Page 24 of Passionate Hearts

“You sure you don’t want to give it a try? You love being bossy,” River suggested.

River needed to force herself to be silly for a moment, otherwise, she was going to start crying.

“I think the first step is figuring out how you feel about Tiff. There are obviously things you’re unhappy about there, otherwise you wouldn’t be developing feelings for Brianna.”

“You’re right. I need to have a conversation with Tiff, too.”

“The next thing you need to do is figure out how you feel about Brianna. Is this a crush? Are you feeling extra emotional because of the accident and her helping you through it? Do you think these feelings are temporary? Because if this is a simple crush, that’s not fair to Brianna.”

“I don’t know,” River admitted.

“I don’t think I ever had a reason to analyze what kind of partner Brianna would be until now. I certainly never compared her and Tiff. But since the accident there’s no way of denying that one of them has shown up for me, and the other hasn’t. It’s been a hard pill to swallow that my girlfriend is basically MIA while I’m recovering.”

“Does Tiff know about the feelings you’re developing for Brianna?”

“No. She’s been so busy trying to land this client that I haven’t spent much time with her.”

“I know it’s hard but the next time you talk to her there needs to be a serious conversation between the two of you. In the meantime, handle things with Brianna. She’s too good of a friend to allow her to get caught up in any emotional crossfire.”

River nodded her head. Willow had hit the nail on the head. Brianna was too good of a friend to be jerked around. She’d likely already hurt Brianna, a thought which threatened to truly break her heart.

“Hey. How’s my favorite girlfriend doing?” Mel asked, walking up to their table.

River was grateful that Willow dropped their current conversation in favor of flirting with Mel.

“I’m your only girlfriend,” Willow smirked.

“Which automatically makes you my favorite,” Mel teased.

Mel met River’s eyes and offered a smile.

“How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good. I get my casts off soon. Then the real healing can begin.”

River had spent weeks fantasizing about getting her casts removed. She could finally start physical therapy. She’d be able to do some light exercises. Quite frankly, River couldn’t wait.

“I’m sure you’re more than ready. Brianna told me you’ve been pretty stir crazy.”

River tried to keep her face neutral. A glance at Willow told her that their secret was about to get out. Willow was notorious for her lack of poker face, and her inability to lie. Mel caught Willow’s expression and opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of it.

“I don’t know what the two of you are up to, but it’s been a long day. We can talk about it when I get home,” Mel leaned in and gave Willow a kiss on the lips. She shot River a warm smile.

River could handle Mel knowing what was going on, so long as she didn’t have to tell her about it. Willow seemed equally grateful.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” Willow laughed.

“Before I do any more damage?” River teased.

“I would hardly accuse you of doing any damage. You just need to have an uncomfortable conversation.”

River sighed and nodded. The ride back to her home was fairly quiet. Her heart sped to an impossible rhythm when she saw Brianna’s car in the lot. Brianna had gone into the office today. River had expected to have a few hours to prepare for the conversation they needed to have. That didn’t seem to be in the cards. She took a deep breath and followed Willow to the front door. Willow had been kind enough to handle the locking and unlocking of her front door.

“Good luck, friend,” Willow smiled.

“You’re not coming inside?” River asked in a sudden panic.

“River, you’ve got this. It’s Brianna. Just talk to her.”

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