Free Love of a Rockstar by Nicole Simone Page B

fridge was stocked to the hilt with mini containers for Nil and I always had one on hand.
    Josie let out a happy sigh. “I think I love you.” She pulled out a chair for me. “Now sit and enjoy this cake with me since it’s anything but mini.”
    The layer of mousse I added to the top made it look bigger than it was. Stealing a glance at the clock, I realized I was now twelve minutes late. What was another two minutes? I grabbed a fork and broke my cardinal rule; never have more than one bite of the desserts I made.
    I moaned, “Holy crap that is good.”
    The chocolate mousse perfectly complemented the fudgy cake. Sometimes, I forgot how good I was at baking, since it was a talent I had no idea how I inherited. My mother and grandmother boiled and burned.
    Josie stabbed another forkful. “So, what’s new in life?” she asked.
    Maybe it was all the chocolate flowing through my veins, but I had a strong need to tell her about Finn. She was somebody who could give me an objective opinion about what to do.
    I approached the subject cautiously. “I need some advice.”
    “Shoot.”
    Setting down my fork, I wiped my hands on a napkin. Josie couldn’t know Luke was Nil’s father, so I had to think of another name for him. Logan would do. It was close enough to his real name I wouldn’t fumble with it.
    “For the past three months, I have been dating this guy named Finn.”
    Josie pointed her fork at me. “Is he the blonde Ken doll who comes to visit you sometimes on your lunch break?”
    I smiled; amused she saw the resemblance as well. “Yep, that’s him.”
    Josie nodded and gestured for me to continue.
    “Well, the other night, he told me he got a job offer in Paris, and he wants Nil and me to move with him.”
    She frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a hard decision to make. It’s Paris.”
    I wished it were that easy to pack up the only life I knew to jet off to a place I only dreamed about. However, now that Nil had met her father, things had gotten a tad more complicated.
    Josie tilted her head to the side, “I’m guessing there is another detail to the story or else you wouldn’t be considering saying no.”
    “Nil’s father has popped back into our lives and wants to get to know his daughter,” I answered. “If we left then he wouldn’t have a chance to.”
    “You love him.”
    The assuredness of her words threw me. I loved the man Luke was at twenty two, until the day he left and showed me a side I didn’t know existed.
    “Why do you say that?” I questioned.
    “Because you still don’t want to hurt him, which is frankly amazing because my guess is he broke your heart.”
    I shoveled another mouthful of cake in my mouth to avoid answering. Luke didn’t just break my heart; he took a hammer to it and smashed it to smithereens. I thought I would never be able to put the pieces back together again until Finn came along. In his own way, he had helped me heal.
    “It’s not about me not hurting him, it’s about Nil,” I said. “My daughter has asked to meet her real father for ages and now that she finally has, I don’t want to take away that relationship she could potentially form with him.”
    She pushed the cake closer to me. “Give yourself some time to mull it over. In the meantime, chocolate will help.”
    “I have to figure it out sooner rather than later,” I wailed. “Nil’s father is leaving to go back on tour.”
    “There is a thing called a cell phone. Seriously, Marlene. Relax.” She polished off the last bite of cake and pushed back her chair. “I have to get back to work. I’ll see you out there.”
    As I watched Josie walk out the door, what she said nagged at my mind. Nil’s well being played a big part in my apprehension about Paris, but I couldn’t help but think it was also because I couldn’t imagine starting a new life without Luke in it. And if so, did that mean I still loved him? I barked out a laugh at the absurdity. The man already hurt me once, it