Page 105 of Spicy Sapphic Christmas

“Thank you so much for joining us today. I’m excited to talk to you about this Christmas concert. It seems like a perfect celebration for the year.”

“It is, Heidi.” Bunny smiled again. “When the opportunity came up for Piper and me to join in, we couldn’t say no, even though it’s so far outside of our normal music.” Bunny pushed her hair behind her ear, her cheeks turning pink.

What was she thinking right then? Bea wanted to know. Because she had a feeling Bunny had about twenty other thoughts running through her head at the moment, including counting down the minutes until she could get into something far more comfortable.

“Piper and I are putting on a Christmas concert of all your favorites, and we’ll be pairing with Jo fromSole Sisters. Her voice adds an amazing middle to our mix, and let me just say this, Jo has some amazing dance moves.”

They both laughed, but it came out a bit hollow. What would Bunny say about Bea if she was still singing with them? Would she talk about her perfect tits? Bea snorted at that idea. She wouldn’t, but it was a nice thought anyway. Bunny would probably talk about her mezzo voice and how they weren’t going to sing a duet together.

“Piper and Jo have gotten close during this season. How did they meet?” Heidi asked.

Bunny’s face fell. Bea’s heart sped up and clogged her throat. She should have anticipated this line of questioning, that the world would want to know more about their relationship because of how public the fake proposal had been. But despite Jo’s confession that nothing was real and she wanted it to be, there hadn’t been any movement in the last week from either Jo or Piper to solidify things.

Biting her lip, Bea was glued to the television screen, the phone in her hand.

“I think that’s their story to tell, not mine.”

Oh, that was a good response.Bravo, Bunny.Bea relaxed slightly and unlocked her phone. She pulled up Siena’s number, about to text and see if she could find a time to meet with her. Bea’s panic over having nothing planned for the new year was setting in, and she needed to resolve that sooner rather than later.

“Can you tell us if the engagement is the reason that Bea is no longer joining the Christmas concert?”

Bunny cringed, though it was so quick that probably no one else picked up on it. Bea leaned forward, again locked on the television in front of her.

“What I can tell you is that Jo will be joining us for this concert. I went the other night to hear Bea sing a solo event at the IBTC, and she was as fabulous as ever. Bea has always had the ability to shine on her own, and I’m very proud of the stepsthat she’s taking to continue her career.” Bunny’s shoulders lifted up slightly, another sign that she was uncomfortable. Did the newscaster just not care? Or was she bluntly ignoring the fact that Bunny kept trying to avoid answering the questions.

“But to come out as gay in such a public way. There have been rumors for years that you and Piper were in a relationship. It is a bit shocking for your fans. Are you worried you’ll lose them?”

“No.” Bunny gave her an honest answer. “I’m not afraid of losing fans. I’m afraid of what it would mean for Piper to not be happy. But it’s none of your business, or the world’s for that matter, who Piper is in a relationship with, or who I’m in a relationship with. Our sexuality doesn’t matter when it comes to our ability to make good music. And we’re here to make good music. That’s it. Piper and I love to sing and play, and we’ll continue doing that for a long time. It’s one of the reasons we agreed to this Christmas concert.”

Bunny was amazing at turning the conversation right back to where it should be. Bea should probably be taking notes for her own lessons later on—assuming she ever got this famous as to land on the local news.

“This concert isn’t about us making money, but using our name and our talent to help a foundation continue their cause—which is to help single mothers. My own mom was a single parent. It was just her and me. She was my world, and I saw how much she struggled to make ends meet and to make sure that I had everything I could possibly want.”

Heidi parted her lips to try and interrupt, but Bunny just barreled on and ignored her.

“The Holbrook Foundation was founded by Bernadette Holbrook, to help single mothers have a hand up so that they could thrive in Portland and so that their kids could have better opportunities and chances. That’s what this concert is about.Raising awareness of just how hard it is to raise a kid these days, and that doing it alone is even tougher.”

“It’s admirable,” Heidi muttered, as if finally accepting that Bunny wasn’t going to slip up again.

“It is, and I’m proud to support the Holbrook Foundation and to be able to use my platform to help them fulfill their work. The concert is on Christmas Eve, and it’ll have all your favorite Christmas and holiday tunes. We’ve been preparing almost daily for the last month, and let me tell you, Piper might even get me to dance at least once.”

“And tickets are available…”

Bea tuned them out.

Why hadn’t she seen it before?

Bunny was protective. Why wouldn’t she be? With the way she’d grown up, the fear she’d had in her life from the time she was born. It had never stopped, had it? She’d just transferred it from her mom to Piper, and now onto Jo and subsequently Bea.

Bea blinked at the screen, watching as Bunny wrapped up the interview.

Everything was about protection.

Bea hit Siena’s contact information, calling instead of texting. She dumped her bowl onto the side table and immediately stood up to pace. Energy flowed through her in an instant. She should have seen it before. Bunny was freaking out because she couldn’t do what she thought her one and only job was.

But it wasn’t shame.

“This is Siena Frazee, please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

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