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Gripping his hand, I introduce myself. “Wade Roberts. I’m a consulting associate for Zedello.”
“Ah, I heard you were the man in charge.” He waves his hand over the space in front of him. “This event is pretty epic. They’re going to raise a lot of money tonight.”
“I sure hope so.” I know it will be a good night.
A young woman with eyes for Easton joins us as he hands her the second flute of champagne. The way she’s beaming and the way he’s eating her alive with just a look tells me all I need to know: these two are a thing.
I shift on the balls of my feet, contemplating how long is too long to stand here while they eye-fuck, when my movement must break them from their trance. The woman’s eyes flit to me
“Wade, this is my fiancée, Brynn Darling. Wade’s the guy who made this happen.”
Sure enough, I’ve met Brynn. She’s an event coordinator at Fiction Convention, so I’ve spoken with her a few times over the phone and a lot via email. But I’ve never been able to put a face to the name.
“Brynn and I’ve actually met, but not in person.”
She has a huge smile on her face. “Oh my goodness, I was so excited to finally meet you tonight.” She moves her body as she makes a show of looking around the room. “This event shaped up to be utterly perfect.”
I nod. When events go off without a hitch, the compliments come in hot. They’re warranted in this case, but I’m not one to brag, and I don’t pull off these events on my own. Gotta give credit where credit is due. I’m just the ideas guy.
But Brynn is right, and she played a part in tonight’s success as well. She made sure all the stars and normal PopCon showrunners were going to be in attendance. She was easy to work with, and I hope to work with her again someday.
Brynn is adorably nerdy and looks like someone my own date could probably become besties with in under a minute. Just as my thoughts start to wander to where Bernadette could be, she’s standing next to me.
Looking over at her, I playfully ask, “Did you get lost?”
She says, “Nope, star-struck is more like it.” She looks past me, and her eyes widen.
“Oh, snap. Can it be? My California dancing partner?” Her smile is massive as she moves toward Easton and they embrace.
It looks friendly, but I’m man enough to admit that I don’t like it one bit. I glance at Brynn to see her reaction to her boyfriend hugging my date, but all I see is excitement.
Bernadette pulls back, her arms still grasping his biceps, and studies Easton. It’s like long-lost friends reuniting at last. Let’s hope friends is all it was.
“What’s it been, a year? Two?” She causally drops her hands off him, and I let out a breath. Then she and Brynn start hugging.
Okay, message received. They all know each other, and I don’t have a reason to be jealous. Hell, she isn’t even my girlfriend. There’s no reason I should feel the need to be all possessive right now. But I am.
Bernadette, suddenly remembering I’m here, turns to me and grabs my hand like an excited little kid. “Wade, you’ve found two of my favorite LA people.” Her grin is infectious, and my heart immediately lightens. I pull her gently toward me.
“You’re welcome.” We all laugh. “So, you going to explain this small world? While I just met Easton, I worked with Brynn a bit for this event.”
“You remember when I told you that I sometimes work PopCons just to spend more time at them?”
I nod, remembering our first conversation before asking her to attend this with me.
“Well, two years ago, I was volunteering at UnNatural Con up in Seattle and met Brynn. We connected online over a mutual love of all things pop culture.”
Yahtzee! I knew they’d be besties.
“And one night after the event, I found myself at a popular little hangout with live music and ran into Easton. I needed a dance partner, and he needed a break from heartache.” She shoots him an amused expression, and he shakes his head knowingly.
“She’s not wrong.” Brynn giggles next to him.
Bernadette is all animated, and her excitement over long-lost friends makes me want to kiss her. She must read my expression, because she shifts, angling her body toward me and squeezing my hand.
“Easton and I first met at a little local bar called Private School,” she informs me. “Does The Noble Society still play there?”
“Yeah, they still play there. I still join them from time to time.” He looks at Bernadette. “You know, the guys have been uploading some of their originals to Spotify.”
