Ashley turned with a bright smile. “Well, don’t you look suspiciously sweet this morning.”
Maddie stepped in, tucking a curl behind her ear. “I brought you some of that rosehip balm you like. For your hands.” She held it out.
Ashley accepted it with a raised brow. “That’s thoughtful. And not at all a distraction tactic.”
Maddie perched on the arm of the chair and gave an innocent smile.
Ashley narrowed her eyes. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing.”
Ashley waited.
“Almost nothing,” Maddie amended. “Well… something. A little something.”
Ashley leaned in with a grin. “Maddie…”
“It wasn’t a kiss,” Maddie blurted. “Not really.”
Ashley clapped her hands once. “I knew it! I saw the way he looked at you yesterday. Like he wanted to tuck you into his coat and never let go.”
Maddie groaned, hiding her face. “Ashley, I’m serious.”
“Oh, I am, too.” Ashley angled toward her, voice low and conspiratorial. “So? What happened?”
Maddie hesitated, then sighed. “We were in the kitchen. Late. He made this drink—egg-flip? I don’t know. It was frothy. And warm. And…”
Ashley’s eyes sparkled. “And?”
“And I had a bit of it on my lip, and he…” Maddie trailed off, cheeks burning. “He wiped it away. With his thumb.”
Ashley gasped with delight. “Scandalous.”
“It wasn’t!” Maddie said quickly. “It was… sweet. But also… something else. I couldn’t breathe properly for a full minute afterward.”
Ashley bit her lip. “Did he lean in?”
Maddie nodded.
“And did you?”
“I wanted to,” Maddie whispered. “So much. But then—Paisley showed up.”
Ashley winced. “The human bucket of cold water.”
Maddie burst into laughter, then sobered. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it. About him.”
Ashley tilted her head. “And you’ve never… kissed anyone? Not even a peck?”
Maddie shook her head.
Ashley softened. “Oh, darling.”
“I don’t want it to be just anyone,” Maddie said quietly. “But with Sebastian… last night I hoped he would. And now I can’t stop wondering what it would be like.”
Ashley leaned forward, her voice warm and a touch wistful. “It’s like… your whole world tilts a little. Like something new unfurls inside you. And if it’s the right person,” she smiled, “you feel it everywhere.”
Maddie pressed a hand to her chest. “Even there?”
