She laughed. "Fair enough."
"You ready to get on the road?"
"Heck yeah, I am," she said.
"You have your CDL, I assume."
"CDL?"
"Commercial Driver's License. You'll need it to drive the bus."
Rebekah's heart slammed into her ribs. "I can't drive the bus!"
"Then who's going to drive? Dave used to be our regular driver."
"Not me." Dave had crashed said bus and nearly died. He would have died if Jace hadn't pulled him from the fiery wreckage or if Eric hadn't resuscitated him by giving him CPR. As she and Eric walked out of the garage and back toward the tour bus, she paused and took his arm to draw him to a halt. "Eric?"
He looked down at her and her heart started thudding again. Why did it keep doing that? He was just standing there. Yes, he looked at her like she was his favorite dish and he was starving to death, but that didn't explain her reaction to him.
"Yeah?" he asked.
Her grip on his arm tightened. She wanted him to feel her gratitude. See it in her eyes. "Thank you for saving my brother's life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If there's anything I can do to repay you … " And she did mean anything. Well … with the exception of threesome quickies in a storage area.
He shrugged, but couldn't hide the pleased little smile on his lips. "No big. That CPR stuff comes in real handy around this band. Are you certified? You never know when someone's going to have a grand mal seizure, crash a bus, or pass out in their own vomit."
Ew. Rebekah's stomach rolled. "Um. Vomit?"
"No worries. I'll take care of all the vomity ones."
She chuckled and then broke into delighted laughter.
He grinned. "You get that I'm joking?"
"Well, of course you're joking. Vomity ones." She laughed again. "Too funny."
"Most people don't get my jokes. Say they're inappropriate." He finger-quoted inappropriate.
"Are they idiots?"
"Arguably."
She laughed again.
"A woman who gets my jokes … " His pleased little grin turned into a broad smile. "Can I buy you a coffee sometime? Or a jet?"
"A jet?" She laughed until her stomach ached and she had to bend over with her hands on both knees to catch her breath. "You're killing me."
"Gives me an excuse to practice my CPR. So nice of you to volunteer your soft and tasty lips."
When he leaned closer, she halted his seeking lips with a hand in his face. "Easy there. Do I look like CPR Annie to you?"
"Not at all. But if it will make you feel better, I can close my eyes and pretend."
Actually, she was already feeling better. She didn't need to pretend. Eric Sticks was like a refreshing breeze, blowing away all the clouds that insisted on blotting out her sunshine. Too bad she still had her heart set on Trey.
Chapter 5
Stomach protesting its emptiness, Eric opened the small refrigerator and hunted for something edible. There was one good thing about losing their previous bus. All the suspicious-looking, past-their-expiration-date condiments had been replaced with new bottles. Unfortunately, Eric's secret stash of hot dogs had not. Neither had most of the beer. The stuff currently stocking the fridge looked suspiciously like vegetables and raw meat.
Eric leaned back and waved a hand at the refrigerator. "What's up with the food? Where are my hot dogs?"
Jace rose from the booth around the dining table and stood beside him, his brow crumpled with confusion. "Are those vegetables?"
"Looks like it."
Trey and Brian came to stand in their little huddle before the open refrigerator door. The four of them stood there staring into the fridge as if assessing a piece of modern art for
deeper meaning.
"Wait. Is that … cauliflower?" Brian asked, reaching in and poking the package of cauliflower as if he expected it to bite him.
"Sed!" Trey called to Sed, who was driving the bus in Dave's absence. They'd already decided they needed to hire a new driver as soon as possible, but this arrangement would work for now.
"What?" Sed called from the driver's seat.
"Do you know anything about the vegetables in the refrigerator?"
"Jessica says I need to eat better."
"So putting this stuff in the fridge makes her think you're actually going to eat it?" Trey asked.
"I guess."
"Did she forget that none of us can cook?"
"I can stir up some scrambled eggs," Eric said. It was the one thing he knew how to cook. And they could be flavored with just about anything. He enjoyed trying new spices. Perhaps nutmeg and sage this time.