The other woman nodded. “Yeah, I scouted things out for us. Let’s head on over to the Student Union, I hear Chicken Salad is the special today.” Janet looked over and winked at her friend. “I bet you haven’t had one of those since we graduated.”

Brooke nodded and turned to walk out the door, rolling her eyes at the thought. She knows…everyone knows. “Great,” the tall woman sighed, “…just great.” She glanced at the small mirror on the wall next to the door. Well, at least it’s not tattooed on my forehead yet.

Looking up from the form in front of her, Brooke pushed it across the table, then resumed her meal that she’d only picked at until now. “Okay, here ya go, Janet. Wanna look it over?”

The brown-haired woman let her eyes focus on the neatly filled out form. “Hmm…” she barely had it in her hand when she pointed out a flaw. “I think you missed a spot. Here…” Janet tapped the paper with her fork, “…I need to know what background, not hair color. And if blonde is your answer, I think you’re in the wrong business, my friend. Since when did the music worry about hair coloring.” The woman shook her head, “No, don’t go there…I know anyone can be a blonde.” Janet’s mouth curled up into a smile as she looked over at the woman across from her. “Yes, even you Brooke, so let’s not go there.”

The tall woman blew out a breath. “Oh…uh…sorry.” Brooke could feel the blush as it came to her cheeks. “My mind was somewhere else.” She grabbed the form and amended it, then handed it back to her friend. “Here you go.”

Janet studied Brooke for a long moment, then smirked. “You got your sights on someone?” She turned and looked around to see what could possibly have Brooke so distracted.

“Well, I…uhm…I…uh…” Brooke stuttered, not knowing what to say. “I was just trying to hurry and help you out.” She took her fork and played with the salad in front of her. “You know, friends do that sometimes for no reason at all.” Brooke paused for a second, then said it again, keeping it fresh in Janet’s mind. “Help other friends out, that is.”

Seeing no one that stood out in the room, Janet looked back to the paper in her hands. After skimming over it, the professor quickly ran through her students in her mind. “Hmm…I’ve got several that could fill this request.”

A strained look at being casual brought a flash of blues eyes up to meet the intently watching hazel ones. “Oh, yeah?” Brooke saw the look on her friend’s face and let her eyes gaze back to her plate. “Well, I definitely want a senior. You know, someone who’s almost done with college.”

“You got plans for them afterward, Brooke?” Janet paused when she saw the dark-haired woman stop in mid motion as she raised the fork to her mouth. “I’ve got a wonderful computer nerd, Brandon and then there’s always Cory. He’s great with graphics and then there’s…”

“Ah…” Brooke swallowed hard knowing that these names were not the one she wanted to hear, “I was thinking it might be someone with a strong musical background.”

“Music?” Janet said, rather amused. “Oh, yeah, that is what Brownstone is all about,” she teased the executive, “…isn’t it?” The long time friend quickly let the teasing drop when she saw the familiar raised eyebrow. “Music, huh?” Janet got back to the business at hand. “Now, that could be a problem.”

“Problem?” Brooke’s voice cracked as she tried to hide her concern. “Why?”

“Have you heard what the kids listen to these days?” Janet looked to the heavens and shook her head. “It’s trash, garbage, noise…not like in our day.”

The raised eyebrow made another appearance as Brooke leveled her gaze at Janet. “Should I remind you who produces some of that music, my dear professor?” There was a long moment of silence before both women seated at the table and let out a round of laughter.

“Oops, I guess I kind of forgot,” Janet hid her face behind a napkin, then wiped her mouth with it and laughed some more.

“Seriously Janet,” Brooke leaned on the table with her elbows, looking her friend in the eye. “I don’t want someone who just listens to music. I want someone who believes in it.” The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes, “I could care less about the graphics and computer use of it all. I want someone who is going to want to do this…to live and breathe music…to make it be their life.” Brooke sat back in her chair. “If they’re not happy with it, then I won’t be happy with their work.”

Janet was impressed at the dedication Brooke demanded of herself and those who would work for her. “Wow! You were always the kind who had deep feelings for everything that you did. I remember that now.” The woman paused, then slowly started shaking her head. “And you want me to find you the same kind of student? You’ve got to be kidding. These youngsters won’t even commit to a date for next week and you…”

“I don’t want a younger version of me, just…” Brooke interrupted her friend, “…someone close…someone that…” The tall woman suddenly became distracted with the sight of a familiar blonde who walked into the room.

“Ah…so, you want someone that…” Janet noticed that Brooke’s eyes were tracking someone as they crossed the room. Turning in her chair, the professor smiled seeing one of her students headed in her direction. “Maybe you just need to interview them yourself, Brooke. In fact, why don’t we? Here’s one of my students now.” Janet turned back to the table and looked at the growing smile on Brooke’s face.

Brooke hadn’t heard a word that Janet was saying. The executive’s mind was on other, more important things at the moment once her eyes met with those familiar green orbs. God, doesn’t she just look fantastic? Man, what I wouldn’t give to be with her right now…and to think that I dropped her off just a few hours ago. Sam, you can wave all you want to me as long as it’s a hello wave and not good-bye.

Pushing her chair back, Janet stood up, waving at the blonde to get her attention. “Here, let me introduce you to one of them. Sam…” she called out and waved again, getting the girl’s attention. “Oh Sam, can you come here for a few seconds?”

The blonde pointed to her chest and watched the professor nod. She headed for the table, as she drank in the image of her tall lover who was getting up and stood at the table to greet her. Sam pulled her attention away from Brooke long enough to be polite. “Yes, Mrs. Humphreys?” Out of the corner of her eye, the young woman caught the wink that Brooke had just given her and couldn’t help but smile.

“Now this,” Janet turned back to look at Brooke, “…is one of my senior students.”

Curious, Sam mouthed out to her lover what was on her mind. “What are you doing here?”

Brooke grinned and waited for the woman to direct her attention back to Sam. She then shrugged, blowing her a discreet kiss.

“Sam…”

“Yes,” the blonde focused once again on her teacher when her name was called.

“Sam, this is Brooke Gordon. She’s one of my oldest friends,” Janet turned to look over at the tall woman and chuckled. She watched as, oddly enough, Brooke pulled out a chair and offered it to the student.

“Honestly, Janet…” Brooke smiled as Sam took the seat offered to her. “…We already know each other. She’s ah…she’s C.C.’s roommate this year.”

Sam glanced at the dark-haired woman then smiled, gazing back at her instructor. “Yeah, that’s right. I room at the dorm with C.C.”

Surprised by the revelation but not letting that show, Janet took a seat as well, “So, you know each other? Well, that might be good.” She directed her next question to Sam. “Maybe you can answer a few of Brooke’s questions then?” She turned to look at a completely at ease woman resting her chin in her hand as she gazed at the blonde.

“So…” Brooke chose her topic, then asked, and “How was class today?”

Sam smiled innocently, “Not bad, although, I can’t seem to keep my eyes open on Monday mornings.” The blonde giggled, then realized that she’d just left one of Humphreys’ courses not an hour ago. Turning quickly to the professor at the table, she amended her answer. “It’s not you or your class Mrs. Humphreys, it’s ah…I just don’t seem to get enough sleep on the weekends.” Green eyes darted to blue then settled back on her professor.

Brooke felt compelled to offer her suggestion, even if she did tease her lover. “Maybe you should start sleeping a bit more at night…or go to bed earlier.” Brooke looked to Sam, waiting for an answer.

“I’m amazed, Brooke.” Janet noticed the rapport the two had. “You sound like she’s another sister of yours or something.”

“Sorry,” the musician turned her focus to Janet. “What were you saying?”

“Ah…Professor,” Sam spoke up. “What did you want, exactly?”

“Well, I wanted your views on music.” Janet sat back and folded her hands on the table. “What do you think of it?”

Brooke caught the blonde’s eyes, then gave a little wiggle to her eyebrows in challenge.

“Hmm…” Sam looked from one woman to the other. “I know that music is a way to express one’s self. That if you let it, it can take you away to worlds that can be…uh…” the blonde shrugged, “…exciting and filled with emotion.”

Janet glanced over to Brooke, noticing the smile that graced her face, her eyes riveted on to Sam’s every word.

“It’s a kind of outpouring of the heart,” Sam continued, then looked down into her lap, where her hands were resting, in a moment of shyness, as she grew quiet. Surprised by the sensation of Brooke’s familiar touch as the tall woman gave her lover a comforting squeeze, Sam glanced up at the dark-haired woman. The blonde quickly slipped her hand away trying to keep her mind concentrated on her answer. She tapped on the table with her finger, then shrugged. “I guess that’s it.”