“It’s
not paranoia, hotel rooms are nasty,” said Alice, scowling. Then she
processed what Dana just said and looked at her in surprised curiosity.
“She really brought sheets?”

“She really did,” said Dana in droll tones.

“Then
what are we waiting for?” Alice said enthusiastically, once again
taking Dana’s hand in her own to lead a determined and fast paced exit
out of the airport and towards the hotel.

Where clean sheets on a king sized bed awaited them.

—

Standing
in the back of the crowded press conference room next to Tonya and
Sharon with a smile permanently etched onto her features, Alice watched
Dana answer the flurry of questions being fired at her. The athlete was
strangely in her element which didn’t make sense to Alice at first as
Dana wasn’t the type of person who was good at talking about herself.

But
then again, this wasn’t Dana talking about herself. This was Dana
talking about placing second in the tournament and her performance in
her matches. In other words, this was Dana talking about tennis and if
there was anything Dana could talk easily about it was that.

Which
was why Dana was in her element and looking utterly stunning with her
glittering smile and happy demeanor. Sighing softly, Alice wondered if
she could maybe get her hands on some of the photographs currently
being taken. They would surely be good ones. And not just because the
athlete was in her vein popping hot mode Alice was so fond of.

It
was more that she was everything the blonde hoped she would be someday.
Dana was confident and she was content, finally and completely at ease
in her own skin and it showed in her every gesture and word spoken.

Dana was happy.

And
seeing her that way made Alice share the feeling tenfold which is why
Tonya lifted an eyebrow at her and remarked in sedate observation,
“You’re smiling enough to be the Joker.”

“Huh?” Alice blinked, reluctantly looking from Dana to Tonya. “Did you say something?”

“Nothing
of importance,” said Tonya, smirking. She tilted her head to look
around Alice and focus on Sharon. “I don’t think I want to give you
back your sheets.”

“Oh?” asked Sharon, laughing quietly. “Why is that?”

“Seven
hundred thread count, of course,” drawled Tonya humorously. “How can
you possibly expect a girl to give something like that up?”

“Yeah,”
Alice agreed emphatically, also not wanting to part with the borrowed
sheets from Sharon. They were way too soft and comfortable and lacking
certain kinds of friction properties that she had found were not good
for bedroom activities. Plus they were pretty. “It’s criminal of you to
expect us to give them up and go back to three hundred thread count
sheets.”

“Is
that so?” Sharon remarked playfully. She started to say something but
paused for a moment and looked at Alice and Tonya who met her gaze
rather blankly before chuckling. “I have to admit,” she murmured. “I
never thought I would find myself having a discussion with my
daughter’s former fiance, who happens to be a woman, and her current
girlfriend about the superior qualities of high thread count sheets.”

“But
here you are,” supplied Alice, grinning. Nodding towards Dana who
continued to wear a wide smile of pure happiness on her features as she
talked with the press, Sharon followed her gaze. “And being here is a
good thing, right?”

Watching
Dana laugh and smile and talk with such ease and assurance, totally
comfortable in her own skin and focusing on them every few minutes,
giving them tiny waves of her hand and occasionally forming a triangle
for some odd reason, Sharon smiled softly and sweetly.

“Yes,” she said quiet but commanding. “It’s a very good thing.”

To be continued…