Page 17 of Baking With A Rockstar

I’m sad to leave Monica again so soon, but I know she has to focus on getting better, and sadly, I can’t help her with that. There’s no point in denying I’m excited to go back to my new home, though. In just the few weeks since we moved, I’ve felt better and more relaxed than most of last year. It’s been a real life-changer.

A change of scenery really does do wonders sometimes.

“Hello? Are you going to talk to me or what?” Monica’s dramatic voice cuts into my conscience, but I ignore her for another moment while Hudson’s next message comes in.

Hudson: I’m glad to hear that. You’re a good friend for being there for her. Let me know which flight you’re gonna be on (or when you stop being stubborn and let me get you better tickets at least), so I can pick you up from the airport, okay?

“Come on, Charlie, don’t leave me hanging.” Monica’s voice has turned whiny.

Deciding to throw her a bone, I look up from my phone. “He wants to know when we’re going to be back.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. He misses you.” Putting a hand over her heart, she sighs. She looks so completely smitten and happy I can almost see the hearts in her eyes. I try to keep my eyes on her face, since I want to flinch every time I see her bruised body that’s covered with bandages.

“I’m sure he misses his new best friend, our little Miss Mira here.” I point over to the stroller on the opposite side of the room, where Mira’s snoring softly. “You should see those two together, Mo. It’s quite the sight. The best way to describe it is like two old souls that have been separated for ages and are finally together again. They absolutely adore each other. It’s almost like nothing else exists around them. I’ve never seen Mira get attached to anyone this quickly.”

“Looks like someone’s jealous.” Monica sing-songs the words as she points at me.

“Who?Me?” My eyebrows pull together, and I have to laugh.

Monica chimes in, the occasional snort thrown in for good measure, and I press my index finger to my lips to remind her we have to be quiet.

She nods and puts her hands around her mouth to form her own kind of megaphone. “You, my friend, are jealous of the relationship between Hudson and Mira,” she whisper-shouts.

“No, I’m not.” Despite my request to her, my voice comes out louder than I intended, and Mira stirs in her stroller. Thankfully, she snuggles back into the other side without waking up. “It’s just sweet to see them together, that’s all. I told you I’m helping him with his career. You know better than anyone that I’m not looking for a relationship. I don’t need a guy, even though I don’t mind him being my friend.”

Letting out a sigh, she shakes her head at me, all the playfulness suddenly gone from her face. “I know you don’tneeda guy. And I never said you should throw yourself at Hudson and ask him to marry you either.” She puts a finger to her chin and gazes past me out the window. “Even though that would definitely be super awesome. Could you imagine the headlines? My best friend and the hot—”

“Mo!” I interrupt her before she can finish that sentence, knowing full well I just lost her to her own little world of all things celebrity.

Rolling her eyes at me, she stretches her arms across her chest, wincing at the movement. “What I wanted to say was that I think it would be good for you to get back into the game. You don’t have to commit to anything. Just go out and have some fun. It’s been almost a year since Sebastian, that stupid dickhead, and I don’t like that he did such a number on you. I still wish I would’ve kicked him in the balls when I had the chance. He deserved it, and then some.”

“Okay. Calm down, tiger. This has nothing to do with my ex and everything to do with Hudson. Aren’t you the one always telling me about all these famous guys changing women like their underwear? I don’t think I want to be another notch on a bedpost. That’s just not who I am, and you know that. Plus, let’s not forget I’m not a single deal either. The last thing he needs is a woman with a baby getting attached to him.” My feelings are scattered all over the place from this conversation, and I let out a big sigh.

“Hey, hey. None of that!” Monica’s voice is firm. “You know how I feel about you saying stuff like that. Just because you’ve had bad experiences in the past doesn’t mean you have to give it up altogether. You deserve someone good in your life, and you deserve to have some fun too, you both do. End of story.”

“Hudson said something similar.” I belatedly realize I’ll probably only encourage her with this admission. “Well, not really, never mind.” I make a face, hoping she’ll just forget about all of this.

“Honestly, if he said something close to this, I like him even more. Not everyone is bad, but I understand it’s hard for you to believe in good guys. I promise you they’re out there, though. I truly believe it for you.” Her smile is reassuring, and I almost want to believe her.

As usual, I ignore the fact that she only believes there’s someone out there for me but not her. It’s been a battle between us for ages, since she refuses to talk about her love life.

“I know you do, and I’m sure I’ll find someone eventually, but I don’t think that someone for me is Hudson. I mean,lookat him. We’re completely different, it could never work. Plus, I could never compete with the long list of prospects he can choose from on a daily basis either. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to handle that.” I sigh again, feeling defeated and a little upset with both Monica and myself for allowing the conversation to go down this road. All week long, I’ve successfully avoided thinking about Hudson this way, knowing it would only frustrate me.

“It seems likehe’sinterested inyou, though.” Leave it to my best friend to push my buttons even more.

I throw my hands up in the air, feeling the irritation burning under my skin. “How do you know that? I’ve known him for less than a week. I’d like to think we’re on the way to becoming friends, but that’s it. I doubt he’s looking for anything more anyway. He’s very focused on his songwriting, which is quite captivating to watch. A lot of the time, he just sits there, completely engrossed in his music sheets.”

Monica doesn’t say anything, which strikes me as weird. Instead, she’s grinning from ear to ear.

“What? What did I say?” I pause, mentally going over what I just said but coming up empty. “Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?”

“You like him.” Her statement is short and simple, so unlike my best friend’s usual declarations.

Something about that makes me nervous, especially since she’s still grinning. “Stop smiling at me like that, it’s creepy. And yes, of course, I like him. Why wouldn’t I? He seems like a nice guy.”

“Youreallylike him.”

Rolling my eyes at her—something I seem to be doing a lot in her presence today—I take in the self-satisfied smirk that’s telling me exactly how happy she’s with herself. “You’re annoying. Now stop it.” I can’t help myself after all and grin at her.

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