Spicy Sapphic Christmas

20. Piper

TWENTY

piper

“So you had coffee with Bunny?” Piper slid Jo a curious look before turning back to the stove. She wished she could look at Jo to get the full reaction without burning their lunch, but that would be impossible.

“Yeah. It was weird and awkward.” Jo groaned, stretching out on the counter and pressing her cheek to the cold marble. “Is Bunny ever not awkward?”

Piper laughed lightly and wrinkled her nose as she flipped the French toast in the skillet. She could cook—breakfast, that is. Anything else and she was lost. So she’d offered to make breakfast for this impromptu lunch date with Jo. “Bunny is always awkward.”

“Why? I mean, I get there are awkward people in the world, but she’s so smooth on stage.”

“It’s a well-practiced skill that she’s taken great pains and decades to master.”

Jo frowned, a line furrowing in the center of her forehead before she smoothed it out with her hand and glanced at her phone as it buzzed on the counter. Piper suspected it was Mandy, that her advice of don’t contact or text back had been ignored, and that Jo was falling back into the trap that was her ex-girlfriend willingly.

Being with someone who was still hung up on their ex wasn’t something Piper wanted to throw herself into again. Been there and done that one too many times with women over the years. Men seemed to have fewer issues with that.

Still, Piper wasn’t ready to give up on Jo yet. If only because it was clear that Mandy wasn’t suitable for Jo in the least. Plating up their breakfast, Piper slid it across the peninsula counter and snagged the butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. Once they were set up to eat, Piper joined Jo on that side of the counter, sliding into the chair right next to her.

Just in time to see Jo’s phone buzz with another text.

From Mandy.

Piper chose not to comment on it, yet.

“So what did Bunny want?” Piper asked, sliding a fluffy piece of bread between her lips.

“She didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Piper sent Jo a direct look. “She doesn’t tell me everything.”

“Interesting.” Jo played her fingers over her fork, but she hadn’t eaten anything yet.

Piper made sure to take note of that. If Jo was anything like her, then when she was emotionally distraught, eating was the last thing on her mind. Then again, Jo could be the complete opposite to her. They were still getting to know each other, after all.

“So what did she want?” Piper finally broke the silence right when Jo’s phone went off again. That was going to get annoying.

“To negotiate.”

“Negotiate?” Piper shoved another large bite between her lips. Fuck, she loved her French toast. She’d forgotten because it had been so long since she’d made it. No one to cook for and Bunny preferred coffee and more coffee prior to eleven in the morning. Maybe they should do breakfast for dinner one night.

“The outfits for the charity event.”

“Oh.” A cold shiver ran through Piper. She’d known that was going to be an issue, but she hadn’t expected Bunny to be so forward in fixing her fuckup either. Normally, she cowered in the corner for weeks afterwards. Then again, she had mentioned something about a meeting with Siena, hadn’t she? Piper would have to flip through her phone to see if that had actually happened or if she was just imagining it.

“She still doesn’t want to wear them.”

“I’ve got news for you, Jo, Bunny doesn’t do out-and-proud events, and those outfits, as amazing as they are, weren’t ever going to go over well. She never would wear them.” Piper moved her food around her plate, her appetite slowly easing away despite how good the food tasted. What had upset her so much? Was it the fact that Bunny was having these conversations without her?

No, that couldn’t be it. They had worked well together for years, and they each knew what the other wanted at this point and where the other stood. They’d worked their asses off to build that kind of business partnership. So what was it then?

“She told me to tone down the gay there, but that she’d tone it up in her duet with Bea.”

“What?” Piper’s fork clattered onto her plate.

“She’s going to change the lyrics to be about two women, explicitly.” Jo finally took a bite of her food.

Piper was too stunned to even think about eating again. Bunny was willingly doing something gay? Something out there where other people could see and not just behind closed doors and hidden away in closets?

“She’s making a song explicitly gay?”

“Yeah, that’s what she said. If we toned down the gay in the outfits.” Jo shoved another forkful of food between her lips, powdered sugar catching on her chin.

Had Piper not been so shocked, she probably would have leaned in to kiss it off. Instead, she sat in silence, still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Bunny was doing something queer. Willingly. Without much arm twisting… Wait. Siena. Snagging her phone, Piper immediately texted Bunny.

Piper: How did the conversation with Siena go? We changing the entire set list?

Focusing back on her guest, Piper smiled. She would get as much information out of Jo about this negotiation as possible. Especially because she now wanted to go into the conversation with Bunny as informed as she could be. What the hell was happening with her best friend?

“How is she changing the lyrics?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see them.” Jo finished off her first slice of French toast. “Lyrics are more Bea’s thing anyway.”

“Bea?” Piper furrowed her brow.

“She writes all the lyrics to our songs.”

“Huh.” Piper played with the food on her plate. Maybe Bea and Bunny weren’t as different as they initially came off. “She hasn’t said anything about the set list. Not really anyway.”

“They’re Christmas songs. It’s not like there’s much to write or change. This isn’t our normal music.”

“That’s true.” Piper gnawed on her lip, mulling everything over. “Do you write all the music, then?”

“No, not all of it. We tend to write together.”

Piper really should have done some more of this basic conversation before now, shouldn’t she? She’d just been so enamored with them, and watching Bunny try to fight her own base urges whenever Bea was in the room. That had been amusement enough for Piper.

“Same with Bunny and me.”

“Bunny writes with you?” Jo gave her a disbelieving look. “I’m pretty sure she’s even more of a control freak than Bea.”

“That very well may be true, but when you’ve been around her for decades, she eases up a bit.”

Jo squinted, still not believing Piper. “I’m pretty sure Bunny doesn’t know how to let loose, ever.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” And Piper was. Because Bunny giving in at all on the queer thing was huge. Piper and Siena had been battling that one for years at this point, and Piper had all but given up on the possibility of making any headway. Yet somehow, one suggestion of an outfit from Jo had Bunny questioning something.

“Does she really?”

“Get her drunk enough and she’ll let all the gossip slip about the industry in this town.” Piper laughed.

“How much does it take to get her drunk?” Jo glanced at her phone as it buzzed three times in rapid succession.

“A lot, unfortunately. Are you going to answer her?” Piper couldn’t hold back anymore. She wanted to know what was going on with Jo and Mandy. In part because they’d slept together, and in part because Piper really cared. From everything Jo had told her, Mandy was bad news, and yet here Jo was, still getting texts from the one person she said she didn’t know how to deal with.

Jo sheepishly snagged her phone off the counter and opened up the texts, sending a short one, and then putting it on Do Not Disturb. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry for answering a text. I just want to know what’s going on.” Piper was back to playing with the food on her plate. “Are you two getting back together?”

“No.” Jo frowned, her jaw clenching. “I don’t want to get back together with her.”

“Then what are you doing texting her?” Piper nodded toward the phone. “Because that’s only going to send her mixed signals.”

“I know. But if I don’t text her, she just continues to bug me.”

“Jo.” Piper pursed her lips, her gaze dragging up Jo’s body and then back down to her hands. “You know what I’m going to say, right?”

“What everyone else has said?” Jo asked it like a question, her gaze glued to the plate in front of her. She didn’t want to hear what Piper had to say, that much was clear.

Piper rubbed her lips together, debating whether or not to continue. “I have an idea.”

“What idea?” Jo didn’t seem too thrilled.

But perhaps the change in conversation would help. “I think Bunny likes Bea, and I think, if we get out of their way, they’ll be more inclined to get over themselves and get together already.”

Jo narrowed her eyes. “You noticed it too.”

“Oh yeah, and I’m pretty damn sure it’s the only reason Bunny was willing to negotiate.” Piper giggled and snagged a piece of French toast. This she could talk days about. Convincing her new friend to give up her old relationship and leave it in the past where it belonged was something she’d much rather avoid.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, it might also help solve your other little issue.” Piper pointed to the phone, wriggling her fingers.

“Now I’m really interested.”

“Let’s fake a relationship.” Piper grinned broadly. “Let’s pretend we’re together, make a semi-big deal out of it. Bunny will have to face up to the fact that at least one of us isn’t straight, and Mandy will back the fuck off because you’re with someone.”

Jo’s face pinched in doubt. “I don’t know.”

“Well, what about Bea? Do you think it’d help her to get over whatever’s holding her back?”

“I’m holding her back.”

Piper canted her head in confusion. “You?”

Jo nodded. “She doesn’t want to be in a relationship if I’m not taken care of. She’s always been like that. She’s my big sister who took the role a little too far if you ask me.”

“Oh, I get that.” Piper was thinking of Bunny exactly. The two of them really were similar. “So let’s have you be taken care of by someone else, someone who definitely can take care of you, and then it eliminates the issue.”

“It might.” Jo worried her lower lip. “But I’m not sure it’ll solve the Mandy problem.”

“You never know. And if I get to kiss you more often, then I’m also going to take that as a win.” Piper smiled to ease the discomfort.

“If you get to kiss me?” Jo’s cheeks flushed. “What do you get out of it, though? I don’t want to put you out to fix my problems.”

Piper laughed. “You think I don’t get anything out of kissing you? God, you’re stunning. Any girl would be lucky to kiss you.”

Jo blushed furiously. “We’re talking seriously now.”

“Fine. I get a break from Bunny. She’s been riding my ass for months now, and I just need a break to have some fun. I promise I’m not going into this blind.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” Piper turned back to her breakfast. “If we want, I can ask Siena to set up a little press release.”

“Oh God. How much thought have you put into this?”

“More than I should have,” Piper mumbled. “But it’ll be worth it.”