Lily flashed a grin and turned to the handsome bartender with muscular pecs just straining to escape his too tight t-shirt. Rayanne hated him instantly.
“Two Long Island Ice Teas, Carlos ,” Lily shouted over the music. “And make ‘em strong.”
Rayanne breathed a sigh of relief as Carlos handed them two of the biggest drinks she’d ever seen. “I’m going to be so wasted.”
“What?” Lily hollered back over the deafening noise. The music had switched to something with a much heavier beat. Rayanne was half afraid her eardrums would burst.
“Nevermind.” Rayanne shook her head and took a sip of the potent drink. The alcohol burned all the way down.
“Here’s to being women,” Lily yelled, raising her glass.
Rayanne gave her a weak smile. “Yeah!”
“WE NEED TO TALK.”
Rayanne peered at Lily through one slitted eye before deciding the glare from the fluorescent lights overhead was too much and closed it. She propped her chin on her hand and beckoned Lily to have a seat on the edge of the desk. “Whatever you want. Just talk quietly.”
“How many Long Islands did you drink last night?”
“Enough.” Enough to make her forget she had cramps. Enough to make her forget Branwen and her stupid gift. Enough to make her forget Ryan and his hang-ups. After that, things were a little blurry.
She did remember grabbing Lily and pulling her onto the dance floor. She only hoped she hadn’t made a complete fool of herself. Though if memory served her right, Lily hadn’t exactly been upset by the hands-on approach.
“Listen, Rayanne,” Lily said almost hesitantly. “I like you, right? I mean as a friend. You’re my closest friend here at the office. Heck, you’re one of my closest friends, period.” She gave a fake laugh at her bad pun.
“But?”
“But, well, I don’t like you like...that.”
Rayanne opened her eyes and gave Lily a baffled stare. “Like what?”
“Come on, Rayanne, you were totally flirting with me last night. I know you were drunk, but it was kind of...awkward.”
Rayanne started to speak, but Lily held up her hand. “I know, I know. I was flirting, too. Hey, I know that you like women. I don’t have a problem with that. I want us to be friends, but I don’t want you thinking we can be more than that. I’m straight.”
Rayanne’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I know that, Lily. And I’m sorry. I just had a bit too much to drink and got carried away.”
“It’s not totally your fault,” Lily admitted, her face flushing adorably. The pink of her cheeks matching the pink of her soft, angora sweater. “I admit, I’ve been...drawn to you in a way I have never been drawn to a woman. Any woman.” She shook her head as if confused. “At first I started to question myself, but now I realize what it was.”
Rayanne’s heart was pounding so hard she was half afraid Lily would hear it. “What was it?”
“You remind me of Ryan.” Lily sighed. “And I’ve been half in love with Ryan for...oh, ages.”
It was not what Rayanne had expected to hear. “Even though he’s a cross-dresser?”
Lily laughed. “Like that matters. So, he likes to wear women’s panties and lipstick sometimes. Get dressed up and go out on the town. There are worse things, believe me.” Her tone told Rayanne she’d lived through some of those worse things.
Rayanne nodded. “From now on I promise to respect you and our friendship. Just like you respect and accept me.” And what a doubled edged comment that was!
Lily’s smile was a ray of sunshine. “Good!” She hopped off her perch and gave Rayanne a quick hug. “I mean who else am I going to sing ‘We Are Family’ with on karaoke nights?”
Rayanne felt a little teary as she watched Lily saunter back to her own desk. Heck, she felt more than teary, damn hormones.
But if she were honest with herself it was more than hormones. She was in love with Lily and as Rayanne, they could never, would never, be together. Because Lily couldn’t help who she was or who she was attracted to any more than Ryan could.
Except that Ryan was Rayanne. And Rayanne did have a choice. If she could get a cupcake obsessed goddess to listen to her.
She jumped up from her desk and rushed to the women’s room. Locking the door behind her she clenched her fists and called out softly, “Branwen, I get it.”
“GET WHAT?”
Branwen was still sitting on the same bench overlooking the Bristol Channel munching on a cupcake. Lemon this time.
The goddess smirked at Rayanne as she crossed one bare foot over the other. From the looks of things, she’d had a pedicure. They’d gone from chipped fuchsia to purple with sparkles. “What is it that you ‘get’?”
“I understand your gift now.” Rayanne tried to keep herself calm, her breathing even. She had to convince Branwen that she understood. She had to make Branwen believe her. Everything depended on it.
The goddess quirked an eyebrow as she licked the yellow frosting off her fingers one at a time. Very, very slowly. “My gift?” She asked with feigned innocence.
“Call it a lesson.”
Branwen leaned back with a smug smile and crossed her arms over her rather impressive chest. Surprisingly, for once she seemed oblivious to the cupcake box, still half full, sitting beside her.
“And what lesson did you learn, pray tell?”
“To be careful what you wish for. That the grass isn’t always greener. Be thankful for who you are and what you’ve been given. And...” Rayanne swallowed, “that being a woman isn’t for the faint of heart.”
Branwen’s smile widened. “Trite, but true.”
Rayanne swallowed. “And now that I’ve learned those lessons, will you please turn me back?”
“You want to give up? Go back to being a man?” Branwen’s expression turned deadly serious. She completely ignored her cupcake and focused her entire attention on Rayanne.
Rayanne couldn’t tell if the goddess was surprised, pleased, or pissed off, but
