Page 80 of Cosplay & Consequences

As Danny wandered off grumbling, I returned my full attention to Faye. “All right, kid. Let’s do this.”

Faye tried to hide the tiniest smile before launching us into book chat ecstasy.

The delightful high I had being around Danny didn’t dip in the two days we left Mission Verde. Staying up late talking books with Faye and eating cake with Paige in front of Danny didn’t diminish it.

The last day before the San Domingo Comic Con, Danny was busy shooting his segments for Minutes, and media interviews, but I never felt like he was absent. Even if I went for hours or a full day without a text from him, I was always in contact with Paige and Faye. Whether it was questions about a short story or making arrangements for the hotel for the con, I seemed to be fully integrated with the Finnegans.

Brayonna, on the other hand, wanted to ensure Danny was up to the task of vicariously dating her through me. The night before the con kicked off, we found a quiet Italian place a few miles from the convention. It was far enough away that Danny felt safe taking off his cap and sunglasses once we were inside.

It didn’t take long before Bray and Bennet launched into one of my favorite stories.

Danny laughed in disbelief. “Wait. You stabbed Brayonna on your first date?”

“First of all, she stabbed me first,” Bennet protested.

“It was a flesh wound, and you just needed a band-aid,” Bray said, waving a finger at him with one hand and sipping her cocktail with the other.

I had heard this story multiple times, and it never failed to amuse me. I could feel my inevitable laughing fit start to build.

“Fine. It was a minor flesh wound. But if I hadn’t had that allergic reaction, there probably wouldn’t have been a stabbing, as my vision was blurry and depth perception was an issue,” Bennet explained.

Bray scoffed. “Babe, blaming your bad hand-eye coordination on allergies is adorable, but completely ridiculous.”

“Okay,” Danny said, setting down his seltzer water. “I think I need to hear the entire story.”

“Well, first of all, it started off wrong as I was late, because she gave me the wrong address,” Bennet began.

Bray glared at her husband. “I did not give you the wrong address. You wrote down the wrong address. Then when I let you in, you let my cat escape.”

“Uh, we agreed that we’re squarely blaming Mr. Bicklesford on that one,” Bennet replied.

“I’ll concur,” Bray agreed. “My cat was a total a-hole. Which is why he bit you when you did catch him. Granted Mr. Bicklesford wasn’t used to being grabbed by his hind legs.”

“Again, that is on the cat. He was terribly uncooperative,” Bennet maintained. “We finally got out the door, but then the car broke down a mile and a half from the restaurant. So naturally, we decided to walk the rest of the way–”

“In high heels,” Bray added. “Along the highway. In ninety-degree weather.”

Bennet nodded to acknowledge the point. “Well, she was in high heels, I was not. We missed our reservation at the restaurant and had to settle for falafel from a food truck. That’s where I had the allergic reaction. Now, I would like to point out that I never had a reaction to turmeric before that day. That was weapons-grade turmeric. Which didn’t take effect until we got to the bar where they had axe throwing. Before we got to the targets, Bray stabbed me–”

Brayonna held up her hand to pause the story. “I prefer the term lightly pierced. And for the record I tripped, and he was in the line of fire. And then he stabbed me.”

“Okay, okay, wait,” Bennet said, holding up his hand. “There’s more to it than that. She stabbed–”

“Lightly pierced,” Bray corrected him.

“–lightly pierced me,” Bennet agreed. “I couldn't see because my eyes were swelling up, and I reacted by spinning into her.”

“Stabbing her?” Danny was in complete disbelief.

“Yep. Totally stabbed her,” Bennet replied. “I got us both to the ER where I got a band aid and an antihistamine shot, while Bray got seven stitches. And the next day, I texted her and said, ‘Hey, I had a great time last night, let’s do it again.’”

By this time, I was laughing so hard I snorted loudly through my nose. I sounded like a laughing pig, and it sent Danny into a laughing fit.

“Oh, you like her snorting?” Bray asked in astonishment.

“I find it revolting, honestly,” Bennet teased.

“Okay, wait,” Danny asked as he recovered. “After all that, you still ended up with each other?”