“Hmm…interesting.” Janet voiced her opinion. “What do you think, Brooke? You’re in that industry.”

“I…uh…I’d have to agree with her, Janet. She’s completely…” Brooke placed her hand on the table and drew forms with her finger on the tablecloth, “…completely right with her perceptions of what music is all about. For that matter, what life is all about.” The dark-haired woman glanced from Sam to Janet, then back down at the table. “Well, at least in my opinion it is.”

The professor watched as Brooke’s penless doodling brought her closer and closer to where the young blonde’s arm rested on the table. Just when Janet anticipated the interception of one hand with the other, Brooke pulled back, letting it end with a gentle pat on Sam’s hand.

Seeing the puzzled, but slightly amused face of her instructor, Sam shifted in her chair. “Ah…Professor Humphreys…” she waited for the woman’s attention, “I’ve got a class in a few minutes, is that all you needed from me?”

“Well…” Janet rubbed her chin, studying her long time friend. “I ah…I think that’s all I need.” She waved her hand at the blonde. “Thanks, Sam. You’ve told me enough. Maybe I’ll finally be able to make some sense out of my friend here.” She motioned to Brooke and nodded.

“I was glad I could…ah…help.” Sam answered cautiously, then stood up to leave. “I’ll see you later for class then, Mrs. Humphreys.” She turned toward Brooke and nodded, “Brooke.”

The tall woman reached out to stop Sam as she turned away to leave. “Ah, Sam?” Brooke watched as green eyes gazed back at her. “When you see my sister, C.C.,” she intensified her gaze, “…give her my love.”

She watched as Sam nodded with a knowing smile that the message was for her and not C.C. Suddenly Brooke realized that her face was conveying the love that was in her heart. It was right then, she knew she had screwed up. Her mind flashed with the image of the same look she had seen in her parents’ faces after that toast. She wiped the beaming smile from her face, then sank slowly back into her chair as she visually followed the blonde on her way out of the room. Seeing Sam stop short at the door and wave back at her, Brooke sighed, then closed her eyes waiting for the inquisition to begin.

Janet studied her old friend for a long moment, then asked. “So, are you going to tell me what that was all about or do I have to guess?”

“Uh…what?” The executive bit nervously at her lip. “What are you talking about?” Brooke’s eyes darted around the plates on the table, never rising to look her friend in the eye.

“You,” Janet chuckled at Brooke’s nervous stalling, “You big fraud. Remember, I’ve known you since birth.” The professor lowered her voice. “Does she know that you’re…ah…you know…a lesbian?”

Brooke swallowed hard, “Yeah, she knows.” Oh, how well she knows me, Janet? You’d be surprised.

The woman sat back in her chair. “I keep forgetting how open you and your family are. So, tell me, Brooke did it shock her?”

Suddenly Brooke wasn’t hungry and she pushed her plate away. “No.”

“Hmm…I figured as much.” Janet leaned forward, “She’s a pretty open-minded kid.” The professor smiled, “I bet C.C.’s happy to have her.”

“I…ah…yeah, I guess so. They seem to get along great.”

“Good thing, with those rooms being so small and all.” Janet shook her head. “Jeez, I don’t see how two of them could be sharing one room without being really close,” she smirked as she watched for Brooke’s reaction.

“Well…” Brooke rolled her shoulders, unconsciously. “C.C. has had no trouble with her and Sam isn’t there on the weekends.”

“I bet.” Janet watched Brooke intently. “Sam always seems so accommodating.”

“Accommodating?” The lone eyebrow raised in question.

“You mean you haven’t noticed?” Janet winked. “I see the two of them on campus a lot. Makes me think that they could be joined at the…uh…hip or something.” She watched as Brooke’s expression changed.

“No, it’s not like that with C.C., Janet.”

“Are you sure?”

“They’re just best friends…” Brooke defended them. “I’m positive.”

“Say, wasn’t it about this age that you came out of the closet?

“Well, yeah…but C.C.’s not…they’re not…”

“And just how would you know about how Sam spends her weekends? Hmm…?” Janet smiled knowingly at Brooke and waited for her suspicions to be confirmed.

“Well, I…uh…I…” the executive realized that she couldn’t hide it any longer and she let her shoulders slump forward as she uttered her last word, “Busted?”

The professor nodded, “Most definitely busted.” Janet picked up the form that was lying on the table and shoved it into her purse. “Well, that’s one less to fret over.”

“What?” Blues eyes flashed with worry.

“Why should I worry about placing her when you’ve obviously already made my mind up for me.”

Fearing that her worse nightmare was about to come true, Brooke looked down at the table and confided in her friend. “You know, I wasn’t going to ask for you to let her work for me. I…uh…was just hoping that…” Brooke swallowed hard, “…I don’t know. You’d keep her in the area at least.”

“Hmm…” Janet leaned in and stared at the woman across from her.

“I uh…I know that she could be placed anywhere.” Brooke took in a breath and let it out, then repeated the word, looking into Janet’s gaze. “Anywhere for the entire semester and…”

The professor locked gazes with her friend. “Well, Brooke, this sheds a whole new light on things. I’m going to have to really think about this before I make any kind of decision as to where I place her now.”

“Janet, you know that I’d be fair. I wouldn’t let her just ride out the term…because we are…” Brooke hesitated when she saw the stern look on the woman’s face. “Awe, fuck,” Brooke muttered under her breath as she leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes to the pain. I am so sorry, Sam. God, why does it have to hurt so bad?

“Do you still want to offer the internship, if Sam’s not the one to get it?” Janet held out the form in her hand. “Brooke, I need to know that you’ll honor your word and treat whoever I send you with the utmost dignity and respect. I’ll need to know that you’ll teach them and be a mentor without any malice because of the outcome.” The professor waited as Brooke thought for a moment, then slowly nodded her head.

“Yeah, I’ll honor the offer. I gave you my word when I signed the form.”

“You know, Brooke, I could really care less but how would it look to anyone else? I mean… I don’t really care if you hired her right out of school and spent every free moment in your office doing whatever it is that you do together. But right now…it’s still my turf. It’s my call. Think of the field day that the papers would have it they found out that, after knowing you two are involved, I placed her in your employ for her internship.”

“All that I’m asking, is for you to give Sam the best placement that she deserves. I’m not asking it for me. I’m asking that for her. She deserves to have the mentor that will teach her the most and offer her the challenges that she needs in order to grow.” Sad blue eyes looked up, locking onto Janet’s face. “I know that even if you’d take yourself out of the picture and let someone else do the placing, I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell to have her be matched up with my company. But I’m willing to take it…I’m more than willing to take that chance, Janet.” Brooke sighed, then muttered half to herself, “I have to…I love her too much to just let her walk out of my life.”

The brunette looked over to the pathetic looking woman who sat on the edge of Sam’s bed, as she slowly rocked back and forth, deep in thought. This was a pensive, almost despairing, side of Brooke that was rarely seen. C.C. knew that something had happened. The only thing that she needed to know was what, before she could try to help.

“So, you’re all bummed out about what, Sis?” C.C. continued selecting her outfit for the evening from her closet as she tried to figure out what was troubling Brooke. “You look like you just lost your best set of drums in a card game.” The brunette glanced over to Brooke, but there was no change in her demeanor. “You got some trouble at work?

The sulking woman knew that once C.C. started prying, she’d never stop. Her and that damn inquiring mind. I might as well tell her. God, how am I going to tell Sam? Brooke felt her heart quicken with the thought as the ache grew within her chest. She swallowed hard and started slowly. “I…I just had lunch with Janet.”

“Janet, eh?” C.C. noticed the ashen appearance to her normally healthy looking sister and decided to take the lighter approach. “It’s not your birthdays again, is it? Or are you two just planning something bigger than your usual night on the town this year?”

The dark-haired woman lifted her eyes to her sister’s concerned face. “Yeah, Janet…” Brooke mumbled, “…and no to the second part.”

C.C. took the sweater off its hanger and held it up to her as she made her mind up about it. “Something up with her? She’s not ill is she?”

“No…she’s ah…”

“Divorce…new baby…what?” The brunette shifted her eyes to her sister.

“She’s Sam’s Public Relations Professor.” The words tumbled dryly out of Brooke’s mouth as though it was the key to some hidden treasure.

“Humph…” C.C. smirked, “Imagine that. Small world, huh?”

Pensive blue eyes studied the brunette for a moment before revealing more of her life for the woman to see. “I signed the paperwork to accept an intern at Brownstone for the semester.”

The young woman let out a laugh. “I bet Janet had a good laugh at that one. Imagine you, Ms. I’ll-Do-It-Myself mentoring someone.” C.C. shook her head at the thought. The young woman turned in time to see her sister rolling her eyes at the perceived concept that everyone had of the musician. “So, who are you hoping for?”