Now her mind was racing and she couldn’t sleep. “I need coffee.”
“I got it.” Lucas made two cups from the Keurig in the adjoining kitchenette and brought them back to bed. “Do you want breakfast?”
She was starving, but she knew going downstairs meant seeing Angel, and she wasn’t ready to talk about band stuff yet. Her head was just clearing from nonstop recording. “Do you have anything up here to eat? Cereal or a granola bar?”
“That’s not breakfast.”
Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of bed, dressed, and went down to the kitchen. She expected Angel to appear as soon as Lucas opened the fridge, since he thrived on cooking for his family, but it appeared that they had slept through breakfast and missed it altogether.
“Scrambled eggs?” Lucas pulled a carton off the shelf. “They’re fresh from the farmer’s market.”
“I’ll make the toast if you work the frying pan.”
“Did someone say scrambled eggs?” Mason walked into the kitchen, a coffee cup in his hand. His eyes were dark and red at the same time, and his hair stuck out at odd angles, but he wore his signature smile.
“Did you sleep in the guest room again?” Lucas asked.
“Sleep? What’s that? I was up all night in the studio, making sure everything for the album was perfect.”
Sindy spun around on the bar stool. “Mason, you didn’t have to do that. We could have helped today.”
“I was in the moment.” He scratched the back of his head and stretched. “I think we may have to invest in a full-time sound tech, though.”
“Sure, Mase.” Lucas cracked a few eggs in a bowl. “Whatever you need. Things are good financially. Are you sitting in on the meeting with my papi?”
“Nah, I’m beat. You can fill me in later. I’m gonna crash for a few hours before I go home.”
“No breakfast?”
“Too tired.”
“Any sign of Tessa?” Sindy asked him.
“Nope. Just Tommy and Jessi heading out earlier. They said Angel was in his office. She’s probably still asleep.” He put his mug down on the center island and headed toward the hallway that led to the spare bedroom which had served as his room for the last two weeks while they’d been recording.
“Um. Toast?” Lucas waved a spatula at Sindy.
“Sorry!” She popped the bread into the toaster and filled glasses with juice while Lucas made the eggs and swept them onto two plates. She never saw him cook before and, although he lacked the finesse and grandeur in which Tessa and Angel cooked, he was at home in the kitchen. The eggs were fluffy and flavorful, filled with spices and gourmet cheese . They ate quietly, just the two of them. Never had a quaint meal of scrambled eggs, toast and juice, ordinary in its simplicity, felt so comfortable. “This is nice.”
“It could be like this every day.”
“Is that why you made me breakfast?”
“No. I made you breakfast because you were hungry.”
She smiled as she chewed her toast, unsure if she believed him or not. She decided it didn’t matter. Today she planned on relaxing and not thinking about anything. Except there was a meeting with Angel Garcia that she needed to get out of the way first.
“Lucas, my boy! I’ve been waiting for you two. Good morning, Sindy. I’m glad at least half of Prodigy could make it,” Angel teased from across his large desk. “I’m sure Tessa hasn’t ventured from her room yet, and I saw Mason this morning. He looked ghastly. Do you know that poor guy was up all night finalizing the tracks for the album?”
“Yeah,” Lucas nodded. “He’s sleeping in the guest room before going home.”
“He has the tenacity of his father.” Angel looked off to the side. “I remember calling Jimmy when your dad wroteWithout You.I made him listen to it over the phone and told him we needed to get into the studio first thing in the morning to finish it. Jimmy was up all night writing drum tracks. That’s the way those Wilders roll.” He paused to take a breath. “Anyway, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. You kids must be exhausted. I want to commend you on your stamina and dedication. I’ve never seen people work so hard, and it has really paid off.” He smiled at Sindy and slipped an envelope across the desk. “This is for you.”
Sindy’s hand shook as she took the envelope and turned it over. She knew what it was, but she didn’t know the etiquette. Was she supposed to open it in front of him, or wait until she left, like people did nowadays when they received a gift? “Thank you.”
“Well, that’s all. I need to get back to work. And by work, I mean sitting in the hot tub.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “I’ll see you two at dinner?”
“Of course, Papi.”
