Page 80 of The Sounds of Her
When I wake, I twist around to check on Brooke. The bed is empty. Rubbing my eyes, I sit up and listen for any sound in the other room. The suite is silent. Did she go for another run with DiMarco?
Scrubbing my face, I throw back the covers and get out of bed.
The suite might be quiet, but it’s not empty. Brooke stands with her back to the room, staring out of the window holding a mug of coffee. Unbidden, the thought I could get used to seeing this, pops into my head. I clear my throat.
Brooke looks over her shoulder. I’m in the t-shirt I threw on last night and boxer briefs. I’m not shy.
“Morning.” I head over to the room service cart and grab myself a coffee. Brooke has gone back to looking out of the window. “You alright?”
“Yes, I don’t get hangovers. Also, I wasn’t that drunk,” she adds.
I snort a laugh and she turns back to me.
“What?”
“You passed out the minute we got in here. And you snore when you’re drunk.”
“I do not,” she says indignantly.
“Know that for a fact?” I grin.
Brooke didn’t snore. She snuffled a bit and moaned a lot, which was part of the reason it took me so long to fall asleep. Still, it’s fun to mess with the ever put together Brooke Hannon.
The coffee hits the spot as I walk over to join her at the window. It’s a gorgeous view of the city. Sometimes, I wish we got the time to explore the places we visit. There is never enough time with the tour schedule.
“You didn’t want to go out after the show?” she asks.
“Someone had to get your drunk ass back here.”
She glares but shakes her head as if she doesn’t mean it. I lean one shoulder against the wall beside the window, watching her as I drink my coffee.
“What time are we leaving?” she drops the subject of her inebriation last night.
I check my watch. “Not till tonight,” I slept later than I intended. The gym facilities here are good. I want to get in a workout, but my body isn’t agreeable right now. It’s going to be a long day before we have to leave, and we have no band plans today.
“Can we go out?”
My brow furrows. I can, with careful planning.
“Where do you want to go?”
“It’s not about me, it’s for you,” she says.
“Me? What do you mean?”
“You need air, you need space. I’ve been watching you for the last few days. You’re living and breathing the rockstar lifestyle. Everyone needs a break from reality at some point. While you were sleeping, I did some research on the city. We can’t go wandering around, so I checked out some other places. There is a wine region not too far out of town.”
“You want to go wine tasting after last night?”
Brooke pulls a face at me. “A glass of wine or two isn’t that big of a deal,” she adds.
What does she mean she’s been watching me? Are all those gazes I thought were something else, her trying to figure me out?
Not that she ever will. I won’t let her.
The appeal of getting out in nature grabs me. I used to walk in the LA canyons and mountains a lot when I lived there. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.
“Sure, you oughta get dressed though,” I eye her pyjamas.