The tension still riding his expression seemed to ease a bit. “Do we have to? ’Cause I’m pretty sure that was straight out of an eighties rock-band video. Poison, maybe?”
His unexpected response had laughter bubbling out of her before she knew it was coming. “Actually, I think it might have been Whitesnake.”
He laughed, too, and suddenly her morning didn’t feel quite so horrible anymore. Not when his laughter was one of the nicest sounds she’d ever heard. Someday soon, hopefully, she’d be able to forget how embarrassing crashing naked into him had been.
Although she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to forget how good it had felt to be that close, or to have his hands on her bare skin. Every part of her still felt hot and sensitive in the nicest possible way.
“Come and have some breakfast,” he said. “I’ve got coffee brewing, and there’s cereal and frozen waffles. Eggs in the fridge, too, but I’m pretty sure that involves pans and stoves.”
She laughed again, appreciating that he was clearly going out of his way to make her feel comfortable. “I actually know how to use a pan and a stove, so I can make us both eggs, if you’d like.”
He looked at her in awe. Truly, there was no other word for it. “I don’t want to embarrass you by getting down on my knees and begging, but one more bowl of Cheerios just might push me over the edge.”
Maybe she wouldn’t be totally in the way if she could at least make herself useful. Eggs for breakfast was a good start. “Fried? Over easy? Scrambled?”
“All of the above.”
She opened the fridge and found eggs, butter, and a bag of bread, and a pan in the cupboard. “How about over easy today with toast and then we can try something different tomorrow?”
“I owe you, Ashley.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the least I can do when you’re letting me join your tour.”
“Touring is great, but sometimes it feels like we’re just doing the same thing every day and every night on repeat. Having you here is already a change for the better.”
She nearly forgot to keep an eye on the eggs, she was so stunned by how nice his comments were, and how good they made her feel. A change for the better. Last night when she’d walked into the venue, she’d felt she would never fit into this world, that she was kidding herself to think she could ever really be in the music business. But between Drew’s amazing show and the lovely things he’d just said, maybe she wasn’t too far off base, after all.
She plated their eggs just as their toast dinged in the mini toaster oven attached to the counter.
“Thanks, this looks great,” he said as he picked up his fork. “I’ve never shared a bus with a woman before. Never thought about how you’d need to lock yourself in the bathroom to get dressed in the morning. Are you sure you won’t take the back bedroom?”“Then I’d just be walking in on you naked out here.” The words came out before she realized it. Ugh. And just when she’d started to feel so comfortable with him. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m just fine sleeping out here and I’ll try to remember to bring my underwear in with me next time.”
I’ll try to remember to bring my underwear in with me next time? Double ugh.
He stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. “You forgot your...”
She felt her face go hot again and shoveled some eggs into her mouth so that she would only have to nod.
“Well,” he said slowly, his voice sounding a little rougher all of a sudden, “I’ll try to make sure you’ve got on more than a towel before I come out.”
She took a sip of coffee to try to wash down her way-too-big bite of eggs. “Great! Thanks!” Every time she got nervous, she sounded like a chirpy bird. Which, she supposed, was better than talking about her underwear.
Drew finally began to eat, and before she knew it, he’d polished off his entire plate. Just as she always did with her father, she pushed her unfinished portion over to him, which he immediately shoveled up.
Finally, he pushed both plates away. “You’re a great cook, Ashley. I haven’t had eggs that good since—”
His words suddenly fell away, and she knew why, knew that he was thinking of his mother. The night before, he’d gotten so choked up when he’d been talking about writing “One More Time” the day his mother passed away, and Ashley’s heart had broken for him. She wanted to reach out to him, wanted to find a way—any way at all—to make him feel better. But before she could say or do anything, there was a knock on the door.
“It’s Max.” Drew got up to let him in.
“Good morning, you two.” Max looked impossibly chipper for such an early hour. “Mmm, eggs. Smells good.”
“Sit and I’ll make you a plate,” Ashley said, already spooning what was left in the pan onto a clean plate.
Max’s eyes practically rolled back in his head as he ate. “You are quite a woman, Miss Ashley,” he said once he’d swallowed. “Isn’t she, Drew?”
“She definitely is.”
Ashley hopped up to wash the dishes, hoping neither of them would notice the way she was blushing. But before she could so much as rub a sponge over the first plate, Drew was taking it from her. “You cooked, I’ll clean.”
“But you have to get ready for—”
“Thank you for the best breakfast I’ve had in a year.” He smiled at her, and her breath caught in her throat at being so close to him again. “Now let go of the plate.”