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“I haven’t been to a restaurant in a while; since I was fifth in line and in school, and no one cared about me.”
“We’re going to an American restaurant for burgers and fries in a Pittsburgh suburb where no one even knows about St. Rais, most likely, let alone its Queen. You’ll stand out more if you’re dressed up. I have a hat in my car. You could wear that, too. You’d be totally incognito, and security could back off a bit.”
“You have a hat in your car?”
“It’s a Pittsburgh Pirates hat. It’s not exactly a tiara, but I think a tiara might make you stand out a bit, too.” Palmer smiled at her before she reached both hands out to take Elizabeth’s and pull her in closer.
“Another American football team?”
“No.” Palmer laughed. “The Pirates are baseball. Don’t tell my dad, but I’m now secretly a Yankees fan. I was converted when I moved to New York, but I still like the Pirates, and I make sure to bring the hat whenever I come home.”
“I do not understand American sports,” Elizabeth said, looking off into the distance, but she didn’t let go of Palmer’s hands. Instead, she entwined their fingers and let them dangle between them. “I’ll change. Can you give me a minute, or will we be late?”
“We’ll be fine. Maybe save the dress, though.”
“For?” Elizabeth asked, pulling back so she could find clothes to change into.
“I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find some reason to get you to dress up while you’re here.” Palmer stood up. “I’ll wait outside.”
“Can you unzip me first?” Elizabeth asked, staring into Palmer’s eyes.
“How did you get into the dress, to begin with? Did someone from security–”
“No, I did it myself,” Elizabeth replied, turning her back to Palmer. “I just want you to do it.”
Palmer’s eyes met Elizabeth’s in the mirror above the desk. She slowly unzipped the dress, but before she stepped back, she lowered her lips to Elizabeth’s shoulder and kissed her bare skin.
“We’re talking later,” she told the woman.
Then, she backed up and left the room, waiting for Elizabeth out in the hall more out of necessity than to give Elizabeth the privacy to change. Palmer let out a deep breath she’d been holding in. There was just something about Elizabeth beinghere, on Palmer’s turf, that made her feel like she could finally be herself in every way. And part of her loved wooing a woman. She liked buying the flowers, planning dates, making a woman feel like she was special. And Elizabeth was definitely special. Palmer knew she needed to take it easy. She was coming on a little strong; strong enough that Elizabeth had noticed. Then, she realized that Elizabeth not only hadn’t pushed her away or asked her to stop, but shehadasked Palmer to unzip her dress for her. And it had taken everything in Palmer to not look at Elizabeth’s back but to keep her eyes on Elizabeth’s instead.
???
“I’m sorry. Palmer told us to treat you like anyone else, but I wasn’t sure if we should or not,” Palmer’s mom said as she shook Elizabeth’s hand.
“Mom, it’s fine.” Palmer had her hand on the small of Elizabeth’s back, guiding her into the booth first. “We don’t want anyone to know she’s here anyway, so her name is Elizabeth, and she’s not a Queen tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” her mom replied, sitting down.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Palmer’s father said as he sat down next to his wife. “Palmer’s told us a lot about you.”
Palmer slid into the booth after hanging Elizabeth’s coat, along with her own, over the hook between two booths.
“All good, I hope?” Elizabeth asked.
“We know about what happened to your family, sweetie. We’re so sorry you have to go through this,” her mom said.
“Me too,” Elizabeth replied. “I’m happy to be here, though. Thank you so much for allowing me to join your family for the holiday.”
“Of course. The more, the merrier,” her mom said.
“Told you so,” Palmer said to Elizabeth, who looked over and smiled at her.
“You know you’re welcome to stay with us, though. You don’t have to stay at a hotel.”
“I know. Palmer told me, and I appreciate that, but I come with a security team, and they need a place to sleep, too. I didn’t think it was fair to ask them to sleep on the floor or for you to put them up.”
“Palmer tells us you’re a Ph. D candidate in physics,” her father said.
