Chapter 8
I slept until nine-thirty the following day, which was really sleeping in for me. Luna wasn't with me, and I had planned on skipping church since Josie was here and we had the wedding that afternoon.
The three of us, Josie, Alex, and I, went to brunch together, and it was nice to be served breakfast. We talked a lot about the concert last night, but Alex was with us all the time, and I never got to share everything with Josie.
I could have spoken openly in front of Alex, but I didn't want to.
I figured my sister would probably tell him what I said, but I didn't want to do it myself.
I had some feelings about Ash, but I kept them inside.
We talked about other things. I had some chores around the house that I wanted to tend to, and they helped me. Alex put together the bike that I bought Luna for Christmas, and then he helped me hide it in the attic. I promised them I would get help getting it down on Christmas Eve.
The day passed quickly, and then we rode to Deer Lodge together. We arrived in time for dinner, and we ate with Henry's family, who lived on the ranch, and Amelia's family, who had come from California.
Ash was there. He and I had a brief encounter last night after the concert.
We didn't get any time alone, but he touched me a little too long when I reached out to hug him, and our eyes met with a little too much sincerity.
I pretended like I wasn't constantly wanting him the whole time I was in his presence, and that took effort.
I was extremely attracted to Ash. I liked him so much.
Seeing him perform last night had only made it worse.
He was a heartthrob in every sense of the word, and I felt nervous around him at the wedding, making eye contact nearly impossible.
I functioned on social autopilot. I smiled and spoke when necessary, but I was hyperaware of Ash, and my sister knew nothing of it.
There were so many people around that I never got a moment alone with Ash.
He played guitar for the short ceremony.
He used an acoustic guitar, and he played quietly the whole time, even when the pastor was speaking.
It was small and lovely, and Amelia was a beautiful bride who was completely surprised.
It was a fun, different type of wedding, and the whole thing made me feel nostalgic for falling in love.
That was why I agreed when Ash asked me to text him later that night. It was at the end of the wedding, and we were about to leave to head back to Billings when we had a few seconds by ourselves in Henry's parents' house.
"We didn't get to catch up tonight," he said the second we were alone.
"I know. I heard you talking to Sam. It sounds like you might have a big audition."
He shrugged and smiled. "Who knows if that'll pan out."
My sister was walking up to us again, and I knew we would soon be overheard. "I'll text you sometime and let you know about the show tickets."
"Text me tonight."
"I don't have a link yet."
"Text me anyway," he said.
And that was it.
That was all he had to say.
I was hooked.
Josie was approaching, and it was all we had time for without being overheard.
"Okay," I said simply while nodding. "I will."
"Are you ready?" my sister asked. "Judd and Sam are staying the night on the ranch," she added.
"Yeah, I'm ready when you guys are," I said, nodding.
As if on cue, Alex made his way over to us, looking like he was ready to get on the road.
"I know I told you already, but you're amazing, Ash," Josie said, hugging him. "Last night was so good. You have a lot of fans. I'm happy we were in town for that."
"Me too," he said. "Thanks for coming."
"We'll all be hanging out all day tomorrow in Billings if you're around," she said.
"Yeah, okay, I'll be getting some work done on the house, but text me your plans if you think about it."
"We will!" she assured him.
We left the ranch, and by the time I was back in Billings and had told Alex and Josie goodnight, it was after eleven o'clock. I knew I was going to text Ash, and I tried not to be in a hurry about it, but as soon as I closed my bedroom door, I started thinking about what I'd write.
There was a small padded chair near my closet, and I sat on it to compose a text.
Me:
Hey, I think I said I'd text you tonight, so I'm texting. We made it home a minute ago, and my sister wanted to talk, so I…
I paused my writing, deleted the entire thing, and started over.
Me:
We made it home. You played great tonight and last night!
I pressed send. I was still sitting on the chair, and it was about a minute later when I heard back from him.
Ash:
Thank you. Can I pick you up right now? Can I call you?
Me:
Yes to the call. I wish on the other.
I hit send, and within seconds my phone vibrated in my hand, and his name flashed on the screen.
"Why can't I pick you up?" he said when he first heard me answer the phone.
I smiled at the fact that he wanted to see me.
"Are you too tired?"
"No, no, I would, but my sister and Alex were still up when I came in here just now. I don’t know how long they're going to be in my living room."
"Just tell them you're leaving."
"I can't. There would be too many questions."
"Is Luna home?"
"No, not till tomorrow."
"Why can't you sneak out then?"
"Because I'm not fifteen."
"Just leave a note. Your sister wouldn't care," he said. I could hear a smile in his voice, and I wanted to see him so badly.
I had watched him perform for two nights, and I was all worked up about it. It was impossible to resist an invitation to see him, even if it went against my better judgment.
"Fine," I said, with too little hesitation. "But I'm seriously going out of my window for propriety's sake."
He laughed. "I'm not sure how that makes it more proper, but whatever you think."
"I don't know, I feel like it's easier than explaining."
"All right, well, I'll be at your house in fifteen minutes."
"Just text me when you pull up, and I'll come out and meet you on the street."
It was exactly fifteen minutes later when I got a text from Ash.
It was cold out, and I felt a gust of wind as soon as I opened my bedroom window.
I had to laugh at myself for sneaking out of my own house.
My bedroom window was nice and big, and it opened easily, but I was a good five or six feet from the ground, and I had to jump down and then climb onto a nearby air conditioner unit to close my window again.
I was out of breath by the time I finished it all and made my way through my backyard.
I walked slowly through my yard, catching my breath and letting the cold air hit me. I felt thankful that I had to walk around the house and down the driveway before I would encounter Ash.
I saw his truck once I made it to the street.
It was parked in front of my neighbor's house, and it was running with the parking lights on.
As I got closer, I could hear music playing.
The door popped open just as I reached for the handle, and I opened the door to find that Ash had leaned over and was now settling back into the driver's seat.
He glanced my way, smiling at me as I sat down.
"What are we doing?" I said.
"Hanging out," he said, simply like it was no big deal.
"I mean, where are we going?"
He turned down the music a little and shrugged.
"I've never been in your truck," I added, looking around.
"Oh, welcome."
I smiled. "Thanks. It's clean."
"Is your car dirty?" he asked.
My smile broadened. "No, I'm just remarking on yours. I imagined if you're doing construction, you'd have… I don't know… construction crumbs everywhere. Sawdust or whatever."
"I try to dust off the crumbs before I get in," he said, grinning at me. "Speaking of crumbs, I'm hungry," he said. "Playing makes me hungry. I don't know how, but it does."
"I could see how it would," I said. "Your brain and your body are working hard. Although I'm finding I'm not like that. After a Chicago rehearsal, I'm not hungry at all. Maybe it's all the nerves. You probably get less nervous than I do."
"I get nervous," he assured me. "It just doesn't stop me from getting hungry."
"What are you hungry for?" I asked him. "And what are our options at this hour?"
"I think Montana Brewing," he said. "Or fast food."
"What are you hungry for?"
"For you to make me something," he said, making my heart flutter.
"Really? I can do that."
"No pressure if you're tired. I can eat anything."
"We'd have to go to my restaurant. Is that what you were talking about? Because I doubt we should go back in there," I said, gesturing to my house.
"Yeah, I hadn't thought about it when I said it. I guess I assumed we'd go back in your house, but the restaurant's cool. Could we do that?"
"Of course," I said. "I didn't bring my purse, so I don't have my keys. Let me run to my backyard."
"Your backyard?"
He smiled and shook his head, and I had flashbacks of seeing him on stage and hearing him sing. His singing voice came through in his speaking voice, and being near him had me feeling melty. And then he flashed me that smile. It was too much. Ash was irresistible. I found him impossible to resist.
"I have a spare key hidden back there," I said.
"To your restaurant?"
"Yes. And my house. I'll just grab it real quick. That's easier than going back inside."
"Can I do it for you?"
"Then you'd know where my keys are hidden," I said.
He shrugged. "That's probably a good thing," he said. "Seeing as how I'm a trustworthy person and I'd look out for you."
"I do trust you," I said.
"It's just easier for me to go get it than to try to explain to you where it is."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, I got it. I'll be back in a second."
I got out of the car, and within a minute or two, I had retrieved the key and was sitting next to him again.
In another couple of minutes, we were standing at the back door of my restaurant. We had parked in the alley, in my usual spot.
I cooked at Cal's station because he had a more diverse tool selection.
I specialized in poached eggs, so my station was set up for that, and his was set up for everything else.
I had no idea what Ash was going to want to do when he picked me up, but this was the best-case scenario.
It was a lighthearted and wholesome thing for him to want to do, and I didn't feel guilty running around in the middle of the night while Luna was out of town.
Plus, I was in my element at the restaurant, and it was something easy and fun for us to do at midnight on Sunday.
Ash wanted the same French toast I had made for him before, and I had all of the ingredients to do that, using sausage instead of bacon.
I would have fruit delivered in time for opening on Tuesday, but right then, I had no fresh fruit.
I had some strawberries in the fridge that I had cooked down in syrup, and I put a few of them on his toast. I garnished it with powdered sugar and whipped cream.
I set a dispenser of maple syrup near his plate. Ash had gone to the restroom while I was getting everything to the table, and he came back just in time for me to finish. I looked up, my eyes meeting his. That blue. It made my heart stop every time.