Happily Ever After

by Jae

  Paula had worked at a radio station long enough to know the drill. Lowering her voice a register so Tyler wouldn’t recognize her, she said, “I have a crush on a co-worker, but I have no idea how to let…um…them know I’m interested.”

  If Tyler wondered about her use of the generic pronoun, he didn’t say so. “Okay,” he said. “Sounds like you need some advice. I’m gonna put you through to Dr. Christine.”

  “T-thanks.” A lump formed in her throat until she could barely breathe. In the two seconds it took Tyler to put her through, she nearly hung up. Just the thought of not wanting to leave Christine hanging stopped her. Voices sounded different through the headphones in the studio, she told herself. Christine wouldn’t recognize her.

  “Welcome to the show, Jane,” Christine said. Her smoky voice drifted through the phone and through the speakers in the production studio.

  Belatedly, Paula realized she had to turn off the speakers to avoid any feedback. She fumbled with the switch and nearly dropped the phone in the process. “Uh, hi.”

  “So what’s on your mind, Jane?”

  You. Of course, she didn’t say that. Paula rubbed her cheek with her free hand and tried to make her voice sound deeper as she said, “I have this embarrassing crush on someone I work with.”

  “Why is it embarrassing?” Christine asked.

  Well, maybe not as embarrassing as the guy who was in love with his rubber plant, but still… “Because I’m thirty. I think I’m supposed to be over having crushes like that.”

  “I’d hope not,” Christine said with a laugh that made Paula tingle all over. “Having a crush on someone is a great thing to experience at any age. So tell me more about this co-worker. How long have you known each other?”

  “About two years now,” Paula said. She still couldn’t believe she was talking to Christine about her crush—live on air, where thousands of people, including all of her co-workers, could hear every word. It didn’t feel that way, though. Christine made her feel as if she was talking only to her.

  “And for how long has your crush been going on?”

  Paula rubbed her overly warm cheek. More embarrassing confessions. “About as long.”

  “That’s a long time,” Christine said.

  Paula sighed and mumbled, “Tell me about it.”

  “So what’s holding you back?”

  “Fear of rejection, I guess,” she said and realized that she sounded a bit like a psychologist herself. Too many nights listening to The Midnight Couch. “We have to see each other every day, and I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”

  “You think he wouldn’t take it well?”

  “She,” Paula said quietly. She bit her lip. She hadn’t planned to reveal that to Christine and thousands of listeners. Holding her breath, she waited for Christine’s reaction.

  “Ah,” was all Christine said. “So you think she wouldn’t take it well?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t even know if she likes women.”

  “Well, if you don’t ask, you’ll never find out.”

  “But…but…it’s not that easy. I’ve tried, believe me, but I always chicken out.”

  “Okay, then how about testing the waters first?”

  “How?”

  “You could invite her to do something with you, just as friends, then see how she interacts with you away from work.”

  Hmm. Paula rubbed her chin. That sounded like a good idea. Maybe she should have called Christine sooner, even though it was totally absurd to get advice from the woman she wanted to ask out. “I guess I could do that.”

  “What does she like to do?”

  “Huh?”

  “Your co-worker. What does she like to do in her free time?”

  Paula thought about it for a second. “She loves animals. And she’s a movie buff.”

  “Then why not ask her if she’d like to go to a film festival with you? The LA Indie Film Festival is coming up at the end of the month.”

  No, I can’t. If she did exactly what Christine had told Jane to do, she would give herself away. She’d have to come up with another idea for what they could do on their friendly not-a-date date. “I’ll do that. Thanks for your help.”

  “You’re welcome. Please call in again and let us know how it went.”

  “You’ll be the first to know,” Paula said and covered the phone with one hand so Christine wouldn’t hear her chuckle.

  “Good night, Jane, and good luck.”

  “Good night, Chr…Dr. Christine.” She quickly ended the call and pressed the cell phone to her chest. Oh my God! I can’t believe I did that. She sank onto a swivel chair and let her head rest against a console.

  When Christine left her booth at two in the morning, Paula hid in the conference room, documenting the shift’s work there instead of in the reception area. For once, she hoped Christine wouldn’t seek her out to exchange a few words, as she sometimes did before she left. She couldn’t look her in the eyes, convinced that Christine would know it had been her the minute she made eye contact.

  The door opened.

  Paula’s shoulders slumped. She didn’t have to look up to know who stood in the doorway.

  “Ah, there you are, Paula. I thought I saw light in here.”

  A shiver went through Paula at the way her name sounded on Christine’s lips. She peered up, then back down. “Oh, hi.”

  “Good show, hmm? Did you listen in?”

  Listen in? I called in. She still couldn’t believe it. “Uh, yeah, I caught bits and pieces. Your advice was great.”

  “You think so?”

  I hope so. “Sure.”

  “Thanks.”

  Was there something different in Christine’s voice? Paula glanced up. Christine was looking at her, but her cornflower-blue eyes gave nothing away. You’re imagining things. She wouldn’t be so cool if she knew. She would say something, right?

  “Well, then.” Christine turned to go. “Good night. See you at the regular time tomorrow.”

  Paula suppressed a sigh. Yes, everything would be back to normal tomorrow. And she still had to find the courage to ask Christine out, even if she was now just aiming for a friendly outing. “Good night. Drive carefully.”

  “You too.” Christine waved and was gone.

  The next day, when Paula left her apartment, hopped into her car, and turned on the radio, Christine’s smoky voice greeted her. She nearly backed the car into a concrete column. What is she doing on air already?

  Poor Christine had probably been called in to take over for yet another colleague who was sick or had partied too hard yesterday.

  “This woman just can’t say no,” Paula mumbled. She hoped Christine wouldn’t say no to a visit to the zoo with her either. Paula had lain awake for most of the night, thinking of things she could do with Christine. A lot of things had come to mind, most of them R-rated, but finally her thoughts had returned to things they could do on a friendly basis, and she had settled on a visit to the Los Angeles Zoo.

  When she entered the station and went to the small storage room where she kept her tool belt, an envelope was stuck to her clipboard, where she wouldn’t miss it.

  Paula Arellano was written on it with neat letters.

  She knew that handwriting. Her heart tripped. Christine! She knows and wrote me a letter telling me off because she doesn’t want to deal with this face-to-face. Then her racing pulse calmed. No. Christine wouldn’t do that. It was probably just the puppy pictures Christine had promised and then forgotten to show her because of the on-air suicide and then the special show on Valentine’s Day.

  Still in her coat, she slid a fingernail behind the flap of the envelope, tearing it open.

  No pictures fell out.

  Instead, two tickets slid into her waiting hands. A note in Christine’s handwriting stuck to the top ticket.

  Dear Jane,

  Want to go see a movie with me?

  Christine

  Oh, wow. She wants to go see a mo
vie with me? Paula whirled around and did a little victory dance that had the news reporter who was passing by stop next to the open door and laugh at her. Then she froze. She called me Jane. She took a closer look at the tickets. They were for the LA Indie Film Festival. Oh, God, she knows. She knows that I have a crush on her, and she still wants to go to the film festival with me.

  Her legs felt too weak for another victory dance, but inside, she was cheering. When her head finally stopped spinning, she went to the reception desk, reached for a permanent marker in the penholder, and scribbled her answer on a sheet of paper in big letters.

  The news reporter looked at her as if she’d gone crazy as she skipped past him, down the hall. She stopped in front of the glassed-in studio to the left.

  There she was. Christine slowly swished back and forth on her swivel chair and talked into the microphone, both hands cupped around it.

  Paula watched her, drinking her in.

  Again, Christine seemed to sense her presence. She turned her head and looked through the glass. When she saw Paula standing there, in the middle of the hallway, she cocked her head in a silent question.

  Grinning, Paula held up the sign, which read, “Hell, yes!”

  A broad smile spread over Christine’s face.

  For a moment, they grinned at each other like fools; then Christine put one hand on the headphones and seemed to listen intently to what her caller was saying.

  Paula watched her a little longer before turning and making her way back to the storage room. Her gaze fell on the large clock on the wall. Barely six o’clock. It seemed that sometimes the magic happened way before midnight.

  ###

  About Jae

  Jae grew up amidst the vineyards of southern Germany. She spent her childhood with her nose buried in a book, earning her the nickname “professor.” The writing bug bit her at the age of eleven. Since 2006, she has been writing mostly in English.

  She used to work as a psychologist but gave up her day job in December 2013 to become a full-time writer and a part-time editor. As far as she’s concerned, it’s the best job in the world. When she’s not writing, she likes to spend her time reading, indulging her ice cream and office supply addictions, and watching way too many crime shows.

  CONNECT WITH JAE

  Website: www.jae-fiction.com

  E-Mail: jae@jae-fiction.com

  Other books from Ylva Publishing

  www.ylva-publishing.com

  Just for Show

  Jae

  ISBN: 978-3-95533-981-4 (mobi), 978-3-95533-982-1 (epub)

  Length: 103,000 words (293 pages)

  What happens when an overachieving psychologist with OCD tendencies and an impulsive, out-of-work actress start a fake relationship?

  Claire Renshaw thought she had it all: a successful career as a couples therapist, a publishing contract for her self-help book, and a happy relationship. But her perfect world falls apart when her fiancée calls off their engagement. Because of that, even her book deal might be off the table. After all, readers don’t want relationship advice from someone who can’t even make her own relationship work.

  So Claire sets out to hire herself a fake fiancée.

  Lana Henderson, the actress who shows up to audition for the role, is not exactly Claire’s ideal woman. Her frankness and the messes she leaves everywhere drive Claire up the wall. At least she won’t fall in love with someone like Lana.

  But soon, Lana starts to win her over with her big heart, tickle fights, and—gasp!—carbs after six. The longer they pretend to be a love-struck couple, the less fake their kisses feel and the more the lines between reality and role begin to blur.

  Once the book contract is signed, will they walk away or is their relationship no longer just for show?

  A lesbian romance where role-playing has never been so irresistible.

  Who’d Have Thought

  G Benson

  ISBN: 978-3-95533-875-6 (mobi), 978-3-95533-876-3 (epub)

  Length: 122,000 words (339 pages)

  Top neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast and is tightlipped as to why. And with over $200,000 on offer to tie the knot, no questions asked, cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez isn’t about to demand answers.

  The deal is only for a year of marriage, but Hayden’s going into it knowing it will be a nightmare. Sam is complicated, rude, kind of cold, and someone Hayden barely tolerates at work, let alone wants to marry. The hardest part is that Hayden has to convince everyone around them that they’re madly in love and that racing down the aisle together is all they’ve ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong?

  Chasing Stars

  (Superheroine Collection)

  Alex K. Thorne

  ISBN: 978-3-95533-993-7 (mobi), 978-3-95533-994-4 (epub)

  Length: 70,000 words (205 pages)

  For superhero Swiftwing, crime fighting isn’t her biggest battle. Nor is it having to meet the demanding whims of Hollywood screen goddess Gwen Knight as her mild-mannered assistant, Ava.

  It’s doing all that, while tracking a giant alien bug, being asked to fake date her world-famous boss, and realizing that she might be coming down with a pesky case of feelings.

  A fun, sweet, and sexy lesbian romance about the masks we all wear.

  The Brutal Truth

  Lee Winter

  ISBN: 978-3-95533-899-2 (mobi), 978-3-95533-900-5 (epub)

  Length: 108,000 words (339 pages)

  Australian crime reporter Maddie Grey is out of her depth in New York, miserable, and secretly drawn to her powerful, twice-married, media mogul boss, Elena Bartell, who eats failing newspapers for breakfast. As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief, seemingly harmless bet with her enigmatic boss—where they have to tell the complete truth to each other. It backfires catastrophically.

  A lesbian romance about the lies we tell ourselves.

  Happily Ever After

  © 2018 by Jae

  “The Romance Bet” and “Blind Date at the Booklover’s Lair” have been previously published in the anthology Love at First Write (2017) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “Sex Sells” has been previously published in the anthologies Finding Ms. Write (2016) and Love at First Write (2017) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “Christmas Road Trip” has been previously published in the anthology Unwrap these Presents (2014) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “The Christmas Grump” has been previously published in the anthology Love Beneath the Christmas Tree (2013) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “Kissing Ms. Santa Claus” and “The Christmas Elf” have been previously published in the anthologies Love Beneath the Christmas Tree (2013) and Gingerbread Hearts (2012) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “Seduction for Beginners” has been previously published in the anthology Connected Hearts (2013) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “Whining and Dining” has been previously published in the anthology All You Can Eat (2014) by Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr., Germany.

  “Facing the Music” (2017), “Dress-tease” (2015), “Change of Pace” (2015), and “The Midnight Couch” (2014) have been previously published as single e-books.

  ISBN (mobi): 978-3-96324-011-9

  ISBN (epub): 978-3-96324-012-6

  Also available as paperback.

  Published by Ylva Publishing, legal entity of Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.

  Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.

  Owner: Astrid Ohletz

  Am Kirschgarten 2

  65830 Kriftel

  Germany

  www.ylva-publishing.com

  First edition: 2018

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and inc
idents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Credits

  Edited by Jove Belle, R. G. Emanuelle, Anna Genoese, Andi Marquette, Glenda Poulter, Lisa Shaw, Judy Underwood, and Lee Winter

  Print Layout by eB Format

  Cover Design by Streetlight Graphics