At Val’s instigation, Laurie invited Slade and Annie to the rehearsal on Saturday evening, along with most of the Adamses. Annie dragged Slade over to sit next to Val on the crowded sofa. They were crushed together, thigh-to-thigh. Val could feel his heat burning into her. Unless she was very much mistaken, his temperature had climbed several degrees when he’d realized he couldn’t squirm away from her without causing a scene. To her amusement, he’d settled back stoically.
“I’m so excited,” Annie confided. “Do you think Laurie’s going to sing the song I helped her write? I know she did it at my party and all, but this is with the whole band, like it would be on the album.”
Val grinned. “I think you can count on it.”
Slade’s gaze locked with hers. “You haven’t been around much the last couple of days.”
“Did you miss me?”
“Missed your cooking,” he claimed, though the look in his eyes said it was more than that.
“I’ve been busy helping Laurie set up this rehearsal. I wanted to spend some time with the guys, too. You know, catching up.” She allowed her gaze to drift to Paul, who winked at her. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
“Who is that?” Slade asked, his tone suddenly testy.
“Paul McDaniels. He’s been with Laurie from the beginning. He’s a great drummer. A nice man, too.”
Paul came over then, standing close and resting his hand on her shoulder in a familiar, possessive gesture. Val introduced him to Slade and tried not to chuckle at Slade’s sour expression when Paul bent down to brush a kiss across her cheek before he went back to join the band.
“You two seem close,” Slade said tightly.
“Old friends,” she said simply, keeping her gaze on Paul as she said it. She managed to imbue her words with a significance that indicated the relationship went well beyond friendship.
“I see.”
The tension radiating from Slade was almost palpable as the rehearsal got underway. He stared at Paul and scowled, as Laurie sang song after song. Only when the first strains of Annie’s song filled the air did he manage to drag his attention away from the band to focus on Laurie.
He grinned at her enthusiasm. As Laurie sang about second chances and new self-discovery, his expression turned thoughtful. When the song ended, he leaned down and gave Annie a kiss.
“You should be real proud, angel. That was a beautiful song.” He gazed at Val. “Thank you for giving her the chance to be a part of it.”
He stood up then. “I think I’ll be going now. I’ve got an early day tomorrow. Have to get to Fort Worth. Annie’ll be staying with Dani and her kids while I’m gone. That should give you plenty of time to visit with your old friend.”
Val barely managed to conceal her disappointment, then and over the next few days, during which Slade remained out of town. By the time he came back, the band had returned to Nashville.
As near as she could tell, her scheme had been a bust. For lack of anything more interesting to do, she saw no reason not to go back to the old pattern of cooking for Slade and Annie. For the next couple of weeks, she deliberately breezed in and out of their lives, leaving a trail of perfume and the aroma of freshly baked apple pie, Slade’s favorite after her decadent chocolate cake.
However, somewhere along the way, she had concluded that tactical retreat was still her best bet. She made sure she was never there to share the meals she and Annie prepared. Maybe he’d actually miss her—eventually.
She was slipping out the door on a Friday night when Slade managed to catch her.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the elusive homemaker,” he said, amusement threading through his voice. “What are you up to?”
“Just seeing that the two of you don’t starve to death, as usual.” She ducked under his arm. “See ya. Gotta run.”
He snagged her arm. “Oh, no, you don’t.”
“Slade,” she began, but the protest died on her lips. The glint in his eyes was worrisome. “Slade?”
“You brought enough dinner for two?” he asked.
Because her lips were suddenly too dry for her to speak, she nodded.
“Then you’ll have to stay and share. Annie’s gone for the evening. A slumber party.”
“Oh, really.” Annie hadn’t said a word to her when she’d left the house a little earlier. She’d made some