You know, you might end up being friends with that gal.
It was something to consider, anyway.
The players broke for water. Vivi waved to Nora, who gave one wave back and then loped across the court to the gate near where her sister was waiting. Finn watched Nora fiddle with the latch, hoping desperately Vivi was going to get what she needed from this.
As Nora closed the gate behind her, Vivi was already wrapping her arms around herself. They both took a few steps away from the gate into the grass that started where the sidewalk left off. Vivi started to talk. Nora’s hands went up like she was going to put them over her mouth, or on top of her head in disbelief or frustration…
And then she lunged at Vivi, grabbing her up in a hug that almost knocked her over.
Finn had to admit, she wiped away a couple of tears as Nora kissed the top of Vivi’s head. Vivi was bawling, unsurprisingly, but laughing too, and Nora hugged her again, lifting her up until only her toes brushed the ground and Vivi made some kind of halfhearted protest. Finally Nora put her down, and they exchanged probably two more sentences before the basketball crew was calling Nora to come back. She glanced back to them before looking back to her sister.
Vivi gestured for Nora to go back, wiping her face. Nora tugged one of Vivi’s braids playfully and then walked backwards to the gate. Finn now had proof that the woman smiled, truly smiled, and it was a damn fine sight.
Right before Nora swung the gate shut behind her, she looked at Finn and raised one hand in greeting. Finn raised her own, and Nora nodded, appearing satisfied, before going back to her friends.
Vivi watched Nora until the game picked back up, then looked skyward. She put one hand to her lips and blew a kiss. Finn wiped away a couple more tears hastily before Vivi ambled back to the bench.
“Sooo,” Finn said as if she didn’t just watch the whole scene, “did it go well?”
Vivi grinned. “Yes, you goof. She said she’d come with me to tell our parents, too, if I want.”
“Do you want her to?”
A warning shout went up from the basketball game, and they both glanced over. Nora was on the ground, but she was already waving off offered hands and getting back up.
“She’s pretty tough,” Vivi said. “Maybe it’d be a good idea to stand, like, not right behind her? But kinda tucked in a little bit. Just in case.”
Finn nodded. “Excellent plan. First, though, I suppose we have some other life stuff to get done.”
“Sounds absolutely wonderful,” Vivi agreed, taking Finn’s hand and pulling her gently back towards the car. “Let’s get started.”
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!
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You can also keep reading for a preview of the next Love at Knockdown book, Shake Things Up, where Vivi’s sister Alicia meets a damsel in distress under surprising circumstances.
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Acknowledgments
My sincere thanks to editor Suzanne Lahna of The Quick Fox and all the beta readers who helped with this story, including folks from the Cactusland writing group. Special thanks to JP, this story’s most amazing cheerleader. I couldn’t have done this without y’all.
About the Author
I write a variety of queer romance, both contemporary and science fiction, that’s sometimes about polyamorous relationships.
I’m bi, my pronouns are she/her, and I currently live in Austin, Texas because of all the libraries and breakfast tacos.
For more stories and updates:
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Sneak Preview
Love at Knockdown Book 2: Shake Things Up
The ten minute conference call invite should have been a dead giveaway that Noelle was being laid off. Ten minutes turned out to be just long enough for the CEO and CFO to say a few buzzwords like “rightsizing” and “refocusing” while Noelle blinked and tried to process. After eight months working pre-dawn to post-dusk, her job as the organize-everything generalist at this startup was gone.
Now here she was, opening her trunk to remove the cardboard box full of the contents of her desk and carry it into her apartment. She’d never been laid off before. She’d relocated to Austin for this job. She hadn’t been unemployed since she turned thirteen and started babysitting half her life ago!
Okay. Yeah. She was a little shaky.
Noelle took a deep calming breath, closed the trunk, and decided to just… deal. Between her mentor making calls and her own connections, this would sort itself out. Her health insurance would last another 27 days. Garland had been a fantastic boyfriend to let her crash with him after her rental condo got sold three months ago. She’d meant to look for a new place, but she hadn’t yet had time. So, she had a roof over her head a healthy bank balance. Everything was going to be fine.
Music was playing behind his apartment door as she approached. Garland must have made it home early somehow. Maybe they could… go out? Talk over dinner. Maybe go completely wild and catch a movie? When was the last time they’d managed an actual date around their work schedules?
She almost stopped in her tracks when her brain supplied the answer: New Year’s Eve. Over two months ago.
Noelle Davenport, what the hell? Maybe this layoff was a wakeup call. Career success was great, but she’d let things get a bit out of hand.
Propping her box on one hip, she unlocked the door. She pushed it open, bumped it closed behind her, and took the three steps down the entry hall which brought her to the living room.
Wherein she saw two half-full glasses of red wine on the coffee table and Garland scrambling off the couch while frantically trying to rebutton his dress shirt. A woman with long dark hair sat on that same couch, grey sleeveless dress rucked up to show bright purple underwear.
The woman was staring not at Noelle, but up at Garland. She looked pissed.
And something in Noelle’s heart… crumpled.
“Noelle,” Garland said, sounding as if he actually cared, “I can explain.”
“Garland,” the woman said coldly, “shut the fuck up.”
Noelle suddenly realized she wasn’t breathing and tried to start again. She got one inhale but she’d pulled the box so tight against herself there wasn’t much room for her chest to expand. She couldn’t figure out how to fix it.
The woman got up and tugged down her dress. She was sexy as hell, Noelle realized, which was the most bizarre thing to notice, but it was true. Great calves, an hourglass shape, a few inches taller than Noelle. If Noelle and Garland had seen her in public, one of them would have nudged the other. A little harmless lady-appreciating from a bi gal and her straight boyfriend. Garland had always enjoyed appreciating.