Page 55 of Cosplay & Consequences

“JKC wrote short stories?” she asked, eyes going wide. “I thought I read everything she published.”

“You haven’t read these. She wrote them for me when I was a kid and had them bound for me. They were never published.”

The color drained from her face, and I swear her lip trembled. “You’re giving me personal stories written by JKC Richards?”

Something about Faye and the unexpected connection I now felt with her tugged at my inner nerd. I knew what it meant to love literature and have a nose always stuck in a book. If anyone on this planet could appreciate that feeling, it was her, especially when it came to this particular series.

I held out the book. “This is just my travel copy, though, not the original. I had a few extra copies made for myself.”

“You have copies of the same books for travel?” Paige asked, as if the concept was ridiculous.

“I have multiple copies of my favorite books. One for travel, one or two for staying at home, another for annotations, and also copies for vacation.”

“That is not a normal thing.” Paige said, giving me some side-eye.

I started to defend myself when Faye let out an excited gasp.

“There’s writing in the margins!” Faye shouted.

“It’s Nana Richards’ notes,” I said, smiling. “When I had copies made, I scanned the original pages.”

Faye's mouth dropped open, paging through the book as if it was the most delicate thing in the world. It was right then and there I knew I had made the right decision to share it with her.

“You like it?” I teased.

Suddenly, I was tackle-hugged by a squealing teenager. “I’m taking that as a yes,” I said with a laugh and returned the hug.

Paige laughed with me. “It’s the elusive teenager hug. Enjoy it.”

The door opened and Danny, still wearing his Tyrst’an gear, walked in with Britta. They were arguing over something, but they stopped short when they saw me and Faye hugging. Danny burst into a grin. “How did you earn the elusive teenager hug?”

“Jess gave me a copy of her grandmother’s short stories!” Faye exclaimed as she pulled away from me.

Danny turned his gaze on me, and I tried to shrug it off. “Your niece is awesome,” I told him.

Faye ran her finger down the table of contents with a wild grin on her face. “Pfft. Your girlfriend is awesome.”

Danny and I tried not to look at each other while letting out an awkward laugh. It was short-lived.

“Daniel,” Britta growled. “We need to act now.”

The smile faded from Danny’s face. “Britta, for the last time my answer is no.”

“You can’t tie my hands like this.”

“I’m sorry.” There wasn’t an apologetic tone in his voice. He was firm and annoyed.

With a huff and a glare, Britta marched out of the room.

“What was that about?” Paige asked.

“Publicity crap. Don’t worry about it,” Daniel said, shaking his head and pulling off his wig. He let out a huge sigh of relief. “I’m just glad to be done with the trailer. I think we got it right.”

“Sure, it only took you twenty takes,” Paige scoffed. “Alfie says you did great. How do you feel?”

“I feel pretty good about it. I knew I’d nailed it when Bennet proposed marriage to me in front of his wife.” Danny laughed. “They left, by the way. Apparently, there’s some karaoke event near the con that Brayonna and her friends are going to. I also think she didn’t want me to elope with her husband. She said she would call you later, Jess.”

“Oh, so now she’s Jess,” Paige teased.