Page 106 of Two Guys, a Girl, and a Tripod

“That explains the name,” Sophie chuckles.

“He told you?” Talia’s voice is full of mirth.

“He couldn’t say it fast enough. I love hearing some of these company names. They’re just so dumb.”

“But they know what they are.” Talia motions at us with her cup instead of pointing and I imagine she winks too.

“That, they do,” I agree, holding up my own drink in response.

“So,” Talia crosses one leg over the other and sits back in her chair, “are you guys going to SpicyCon? I’ve heard it won’t be a huge crowd since it’s new.”

“I am.” I turn to look at Sophie. We haven’t talked about the convention next week. It hasn’t come up in all of our conversations about work.

“Yeah, I’ll be there Thursday to Sunday,” she says.

“Sweet! I’ll be at the Gargantuanal booth all day Friday, but maybe the three of us can grab dinner or something one night if you have a free evening.”

“Sounds good,” I say with a grin.

“Oh! I need to go say hi to someone who just walked in. I’ll catch you guys later, or at SpicyCon. Whatever.” She dashes away and I’m left feeling like a tornado has gone through.

“So, Talia Sins?” Sophie has pulled her sunglasses down to stare at me with those amber eyes and takes a sip of her drink.

“Just a filming history,” I chuckle.

“It’s fine, I wouldn’t judge you if it was more,” Sophie giggles. “She seems really nice.”

“Ouch.” I wince.

“What? She does!”

“It’s just, well, I grew up with Brody and his sisters. I’ve heard some catty comments.”

“I’m not trying to be catty.” She rolls her eyes before readjusting her sunglasses. “I mean it.”

“You really don’t get jealous, do you?” I lean away and study her.

“I kind of don’t have a right to be jealous, do I?” she asks. “I mean, we both work with other people and…” she trails off, biting her lip and looking away toward the pool.

“And I’m sharing you with Brody,” I finish for her. She nods but doesn’t turn her head. “Trust me, I know how weird it sounds. And I’m not a cuck or a stag or whatever. I just want you to be happy and if your happiness includes someone else.” I shrug.

“So we’re ignoring the fact that you wanted to make me forget about the competition?” Sophie raises her eyebrows above her sunglasses.

“Well, I can’t compete with my best friend. Not for you, at least.” I pat her hand.

Throughout the late afternoon, Sophie and I venture around to meet other creators. I introduce her to a few people I know, helping her to gain more reliable contacts in the industry. It’s one thing to meet at an event like this, but it’s another thing entirely to have someone introduce you. It’s like a reference: I worked with this person and I’m introducing you, so you know that they’re one of the good ones.

As the sun sets and the guests get drunker, things get a little louder and more rambunctious. The games of chicken have already begun with squeals of delight and victory echoing around the backyard. The two men who had manned the grills earlier in the evening have either drawn the short straws or the long, depending on how you look at it. The muscular meatheads are the chosen bases for every chicken challenge. Having a woman’s thighs wrapped around their head doesn’t seem like the worst way they can spend their evening.

“Hey, gorgeous!” One of them calls out to Sophie, waving his arm to join him. “Come on in, let’s knock Buddy’s gal right off his shoulders!”

“I’m good,” Sophie chuckles.

“Aw, you sure? I’ll bet your thighs are nice and soft!”

“They are!” she shouts back with a grin. “But they’re closed for the event.”

“Oh boo!”

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