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Chapter Two: An Offer on the Table

Buffy woke up the next morning to her phone ringing at 9 am. She groaned tiredly and picked it up with her eyes still closed.

“Hello?”

Xander’s voice greeted her with excitement. He was ranting and raving about what a success the previous night had been.

She pouted and asked, “You couldn’t have waited until later to tell me this?”

He grinned on the other end of the line and replied, “Well I could have, but I wanted to give you time to get ready.”

She sat up slowly and frowned suspiciously. “Ready for what?”

She heard a chuckle and rolled her eyes. He always loved making her wonder what he was up to.

“I need you to meet me at the Coffee Bean at noon. I have an important proposal for you.”

She sighed and couldn’t help but to smile a little. Xander always had new ideas for her and he always got excited about them.

“Can’t wait. I’ll see you then.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up, and Buffy went downstairs to make breakfast. She knew Kat wouldn’t be up yet since it was Saturday, and she wanted to let her daughter sleep in for a while.

She took her time making a pot of strong coffee and reading the morning paper. She then got to work on blueberry pancakes and sausages.

When they were ready she went upstairs to wake Katrina, and by then it was around 10:30. She knocked on the door before going in, smiling at her sleeping daughter and sitting on the edge of the bed.

She brushed the dark brown strands away from her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

Kat stirred slowly and yawned, then stretched and opened her eyes.
“What time is it?”

“Almost 10:30.”

Kat groaned in complaint and asked, “Why are we up so early?”

Unless they had somewhere to be, they usually slept in until about noon on the weekends. It allowed them to stay up late and bond while watching TV.

“Xander called me at 9 and told me I have to meet him at noon. He’s thought up some new hair-brained scheme to keep me busy.”

The brunette had to laugh a little as she sat up in her bed. Buffy stared at her for a second and got a nostalgic look on her face.

Kat noticed the change and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

Buffy sighed and shrugged it off. “It’s nothing, sweetie.”

Kat raised a skeptical brow and Buffy cracked. “I was just thinking how much you look like your father.”

She toyed with a piece of her daughter’s hair absentmindedly as she spoke. Kat leaned in and wrapped her in a tight hug. Buffy had already had the painful talk with her about Will a few years back.

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, baby girl.”

Buffy kissed the top of her head and said, “Get dressed and come downstairs. Breakfast is waiting. I even made blueberry pancakes.”

Kat grinned and hopped out of bed eagerly, causing Buffy to smile before she went back downstairs.

They chit-chatted over breakfast about the awards the previous night. Buffy was pleased at the positive publicity she was already receiving. She’d been extremely fortunate thus far with avoiding media drama. She was still waiting to read an article in the paper about her being fat and ugly or sleeping around.

After breakfast she went upstairs to her room, to shower and get ready for her meeting with Xander. She dressed in worn, faded jeans and a comfy, yet stylish, white t-shirt. There was no point in dressing up too much to meet her friend, even if he was her manager. They’d grown past the need for ‘industry standards’ several years ago.

Before leaving the house Buffy went to the computer room to check on Kat and say goodbye.

Before she could say a word her daughter was on the question train. “Do you mind if Lilly comes over in a bit? I want to go to the mall with her then have a girls night in.”

Buffy smiled and said, “Sure. I’ll try and stay out of the way later.”

They shared a smile and Kat said, “You know you can hang out with us if you want. Lilly thinks you’re the coolest mom ever. She told me the other day she wishes you’d adopt her.”

Buffy rolled her eyes playfully and chuckled. “One teenager is more than enough for me.”

She pulled $200 in cash out of her wallet and set it on the desk. She knew Kat would want to get some new shoes and shirts at the mall, as per usual.

“Have fun, honey, and be safe.”

“I will. Later, mom!”

Buffy left in a hurry, already on a crunch for time, and drove herself to the Coffee Bean downtown. She found Xander already waiting for her and she gave him a hug, before sitting down across from him in the booth he’d procured.

“Aren’t you going to get a drink, Buff?”

“Nah. I had about half a pot of coffee before breakfast.”

He raised his brows with a smile and shrugged. He set his brief case on top of the table and took out a packet of papers. He handed them over and she accepted them with a curious frown. Her brows shot up as she started reading through them.

“What is this for?”

“It’s a movie script.”

She gave him her best glare and replied, “I know that. Why am I looking at it?”

He squirmed a little in his seat like he always did when he got nervous. She tapped her fingers impatiently and said, “Spill.”

He sighed and clasped his hands together. “Okay. Just hear me out for a minute. You’ve been a singer for the last six years and you’re damn good at it.”

Her forehead creased when he paused. “I’m sensing a ‘but’?”

He nodded. “But… What if you were to branch out and try other things as well? I think it could make your career even more successful.”

She bit her lip in contemplation. “So you think acting is the solution.”

He smiled and said seriously, “I think it’s something you should try. An old friend of mine is directing the movie and he gave me a call the other day. He seems to think you’re just right for the part, so he offered it up if you’re interested.”

“I don’t know, Xander. I’ll think about it, okay?”

He grinned goofily, knowing he’d at least gotten somewhere with it. Getting her to think about it was a great first step.

“Could you look over the part some more tonight and give me a call in the morning?”

She tucked the script away in her purse with a nod. “Of course.”

“Oh, and Anya wanted me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night.”

Buffy grinned at the thought of not having to cook for a night.
“Count me in.”

She stood up and ruffled his hair affectionately before leaving the small café to run some errands.

She made it home a few hours later to find Kat and Lilly pigging out on pizza to a chick-flick marathon.

She smiled softly as memories washed over. She remembered doing that with Willow in high school. Things were definitely different now. She still got to have fun girly nights sometimes, but she had a new best friend to share them with.

Life was great.


Chapter End Notes:
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