In Demand, Chapter 4

Previously: Part 3 [U]

Spencer is brave.
PS This fic got a bit longer than expected, so I moved it out of One shots and short fics and into Multi-part

Rated: U.

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The wedding had been beautiful. Perhaps she was biased, but Spencer thought it had been especially so, even by the standard of other weddings she had attended. She had cried copiously and she wasn’t ashamed of that fact. She had noticed that even Brendan’s eyes had been glistening as his new bride took her vows.

The initial part of the reception had been a bit of a blur: there had been the meal and the speeches to consume everyone’s mind. Brendan’s best man, Gary, had given a remarkably restrained speech which had been touching and sentimental, not the machismo-laden effort that one might have expected from a military man. Frank and Nancy had broken with tradition and had given a combined ‘parents of the bride’ speech and, to keep order, Jewel had been invited to give a ‘mother of the groom’ speech. Then there had been the dances: bride and groom; bride and bride’s father; groom and his mother; Maid of Honour and Best Man. Gary had continued to surprise by turning out to be an excellent dancer with good frame and hold, guiding her securely for the duration of their waltz.

As soon as she got the chance to check her phone without appearing rude, though, Spencer looked to see if Ashley had been in touch again. She had. They had already been in text conversation while Spencer had been at the hair salon that morning and Spencer knew that the brunette was off helping her friend from high school by appearing on a local radio show with him to get some publicity for his band. She was more than pleased that Ashley had found the time to send her messages of support. A couple of them were generic – hope everything’s going okay – but the most recent one had asked for a photo of Spencer in her dress cos I bet you look incredible. That made her blush just reading it.

As a member of the formal wedding party, Spencer had been seated at the top table, but far enough away from Claudia that the two had hardly spoken since the start of the ceremony. She was more than a bit startled, therefore, when her best friend suddenly appeared over her shoulder, reading her text response from her screen.

“I bet you say that to all the girls?” Claudia quoted, her voice dripping with amusement. “Has little Spencer Carlin found herself a secret love?”

“Jesus, you scared me!” Spencer blushed and hit the screen to send the message. There was, after all, no point in trying to hide what she was doing when Claudia had already seen the whole thing.

“Who’s your mystery date, Spence? Why didn’t you bring him as your plus-one?” Claudia sat down in the chair next to Spencer, which had been recently vacated by one of the groomsmen.

“Not a mystery date, just a friend,” she muttered. “A female friend.” It was the truth, but given in such a way as to imply that her reply had been as a joke between friends and not the mild flirtation that it actually was.

Claudia looked around for a drinks server and indicated to one to come over. “More champagne?” she offered Spencer as the young man approached with a tray of glasses.

“No, I’m fine.”

“So, who’s your friend?” Claudia pressed, not letting the matter drop.

“Just that girl who helped me out in the hotel bar yesterday. You know, the one I mentioned to you.”

“Ahh.”

Between the tone and the grin that Claudia was giving her, Spencer knew that ‘Ahh’ didn’t just mean ‘Ahh’. Claudia had a way of taking a single syllable and turning it into a well-ordered argument with just a curl of her lip and a tilt of her head.

“What do you mean ‘Ahh’?”

“Just what I said. Ahh.”

Spencer made a brief noise of frustration at her best friend’s obfuscation as she felt her phone vibrate in her hand, no doubt with Ashley’s reply to her text. She desperately wanted to know what it said, but she didn’t want to let Claudia see it.

“Yes, but what do you mean by that?”

Claudia’s grinned spread wider as she turned more fully towards Spencer. “Actually, I didn’t mean anything by it. You’re the one who’s turned it into something.” The triumph on her face was not attractive, in Spencer’s opinion.

“Did not.” If all else failed, falling back on outright childish denial was her last remaining option.

“Did too.” Claudia nodded with her head towards Spencer’s hand. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

Spencer knew that she was rapidly painting herself into a corner of her own making now and that her best friend was going to win this argument. She looked down at her screen.

Send the pic already!!

Shaking her head, she selected the camera application on her main screen and passed the phone to Claudia.

“Do me a favour? I said I’d send her a picture.”

“Of you?”

Spencer rolled her eyes. “No, of Jewel and your father dancing awkwardly like they’ve never been introduced.”

Claudia looked out over the dance floor, where she saw her father holding her mother-in-law at almost full arm’s length, like a ten-year-old boy on his first lesson at the Arthur Murray School of Dance. She snorted.

“Standing or sitting?”

“Just take the damn picture,” Spencer snapped.

“Testy, testy,” Claudia chuckled as she held the phone up and took a shot. “Oh, nice scowl, Spencer,” she added as she examined the screen. “You need me to say ‘cheese’?”

Through gritted teeth and a fake smile, she retorted, “Just do it.”

Claudia took a couple more shots and passed it back. Spencer gave her an unamused glare and picked the least unattractive shot, announcing as she typed, “Sorry for bad photo. Taken by drunk bride.” She fired the message off and put her phone back down on the table, smirking sarcastically at her oldest friend.

“I thought you hardly met this girl,” Claudia noted, “and now she’s your new pen-friend?”

“We bumped into each other after the rehearsal dinner last night.”

“And you just exchanged numbers?” The question was too deceptively innocent. She could tell that Claudia’s mind was racing ahead and making two plus two add up to at least five.

“We’re going to have brunch tomorrow.”

“Brunch?”

Ashley’s comment about the meal being accompanied by a slice of cantaloupe slipped into her mind and she chuckled. “It’s not quite breakfast and not quite lunch,” she quoted.

“Something, something cantaloupe,” Claudia retorted. Spencer’s confused look prompted her to add, “You’re quoting The Simpsons, right?”

Spencer hadn’t known that was what she was doing. She had thought she was quoting Ashley Davies. The fact that it turned out to have been a pop culture reference that had passed her by didn’t diminish the perfection of its delivery by said brunette, though.

“Yeah, The Simpsons,” she agreed weakly, glancing down at her phone as it vibrated again. This time, she didn’t hesitate to read the message.

Poverty of photographer doesn’t change quality of subject. You def look amazing.

She placed the phone face down on the table again.

“You know, you can just tell me.”

“Tell you what?” Spencer countered defensively. “Why I’m having brunch with a new friend?”

Claudia shook her head and placed her hand on top of Spencer’s. “That you’re gay, Spencer.”

“That I’m what?” She immediately looked around guiltily to see if anyone had noticed her raised voice.

“Gay.” Claudia calmly sipped at her champagne. “This stuff is really good, by the way. You sure you don’t want another?”

Spencer shook her head. “Why would you think I’m gay?” she hissed.

“Um, ’cause you so are.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never dated a woman. I’ve never even kissed another woman yet.” She cringed inwardly as she realised what she’d said. It would almost certainly be too much to hope that Claudia had missed her minor slip.

“So this Ashley girl is your first? Aw, Spencer, that’s so adorable!” Yeah, Claudia had caught her minor slip.

“She’s. A. Friend.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Stop that.”

“What?”

“That.”

Claudia grinned. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“That thing you do when you think you’re right and you get all gloating.”

“I am right and, as the bride, I can do whatever I want.”

Spencer scowled and thought for a moment. “So, if you’ve been so convinced that I’m gay, why did you offer to set me up with Gary, then? Why do you keep trying to set me up on blind dates with Brendan’s other friends?”

“I figured if I kept pushing you, you’d give in and admit it eventually.”

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t think you get to argue this point.”

“No, I mean bullshit that you knew before yesterday. I actually saw the moment that it occurred to you.” Spencer knew she was right.

“Well, then, it confirmed what I already knew instinctively, then,” Claudia huffed. Then she realised what Spencer was tacitly admitting and her outlook brightened. “So, you’re agreeing?”

“That I’m gay?” Spencer shrugged. “Maybe. I honestly don’t know myself.”

Claudia’s attention was caught by her husband of two hours waving coyly at her from across the ballroom floor. She had that smile she always reserved for Brendan.

“Look, I have to go, but this conversation isn’t over. But, Spence, if this girl is what you want, you should go for it. When it’s right, it’s right and you can’t let anything else get in your way. Just do it. Chase the brass ring. Follow your heart.” She laughed. “And any other clichés you can think of.” Her friend stood and placed her hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “Go after her.”

As Claudia walked away, Spencer picked up her phone again to answer Ashley’s previous text. There was a new message on-screen: All done. On way back now.

Thinking about what Claudia had said, she started typing a response.

* * *

The bartender was not the same one from the previous day. He was older, with salt-and-pepper hair and a perfectly trimmed moustache. He turned in her direction expectantly, but Spencer just pointed to the booth that was her destination. He nodded and started to make his way from behind the bar.

Spencer slipped into the bench seat and gave Ashley a beaming smile, then turned to the approaching server.

“I’ll have a bottle of Sam Adams and a bourbon, straight up, thanks,” she said as he reached her.

“And another vodka-lime for me,” Ashley added. “Oh, and put it on my tab.”

The man nodded and moved away again. Spencer smiled at Ashley. It had been about fifteen hours since she’d last seen her and that was starting to feel like it had been far too long.

“So, what happened? Were you getting hit on by one of the groomsmen?”

It was a reasonable conclusion. Spencer had, after all, sent her a text saying SOS. Need rescued. Meet usual place, one hour?

“Yeah, actually, I was. Gary, the Best Man, obviously believed the old myth about the bridesmaids being his personal dating pool.” She was being unfair. He had been quite chivalrous about it and accepted her declaration of no interest in good grace. “And there were others.” Some of Brendan’s other single friends had also tried their luck. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so popular.”

“Well, that is one hell of a dress you’re almost wearing,” Ashley commented appreciatively.

Spencer blushed as the bartender returned with their drinks. As soon as he set them down, she picked up the shot glass of bourbon and knocked it back, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head as she felt the burn in her throat and then the kick in her gut. Setting the glass down carefully, she picked up her bottle of Sam and took a swig of that, too. Ashley grinned and took a small sip of her vodka through the tiny little bar straws with which it had come. The brunette then used the straws to swirl the ice around in her glass.

“I lied, though,” Spencer announced, her voice hoarse from a combination of the bourbon and fear.

“You lied?”

“Mm-hmm.” She took another swallow of beer to calm herself and return her voice to normal. “Well, kind of.”

“About?”

“Needing rescued.”

“Oh?” The brunette’s voice was lowered and she leaned forward.

“Yeah. The boys were very polite and took rejection very well.” She looked at Ashley’s tight crimson shirt and, in particular, the view of the brunette’s cleavage that it afforded her. “By the way,” she added huskily, “you look pretty damn good yourself.” She was pleased to see the brunette’s eyes widen in surprise at the comment. She gave herself a little mental pat on the back for bravery.

“So, if you don’t need rescued, then -”

“Oh, no, I definitely need rescued. From myself. From my own stupidity.”

“Okay.” Ashley’s brows were furrowed in confusion.

“I’m not being very clear, am I?”

“Not really.”

Spencer picked at the label of her beer bottle with her fingernail. “I’m checking out tomorrow. Before we have brunch, in fact. And we might never see each other again. And that’s twice now that I’ve let you leave when that was totally not what I wanted. So,” she took another mouthful of cold beer, “I kinda need you to save me from my own foolishness by not letting me do that a third time.”

Ashley smiled broadly and sat back, sprawling herself across the bench seat. “You want me to stop you from letting me walk away?”

“Yes. If you would.” She faltered a little. “I, uh, that’s, um, if you want to, that is. Or, maybe that should be if you don’t want me to.” She frowned. “Whichever way that works.”

“Okay. But if I don’t let you let me leave or whatever, then what are we going to do? I’m pretty sure you’ve got a wedding to get back to. If you stay here with me, then won’t someone come looking for you?”

Spencer was relieved to note that Ashley didn’t seem to be objecting to her idea. That gave her more confidence.

“Probably, but I’ve already thought of that.”

“You have?”

“Yeah, you could come back to the wedding with me.”

“I could come to your best friend’s wedding?”

“Yeah.” Spencer looked down at the bottle she was holding tightly between her hands. “You know, as a, um, date.” She flushed a deep red.

“A date?”

“If you wanted.” She smiled hopefully. It looked like Ashley was at least considering it.

“I’m not exactly dressed for a wedding.”

Spencer looked at the other woman’s skintight pants and tighter shirt. She looked all kinds of more-than-fine to Spencer. “Well, the evening reception starts in a couple of hours and that’s less formal. There’s a band – I’m guessing bad covers of classic pop hits – and some kind of DJ.”

“Still think I’m a bit underdressed for that, though.”

“Oh God, no, you look incredible!” Spencer countered vehemently. She looked the brunette straight in the eye and asked as flirtatiously as she could manage, “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Ashley threw her head back and laughed. “Don’t apologise.”

“I wasn’t.” This flirting business seemed to come a lot easier to her with Ashley than it ever had with anyone in the past. They were both smiling at each other, Ashley tracing the rim of her glass with her finger, Spencer running her thumbs over the neck of her beer bottle.

“So, if I leave to get changed, does that count? You know, as me letting you let me walk away?”

She bit her bottom lip. “Not if you’re only gone for a short time.”

Ashley wrinkled her nose and grinned. “Well, you could always come with me and help me out of these clothes and into something a lot more comfortable.”

The statement was clearly a joke, or at least a half-joke. The mental images that flooded Spencer’s mind were, however, entirely serious. She shut her eyes for a moment and let herself imagine the possibilities.

“Of course, the search party would probably be tearing the place apart for you by then.”

“I suppose,” Spencer agreed reluctantly. She felt the need to double-check that they were on the same page. “But you’re definitely going to come?” She tried not to think too hard about the double-entendre possibilities of her question.

Ashley chuckled. “I’d be honoured to be your date. After all, I’m sure this evening reception will have all-new gentlemen from whom you’ll need protecting.”

“Oh, definitely.”

“So, what time?”

“It starts at seven.” Spencer was still internally processing that fact that the brunette had agreed to be her date. She felt like she was floating on air.

“Will you still be wearing that?” Ashley indicated her dress.

“Probably.”

“Ah, well, I definitely can’t promise to live up to that. But I’ll see what I can do.”

“I really would be fine with what you’re wearing,” Spencer admitted.

“That’s good to know, but this is maybe a little inappropriate for a family audience.” She threw back what was left of her drink. “Well, I suppose I’d better get out of here if I’m going to make myself presentable by seven.” She thought for a moment. “Where do you want to meet up? Here? The function suite?”

Spencer shrugged coyly. “I kinda thought I’d pick you up from your room.”

“Oooh! A proper date!” Ashley gave her a very broad smile. “Sounds like a plan. Just before seven?”

“Sure.”

“Right, well,” Ashley picked up a pair of sunglasses from the table in front of her and slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder, “I’m going to go get changed just now. But this is not me leaving. This is just me slipping away for a short while.” She stood and smiled down at Spencer. “And I will see you very soon.”

Once again, she was left watching Ashley leave, but this time it was not a farewell. It was a pre-cursor to their date. Spencer grinned to herself as she stared at her beer bottle and what she’d just done started to sink in. She had a date. With a girl. No, scratch that: she had a date with Ashley Davies, the most attractive girl she’d ever seen.

Holy crap!

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Next up: Chapter 5 [A, kissing]