Chapter 6
Six
Liv dropped her cell phone on the nightstand and fell back on her bed. During the ride home, she had focused on driving rather than what she really wanted to think about now—replaying the last several hours and maybe figuring out what it all meant, assuming it meant anything at all.
When Matt stopped by the office and suggested they spend time together tonight, a tiny part of her wished it was because he was interested in her.
Who wouldn’t want Matt Sherbrooke interested in them?
As far as she could tell, the man was the total package.
He was gorgeous, successful, talented, and genuinely a nice person.
Regardless of her secret desire, she’d known he’d only asked because her brother wasn’t around, and she was the only person in town, except her parents, that he knew.
Now, though, she wasn’t as confident in her assessment.
Matt kissed me.
Correction: He kissed me multiple times.
If someone had told her this morning that Matt would kiss her, she would’ve either laughed in their face or told them to wake up from whatever dream they were having. But not only had they shared one kiss, they’d shared three.
Closing her eyes, she replayed those moments.
The first kiss had been almost tentative, as if he was waiting for some sign from her.
And when she put her arms around his neck, he turned the intensity up.
There had been nothing tentative about their second, and she was glad she’d been sitting down for it.
The final kiss he’d given her after walking her out to her car had fallen somewhere between the other two.
Thank God.
If he’d kissed her again like he had while sitting outside, she’d still be in Matt’s driveway trying to remember how to drive.
But what did tonight mean?
Some people spent their evenings watching sports or exercising. Did Matt like to spend his evenings kissing whatever woman he brought home?
He was a rock star. They had a reputation for sleeping with a different woman in every city where they performed.
And she had seen him photographed with countless women over the years, including the pretty brunette a couple of weeks ago.
Although she didn’t doubt that he’d dated a lot of women, she couldn’t picture him hooking up with a groupie each time the band stopped to perform.
She could picture the other members of Eclipse doing that, especially Travis Hart, the band’s drummer, but not Matt.
But he was also an actor. Maybe the Matt she knew wasn’t the real him.
Perhaps he lived the rock star lifestyle described in Our Life on the Road, a biography she’d read about her favorite rock band.
An image of Matt in bed with two beautiful women formed.
Don’t go there.
Even though his lifestyle shouldn’t matter to her, she hoped it wasn’t anything like what she’d read.
But even if he wasn’t into one-night stands and threesomes, that didn’t mean boredom wasn’t the driving force behind what happened between them tonight.
Matt dated gorgeous actresses and supermodels.
While Liv didn’t consider herself ugly, she wasn’t in the same league as the women he’d been linked to, so there was no way he’d ever be attracted to her.
However, she was the only single female in town who he knew.
But when she thought about it that way, though, it made it sound like Matt was using her.
The idea of him using her—or anyone, for that matter—didn’t feel right.
Last weekend, he’d handed over the keys to his SUV without being asked or expecting anything in return.
And tonight, before their first kiss, he’d given her plenty of time to move away if it hadn’t been what she wanted.
Afterward, he’d walked her outside, opened the car door for her, and waited until she drove away before going back inside the house.
Opening her eyes, Liv stared at the ceiling, the wheels in her brain spinning much the same way the blades on the ceiling fan were. Even without Matt sitting next to her, making it impossible to think straight, she couldn’t figure out what tonight meant.
“Loving You” erupted from her cell phone, reminding Liv that someone had called her earlier. With her mind centered on Matt, she hadn’t even thought to see if the caller had left a voicemail.
She wasn’t surprised to see the name “Emma” on the screen, and after answering, she put the call on speaker so she could change into pj’s and talk at the same time.
“We missed you tonight. It’s not the same when you don’t come with us.”
Liv grabbed a pair of sleep shorts and an old New England Rebels T-shirt from the drawer. “If you guys are free this weekend, let’s get together.”
Between her catering schedule and Phoebe’s busy schedule taking wedding photos, the three of them hadn’t been able to get together in over a month.
“Brian and I have plans Sunday night. But I’m free Friday night and all day Saturday. Phoebe’s working on Saturday, but it’s a morning wedding, so she’ll probably be free that night. I don’t know if she has plans for Friday night or Sunday.”
“I’ll text her tomorrow.” Spring and summer were Phoebe’s busy season, and she spent almost every weekend taking photos for at least one wedding and outdoor family pictures.
“Sounds good, but that’s not really why I called.”
Liv expected Emma to ask about her night as she pulled on the Rebels T-shirt.
“You’ll never guess who is in town again,” Emma said instead.
“Superman?”
“He’s better than Superman.”
“Better than Superman, huh? I didn’t think that was possible. So, who is the mystery person in town?”
“Matt Sherbrooke.”
Emma and Phoebe loved the band’s music too, and the three of them had attended the band’s last two concerts in the area together.
Word was bound to get out that he was around. “How do you know?”
“Charlotte and Rob were at the Northside Tavern tonight. She was working when Matt stopped in to pick up pizzas.”
Charlotte and her fiancé owned Fireside Pizzeria and spent a considerable amount of time there, ensuring everything ran the way they wanted—a habit Liv understood well.
“Well, he does own a house here, and the man does need to eat.”
“I know, but I’ve only seen him in town once. Last spring, he was walking out of Hometown Brews, and I was stopped, waiting for some kids to cross the street.”
She’d heard this story before and knew the only reason Emma hadn’t parked and chased after him was because she’d been running late that day.
“I wish he’d stop in the flower shop.”
“He probably doesn’t have much need for flowers, Emma.”
“Has he ever come to the restaurant?”
Surprisingly, Emma had never asked her that question.
“Uh, yeah. A few times.” Emma asked if not when, so Liv saw no reason to add that he’d been in as recently as last week.
“And you never told me?”
After switching the fan to high and opening the second window in the bedroom, Liv pulled back the covers on the bed and sat. “Sorry. Just didn’t think of it.”
“Well, if he comes in again and you’re there, call me.”
“Emma, you’ve got some serious issues.”
“I just want a photo with him. What’s wrong with that?” Emma asked, sounding defensive. “The man knew what he was getting into when he pursued a music career, so he shouldn’t mind when his fans ask for a picture or an autograph.”
“Nothing, I guess.” Emma had a good point, but that didn’t mean he liked to get interrupted in the middle of dinner either.
“I didn’t really call to talk about Matt Sherbrooke either. I wanted to know how your date went.”
She almost laughed at her friend’s statement. If Emma ever knew the man they’d been talking about was the very same man Liv had not only spent several hours with but had also kissed, she’d lose it.
“It wasn’t a date.” She didn’t know what it had been, but she refused to label it a date.
“What would you call it, then?”
“Two people eating pizza and playing a few games of pool.” Only torture would get her to admit they kissed or that she was cooking dinner for them tomorrow night.
“Sounds like a date to me, although maybe not the most exciting one.”
Liv could picture Emma sitting in her favorite armchair, wearing an “I’m right and you know it” expression on her face.
“Like I told you this afternoon, Matt and Owen are friends, and other than me and my parents, he doesn’t know anyone in town. He was bored and wanted someone to hang out with, and he asked me since Owen and Jenny won’t be back until next weekend.”
Dead silence followed her explanation, and Liv mentally slapped herself for mentioning Matt’s name.
“Owen’s friend Matt drives an Italian sports car that probably costs more than my house and doesn’t know anyone in town but you and your family.
And you spent the night playing pool and eating pizza,” Emma said, putting all the puzzle pieces together.
“No, it’s not possible. It’s just a coincidence.
I mean, if you were hanging out with Matt Sherbrooke, you would’ve told me. I’m your best friend.”
She hadn’t lied earlier, but omitting some of the details was coming back to bite her in the ass.
“Liv, tell me I’m crazy. Tell me you ate pizza and played pool with a mega-wealthy CEO from Boston named Matt Johnson, not Matt Sherbrooke, the sexiest man on the damn planet,” Emma said, her tone telling Liv that she already knew the truth but was having trouble accepting it.
Sighing, Liv rested her head against the headboard. She wasn’t going to lie to her best friend, and even if she tried, Emma wouldn’t believe her. “Emma, I wasn’t with a wealthy CEO from Boston.”
“Oh. My. God. How does Owen know Matt Sherbrooke?”
She thought she’d mentioned how they knew each other earlier, but she’d share it again. “They were roommates in college.”
“Oh, right, you told me that this afternoon,” Emma said. “I can’t believe you never told me you know him. I would’ve told you in a heartbeat.”