Chapter 5 #2
“Without the strawberries, it’s not real strawberry ice cream.” Since he already had the coffee out, he filled his bowl and then returned the container to the freezer. “Do you need anything else before we head outside?”
“Nope. I’m all set.”
After grabbing a stack of napkins and his bowl, he led Liv outside.
Rather than dig into her dessert, Liv put the bowl down on a table and pulled out her cell phone. “I need a picture of this. The sky is gorgeous tonight.”
He doubted anyone would argue with her. Various shades of pink painted the sky, much like in the photo she’d admired inside.
“Which do you think has a better view, the rooftop or here?” he asked while she snapped a few pictures. He dug into his overflowing bowl of ice cream as Liv considered his question.
She checked the photos she’d taken before setting the device down on the table. “I’m honestly not sure. They’re both amazing.”
He’d intentionally waited for her to sit, hoping she’d opt for the outdoor love seat rather than one of the comfortable chairs.
Now, as she lifted the first spoonful of ice cream toward her lips, he watched as she considered her seating options.
When she opted for the love seat, he took that as a sign they were on the same page tonight, and he sat next to her.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. There’s something about the ocean that’s mesmerizing.”
Forget the ocean—she found him mesmerizing.
Liv shoved an overflowing spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and tried not to read too much into the fact that not only had Matt kissed her upstairs, but he sat so close now.
But damn, it wasn’t easy. It didn’t help that all her teenage dreams were pushing their way out of the little box she’d locked them in a long time ago.
“So, if you weren’t here right now, what would you be doing?” Matt asked before eating another large spoonful of ice cream.
Heat from his body seemed to jump the space between them and invade her body, making it almost impossible to think.
Either that or her internal thermometer was suddenly stuck at 105 degrees.
Either way, she needed to focus on something other than their kiss or the fact that she wanted a repeat performance, so she was grateful he’d thought of a conversation topic.
“I probably would’ve met Emma and Phoebe at the Northside Tavern.
Every Wednesday is karaoke night. Emma invited me right after you left my office this afternoon.
She even suggested we join them when I told her I had plans with a friend.
And if I didn’t go there, I’d probably be at home watching television or reading.
” Or she’d be doing laundry, but there was no way she was sharing that with him.
He might find her response borderline pathetic, and Liv wished she could’ve come back with something more interesting. However, she wasn’t going to lie to him either.
“Karaoke? I’ve never done that.”
Big surprise.
“I would’ve gone with you tonight if you’d rather have done that.”
Now that wasn’t something she’d expected him to say.
“Maybe some other time.” Although she made the statement, she didn’t anticipate Matt joining her and her friends for karaoke anytime soon. She wasn’t even sure she’d be spending time with him again, despite his comment and kiss upstairs.
“You said they do it every Wednesday, so how about next week?”
If she’d just swallowed anything more solid than ice cream, she would’ve choked. “The closer it gets to Memorial Day, the busier the place is. Going next week might not be a good idea.”
She could just imagine the insanity if Matt Sherbrooke, lead singer for Eclipse, walked onto the stage to perform karaoke next week.
“I’m not sure I’ll go again until the fall.” No doubt by then, Matt would be long gone.
“Trust me, crowds don’t bother me. But if you’re not comfortable around them, I understand. I have a cousin who sometimes has panic attacks if there are too many people around.”
If he wanted to believe that was the reason behind her reluctance, she wouldn’t try to change his mind. She would, however, move the conversation away from herself.
“What about you? If you weren’t here, what would you be doing?”
Matt ate another spoonful of ice cream before speaking. “Do you mean here in Orchard Harbor or here with you?”
Liv shrugged. She didn’t care as long as the conversation remained away from her less-than-exciting life. “Either. Both.”
“If I weren’t in Orchard Harbor, I might still be in Florida.”
When he’d been in college with Owen, California had been home for him. For some reason, she’d assumed that was still the case. But now that he’d mentioned Florida, she had noticed his Ferrari had Florida license plates.
“Is that home for you?”
“It’s where I spend most of my time when the band isn’t touring, so I guess it’s home.”
His response raised more questions than it answered, but she wasn’t going to dig any deeper, because if she did, he might do the same.
“And if I weren’t here with you, I’d most likely be sitting out here eating ice cream and reading.” Matt placed his ice cream on the table and draped his arm across the back of the love seat.
Much like his earlier statement about them joining her friends for karaoke, his answer now surprised her. But maybe it shouldn’t. Orchard Harbor was known for many things, but its exciting nightlife wasn’t one of them—a fact that suited her fine, but she imagined it might grow old to Matt.
“What do you like to read?” She’d always been a fan of historical fiction and fantasy, although she did have one romance author who she really enjoyed reading. In fact, she owned every novel she’d written to date. Unfortunately, the author didn’t release books often.
When his thumb brushed against her shoulder the first time, she assumed it was an accident.
But then he did it again, and a ripple of excitement started in the center of her chest and spread.
It’d been a long time since she’d experienced anything remotely close to what she felt now, and she hoped Matt didn’t move his hand anytime soon.
Then again, maybe it would be for the best if he did before she started to get any ideas that Matt Sherbrooke was interested in her, because while rock stars might fall for small-town girls in the movies, it didn’t happen in real life, which didn’t bother her in the least.
Yep, keep telling yourself that, and eventually you’ll believe it.
“Mostly suspense. My favorite contemporary author is Curt Hilton. But occasionally I go for a fantasy novel like The Lord of the Rings.”
She’d seen Curt Hilton’s books in her aunt’s bookstore but had never read one of them. As for The Lord of the Rings, she’d both read the books and seen the movies. While the movies were great in her opinion, she enjoyed the books more.
“I pegged you as more of a romance novel junkie.” Liv managed to contain her smile.
“Seriously? Why would you think that?”
She’d only finished about half the ice cream that Matt had given her, but there was no way she could eat another bite, so she put her bowl next to his.
“I read somewhere you write a lot of the music for Eclipse, and you’ve got some seriously romantic ballads.
I bet couples use them as their wedding dance song.
Since you’re so good at writing romantic songs, I thought maybe you enjoyed romance novels. Maybe even used them for inspiration.”
Matt changed the angle of his body slightly and moved his hand from her shoulder to the back of her neck. “I’ve never touched one. But maybe I should. Are there any authors you suggest?”
“The only romance author I’ll read is Lynn Kurland.
” Later, she’d regret this question, but she was going to ask anyway.
“How do you come up with the lyrics, then?” She’d taken a creative writing class in high school because she needed another English credit, not because she enjoyed it or had a creative bone in her body, unless it involved creating a new recipe.
His fingertip skimmed across the skin on her neck, setting off internal fireworks to rival those the town set off on the Fourth of July.
“Jordan and I write about 50 percent of the lyrics together, including a lot of the songs you’re thinking of. I know Jordan drew on some personal experiences for some. For a few, I did too, but sometimes I visualize a scene in my head, and it plays like a movie. Then I turn that into a song.”
She couldn’t picture Jordan Mead, the band’s bass player, writing the lyrics to “Loving You” or “If I Had You.” Then again, the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” existed for a reason.
“You and Jordan wrote ‘Loving You’ together?”
Matt’s lips slowly descended toward hers, allowing Liv plenty of time to move—not that she had any plans of doing that.
“No, I wrote that one.” He brushed his lips against hers. “But we did work on ‘If I Had You’ together.” Once again, he brushed his lips against hers, only this time they lingered slightly longer. “Jordan wrote ‘Our Last Dance.’”
Matt touched his lips to hers again. Only this time, it was anything but brief, and as he deepened the kiss, he teased her lips with his tongue until she opened for him.
And as if someone had snapped their fingers, the outside world disappeared. At that moment, the only thing she was aware of was the sweet taste of coffee ice cream that lingered on his lips and the feel of his hand buried in her hair.
The instrumental opening to “Loving You” echoed in the distance, and for half a second, Liv wondered where the music was coming from. When she realized it was her phone, she pulled away, unsure whether she should be thanking the device or cursing it.
She waited for him to comment on her ringtone. Instead, he skimmed his fingers over her shoulder and across her arm. “Do you need to answer that?”
“I’ll call whoever it is back.” After kissing Matt, her brain wasn’t capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation with one of her friends.
Reaching for her hand, he laced their fingers together. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“I’m covering Maggie’s lunch shift.”
“What time are you done?”
With Matt sitting so close and holding her hand, thinking straight was impossible.
Hell, she was lucky she could even breathe at the moment.
But when she got home, she’d sit down and examine what had transpired tonight and what it might mean.
In the meantime, she had to answer him. “About four at the restaurant, but I need to spend a little time at my office. We have two events this weekend. But I should be done by about five.”
“Let’s do something when you’re done. Whatever you want.”
If they went to a place like the Northside Tavern or Heavenly Ice Cream, Matt might be bombarded with fans.
He might not mind that, but she’d rather not be dragged into it, especially since she didn’t even know what was really going on between them yet.
Of course, that was assuming anything was going on between them.
Maybe Matt had kissed her because he was bored or lonely.
Tomorrow he might get out of bed, pack his bags, and head back to Florida, and another year might pass before he stepped foot in town again.
“I’ve been playing with some new recipes. Why don’t you come over, and I’ll cook dinner for us?”
Friends could have dinner together. If he came over tomorrow and things remained strictly platonic, she’d know tonight had been a fluke. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience some of her teenage fantasies. Really, how many people got an opportunity like that?
“I’ll bring dessert.”