. When we were on the third song, she looked at me and said, ‘she can’t sing, can she?’ She didn’t have to like the music; I would have gladly changed it, but what got me was that she knew I liked the artist, yet she still made the comment.”
“I look at it like this, Briley. I may not like a certain type of music, art, cooking, the list goes on. But, I know what it takes to put oneself out there. To show the world what you’ve got and it’s hard. I was terrified when my first article came out. People are always going to judge you, no matter what, but I make it a point not to make fun of or tear down a dream someone has worked hard to get to.” She pointed at the stage. “That may not be my type of music, but they are clearly enjoying themselves, as is the crowd.” Leah shrugged and crossed her legs.
Briley’s stomach flipped in that weird sort of way it had been doing lately. “I try and support the local talent,” was all she could say. What was wrong with her? Get it together, Briley. She pulled her phone out of her pocket when it vibrated. A text from Kat.
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. With a winky face.
“Everything okay?” Leah asked. “Do you need to go?”
The disappointment in Leah’s voice made up Briley’s mind for her. “Nope.” Briley turned to Leah. “I’m all yours.”
“Well, then.” Leah stood. “Let’s continue.”
“I want to see if they’re selling CDs.” Briley gently pushed her way through the crowd, with Leah holding onto the back of her shirt. After she’d bought a CD, they made their way to the food vendors. “What do you want? My treat.”
“I won’t turn down an offer like that. What do you recommend?”
Briley leaned in closer to hear her over the noise of the crowd. “It depends on what you’re in the mood for. Food or dessert?”
“Dessert,” Leah said, without hesitation.
Briley pointed to a vendor off to the right. “He sells deep fried cheesecake.” Then pointed to a vendor off to the left. “His closest competition is Sharon, who sells deep fried Snickers. In the middle, we have funnel cakes, brownies on a stick covered in caramel and toppings. Back behind those vendors are our traditionalists. Claire sells her ‘famous’ waffle cones with vanilla ice cream and toppings. Doug offers mini apple pies, and Mr. Williams, way in the back, sells slushies in a dozen flavors.” Briley took in Leah’s wide eyes. “I know it’s a lot.”
“I like variety. How about we each pick one and share?” Leah gave her an expectant look.
Briley swept one hand out in front of her. “After you.”
It didn’t take long for their orders to be filled. With their prizes in hand, Briley led Leah to a quiet corner, where they sat down on the curb. Briley shivered when Leah moaned at the first taste of deep fried cheesecake. “Told you.” They were quiet as they shared the cheesecake and the ice cream filled waffle bowl, topped with fudge sauce and peanuts Briley had picked. It became hard to keep her cool when she breathed in Leah’s pleasant scent. She had just popped the last piece of waffle in her mouth when Leah spoke.
“I know you like country music. What other music do you enjoy?”
“Pretty much anything. I’m eclectic. You?”
“I’m a fan of eighties music, but I listen to classical when I’m stressed. It keeps me calm.”
“So, like Beethoven or Taylor Davis?”
“Both. Last year Evan and I saw Lindsey Stirling in concert. Which was excellent.”
“Love her. I’ve seen everybody I wanted to, except one. Celine is at the top of my bucket list.”
“She’s amazing in concert.”
“Lucky dog.”
Leah laughed. “Madison and I saw her a few years back in Vegas.”
“Wild weekend?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Leah smiled coyly.
“Oh, now I’m intrigued. Did you wake up naked in a fountain or something?”
Leah arched her brow and Briley had the good grace to blush. “It’s really telling that’s where your mind went to. I’m afraid it’s nothing quite that wild. Just took in a lot of shows and spent time together.”
“Sounds like you had a good time.” Relief flooded her that Kat wasn’t there to tell Leah about their trip to Vegas five years ago. That trip became one for the record books and was not to be repeated. It was the first and only time she’d had to bail Kat out of jail.
Leah ran her hands along her thighs. “Are you okay with us interacting like this, Briley?”
Her plan to stay away from Leah was crashing and burning and she didn’t have the heart to stop it. “Thanks for considering that, but I am. I like you and we are friends.” Briley kicked her legs out in front of her and cleared her throat to speak when Kat walked up to them.
Kat crossed her arms. “Leah, it’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.”
Briley stood, holding out a hand to assist Leah up. She couldn’t ignore the tremors that ran through her when Leah took her hand.
Kat must have seen the look on her face because she quickly intervened. “Are you both done looking, or…?”
“I am,” Leah said.
“Briley, you?”
At that moment, Briley realized she still held Leah’s hand. She pulled her hand loose from Leah’s and slipped it into her pocket. “I am, too.”
“Good. Good.” Kat patted her on the back. “Where are you parked, Leah? We’ll walk you.”
“Couple of blocks up.”
“Perfect.”
Kat kept up the chatter until Leah motioned to the left at her SUV. Kat veered off toward their truck while Briley followed Leah to hers.
“Let me.” Briley reached around Leah to open her door when Leah unlocked it and gripped the door handle. “Even as impromptu as this was, I enjoyed myself.”
“I did as well. I think we’re going to be all right, Briley.” Leah reached a hand out toward Briley, but drew it back at the last second. “I should get home.”
Briley nodded and stepped back. “Us to.”
“Don’t be a stranger.”
Briley let go of the door, so Leah could shut it. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, as she stood on the curb waiting for Leah to back out. A good mess, but still a mess. Kat was lounging against her truck when Briley joined her.
Kat eyed her. “So?”
“So?” Briley rocked back on her heels.
When nothing else was forthcoming, Kat laughed. “Let’s get home. I’m tired.”
“I could sleep.” Briley leaned her head against the window, lost in thought, as Kat drove.
Chapter Six
The week flew by much too quickly for Briley’s liking. She’d been busy helping Brandon search house listings, but she also managed to have breakfast with Leah three times, and dinner once. Living next door to each other was a life saver and allowed them easy access to each other.
They were both busy with work, but managed to talk for a few minutes on the mornings they didn’t have breakfast together, and text occasionally. It was wonderful and she relished getting to spend time with her, whether in person or through text. So far, she’d learned some about Leah’s childhood and how she broke into the freelance field. Mostly, though, she just enjoyed being with her. It was comfortable and she hadn’t felt that with another woman for a long time.
“Bri, are you ready?” Kat called from the living room early Saturday, breaking Briley from her thoughts.
Briley shrugged off thoughts about Leah even though they hadn’t seen each other for the past two days. Today was about her and Kat, who still hadn’t decided what type of work she wanted to do. She didn’t anticipate a Leah sighting considering they
were going out of town and she hadn’t mentioned the toy convention to her the last time they’d talked, but she should have. With a final look in the mirror, she nodded at her reflection.
Along with hundreds of vendors at the toy convention, there would also be a feature cosplay competition and a few celebrities would be signing autographs. This year there weren’t any autographs that interested her, but she couldn’t wait to spend lots of money on new toys. She was an avid collector of superhero figurines and memorabilia and had been collecting since her teens. She and Kat had shared that passion with their dad. When he died, they split his collection between them.
Today Briley had opted for an easy cosplay as the Eleventh Doctor. After making sure there weren’t any creases in her white, striped button down shirt, she smoothed her red suspenders, and straightened her red bowtie. She settled on navy trousers and a pair of Converse to finish off her look. She’d opted not to wear the brown suit jacket, but on her way out of her room, she made sure to grab the red Fez that set on her dresser.
Kat struck a casual pose by the front door dressed as Indiana Jones. Briley lifted her phone and took a picture just as Kat turned in her direction. “I do believe if we wanted to, we could go on quite the adventure, Doctor.”
“You’ve got that right,” Briley said. Kat gave her a sly smile and rubbed her hands together. It wasn’t the first time Briley was glad that Kat shared her love of all things geeky. Snagging the clear bag she’d packed the night before, she joined Kat at the door. “Onward ho.”
The drive took a little over an hour and surprisingly finding a parking spot wasn’t difficult. Since they weren’t going to the main lobby, they showed their passes, went through the security line, then entered the first of four large meeting rooms that was littered with dozens of vendors. Her heart picked up when she spied her favorite vendor who sold vintage superhero figurines a few tables down.
They high-fived. “Let’s do this.”
A few hours later, they had scoured three of the rooms, which had nabbed them both three bags each filled with dozens of figurines, t-shirts, and various other collectables. Briley added three rare Funko Pop figures to her collection, including a rare Regina from the SDCC in 2015 that limited the pieces to 1008, along with a Batwoman figurine she had been looking for the last few years. Although a common figurine, none of the local shops carried it in its original packaging and she was happy to have found it. Kat was a fan of Harley Quinn and picked up a couple of pieces.
Comic books held no interest for Briley, so when Kat stopped at a vendor that sold them, she took the opportunity to look around, and sucked in a breath when she spotted a particular someone browsing at the table across from theirs.
Briley whipped around toward Kat and tugged nervously on her suspenders. Despite spending time together, she still wasn’t prepared to see Leah today and not in her Captain Marvel outfit.
“You all right?” Kat asked, after she paid for her comic books. “Bri?” she waved her had in front of her face.
“She’s here,” Briley whispered.
Kat frowned and leaned in close to her. “Who?”
“Me.”
Briley jumped when Leah spoke from behind them, but Kat turned around and smiled at her.
“Leah, good to see you here. If I knew you would be coming, you could have ridden with us.” Leah gave her a one-arm hug. “Are you having fun? You look great.”
Leah held up her two bags. Briley found that she had suddenly become mute, staring at Leah’s outfit. Of course, she’d seen her from a distance dressed like this, but up close was an entirely different story. The tight costume outlined every curve and every muscle. She was so sexy and Briley had to stop herself from fanning her face.
Leah ran her eyes along Briley’s body, then reached toward her, and straightened her bowtie, before patting her shoulder and pulling her hand back. “I am having fun. It’s my first time here. When I talked to Evan last night, he was jealous but insisted I come and enjoy myself. Next year I have a feeling he won’t be spending the entire summer with Kathy, his stepmom. It wasn’t until after I talked to him that I decided to attend today.”
“Is this your first room?” Kat asked.
“No, my third.” Leah pointed behind her. “I’ve got one more.”
Kat pulled a speechless Briley into her side. “That’s the last one we have to explore also. Why don’t you join us? Then we can get something to eat.”
“I’d love to.”
Briley’s heart thumped to a rhythm in her chest that started playing every time she was around Leah. If it hadn’t been for Kat’s arm around her, she would have swooned on the spot at the blinding smile Leah gave her. Friends, Briley. You’re just friends.
Kat pointed around them. “Are you done in here or did you want to see more?”
“Lead the way.”
“Wait.” Kat stopped them, then asked a passerby dressed as Batman to take their picture. Kat sandwiched Briley between her and Leah, and when Leah wrapped her arm around her waist, Briley felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Briley was sure she managed to smile and when Kat checked the photo, she seemed satisfied at the outcome.
When Kat motioned them forward, Briley took a step away from Leah and accepted the bags Kat handed her. They quickly split up when they entered the room, but at various points, Briley would feel eyes on her and when she would look up, Leah would be watching her. After another hour of searching, Kat called a time-out to get something to eat. It was all Briley could do not to vibrate from the idea of food.
They debated the different food trucks set up in the side parking lot, and decided on The O’Neil. In reality, it was Bangin’ Burgers and Fries, but during the toy convention, almost all of the food trucks would come up with a flashy name for the truck and for the food. This year they had decided to cover Stargate SG1. She and Kat always had fun walking through the parking lot and taking pictures of the different food trucks and their menus. They’d made scrapbooks over the years and this year wouldn’t be any different.
Still undecided, Briley pursed her lips and scanned the menu for the third time. There were so many choices and everything sounded so good. She hummed and ignored Leah and Kat, who were tapping their feet, as she scanned the list of items again. It was between the Teal’c, a double burger with three different kinds of cheese, bacon, onions, and a special sauce, or the Jackson, a deep-fried chicken patty, with lettuce, tomato, bacon, mushrooms, and a special sauce. Decisions. Decisions.
“Briley?” Kat all but shouted at her.
Briley turned and acknowledged them both. The scowls on their faces did nothing to dampen her mood. “I want the Teal’c.” She scanned the menu once more. “And I think we should get a plate of the Ori.” A huge platter of French fries, covered with cheese, sour cream, chili, onion, and peppers.
“Leah?” Kat asked.
“I want the Vala.”
Briley squinted at the menu, not remembering seeing the Vala. There it was at the bottom of the page. Thin sliced roast beef on a sweet roll smothered in cheese and a special sauce. Briley blinked. “That sounds good too.”
Kat rolled her eyes. “You’ve already decided, Briley. No going back now.”
“Fine.” Briley shoved her bags at Kat. “Find us a place to sit and I’ll order. What do you want?”
“The Teal’c,” Kat said, taking Leah’s bags from her. “Leah, stay with Bri. She won’t be able to carry all of our order.”
“I could manage,” Briley muttered, shoving her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
Leah gave her a look Briley recognized as her don’t be silly look. “I don’t mind waiting with you.”
“So?” Briley rocked back on her heels and Leah mimicked her movements.
“So?”
After spending the past week getting to know each other, why was this awkward? Briley shook off her lingering doubts. She and Leah were fast becoming friends. “Having a good time?”
“I am.
It got even better when I ran into you and your sister.” She looked her up and down. “The bowtie is a new choice, although I prefer Twelve.”
“That’s nonsense.” She was too nervous to debate the merits of Eleven over Twelve so she changed the subject. “Kat likes you,” she blurted out and averted her gaze back down to the menu in her hand. She jerked her head up when Leah ripped it out of her hands, carried it back to the table where the condiments were, then retook her spot beside her. “That was rude.”
“The only reason you were looking at it was to get out of talking to me.”
“No…maybe. Okay. Yes, it was. I’m sorry.”
“Excuse me.”
They both turned their heads when a tall older woman dressed as Captain America walked up to them. Briley had to hand it to the woman; she had the look down pat, even down to the cropped blond hair. She smiled even when she saw the woman’s fingers twitching on her phone and Briley knew what she wanted even before she asked. She couldn’t fault the woman, though; Briley had already had her picture taken with countless other attendees in costume.
The stranger turned to Leah. “I was wondering if you would take a picture with me?”
Leah took the phone out of her hands and held it out. “Briley, can you take our picture?”
“Sure.” Briley’s heart sank when the woman, a woman closer to Leah’s age, slipped her arm around Leah’s small waist and pulled her flush against her side. They looked good together and if the smile on Leah’s face was any indication, she enjoyed the woman’s attention. She hurried up and snapped a couple of pictures before handing the phone back. She fought the urge to grab Leah and pull her back toward her. Leah wasn’t hers. They were friends. “There you go.” She decided not to acknowledge the smile Leah was throwing the woman’s way.
The woman pulled out a business card and handed it to Leah. “Maybe we can get a coffee sometime?”
It hurt more than she expected seeing and hearing Leah’s interest in the other woman. Briley averted her gaze and tried to tune out what they were saying.
Leah placed her hand on Briley’s wrist. “I’m sorry.”
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