Nina Cox Must Date

Chapter 2 - Fan Con

I wake up before my alarm goes off, excited about my first exhibition at the Fan Con. I glance at Taylor, who has a pillow over his face, but his chest is moving rhythmically, so he's still breathing. My phone's light is blinking. I unlock it and find tons of messages from my sister.

"This is getting ridiculous," I say while scrolling through my phone.

"What's ridiculous?" Taylor asks from his hotel bed, his voice muffled by the pillow. I didn't realize I had shouted.

"I have a lot of messages from my sister suggesting different men for me to date."

"You should have a serious talk with your family. It's getting out of hand," Taylor says as he pulls himself to sit on the bed. His dirty blond hair is all over the place, and there's a dry line of drool on his cheek.

"I don't know how they'll react. All they want is for me to settle down with a nice guy and have a family," I reply.

"Your siblings are nuts. Doesn't your sister have a busy job?" Taylor says as he moves closer to the bedside and pulls his wheelchair towards him.

"She does, but now that she's engaged, she probably wants the same for me. I know she means well, but I'm not in a rush."

I love my family and am fond of my siblings. I'm the youngest. My brother Elijah is 34 years old, works as a police dog trainer, and has a dog daycare. He's married, and his wife is pregnant with their third child. My sister Lisa is 30 and leads the marketing department of the fashion company where I used to work. She travels a lot for campaign photo shoots and met her future husband during one of these projects. Despite their busy lives and often being in different parts of the world, my siblings have made it their mission to ensure that Nina Cox must date.

"At least it wasn't Elijah. The last time he tried to fix me up with one of his friends, it was a disaster."

My brother's friend wasn't a bad guy, but he spent the whole evening talking about dogs.

Taylor and I arrive at the venue and find the parking spot that Evan arranged for us. Maybe I owe him a coffee after all. The parking space is right next to the exhibitor's entrance, making it convenient for dealing with Taylor's wheelchair.

The place is already packed with people finishing their booths, and the hall will open in two hours. We carry in the last two boxes containing the most valuable merchandise because I didn't trust leaving it behind.

I'm not really a toy collector, although I own plenty. I take pride in selling vintage toys, and by now, I have built a big network of collectors and suppliers who help me find interesting items to sell.

"That's the last of the Barbies," Taylor says, examining the glass displays from different angles. "Why am I always answering questions about dolls, ponies, and bears? I don't even have a sister," he says with a grimace.

"Because you're a cute guy, and the ladies like to ask you questions. Maybe you'll find your doll today," I say, making him snort.

"Maybe you're the one who will find a new action figure," he replies, looking behind me.

I turn around and see Evan. He gives me a small wave and gestures for me to join him for a drink.

"I owe him a coffee for getting us the parking spot. Do you mind?" I ask Taylor.

"Go ahead and bring me one," he says with a warm smile.

I walk over to Evan and have to admit that he's attractive.

"Good morning," he says. "Are you ready for the madness later?"

"I'm looking forward to it! I've been to this event before, but this is the first time I'm here as a vendor."

"Toys always do well at these conventions. I checked out your display last night before I left. You have some serious eye candy in there. I almost left you my wallet and took part of your inventory," he says, making me laugh.

"What caught your eye?"

"Transformers. They were my favorite toys as a child."

"Yeah, I have some good pieces on display. I have a whole lot more at the shop."

"Maybe I should make a little trip to Galaxy Barn."

"You know the name of my shop!"

"It's catchy," he replies, then orders two coffees at one of the fancy vendors.

We head to some picnic tables. The area is deserted but won't be for long.

"What got you into selling toys?" Evan asks.

"My brother still has some of his Star Wars action figures from when he was younger. One day, my nephew found them and wrecked the Darth Vader figure. Elijah didn't cry, but it was painful for him to see his prized memory destroyed. I set out to replace it, and after several days of sending emails and making calls, I found the toy. I surprised him for his birthday, and that's when I discovered there was a market for this."

"You're a wise woman," he says with a warm smile.

"My family still thinks I'm crazy for doing this. What about you? How did you end up working here?"

"I studied hospitality and enjoyed planning events and conventions. It was my dream to bring a big Fan Con to life. Five years ago, I organized the first one. It was small, about a fourth of what it is now. It's a lot of work, but when you see the faces of the attendees and how much they enjoy themselves, it's all worth it. On another topic, why is your friend in a wheelchair?"

"A terrible car accident when he was eighteen."

Our conversation is interrupted by his walkie-talkie.

"I have to go. Duty calls. I'll see you around, Nina. Hopefully, it will be more often than just these two days."

I'm left in shock, and my mouth is probably hanging open. When I recover, I grab a coffee for Taylor. I find him looking at his phone.

"It's madness out there," he says, exchanging his phone for the coffee.

I glance at the messages and pictures tagged with the Fan Con name. The crowd outside, waiting to enter, is impressive.

"Did you have a good chat with Evan?" Taylor asks.

"Yeah, it was all right," I reply, handing him back his phone.

"Are you okay? You look a bit off," he says.

"I am," I lie. Did I end up finding an action figure?