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“You shouldn’t be dating her.”
“Excuse me?” Annabelle flapped her hands at her sides. “It’s my life, so I don’t see why not.”
“You don’t see why not? Really? You are so juvenile, Annabelle, so I’ll make it very clear for you. You can’t date her because it’s a conflict of interest, that’s why!” George huffed out a breath and glared at Annabelle. “Of all the women, Annabelle. Seriously! How could you do this to me?”
“Like I intended for this to happen? How was I supposed to know who she was?” Annabelle pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture. It was bad enough that they were arguing in public, in a parking lot, in front of the lovely restaurant where Elizabeth had just treated her to the most adult brunch of her life. They’d had mimosas and sipped coffee, just like ladies should. But now her sister was scolding her like a child and that was where she drew the line.
“Oh, I don’t know – you could try asking people about themselves! Or do you just go right for the pussy without getting a name first?”
Anger flared inside Annabelle, heating her from limb to limb. “Seriously, that is the bitchiest thing you have ever said to me, Georgina. I’ve never spoken to you like that. You need to take it back.”
George pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, as if getting her emotions under control took effort. Annabelle managed to bite back a scoff. It didn’t take effort. George was the epitome of the cool, proper rich girl, except when it suited her not to be. Then she could do spoiled better than anyone Annabelle knew. And she knew a lot of those rich girls from their high school.
There was also the fact that George had almost three years on her. If anyone was acting juvenile, it was her sister, not Annabelle.
George seemed to rein in her temper, because she finally said, “Fine. I’m sorry. It’s not fair of me to assume things about your relationship. And I know Elizabeth pretty well, so I can’t imagine she was just looking to get laid.”
“Gee, that’s awful charitable of you,” Annabelle spat out, not at all mollified. “How dare you say it like that, like she’s the one who can do no wrong and whatever problem exists is all my fault. She’s the one who asked me out, who expressed an interest in me. We are two adults and what we do is none of your business.”
“Except when it is my business because it impacts my actual business,” George hissed back. “I work for her, Annabelle! Can’t you see how that could cause a problem?”
The argument had become so heated, Annabelle wondered if there were people staring at them. She was grateful Elizabeth had left, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation. Not that it really helped. That meant Elizabeth also wasn’t there to defend their relationship.
Annabelle rubbed her hands over her face. Great. Just as she’d finally gotten comfortable with the decision to date a woman who was everything she’d spent years running away from, this had to happen. What about the gala? She could make a solo appearance, rather than cause a stir. Besides, the odds that Elizabeth would keep dating her after this were probably zero to none. The conflict of interest issue was certainly too important, even if Elizabeth was considering a new career path.
For now, it was something they would have to address. Just the two of them, preferably without Georgina’s involvement.
George’s arms were folded and she was looking at the restaurant, lips compressed in a severe line and foot tapping. “Look, come in and have some coffee with me, and we’ll figure things out.”
“I already had brunch. Besides, I have to get to work.”
“Work. Right, because running a cash register counts as real work.”
“It’s where my paycheck comes from, so deal with it.” Annabelle turned away and unlocked her car. It was practically comical, her crappy old jalopy next to her stylish sister. She could almost hear George’s makeup cracking with a wince.
“I can’t believe that thing still even works.”
Annabelle pulled open the door, glad it no longer squeaked, thanks to Felicia’s maintenance. “Well, some of us don’t need to consume to the point of excess, George. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work at the job that encourages everyone in America to do just that.”
SHE SPENT THE DAY GNAWING at her lip, stopping only to offer customers a half-hearted smile when they approached her register. Everyone else seemed chipper enough, probably because they were shopping for the holidays. Annabelle realized she had to consider presents for her family and friends. She was a notorious last-minute shopper and the pressure of coming up with a list of gift ideas might assuage some of the frustration of fighting with her sister.
It didn’t take long to compile a list of family and friends she needed to buy gifts for, but as she got to the end, she wondered if Elizabeth should be added. At this point, it felt like their relationship hung in the balance. There was no telling what would happen now that there was a problem.
And George certainly was a problem. Even if Elizabeth found a way to make it work, George would still stick her nose in their business. Annabelle couldn’t have that. One of the reasons she’d been so eager to move out of her parents’ house immediately after graduating from high school was George herself.
Even with Georgina away at an Ivy League college, having her home for breaks was mentally exhausting for Annabelle. She’d resolved to get a job and get out as soon as possible, and done just that. The next time George arrived home for a summer break, Annabelle had a work schedule to keep her busy. By the following winter break, Annabelle didn’t have to put up with her at all, because she had her own apartment.
It would have been pure nirvana for Annabelle if George stayed on the east coast. But, it was what it was, so she sucked it up and got through her day.
The Saturday afternoon crowd was growing and it was easier now to turn her attention to customers. A steady flow of ringing up purchases was enough to draw her mind away from her familial frustration until it was time to leave. After waving goodbye to coworkers, she sat in her car, tapping her phone against the steering wheel.
Her thumbs moved to the screen and she typed out a message to Elizabeth. One she hoped was the right combination of funny and sweet at the same time. A sigh of relief escaped her when Elizabeth answered.
Come on over.
Annabelle did.
The condo was as lovely as she remembered, pristine and modern. It put her own apartment to shame. Not that Elizabeth had said anything negative or judgmental about the place, but Annabelle could feel the differences more acutely now.
“Hey,” Elizabeth said when she opened the door. She greeted Annabelle with a kiss on the cheek and stood aside. “Come on in. We definitely need to talk.”
“Right? I can’t believe we’re already at that stage,” Annabelle joked, her stomach swooping. It was a terrible sensation, like being on a rollercoaster after eating a burrito. She hoped she wouldn’t get sick.
But then Elizabeth put her arms around her, enfolding her in a warm hug. “This isn’t going to be a problem,” she said.
“How do you know it’s not?”
“Because I’m very good at what I do, and an expert at keeping work and personal life separate,” Elizabeth answered. “So I want you to forget that we ever saw George today and just hang out with me tonight. Tell me about work. What was it like?”
Even though Annabelle wasn’t sure she could, she swallowed and nodded. “Well, I guess everyone is doing their shopping for the holidays. I mean, mostly Christmas, I suppose. I’m not sure how it works as far as Hanukkah or Kwanza, though.”
“That’d be interesting to know,” Elizabeth said. “I love learning about the traditions of other cultures and religions.”
“You do?”
“Sure and not just in some token way, but to really understand them.” Elizabeth hugged her even tighter. “I think it gives us greater respect for people and an appreciation of our differences. I’d like someone to do those sorts of things with, and I’d like that someone to be you.”
The way Elizabeth kissed her, Annabelle knew she meant every word of what she said. This wasn’t just about the pussy, as George so crudely put it. This was about a woman who somehow shared Annabelle’s funky love of renaissance faires, who seemed truly interested in the things her own family had always rejected about her.
“Mm, okay, I’m convinced that things will work out,” Annabelle agreed, a little breathless as Elizabeth gave her some space. “So I guess I have a really important question for you, then.”
“Oh, what’s that?” Elizabeth asked. The quirk of her lips looked playful and inviting, but Annabelle’s mind wouldn’t let her body even consider sex. It didn’t matter how cute Elizabeth looked. Stress about what might happen next was taking a toll.
“I’ve got tickets to the new Star Wars movie waiting for me when I get home. It opens next weekend and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. It’s the very first showing here in Omaha.” She really hoped Elizabeth wouldn’t let her down by saying she’d never seen Star Wars or didn’t know anything about the franchise. It was bad enough that her father somehow associated her Borg reference with Star Wars.
Elizabeth’s eyes lit up, though, followed by a huge grin. “Isn’t that the last appearance of Carrie Fisher? I’d be nuts to turn you down! Did you cry at the end of Rogue One? I bawled my eyes out. It was the best movie ever, besides Empire, of course. Don’t you think?”
“You... you know Star Wars?” Annabelle couldn’t believe her ears or her eyes. In fact, Elizabeth was bouncing on the sofa, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Of course I do. Doesn’t everyone?” Elizabeth leaned toward her, mouth gaping, apparently aghast that anyone would question her love for the popular space opera.
“Well, yeah, but it takes a dedicated fan to see all the movies and know about the actors. I’m just...” Annabelle pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m just surprised. I already knew you were into the ren thing and hanging out at the pub with the players, but this is even better than I expected.”
Elizabeth’s laughter was warm and low, finally easing Annabelle’s fears. “Sweetie, just because I put on a suit and bring a briefcase to work every day doesn’t mean I’m not capable of geeking out over something. I have infinite capacity to geek, if that helps. Would you like to see something special?”
Her beckoning finger was too much for Annabelle to resist and she followed Elizabeth across the condo. “Hidden depths, I see. I’m definitely curious.”
Just off the kitchen was a room Annabelle hadn’t really looked at during her first visit to Elizabeth’s home. Now, though, they went in there and she saw that it was an office. A tidy office with a little white desk, expensive white computer, and...
“Ohh...” Annabelle let out a whoosh of breath. “You’re not serious.”
“I am so serious.” Elizabeth reached out to stroke her hand along one of the posters on the wall opposite the desk. “It’s an original, you know, from the first movie in 1977. Does this mean you like it?”
“Like it? I think I love it.” Annabelle looked at the various merchandise lining the white shelves. “You’re obviously a dedicated fan. I had no idea. What got you into it?”
“Princess Leia,” Elizabeth said immediately. “I was a little girl and she was just amazing to me. She could kick butt right alongside the men. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to play the queen at the ren faire. Just look at Elizabeth the first. She refused to marry in a time when a woman’s personal security was pretty much wrapped up in having a man to depend upon. Even a queen wasn’t considered capable of ruling without a man to do the thinking on her behalf. When I imagine the courage it must have required for her to take a stand like that, well, I can’t think of any woman I admire more.”
Annabelle pointed at the poster and grinned. “Except for Princess Leia?”
“Except for her,” Elizabeth agreed. “Now we’re finally in place where women can hang with the guys, and I never want to see us go back to the dark ages. That’s why my job has been so important to me. I got into a male-dominated industry and showed them I was just as capable of doing the same job as they are. I want to see people continue to get hired based on ability, not gender or any other external factor.”
It was such a noble sentiment for a woman of privilege and power, that Annabelle just had to turn and hug her. “We need people like you running the world.”
Elizabeth’s laughter shook both their bodies. “Oh, please, no. I don’t want to do that. I just want to help people know that they’re capable of doing whatever they dream, you know? I think that’s what’s so lovely about the ren faire. People can go there and forget their woes for a while, and maybe come back to their normal lives feeling ready to face anything.”
“Right? I wish it was year-round.” Annabelle stepped back and resumed looking over the collection. It was impressive, more so than hers, but she had a few pieces Elizabeth didn’t. She pictured merging their collections. Elizabeth’s would look even nicer with what Annabelle could add.
“Year-round...” Now it was Elizabeth who sounded wistful. “You’re not the only one to feel that way.”
Annabelle’s hand drifted over a bobble head of Princess Leia, still mint in the box. “You miss it, too?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. I do, Danny does, everyone does.”
“Have any of you ever considered doing the full-time rennie thing and traveling where the faires go?” It’d certainly been something on Annabelle’s mind a few times since about midway through the faire, after talking to people who did it for a living. She could think of a handful of pros and cons, but she hadn’t put significant thought into the idea beyond that.
“I have,” Elizabeth acknowledged. “Though I didn’t consider it seriously, because I’ve always loved my career until lately. Nowadays, it’s looking like a pretty sweet life, just dropping everything to be a rennie. But I think I’m too attached to living here to do it. It’d rock if we had some kind of year-round faire right here. The problem is it’s just not feasible to run an event like that outdoors with our winters. It’s something a lot of us have talked about at the pub.”
Winters could be brutal in the Midwest and Annabelle nodded. “Still, it’s too bad working at a ren faire couldn’t be our full-time job, you know?”
“I know.”
Straightening to her feet, Annabelle turned back to Elizabeth. The redhead’s eyes had narrowed, like she was calculating something. “What is it?” she asked.
“Just thinking.”
“Deep thoughts, I can tell.”
Elizabeth blinked and then put her arms around Annabelle’s waist. “You’re right. Why don’t we do something fun, instead?”
“Like what?” Annabelle certainly liked the idea of fun. After arguing with George earlier and then spending her time at work worrying about her relationship, she needed something to readjust her thinking. She and Elizabeth enjoyed each other’s company so much, there was no reason why they couldn’t continue what they’d started.
“Let’s order a pizza and watch the original trilogy. I mean, not all at once, because it’s long, but how about the first Star Wars tonight – A New Hope?”
That sounded like the perfect night in, so Annabelle leaned forward to kiss Elizabeth and seal the deal.