Hope began to bubble. “Sounds like you have a little experience with that.”
Carrie shrugged. “A little.”
“And how would you suggest I do this?”
“Are you sure you’re really ready to embrace the crazy? Because I gotta tell you, there are days when you’re gonna wonder if you’re ever going to see the other side of the rabbit hole again.”
Jenna nodded. She’d been living on the other side for way too long. She wanted Andy and she was willing to step into a little weird. “I’m positive. I haven’t thought of anyone or anything since I left Andy. I’m willing to do what it takes to show him I’m not going anywhere.”
Now Carrie’s smile was genuine. “Then consider yourself invited to a little party.”
Jenna almost turned around at the end of the lane leading to Carrie’s boyfriend’s house.
She’d actually been hoping the GPS would talk her out of this crazy idea but the stubborn thing had remained silent the entire way.
Hell, the damn thing hadn’t even acknowledged that there was a house out here, much less a road that led to it.
Carrie had warned her to carefully follow her written directions because otherwise, she’d never find it. Carrie had been right.
Jenna had missed the last turn and had had to execute a three-point turn worthy of a stunt driver.
“What if he doesn’t want me here? What if he’s already seeing someone else? What if he doesn’t even remember me?”
Once again, the GPS totally ignored her.
Jenna frowned. “Bitch. Just wait until the next time you tell me to take a left. I’m definitely going right.”
Since she’d finally gone off her rocker, she figured she might as well park at the end of the line of cars along the lane and make her way to the house.
From here, she could see the beautiful log home—and the crowd of people hanging out in the yard.
Getting out of the car, she smoothed her costume down, wondering if anyone would realize she was dressed as Princess Leia visiting the Ewok Village in The Empire Strikes Back. She’d made the tan-and-white dress by hand when she’d briefly dated a Star Wars fanatic and it hadn’t seen the light of day in years. Surprisingly it still fit. But back then, her hair had been long enough to mimic Carrie Fisher’s and she hadn’t felt as awkward as she did now.
When that romance had fizzled, Jenna had packed away her dress and stuck it in a closet behind her Star Trek, Next Gen and Enterprise uniforms.
“Maybe you have way too much time on your hands and need to get a life.”
Then again, she might just fit in here more than she’d imagined.
The party had spilled out of the house and there were at least twenty people hanging out in the yard.
All of them wore elaborate costumes. It looked like a backwoods version of Comic-Con, complete with two Dr. Whos, a Captain Jack Harkness and someone who looked like Gary Oldman’s Dracula monster.
As she drew closer, she realized that last one wasn’t a costume. Oh-kay.
Captain Kirk and Spock had their arms around each other, bringing to mind a fan illustration she’d seen as a teenager. Back then she’d been stunned at the insinuation that her childhood heroes had a thing for each other. As an adult, well…she got it. And read the fanfic.
Now though, she could only wonder if Spock’s oversized, pointed ears were real. Guess she was about to find out.
As she walked toward the house, she didn’t see Andy but Carrie had assured her he’d be there. Andy loved a good party.
And if she wasn’t mistaken she did see Fry, blue wings on display as he chatted to a couple of women dressed as Buffy and Faith, vampire slayers.
Except they had hooves.
Deep breath. Don’t stare. And for god’s sake, don’t pet anyone.
Except maybe the blue tiger lounging on the grass in a patch of sun.
Captain Jack noticed her first. He approached with a wide grin on his handsome face and an outstretched hand. He looked nothing like John Barrowman though he did look completely human. And only four feet tall.
“Hello, my dear, and welcome. It’s nice to see a new face at one of our shindigs. My name’s—”
“Gonna be Mud if you don’t take your little hands off her, Darwin.” Fry strolled over and grabbed Jenna’s hand before she could take the other man’s. “The woman’s spoken for. Hello again, pretty Jenna. I’m glad you showed up.”
It was hard not to smile at Fry. He really was almost blindingly handsome and his eyes blazed like sapphires. “Hello, Fry. It’s nice to see you. Is…is Andy here?”
“If you can call sulking in a corner ‘here’, well then, yes, he is. Why don’t you let me show you where to find him?”
Leaving a sulking Darwin behind them, they made their way through the crowd, many of whom stopped to stare at her. They knew she wasn’t like them, probably wondered why she was here at all.
A few of the women gave her dirty looks. One might have even hissed at her but Fry glared and she backed off. But not after giving Jenna a fanged grin. Seriously, the woman had fangs. Real ones.
Inside, bodies filled the open living space. Almost all of them stood over six feet tall.
She saw Carrie first, standing next to a handsome guy who had to be almost as tall as Andy but he had the most amazingly gorgeous brunet hair, all shades of browns and golds and reds. Damn, the guy was gorgeous. Not as beautiful as Andy but still…
As Fry continued to pull her farther into the room, she tried to spot her Yeti but there were several other guys there with blond hair. A few of them had to be related to Andy, the resemblance was so close.
But still not the man she wanted.
Fry kept moving through the crowd, not stopping to talk to the few people who called out to him. He appeared to have a specific destination and a single-minded determination to get there.
They’d crossed the entire width of the house before she finally saw him.
Her own Han Solo, dressed in leather pants and vest with a white shirt and a blaster on his hip.
What more proof did she need that they were meant for each other?
Andy stood at a window at the back of the house, staring out into the trees. The sun glinted off his hair, pulling out gold highlights. The man truly was stunning.
And even though she didn’t have claws, she was going to scratch the eyes out of the girl standing next to him, doing everything in her power to fall out of her skimpy Princess Leia slave costume. She had long, dark hair and a pretty face but Andy didn’t seem to notice the hussy.
And when Fry called out, “Hey, Andy, I got a present for you,” he didn’t even turn from the window.
“I’m not doing another of those redheaded sluts, Fry. The last ones tasted like cough syrup.”
“I don’t think you’re going to object to this present. Not when she seems perfect for you.”
Andy turned then, his eyes lighting up when he caught sight of her. “Jenna!”
The unfeigned pleasure in his voice made her smile and when Andy took a step toward her, she threw caution to the wind and threw herself at him. She trusted he’d catch her and she wasn’t disappointed.
She ended up with her arms around his neck, her feet a foot off the floor and her mouth sealed against his.
Nowhere else she’d rather be.