“You’ll stay here, of course.”
Not expecting her offer, I gasped. Aspen and Noel were already housing his two younger brothers. They didn’t need to take on anyone else. “Oh...no. I couldn’t. Aspen, you know I didn’t come here looking for a handout or a couch to sleep on. I—”
“Of course, I know that. And we won’t make you sleep on the couch. We’ll bunk you in Brandt’s room.”
“But—” Uncomfortable about any kind of gift or charity, I did a quick mental calculation in my head, trying to figure out how much money I had available to spend on a motel room…for multiple nights. And that would be zero dollars and maybe, oh, about thirty-eight cents, give or take—mostly take—a hundred bucks or so.
Damn.
Before I could protest, though, the back door came flying open and Aspen’s husband swept into the kitchen, all six-foot-four sexy inches of him.
My best friend was such a lucky shit.
“Hey,” he started to greet her with a seductive grin before he noticed me.
After doing a quick double take to make sure, yes, I was really here, I swear disappointment glittered in his eyes. But at least he gave me a friendly enough greeting. “Hi, Felicity. What’re you—”
His attention was deterred when he noticed Aspen’s noodle project taking place on the cabinet counters. “What’s that?”
When he tried to glance around her to get a look, she dodged into his path, blocking his view. “Nothing.”
Noel’s gaze sprang to hers only for a slow smile to spread across his face. “You’re cooking something new again.”
She snorted. “No.”
But his grin only widened. And someone hand me a fan please, because Noel Gamble sure had a hormone-sizzling smile.
Aspen sighed and ground her teeth. “It won’t be ready until tomorrow. The noodles take a day to dry out.”
“Noodles?” Her husband cocked a curious eyebrow. “As in...?”
“Chicken and noodles,” she grumbled, obviously reluctant to break the surprise.
“Chicken and...noodles.” He whimpered, and I swear he was half a breath from coming in his jeans...jeans that looked really good on him from the side view I had at the table.