Page 31 of Baking With A Rockstar

Gabe stands in front of me with a boyish grin on his face. He’s wearing a pair of light blue ripped jeans and a dark gray T-shirt. This family definitely knows how to wear casual clothes and look like a million bucks.

I still can’t get over the fact that I now know my favorite author—personally—and that he’s actually standing right here, in the middle of my bakery. He’s still as good-looking as he was a few days ago—short, messy brown hair, brown eyes, and a slight stubble on his face.

Taking his hands out of his jeans pockets, he holds them up. “Sorry. I wasn’t planning on being sneaky.”

“Sooooo…” Monica’s voice surprises me as she draws out the word. “You’re the famous Gabe, huh?”

For a moment, I actually forgot about my best friend.

Oops.

Her eyes move around, and I know she’s checking out Gabe. “Nice.”

At this point, she’s almost purring.

Oh boy. I know what that means.

She’s found a new target, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Since I can’t say anything about it right now, though, I’ll file it away for later. “Mo, this is Gabe. Gabe, this is my best friend, Monica.”

He stares at the screen, lifting his right hand a little. I don’t know him well enough yet to read him, but to me, it almost looks like he’s mesmerized.

Interesting.

Monica’s beaming at him. Despite not wearing any makeup, she’s as stunning as always. “So, Gabe, do you also live in Brooksville, or are you just there for a visit?”

Gabe chuckles, scratching the back of his head.

I can’t believe these two.

What is this? Chuckling and beaming-at-each-other central?

Sticking his hands back into his front pockets, he takes a small step closer. “Actually, I just moved back to town last year. I tried living in Los Angeles for a while but I missed my family and the tranquility of this place. There’s nothing like it.”

She nods as if she completely understands what he’s talking about. “That makes sense. And it’s perfect too, since I’ll be in town sometime in the next few weeks.”

“Oh really? For a visit?”

“For now, yes.”

What on earth is happening? For now? What does she even mean by that? I’m so surprised by her answer, that I hold up both of my hands before either one of them can say another word. “All right, you two chatterboxes, you can talk more when she gets here.” I remember something and turn back to Monica. “Before I forget it, have you checked into the hotel you told me about?”

She shakes her head. “Not yet. I’m waiting until after my doctor’s appointment at the end of the week, so I know the correct dates.”

At that, Gabe’s head whips around, and he looks at me. “She’s not staying with you guys?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Nope. Hudson said it wasn’t a problem, but Mo declined.”

An awful noise comes from the laptop when Mo moves hers around, and I flinch.

“Hey. Don’t say it like it’s a bad thing. I just don’t want to be the third wheel, that’s all. Nothing wrong about that.”

Gabe is quiet for a few moments before he looks at my best friend. “I have a little guest house, if you’re interested. I don’t live far from Hudson, so it’s probably more convenient than a hotel anyway. It’s yours if you want it.”

“Really?” Both Mo and I say at the same time, staring at Gabe.

“Really.” He gives her a small smile, and I’m oddly fascinated by this whole exchange.

Sometimes in life, you realize you meet people that are different than others. There’s just something about them that makes them special. By now, I think it’s safe to say the Mitchell family has hit the jackpot in that area. And by some lucky star, I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by them.

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