She sat straighter on the couch. “Rehearsals are done?”
I nodded. “It was ah-mazing,” I said with my forefinger and thumb making a circle as I shook them in the air like an Italian chef. “At least, that’s what Bonnie said.”
Sabrina was standing now with a groggy Samuel. His eyes were red and his hair was standing up on one side of his head. He looked confused, but as soon as his gaze met mine, he broke out into a huge smile and pushed away from Sabrina like his excitement was too much to contain.
“Bonnie said that?” Sabrina asked as she bent to the side so she could pick up her diaper bag.
“I quote, ‘That was amazing!’ ”
Sabrina paused as she studied me. “So, that’s a good thing. Does she not normally say that?”
I snorted as I walked over to grab Samuel’s car seat. “If you only knew.” I hooked my arm around the handle and drew the car seat up to rest on my hip. I paused when I was standing next to Sabrina. “It’s a very good thing.”
“So I didn’t ruin it,” she whispered. Then her gaze shot up to me. Her eyes were wide as she pinched her lips together and her cheeks reddened, like she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Ruin it?” I shook my head and let out a cartoon villain laugh. “Nonsense, my dear. You...” I reached up and tapped the tip of her nose with my finger. “Are my muse.”
She blinked a few times before her gaze returned to me. Her cheeks had flushed a deeper red. “Your muse?”
I nodded and then turned and headed toward the door. “My muse,” I said as I waited by the entrance for her to join me.
She followed after me, her gaze soft like she was trying to digest my words. “Like, I inspire your lyrics?”
I chuckled as I waited for her to exit to the hallway before I flipped off the lights in the room and shut the door. “Like, you make me want to work harder and sing better.” I glanced down at her and gave her a wink. “Which is exactly what an assistant to a rock star should do.”
She turned to face me with Samuel firmly planted on her hip and her diaper bag slung over her other shoulder. When I caught up with her, she fell into step beside me as we headed down the hallway to the back door, where our ride was waiting for us. “That’s what an assistant is supposed to do?”
I nodded and kept my gaze forward as we walked. “Yep.”
I could feel her focus on me, but I didn’t give in. I just kept ignoring her stare, like this was well known information. I could feel her resistance as she studied me, but she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she turned her focus forward.
“Okay.” Her voice was soft now. “Good to know.”
I kept our conversation light as we drove back to the hotel. It was past lunchtime when the car pulled into the underground lot and the door next to me was opened. I waited outside of the car for Sabrina to join me. This time I didn’t hesitate to take the diaper bag and car seat from her.
I got a rush of adrenaline every time I shocked her. She would stand there for a second with her lips parted and her eyes wide. I could feel her desire to fight my chivalry. Her obstinance was adorable, and her effort to dissuade me from helping had the opposite effect. I was going to find ways to help her just to see her reaction again.
She trailed after me as I headed from the elevator to our room. I didn’t wait for her to get her key card out. I maneuvered the items in my arms so I could pull out my wallet and extract the key. Sabrina had her arms crossed when I turned around to give her a victorious smile as I pushed the door open.
She quirked an eyebrow as if to tell me that she wasn’t impressed. But I basked in the glory that washed over me. Pushing her to let me help had become a game that I feared I was never going to want to stop playing.
“After you, m’lady,” I said as I bowed and shuffled away from the door. When I peeked up at her, I could see that she was unimpressed. Her lips were pulled into a tight line and her eyes were narrowed.
I just gave her a wide grin, to which she sighed as she walked through the doorway.
“Are you going to keep doing this?” She suddenly stopped a few feet into the room and turned to face me.
I flicked my gaze down at her as I walked by, but I didn’t stop. As soon as I was in the living room, I set Samuel’s car seat down on the coffee table and moved to unbuckle him.
“Do what?” I asked as I pulled little man out and held him over my head. He scrunched up his body, and his hands went straight into his mouth as he let out a squeal, drool trickling down his arms. I bounced him a few times, which he thought was just hilarious.
“Not allowing me to do my job.”
I glanced over to see that Sabrina had joined me in the living room. Her arms were crossed as she stared at me.
I shrugged. “I’m hungry.” I pulled Samuel down to my chest and tucked my arm right under his bum. “We should go eat.” I glanced at Sabrina. “Do you want to go eat?”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips were drawn into a tight line.
