Piper hid out in her room for as long as she could the following morning. Eventually hunger pangs got the better of her and she made her way to the kitchen shortly after nine.

Having missed out on dinner the previous evening, she hadn’t eaten since the sandwich she’d had with Bronte in the park at lunchtime, and her stomach growled. After she’d stormed off, she’d wrestled with a number of emotions. There was the embarrassment of owning up to the fact she hadn’t read any of the paperwork that Therese had given her, then the indignation she felt as Mal threw her friends out had given way to an undeniable attraction. She thought back to the searches she’d done on him and how he was totally hotter in the flesh. The photographs, both posed and candid, just didn’t do him justice.

When she had been too worked up to be able to sleep the previous night, Piper had pulled out the sheaf of documents and pored over the words. The list of duties was pretty much as she had told Mal and that was accompanied by instructions on how to use the various appliances and alarm systems. She didn’t feel all that bad about what she’d said to him.

Piper entered the open-plan living area and was amazed to see that the table had been cleared and all the pans and knives she had used were clean and drying on the draining board. She was pretty sure that tidying up was on her list of duties and that if Mal were home, she was meant to prepare breakfast. So, she was confused to see the table loaded with croissants, bagels, fruit, jellies, cheeses, and coffee.

“I wanted to apologize for last night.”

Piper turned at the sound of Mal’s voice. He was standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in just a pair of shorts. His chest was tanned and lightly muscled, and Piper had to drag her gaze up to meet his eyes. He appeared unfazed by her attention. As he walked toward the table, he grabbed a T-shirt that was hanging over the back of one of the chairs and pulled it on over his head.

“Coffee?” he offered.

She nodded and slid into one of the chairs, reaching for a bagel. “Thank you.” She smeared cream cheese over the roll and bit into it, her empty stomach rejoicing at the appearance of food.

Mal came and sat beside her. He passed over one of the mugs and their fingers brushed. Piper drew back quickly, not expecting the sudden jolt of electricity that shot up her arm. She took another bite of the bagel as he helped himself to a buttery croissant and covered it in peanut butter.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot, Piper,” he said. “I’m sorry. I think the tour got to me more than I realized.”

Piper sipped her coffee. “You could say that. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon; Therese said you would be away for at least a couple of months.”

Mal glanced down at the table, and tried hard to avoid looking at Piper. “I should have been. Let’s just say things weren’t going as planned and I decided to cut it short.”

“What does that mean for all the people who bought tickets? Are they going to get a refund?” That hadn’t happened to Piper herself, but she had a few friends who had been victims of last-minute gig cancellations and it was always a struggle to get a payout.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess Boyd will deal with that.” He crammed more of his croissant into his mouth. “Anyway, I don’t really want to talk about it; let’s talk about you.” A few crumbs spilled out as he spoke.

His change of tack surprised her. She didn’t think he’d be interested in knowing about her. However, if he was going to be around the house more, there wasn’t much point in blanking him. “There’s not much to talk about.” Piper couldn’t resist the look of the sweet treats and reached over for a Danish. “I got let go from my job with a fashion and lifestyle magazine and had to come home. I got turned down for loads of jobs in town and then I saw this advertised. I wasn’t sure I could hack living at my brother’s place and this seemed to fit the bill on both counts.” Mal’s brows furrowed at the mention of the word ‘lifestyle.’ What was that about? She also didn’t know why she’d just told him all that. Surely, he wasn’t interested in what she did?

“What did you do for the magazine?” he persisted.

“Got other people lunch and coffee, mainly.” Piper hesitated, not knowing whether she was prepared to tell Mal about her dreams. After all, he was a famous rock star; why would he want to listen to her chattering on? “Which meant I was eminently suitable for the job here.” She shot him a sideways glance. His relaxed face didn’t look bored, at least not yet.

“Come on, surely you had more ambition than that? You seem like a smart girl.”

Reluctantly, Piper told him the truth. “I design jewelry. Or at least I try to. I have the sketches, and one day I’ll actually get the tools to make some of it. I’d love to be able to sell it here.”

“Then why don’t you make it happen?” Mal refilled their coffee mugs from the coffeepot on the table.

“I’ll need to find another job first.” Piper was filled with dread at the thought of trekking round the Bay again with her résumé, the only addition to it a couple of days house-sitting.

“Why do you need to do that?” He frowned at her.

“Now that you’re home, I’m guessing you don’t need me anymore.”

Mal met her eyes, his gaze boring into her. “You signed the contract, right?”

Piper nodded.

“Then unless you’ve done something wrong, I can’t get rid of you that easily.” His mouth curved up in a mischievous smile. “Despite last night’s blip, I think it would be nice to have someone around. Plus, I tasted that pasta you made last night; it was delicious and I’d hate to think I could never have it again.”

“Really? You still want me around?” Piper blinked, her eyes widening.

It was Mal’s turn to nod. “Alena was always here when I was home. She’d cook and tidy and take care of stuff while I played guitar and wrote songs. It wouldn’t be any different for you. And you’d have the time and space to work on your designs. I bet you couldn’t do that if you have to move back in with your brother.”

Piper couldn’t work out why Mal was being so nice. Just the previous evening he’d been horrible to her, Josh, Seb and Milla, and now this morning he was offering her the opportunity she wanted. It couldn’t just be because he liked her cooking? It would be nice not to have to look for another job and to actually spend the time on the thing she really wanted to be doing. He was also right about the thought of having to move back in with Josh.

“If you’re sure?”

“I’m sure. There’s just one condition…” The mischievous smile was back.

“What’s that?”

“That you make that yummy pasta at least once a week.”

Piper smiled back. “It’s a deal!”

They clinked their mugs together in celebration. A wave of relief washed over Piper—thank goodness he didn’t hate her.