Taste of Love - By Stephanie Nicole Page 0,21

like an entirely different person than the one she had first met. Maybe it was just a bad first impression, and second, and third.

"That might be a good idea," she told him, wiping her hands on her apron. He stood up from his stool and she came around the counter. They met each other half way, in the middle of the kitchen, where she held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Madison Drew and I own this little diner," she said with a smile.

Cameron took her hand in his. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cameron Rome, rock star extraordinaire." They laughed and the tension was broken.

"Well, that went much better than our previous tries," he said as he watched her go back to preparing breakfast.

"Much more enjoyable," she agreed.

"Well...the second time wasn't half bad."

There was a long pause while she registered what he said. Then she surprised him by throwing her head back with laughter. It bounced from the ceiling and the walls, louder than he expected, and he found himself laughing with her.

"I can't believe we can laugh," he said when they had calmed down.

"It's better than crying," she pointed out.

"No kidding."

They made idle chat while she finished preparing the meal, and not long after, they sat down to eat their breakfast. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, but I have ham and cheese omelets, eggs benedict, and crepes. Like I said, I had to make do with what little breakfast foods we had."

"It all looks great!" Cameron told her, his mouth watering. He took a little of everything, realizing at that moment exactly how hungry he was.

Madison didn't take much; her stomach was a little queasy, and she wasn't really sure what would calm it and what might send it over the edge. Cameron didn't fail to notice how little she had to eat, and when he commented on it, she told him about her morning sickness. At his look of sympathy, she quickly changed the subject.

"So tell me about yourself. You know all about what I do with my life, what's it like to be a rock star?" she asked him.

"Better than I could've imagined, most days. But then there're times when I hate it; the paparazzi, the crazed fans, the complete lack of privacy. And yes, I know that I made a conscious effort to put my life out there like that, but I don't think anyone ever truly knows exactly what they are getting themselves into," he explained. "But I love making music, and I love performing. It's such a rush to be up there on stage, in front of thousands of people, with all of them hanging on your every word."

"Did you ever have stage fright?" she asked.

He paused for a moment. "Yeah. Actually I am nervous every time I walk on stage. But that all disappears the moment the first note plays."

Slowly the food started to disappear until Cameron was full. The conversation kept flowing as he talked about his new album and his struggles with the record company. He found her easy to talk to, and was relating things that he shouldn't be telling a stranger. He had a feeling she wasn't the type to run to the tabloids and spill everything he told her.

Before long, Austin and a few other employees filtered in the door. Madison jumped up, feeling as though she had been caught doing something wrong, even though she could do whatever she wanted. She gathered some of the plates and headed to the kitchen to start cleaning up.

Austin gave Cameron a dirty look as he passed him and went to find Madison.

"I don't want to hear it," Madison called over her shoulder when she heard the kitchen door swing open. "We had a good morning, and I don't want to ruin it, so please save whatever you have to say."

"Fine, I won't say a word," he told her, and started to help her with cleaning the dishes.

The kitchen door opened again, only this time it was Cameron, carrying the rest of the dishes from their table. Madison turned to see him trying to balance all the empty plates. She rushed over to take some from him.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that. I could've gotten them," she said.

"Hey, I have to earn my breakfast, right?" he joked, completely aware of the negative feelings that Madison's friend had for him. He pulled Madison to the side, where he could say good bye to her without her 'bodyguard' watching.

"Thanks for everything