Page 70 of Baking With A Rockstar

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head at her. “Stop it. And let’s keep all the couple stuff under wraps tonight, please, okay? We haven’t actually talked about any labels and all that stuff, so I don’t want things to be awkward in any way. Plus, I’m still getting used to all of it and don’t want to rush things either.”

Studying me for a moment, she lifts one of her crutches in my direction. “You’re not actually still wondering if you should give him a real chance or not, right?” She’s looking at me expectantly, even though I’m sure that was a mostly rhetorical question.

I walk over to the sink to rinse off a plate, then start cleaning up the mess on the kitchen island. “Nope. I’m past that point. I have officially given up resisting him.”

“Thank the unicorn.”

I chuckle at my weird friend. “You and your fascination with unicorns.”

She shrugs, hopping over to the plush chaise lounge Hudson brought downstairs from one of the bedrooms for her. Knowing how much time I spend in the kitchen, he wanted to make sure she’s comfortable. “What? You really can’t blame me. Unicorns are, like, the ultimate thing.”

“Ultimate thing of what exactly, Mo?”

“Everything. Obviously.” Her matter-of-fact tone makes us both laugh, as I watch her plop into the chaise and setting her leg up on the cushion. “Anyway, back to the matter at hand. He’s going to be good for you. I’mreallyhappy you’re finally opening yourself up for this amazing man. Hopefully, in more than just one way.” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I throw a nearby kitchen towel at her. “What? You can’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about it.” She’s holding her hands up in surrender, waiting for a response.

I don’t even bother covering up my now burning cheeks, indirectly giving her the answer she wants.

She lets out a little whoop. “I knew it.”

“You knew what?” Gabe’s voice comes out of nowhere, making me blush even harder. I can only hope he didn’t hear Monica’s remark about his brother and me. That’s nothing I need Gabe to think about, or worse, talk about with Hudson.

Maybe they already talk about us anyway. Yikes.Stop it, Charlie.Nope. Not thinking about that possibility.

“Nothing, Charming.” Monica gives him a huge grin and watches his every movement as he walks over to her.

Gabe sighs in response. “Would you please stop calling me that? We talked about that earlier.”

“Not a chance. I love it too much.”

“What on earth is wrong with calling me Gabe? That’s my name, after all.”

“Nothing at all. But I think you deserve something special. And since you’re my knight in shining armor, my very own Prince Charming, so to speak, it’s totally appropriate.”

I watch the two of them in fascination, briefly thinking this is better than TV. Gabe throws his hands up in the air and turns to face me with a pleading look.

Holding up my wet hands, I shake my head and chuckle. “Don’t even look at me like that, Gabe. I can’t control her any more than you can. Trust me, I’ve tried. She’s like a wild animal, impossible to tame.”

“Fantastic. You couldn’t have told me that before I invited her to stay with me. She might eat me in my sleep. Then it’ll be all your fault.” He points a finger at me accusingly, and I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

I’ve never seen Gabe this riled up over something and can’t help myself but tease him a little. “I think you should be safe. She’s a bit crazy, but not violent. She might nibble a little on you though, if you don’t pay attention.”

The kitchen towel I threw at Mo not too long ago smacks me in the face as she clears her throat. “Excuse me, you two, I’m right here. And I’m not crazy, at least not in a bad way. You’re perfectly safe with me, Gabe.” She gives him an innocent smile before batting her eyelashes. “Just make sure all of your doors and windows are locked at night.”

He groans and turns around, but not before I can see the amused expression he’s trying to hide on his face. “I’ll leave you guys to it. The delivery guy should be here any minute with the food, so I’ll wait in the foyer for him.”

“Do you need help, Gabe?” I dry my hands off on the towel.

“Nope, thanks. I’m all good.” With that, he walks out of the kitchen.

Turning back around to Monica, I start drying off the dishes. “So, how do you like the guest house? Is there anything you need?”

Her eyebrows rise in surprise. “Oh, you haven’t been there yet? For some reason, I thought you’d already seen it.” She gives me a big smile before continuing. “It’s absolutely beautiful, Charlie. It looks like someone took the cutest little beach cottage and put it right into his backyard. He told me one of his sisters decorated it for him. It’s all in a nautical theme, just gorgeous.”

“Oh nice. If it’s anything like the rooms the girls decorated at their parents’ house, I bet it’s beautiful. They do have a knack for that sort of thing.”

“They do.” She pauses for a moment. “I just wish it was a little closer to the main house, but that’s okay. I guess I need the exercise anyway, right?”

“Are you sure, Mo? You don’t want to overdo it either.” Naturally, I worry, planning on talking to Gabe about it later. I need him to keep an extra good eye on my best friend. The last thing we need is her getting hurt even more because she’s too proud to ask for help.

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