Page 73 of Play It Again, Ma'am

Jules groaned and closed her eyes for a second. She’d come to peace with the fact that she was going to have to be honest, no matter how awkward that made things. “I really didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand.”

“What things exactly are they?” Alea demanded, eyes glittering with humor.

Jules looked around. She’d say what she had to say, but it would be a whole lot easier with Billie around to back her up. Actually, now that she was thinking about it, life in general just seemed a whole lot easier with Billie in it. More comfortable, more content. “Where’s Billie?”

“Who?” Alea asked.

“Billie Brooke.”

“You say that like I know who she is,” Alea said.

“She’s probably in the bathroom,” said Jules, half to herself. She owed Billie big time and wasn’t about to forget it.

“About that,” Alea began. Her face was sympathetic in a way that Jules didn’t understand. “Listen, come and sit with me. We were only on for a few songs, there’s a bigger name band coming up in a while. I’ve got time, so let’s talk.”

Jules pulled a face but followed Alea to a quiet corner table, keeping an eye out for Billie as they walked through the less than crowded club.

“So,” Alea said when they sat.

“Oh god,” said Jules. She put her hands over her face. “I can’t play the piano, okay?”

“What?”

Jules removed her hands to find Alea staring at her in bemusement. “I can’t play the piano. Um, I just can’t. Well, I can a bit now, but before I couldn’t.”

“But… I mean… What?”

Jules groaned and spilled the whole story which had Alea laughing like a drain before she’d even half way finished.

“All of that,” Alea said, wiping her eyes. “You get the whole thing done and memorized, and then I go and ask you to play it a third down and scupper all your plans. Jesus.” She snorted with laughter again.

“Yeah, not my finest moment.” Jules hiccuped with laughter herself. It was funny, now that she wasn’t in the middle of it anymore.

“And can I ask why you thought it was a good idea to tell me you could play an instrument when you couldn’t?”

Oh well, thought Jules, in for a penny, in for a pound. The truth didn’t have to stop just yet, she might as well admit it. “Um, I might have had a little crush on you.”

“Little?” Alea said. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off me. It was very flattering. Don’t think that I hadn’t noticed.”

This stirred something in Jules’s stomach. Not lust exactly, not even real interest, just a curiosity. “It was a crush that wasn’t reciprocated, I’m guessing?” she said.

Alea shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. I like you, Jules, you’re fun to be around, and you’re definitely attractive. Maybe we could have something, maybe we could spend more time together and see. But if you’re asking if it was love at first sight, well, I have to be honest and say not really.”

Ouch. But Jules grinned anyway, because it really didn’t matter anymore, did it? Not now. Not now that she’d realized.

Oh, maybe she’d known a while ago, but Billie getting into the car had really sealed the deal. And if that hadn’t, then Billie pushing her out of the way to get to the piano and play, Billie stepping in and saving the day for no other reason than Jules needed her to, had really told Jules what was going on here.

She craned her neck again. Whatever Billie was doing she was taking her time about it. Maybe she was sick, Jules thought. She glanced over the whole club, not seeing Billie’s dark head anywhere.

The fact that Billie was there for her, that she stayed there for her, that was what mattered. Sure, the physical stuff was nice. More than nice, actually. But there was more to it than that and it had taken a while to notice.

Taken a while to notice that she’d fallen in love with Billie Brooke. No, not fallen. Slipped. Slid silently and gently into it while she was busy paying attention to other things. And now here she was, wearing it already, clothed in love and rolling her shoulders to see how it fit.

She grinned to herself. Her stomach skipped. She really did need to find Billie. She needed to tell her, to see the look on her face. She needed to start their future together, needed it to be right now.

She pushed her chair back. “Sorry, Al, but I really do need to find Billie.”

Alea put a hand on her arm. “About that.”

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