Page 9 of The Drummer's Heart

Mimi smiled. “You’re an absolute sweetheart, Atticus. Always have been. I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Me, too,” I said. “Get some rest. I’ll be back soon.” As Nicole followed me into the kitchen, I whispered, “Not sure what I was expecting, but it’s hard to see her so frail. She seems weaker than I imagined.”

“I know. It’s hard to watch that happen to someone who was once so vibrant.”

I placed my hands on my hips. “Please tell me you know where those recipe cards are.”

She nodded. “I keep them in a little box and brought them with me.”

“Good thinking.”

Nicole went to find the cards while I rummaged through the cupboards. I decided I’d handle being here by throwing myself completely into cooking and catering to Mimi. I didn’t need to focus on Nicole at all.

Yet as soon as I had the thought, I felt the warmth of her nearness as she returned to the kitchen. The brush of her long, black hair against my arm sent an unwanted rush of desire through me.Fuck.Didn’t think I’d be eating my wordsthisfast.

Nicole opened the small box of cards and sifted through them until she found the one for chicken and dumplings. There was an asterisk next to the title, and written in cursive were the wordsAtticus’s favorite.My chest constricted. I’d missed Mimi. And I’d fucking missed Nicole.

“Thank you for asking me to come here,” I muttered, staring down at the recipe card.

She simply nodded, probably too afraid to thank me again, since I’d bitten her head off every other time she tried.

I took a photo of the card and went straight to the grocery store in my rental car, making sure to pull up my black hood to avoid being recognized. The escape from the tension in the house was welcome, but I also needed to avoid getting stuck out here signing a bunch of autographs. Delirious Jones had risen to fame pretty quickly after one of our songs went viral a few years ago. I didn’t get recognized quite as much as Tristan did, but I still experienced a fair amount of public interruptions. Ironically, the rise of my career had coincided perfectly with the demise of my marriage. Or maybe thatwasn’tso ironic, since one thing was the direct result of the other.

After I paid for the groceries, my phone rang as I was leaving the market. “’Sup, Ronan?” I asked in greeting.

“You don’t sound like you’re ready to jump off a bridge, so that’s good…”

I put the bags in the trunk. “I’m actually heading back from the supermarket.”

“Jesus. When was the last time you went food shopping?”

“I can’t remember.” I chuckled. “Anyway, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. I was just calling to check on you. How’s it going?”

“Well, I’m learning pretty quickly that me being here is bigger than my hang-ups with Nicole. It’s basically her grandmother’s last wish to have this time with us, and I need to be present and not stuck in my fucking head, living in the past. So I’m determined to focus on Mimi.”

“God knows you do enough of that living-in-the-past shit already.”

“Thanks, asshole. I’m aware of that.” I sighed.

“Well, I’m glad things are going okay.”

“Thanks. What’s new with you?”

“Just chilling out here in L.A. Waiting for you to get back, so I’m not bored as shit. Almost bought another car today because I had nothing better to do. Walked my ass out of there and donated the money instead.”

“You don’t do well with time off.”

“You’re right. I’d rather be working, which is messed up.” He groaned. “I need a woman.”

That was funny. Ronan probably had the most women falling at his feet lately. But he hadn’t met anyone he’d deemed worthy of more than one night.

“You’re too damn picky, so not sure if that’s gonna happen.”

“Might fly out to New York to meet Tristan and Emily when they land from their trip. They’re spending some time out there before coming back to L.A.”

Tristan and Emily were currently on a European vacation.

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