There was so much more he wanted to say, but he had already been a selfish prick for weeks. Probably longer. Now wasn't the time to keep the focus on him. It was time to do something for somebody else for a change.

"Talk to Mick and get back to me. Let me know what we need to do."

Riley was silent for a long moment. "Okay. I'll call him and get back to you. It probably won't be until later tonight. I've got a sound check to do, and I promised Savannah we'd have an actual dinner date before the show, so it will be kind of late when I call. I'm on Central Time. Where are you?"

Matt chuckled. "East Coast, man. I'm pretty close to home. Well, where we grew up."

"Seriously?" Riley cried. "You swore you'd never go back there and now you're..."

Matt knew the instant Riley figured it out.

"Aaron."

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm glad you're there. I think it's the best place for you to be. Maybe now that this nightmare is behind you, you can put some other ghosts to rest."

Doubtful, Matt thought but didn't argue. "Call me tonight. I don't care how late it is. I'll be here."

"Tell Aaron I said hello. Maybe once all this craziness dies down, we can all get together. The tour is going to be doing a stop in Myrtle Beach next month. I know it's not really close by, but my whole family is coming, and it would be great if you and Aaron did too. Maybe you could even come up and play a song or two with me."

The thought made Matt smile. It was exactly what he longed for, but his insecurities were still a little too close to the surface and raw. "Maybe. Let's get through this media circus first."

"Sounds good, Matt. I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, Matt placed it on the table and sighed. He should feel happy. This was what he'd been wishing for-someone else to take over the spotlight so he could have his life back. He just hated that it was Dylan.

He was beginning to think the band was cursed.

He stood up and let the towel that had been wrapped around him drop to the floor. He strode to the closet and grabbed a pair of jeans before walking naked across the room to grab a pair of boxer briefs. Hastily, he threw them both on before walking out to the kitchen. It was lunchtime and he was hungry, but his mind was still reeling from all of the information he'd been given this morning.

With a curse, he pulled open the refrigerator and was looking around for the makings of a sandwich when he heard a soft knock on the back door. He'd locked it last night and hadn't been out there since, but he knew it could only be one person.

Vivienne.

Thirty minutes ago, he had been more than ready to storm across the yard and talk to her. But now? Now he wasn't so sure he was ready.

"Matt?" he heard her call through the door. "Are you there?"

With a sigh of resignation, he closed the refrigerator and walked over to the door. He pulled it open and then turned and walked away. He wasn't ready to look at her. Hell, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to look at himself. He'd meant what he said to Riley only moments ago. He was scum. And selfish.

And he was ashamed of himself.

Vivienne had been right the other night when she'd called him out on his behavior. And it wasn't that he was angry about her being right, but it just meant he really wasn't someone who was particularly likable at the moment.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Matt shrugged, figuring she was referring to their awkward encounter the other night. "I was just about to make a sandwich. You want something?" he asked.

Vivienne closed the door and followed him into the kitchen. "No. Thanks. I'm good."

Unable to help himself, he glanced over his shoulder and looked at her. She was dressed casually in a pair of black yoga pants and a snug, pink T-shirt. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wasn't wearing makeup.

And she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Cursing himself and his thoughts, he returned his attention to the food in the refrigerator. Without a word, he pulled out a package of sliced turkey breast, some cheese, and a jar of mayo. Slamming the door shut, he put the food down on the granite countertop and then grabbed the bread from the pantry. He knew Vivienne was watching him, but he forced himself to stay focused on making his lunch.

Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw Vivienne move closer, taking a seat at the kitchen island. "Matt, I saw a story on the news about Dylan. I...I wasn't sure if you knew or if anyone called you but-"

"I just got off the phone with Riley," he said quietly, putting the finishing touches on his sandwich.

"Oh. Okay."

Matt wasn't sure what else to say. His mind was racing in a dozen different directions, and he had no idea which topic of conversation he was ready to discuss with her-if any-at the moment. When he remained silent, he heard the stool she had been sitting on move. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that she was walking toward the back door.

"Viv?"

She turned back and looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "I just thought you should know. Just in case no one had reached out."

Forgetting all about the small meal he had just put together, Matt walked toward her. Taking one of her hands in his, he led her to the living room, where they sat on the couch. And then, in a move that surprised even him, he completely opened up and shared with her all of his fears for Dylan and how guilty he felt because now this meant the media spotlight was off him.

"That makes me a horrible person, doesn't it?" he asked, his voice gruff.

Vivienne shook her head. "No. It makes you human. Which is what I've been trying to tell you all along."

"Are you sure? Because it pretty much feels like I'm a horrible person."

She chuckled softly. "Again, it just means you're a normal person. You have feelings, Matt, and remorse. If you were as selfish as you seem to think you are, it wouldn't even occur to you to feel bad about being relieved." She playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "There's hope for you yet."

He laughed. A real, honest laugh. "Maybe I should have you write some of my PR stuff-Matty Reed: There's hope for him yet!"

Vivienne laughed with him and then shifted on the sofa to face him. "Okay, all kidding aside, what happens now? It sounds to me like you're completely free to go and resume your normal life-move back to your own place and do your own thing. Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"I'm waiting to hear back from Riley-or Mick. I'm not ready to jump back out there. This is a pretty serious situation, and I don't want it to look like I'm using it as an excuse to get my life back."

"I doubt anyone's going to think that, Matt. But you also have to realize that just because Dylan is in the news, it doesn't mean everyone will have forgotten about you and the show. Are you sure you're going to be able to handle the questions and comments now?"

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But as you pointed out to me, I'm also not going to know by hiding out."

She grimaced. "Look, that was completely insensitive of me. I never should have-"

He stopped her. "Viv, you were right. I guess it's kind of been a while since anyone's just been that blunt with me, and it sort of took me by surprise. I should have addressed the media scrutiny right from the start-maybe then they wouldn't have started with the rumors and speculation. My publicist was doing everything she could to try and make things right and downplay it, but the reality is, I sucked." He shrugged. "Cheryl could only do so much, but the proof was out there. I wasn't good."

"Matt-"

"The press was pretty blunt, I know," he added quickly. "But it was different. I mean, the people around me aren't normally like that. Everyone tries to find a nice way of saying things to soften the blow. Even Mick. He's a hard-ass most of the time, but for all his gruff exterior, he still coddles us in his own way."

He looked at Vivienne and saw she didn't believe him. "It's true."

"If you say so."

They sat for a moment in companionable silence before Matt stood. "I really am hungry," he began, looking toward the kitchen. "I know it's nothing gourmet or blog worthy, but you're welcome to join me for a sandwich."

Standing, Vivienne smiled. "Thanks, but I have some soup simmering next door." She paused. "Why don't you bring your sandwich over and you can try the soup."

"What kind?" he asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"A good one."

He laughed out loud again. "That tells me it's something I'm probably not going to want to try!"

She grinned at him. "Well...some people aren't very adventurous."

"I am very adventurous," he replied, all teasing gone. His voice was gruff, serious, and he heard Vivienne's soft intake of breath.

"I...I meant with food," she said nervously.

Clearing his throat, Matt did his best to sound a little less intense. "I can do that too."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment and then bit her bottom lip before responding. Matt almost groaned because she made even that simple gesture look sexy.

"It's an autumn vegetable soup. It's creamy, so you really don't even see the specific vegetables, and then it's topped with fried prosciutto. It's crispy and makes a wonderful, savory topping."

"Sort of like bacon," he commented and smiled when she nodded, clearly pleased he understood what she was going for. "Okay, I'm game."

"Really?"

Matt continued to smile at her, glad they were seemingly all right with one another. If she was still holding a grudge from the other night, there was no way she would have invited him to join her for lunch. He took this as a good sign.

Walking across the kitchen, he grabbed his sandwich and was about to wrap it up in a napkin, but then threw it in the trash.

"Matt!" Vivienne cried. "Why'd you do that?"

He shrugged. "There was no way I was going to insult your... What did you call it? Your autumn vegetable soup with that poor excuse for a sandwich. It just seemed wrong." He strode toward her and opened the back door. "And I have a feeling you're not just serving soup. I'm sure there's going to be something to go with it."

She blushed. "You don't know that."

He looked at her expectantly.

"Fine. I baked some whole-grain rolls and made a field greens salad with a honey balsamic dressing." Then without another word, she walked out the door and started to make her way across the yard.

Matt hung back for a minute and watched her, unable to help the smile on his face. He was getting to know Vivienne more than he'd ever really known any other woman, and the more he learned and discovered about her, the more he found he genuinely liked her.

And while she may not have been willing to admit it just yet, Matt had a feeling she was starting to like him too.

Why, oh why, had she gone over and talked to him? Vivienne asked herself as she calmly walked across the yard. Why hadn't she just called her brother and had Aaron check on Matt? She knew her initial instinct was to find out if Matt had heard the news about his bandmate and make sure he was all right. But as soon as she'd seen him, every pep talk she'd given herself about keeping her distance had been shot to hell. He'd looked...sad. Lost.

Alone.

She was playing with fire. She knew it, and yet there didn't seem to be a way for her to keep her distance.

Without waiting for Matt to catch up, Vivienne walked into her house and went to work frying up the prosciutto and taking the rolls out of the warming oven.

"What can I do to help?"

She almost screamed when Matt spoke so closely behind her. He was seriously like a ninja because she never even heard him come in. When he chuckled, she glared at him. "What's so funny?"

"You," he said simply. "I've never met anyone who just completely zones out like you do. I think bombs could go off around you and you wouldn't even notice. When you're cooking, it's like you're in your own world."

He had her there-she knew it was exactly what she did. Normally it was just her in the house, so it wasn't a big deal, but if this was going to keep up and they were going to share meals, she was going to have to keep her head in the game and pay more attention to her surroundings.

"I kind of am," she admitted. "I tend to get caught up in what I'm cooking and then looking at it while trying to imagine if it's something I should be taking pictures of or if it's something I can describe with just my words." Looking down at the prosciutto-which was nearing the perfect level of crispiness-she quickly stepped around Matt and reached for her camera. Within seconds, she was clicking away. Then, just as quickly as she had started, she stopped.

"That was it?" he asked. "How many pictures did you take?"

"It only takes a few. But I took about a dozen and I'll look at them after lunch and decide if any of them will work."

Matt shook his head and stepped aside, leaning against the counter to watch her. "So do you ever just, you know, eat?"

Vivienne looked over at him in confusion.

"I mean I know you eat, but do you just ever eat a normal meal? Like a burger or a sandwich? Or is every meal up for consideration for your blog?"

Nodding with understanding, she shut off the burner and moved around to start ladling the soup into bowls. "Oh, I totally just eat. You'll never see my morning cereal on the blog." She grinned at him before adding, "Cheerios."

"Nothing gourmet about that," he said with a chuckle.

"Exactly. Although every once in a while I'll crave something with a little more substance and I've whipped up some truly beautiful omelets." She stopped and winked playfully. "And those did make it onto the blog."

With the efficiency she was known for, Vivienne sprinkled the crispy prosciutto over the soup and then carried the bowls over to the table before turning around to grab the rolls and salad. "There's a small bowl of dressing in the refrigerator. Can you grab it for me?"

Matt did as she requested and joined her at the table.

Vivienne watched him stir the soup around for a minute. "It's totally okay if you don't like it. You look like you are definitely a heartier eater than this. You really should have brought your sandwich over with you."

He immediately stopped stirring and gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm not going to lie to you, soup is not something I tend to gravitate toward, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to like it." He looked down at the bowl. "It's just very...orange."

She laughed. "Well, yeah. What's wrong with orange?"

He shrugged and began stirring again. "It's just not a color I associate with soup. To me it's normally more like a broth or a white, creamy consistency. This is just a little..." He stopped and dropped the spoon again. "It's orange. And it's not something I'm used to."

Deciding not to take offense, Vivienne shifted in her chair and faced him a little more head-on. "Let me ask you something. Do you eat sweet potatoes?"

Matt nodded.

"Do you eat carrots?"