Page 29 of Rockstar Baby
“Keep talking like that, you’ll swell my head. I’m busy, yes, but I’ll be back. Once your boy is on the mend, we’ll figure out a date.”
I wasn’t thinking about seeing Ivy again. A one-night stand was plenty.
Liar.
“Thanks, man. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” Kellan pulled me into a quick hug. He nearly dislocated both my shoulders from his grip, but I maintained my cool and patted his back before he moved away.
The air tasted sweet as it again flowed into my compromised lungs.
“No problem. Working with you was fun. We’re on our way to creating a hit.” I drained the last of my cold coffee and pocketed the rest of the scones without shame. I’d eat them in the car if need be.
Drowning my sorrows in cookies as I drove back to my most certainly empty room at the bed and breakfast? Maybe. It seemed like a noble cause.
“Thank you for your delicacies and for sharing your home, Maggie. And I hope your baby is well soon.” I leaned in to give Maggie a hug, shocked into silence when she cupped my face and kissed my cheek.
“You’re welcome here anytime. I’m sorry your plans were messed up. Next time, it’ll be spring and this one will be better. Right, little man?” Her voice was cheerful as she jiggled her son in her arms, but there was no missing the fear pinching her mouth.
My chest squeezed again as Wolf knuckled his eyes and tried to smile. It was probably gas, but the gesture touched me almost as much as his mother’s kindness.
Swallowing hard, I glanced at Kellan. “You’re a lucky man. Keep me posted on how he is.”
Shockingly, I meant every word.
Kellan walked me out. As soon as I’d pulled out of the drive, Kellan and his family followed in the small SUV.
I let out a long breath and reached for my pocket. I’d finished off my purloined scones before I reached Crescent Cove’s town limits.
Snow dripped from every bough and eave and glistened in the now full sun. Townspeople bustled up the tidily shoveled sidewalks with their hands full of shopping bags or tugging on leashes that led to an assortment of dogs, both small and large. I’d figured this was the type of place where teacup poodles reigned, but there were just as many German Shepherds and Labradors.
It was a home, not merely a postcard, and though some people rushed, no one scowled. The weather wasn’t ideal and no one seemed to notice.
Where the hell was I? Had I been dropped onto another planet?
People seemed so oddly happy here. Perhaps that was why the townspeople’s reproductive organs operated at peak efficiency.
That was as good an explanation as any other.
I parked near the bed and breakfast and climbed out of the car to empty crumbs from my pocket. There weren’t many. Maggie’s scones were like gold.
I was still licking my fingertips when I stepped inside and found Sage helping a couple of guests. I figured I could sneak up the stairs undetected, but no such luck.
“There you are!” Sage smiled brightly. “And here I thought you were still holed up in your room.”
“No indeed, in and out for business.”
Sage smiled knowingly. “As we realized when Lucy knocked for housekeeping. A lovely young lady told her to come back later.”
My ears and neck were heating up, but they weren’t flushed. That would be ridiculous. I was a grown man. If I wanted to entertain female company in my suite, I was damn well entitled.
Before I could come back with some snark, Sage continued.
“Ivy is a beauty, isn’t she? Bright and sweet too. If you had to choose a welcoming committee to Crescent Cove, you couldn’t find anyone finer. Have a wonderful time.” Sage winked at me and turned to the couple that had just shuffled up to the desk.
“It’s lunchtime,” I sputtered.
“So? Any time is a good time foramore.Am I right or am I right?” Sage asked the couple.
I didn’t stick around for their response.
