Happily Ever After

by Jae

  “I do, but I’m always happy to support local authors, so let’s give it a try. How does the first of July sound?”

  Tricia gave him what she hoped could pass as a grateful smile. “Um, sounds great. Thank you.” Damn. Now she’d have to do a reading, and she still wasn’t any closer to finding Jen.

  For the rest of June, Tricia set up her office in the store’s coffee shop section, going there to write every day. Not that she got much writing done. Most of the time, she was keeping an eye out for Jen, hoping she would return to the LGBT section to get more reading material. If she didn’t get her act together soon, she would miss her deadline.

  Well, at least her publisher was happy that she had finally agreed to do a reading.

  A reading that will start in about twenty minutes, so you’d better focus. She took another look at the scene she had picked to read. By now, she nearly knew it by heart, but that didn’t ease her nervousness. Reading in front of an audience always did that to her.

  She got up and paced through the store’s break room, where the manager had ushered her to get ready. Quietly, she opened the door and peeked out.

  Mr. Ashby and one of his clerks were setting up three rows of chairs in front of the table where she would read. A stack of her novels was already waiting for her to sign, and at the front of the store, a poster announced the author reading and signing. Every time she walked past her publicity photo, she winced. Even after ten novels, she still wasn’t used to being in the limelight like that.

  Finally, it was time for her to take her place behind the table. With a death grip on her novel, she followed Mr. Ashby. She kept her gaze on the book while he introduced her. If she looked up into the expectant faces of her fans, she knew she would choke.

  Calm down. It’ll be over in a few minutes. Just remember not to read too fast, and you’ll be fine.

  She had picked the scene in which her main characters met for the first time, each thinking the other one was a burglar. Laughter drifted over from the audience as she described her characters threatening each other with a frying pan and a laptop bag.

  Her nervousness eased a little, and she began to have fun just as the scene and the reading ended.

  In a daze, she started signing books that readers handed her.

  Finally, the short line that had formed in front of her table dwindled, and there was only one customer left.

  A copy of her latest book was slid in front of her, already opened to the title page.

  “Who am I making it—?” She lifted her gaze from the novel and froze as she looked into Jen’s chocolate-colored eyes.

  “Jen,” she said softly.

  She wasn’t wearing a hoodie today. Her knee-length skirt and a blouse indicated that she had come straight from work and made her look even more like a sexy librarian.

  Tricia jumped up. “God, I’m so glad you found me. I’ve been looking for you all over for the last three weeks.”

  “Were you?” Disbelief colored Jen’s tone. “Then why didn’t you call?”

  “I wanted to, but I didn’t have your number.”

  “You said you did.”

  “That’s what I thought too, but…” Tricia looked around. The manager was watching them curiously. “Um, can we talk somewhere else?”

  Jen hesitated. “All right. I think the coffee shop here is about to close, but the one next door is still open.”

  With both of them gripping their respective novel, they left the store. Tricia ordered hot chocolate for them, and they settled down at a table in the corner.

  “You might not believe what I’m about to tell you, but I swear it’s the truth.” She looked into Jen’s eyes, hoping she would see the sincerity in her gaze. “On the day we met, my best friend set up a blind date for me. I was supposed to meet a woman named Jenny in the bookstore’s LGBT section. I thought you were her, but then she called to apologize for standing me up—and I’m kind of glad she did because I had a wonderful time with you.”

  Jen stared at her. Her hot chocolate sat untouched in front of her.

  “I know it sounds crazy. Let me call my friend. She can confirm it.” Tricia reached for her cell phone, but Jen reached out and stopped her with a quick touch. Her fingers were cool, even in July, and Tricia instantly wanted to cover them with her own to warm her.

  “That’s not necessary.” A tiny smile eased onto Jen’s face. “I can read minds, remember?”

  “Then you believe me?”

  “I think I do. After all, not even a writer could come up with such a crazy story.”

  Tricia nearly knocked over her mug as she reached for Jen’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you for believing me. I really was trying to find you, but there wasn’t a hypnotherapist named Jennifer in all of Chicago.”

  “I go by my middle name in everyday life, but my practice is under my first name.”

  “Which is?”

  Jen shook her head. The corners of her eyes crinkled. “That’s something I never reveal before the third date either.”

  They both chuckled, and Tricia wondered if they would ever make it to a third date after their messy beginning.

  After a few seconds, Jen sobered. “I tried to find you too.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. At first, I thought you weren’t interested in seeing me again, and that’s why you didn’t call.”

  Tricia’s stomach twisted itself into a knot as she imagined how Jen must have felt as the days went by without a call from her. She gave in to the urge to reach across the table again and cover Jen’s hand with her own.

  To her relief, Jen didn’t withdraw.

  “Then I started wondering…” Jen continued. “What if Sarah had given you a wrong number or something? But when I called her, she said she didn’t know anyone named Tricia.”

  Tricia smiled ruefully. “I’m pretty sure our Sarahs aren’t the same person.”

  “I really didn’t know what to make of the entire situation. I was a little pissed, to tell you the truth.” Jen hesitated, then added, “Pissed and disappointed. And then, a few days ago, I walked past the bookstore and saw the poster announcing Trish Hoffman’s reading…with your picture next to it. Suddenly, I realized why you seemed so familiar.” Jen tapped the book, which had Tricia’s author photo on the backcover. “You could have told me, you know?”

  Tricia ducked her head and, with some reluctance, lifted her hand away from Jen’s. “I know. I just didn’t want you to feel self-conscious after commenting on how unrealistic my characters are.”

  A cute blush rose to Jen’s cheeks. “Sorry about that. Please don’t think I don’t like your writing. That scene you read from today had me in stitches.”

  “Thanks. But you were right. I’m thinking about making my next main character a hypnotherapist. Someone relatable, who wears hoodies and drinks hot chocolate.”

  “Really?”

  Tricia nodded, stirred her hot chocolate, and peeked over at her. “Of course, that would require lots of research.”

  “I can imagine,” Jen said.

  Her poker face was so much better than Tricia’s, and her tone was neutral, not revealing if she had understood Tricia’s hint.

  “May I?” Tricia pointed to the book on Jen’s side of the table. When Jen nodded, she slid it over, took out a pen, and inscribed the title page. She signed it with Tricia, not Trish, because that was who she wanted to be to Jen.

  Their fingers brushed as she handed it back, sending a tingle through her body.

  Jen opened the book with a curious expression. “Will you go out on a date—a real one—with me?” she read out loud.

  Tricia looked at her expectantly. “Will you?”

  “I know what you’re planning.” Jen wagged her finger at her. “You figure if we count this,” she pointed at their table, “as our second date, it would be the magical number three, and you’d get to borrow my Karin Kallmaker novel.”

  “Damn,” Tricia muttered. “You figured
me out. But then you’d also get to borrow my Trish Hoffman collection. So, what do you say?”

  “Tempting.” Jen rubbed her chin as if considering it. “I want to know how that frying-pan scene ended.”

  Tricia abstained from pointing out that she could just open the book and find out.

  “May I?” Now Jen pointed at Tricia’s copy of the book.

  Furrowing her brow, Tricia handed it over and watched Jen scribble something down on the title page.

  “My phone number.” Jen slid it across the table. “You’ll need it if you want to call me.”

  Tricia beamed as if she had just received next week’s winning lottery numbers. “I do. I will.” Would tomorrow morning be too soon?

  With an amazing beginning like theirs, she couldn’t wait to find out what other magical things would happen on their third date.

  ###

  Christmas Road Trip

  Meghan wiped her hand over the fogged-up window and stared at the unfamiliar white landscape passing by. How much longer was this going to take? She’d thought that it was a short trip, but this bus ride seemed to last forever. Jeez, are we going via Timbuktu? And on a bus of all things! In her imagination, this journey had always been very different.

  Even though she hadn’t seen a stop ahead, the bus came to a halt and opened its door.

  Not again. They had stopped twice already since Meghan had gotten on the bus. If they continued at this pace, she’d spend eternity on this freaking bus.

  A woman climbed aboard, her blonde hair matted by the helmet that was now dangling from her hand. Bicycle pants clung to her shapely thighs and calves. She walked along the rows of seats, looking for a place to sit, but most of their fellow travelers were staring off into space with dazed expressions on their faces or were trying to see out the window, so no one made eye contact.

  Finally, the stranger reached Meghan’s place at the back of the bus and gestured next to her. “Is this seat taken?”

  So far, none of the other people getting on the bus had approached her, probably chased off by her foul mood.

  But the blonde didn’t seem to notice her scowl. She continued to look at her with a friendly smile, patiently waiting for her answer.

  Meghan sighed, but she had never been able to resist a woman’s smile. “No. You can take it.” She moved a little to the side. At least she’d have something nice to look at now.

  “Thanks.” The blonde sat and offered her hand. “Kellie Gibson.” Her grip was unexpectedly strong for such a slender woman, but her skin felt soft.

  Nice. Meghan always appreciated a firm handshake and soft skin on a woman. “Meghan Webster.”

  Kellie’s eyes widened. “I thought you looked familiar. Are you the Meghan Webster?”

  Meghan had long since gotten used to people recognizing her wherever she went. “Yes. I’m the head coach of the US women’s soccer team.” She grimaced. “Well, I was the head coach. Now that incompetent bunch calling themselves the management team will probably have my equally incompetent assistant replace me.” She smacked her fist against the fogged-up window, making the people in front of them turn in their seats and glower at her. Unimpressed, Meghan stared back.

  “Oh, right. I heard my neighbors talk about it when I left my apartment earlier, but then I turned on my MP3 player, so I didn’t hear if management made a decision yet.” Kellie pointed at the earbuds shoved into the front of her shirt.

  A pretty nice shirt, revealing a bit of cleavage, despite the winter weather outside.

  Meghan gave her an appreciative glance out of the corner of her eye and smirked at herself. Well, at least some things apparently hadn’t changed. Despite everything that had happened, here she was, ogling women. Well, one woman, but this one was so attractive that she’d keep Meghan looking for quite some time.

  “I’m very sorry about what happened. You didn’t deserve that.” Kellie put her hand on Meghan’s forearm.

  For a moment, Meghan let the warm touch distract her from her misery. Then her morose mood returned, and she flicked a drop of condensation off the windowpane. “I so didn’t need all this.” She swept her arm in a gesture that encompassed the entire bus. “Especially not on Christmas Eve. That’s just cruel.”

  “Yeah, that really spoils the Christmas cheer, doesn’t it?” Kellie said with a little grin.

  Meghan studied her. She’s taking this awfully well.

  The bus braked again, and more people got on. The seats all around them were quickly filling up.

  “You’d think people would stay at home, safe and sound, on Christmas Eve,” Meghan murmured. But then again, that hadn’t helped her.

  “No, lots of people are traveling to visit family. The streets were hel…uh, I mean, they were incredibly busy earlier.”

  Meghan couldn’t care less. Christmas had never been her thing, and she was still cursing herself for agreeing to put up a Christmas tree this year. That would teach her for listening to her sisters.

  “What about you?” Kellie peeked at Meghan’s clothes. “Apparently, you weren’t traveling to visit family for Christmas.”

  The bus started to move again.

  Meghan shook her head. “No. My sisters and I get along better if there are at least two thousand miles between us. We stopped spending Christmas together when my parents died.” She studied the woman next to her. “And you? Anyone who’ll miss you when you’re not there for Christmas?”

  “My dad,” Kellie said. For the first time, her ever-present smile faded. She turned her head and stared out the window.

  Meghan didn’t know what to do. She’d never been good at comforting others. Maybe that was part of why she’d been so successful as a coach. She hated having to console her players after losing a game, so she made sure they won most of them. Hesitantly, she reached over and put her hand on Kellie’s arm.

  Kellie put her hand on top of hers, turned her head, and looked into her eyes.

  They rode in silence for a while.

  Slowly, Kellie’s smile returned.

  Meghan gave her arm one last pat and withdrew.

  As the bus traveled up yet another hill, she leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. She tried to sleep, but that was an impossible endeavor now. Time seemed to drag. Only God knew when they’d finally arrive. Growling, she opened her eyes again, turned her head, and studied her traveling companion. “You never told me your story.”

  “My story?” Kellie looked back at her with her big, blue eyes.

  “Yeah. What brings you to this hellhole?” Meghan indicated the bus.

  Kellie’s gaze darted around. “Sssh. Don’t call it that. You don’t want the driver and his boss to change their minds and decide to send you to a different destination, do you?”

  Meghan bit her tongue. Nope. She certainly didn’t want that. Her mother had always told her to watch her language. Maybe she should start to follow that advice. Swearing apparently wasn’t appreciated around here. Prudes. “Okay, okay. But you still didn’t answer my question. What brings you here?”

  Was that a blush creeping up Kellie’s cute face? “Ooh, I bet you’ve got some story to tell! Shoot!”

  The man in the seat in front of her turned and gave her a narrowed-eyed stare.

  Meghan ignored him, focusing only on Kellie, who was squirming in her seat.

  “I think I’d better tell you later.” Kellie peeked at the man in front of them. “Some people here might be a little…sensitive, so you’d better watch what you say.”

  Huffing, Meghan crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, come on. It’s not like there’s much entertainment here. I’m bored to death already.”

  Again, the man in the seat before hers whirled around and glared at them. “If you can’t stop making tasteless jokes and telling depressing stories, at least keep it down. The rest of us don’t want to listen to that kind of thing.”

  Meghan rolled her eyes.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Kellie said
, her voice lowered to a whisper.

  “All right. But no chickening out.”

  Kellie slid her finger in a cross pattern over her chest. “Cross my heart and hope to—”

  The man in front of them jerked around and sent them a deathly glare.

  Kellie held up both hands, palm out. “Okay, okay. We’ll shut up. Sorry, sir.”

  As he turned back around, throwing one last warning glance at them over his shoulder, Kellie and Meghan looked at each other like two first graders being caught talking during class.

  Meghan grinned, her mood improving.

  As the bus traveled farther up the curvy street, Kellie pulled the earbuds from her shirt, directing Meghan’s attention down toward her full, firm breasts.

  Mmm, nice.

  “Do you want them?” Kellie whispered close to Meghan’s ear.

  When tingles ran down Meghan’s body, she grinned to herself. Who knew that was even still possible? She searched Kellie’s face. Was she really offering what Meghan thought she was offering? “Uh, what?”

  “The earbuds,” Kellie said, a grin curling the corners of her mouth up. “I thought you might want to listen to some music. Maybe it’ll help you relax and forget about this whole mess.”

  Couldn’t hurt to give it a try. Meghan nodded and took the earbuds that Kellie held out. Their fingers brushed, again making Meghan tingle all over.

  Their hands lingered against each other for a second before Kellie pulled back. Her expression was unreadable, not giving away whether she felt the chemistry between them too.

  Meghan untangled the cord and put the earbuds into her ears.

  At her nod, Kellie pressed play on her MP3 player.

  Nothing happened. Only the muted sounds of the traveling bus filtered past the earbuds.

  Meghan reached over to see if the cable had gotten lose, again letting her hand brush against Kellie’s. She unplugged the cable and then put it back in.

  Still only silence, no music.

  She pulled the earbuds from her ears and handed them back.