Текст книги "Forever with You"

Автор книги: Laurelin Paige

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Perhaps I was being unfair. “Maybe he really didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He just seemed more elusive than that.” I opened a packet of pink stuff and stirred it into my iced tea.

Mira frowned. “You’re afraid he’s keeping something from you on purpose?”

“No.” Though, I wasn’t quite sure. “I don’t know.”

She shook her head, her hair bobbing against her shoulders with the movement. “I don’t know either. I’m sorry.”

Her apology took me by surprise. “Why are you sorry? You have no reason to be sorry.”

“He’s my brother.” When she realized that didn’t exactly explain anything, she went on. “I feel like I should understand him better, and I don’t.”

“No one does.” Would anyone, ever? Sometimes I thought maybe I would, but really, could I?

“Are you ladies ready to order?” The waiter’s question drew my eyes back to the menu I’d tossed aside. I still hadn’t decided on a meal, having been too preoccupied with chatting.

The waiter saw my hesitancy. “Or would you prefer to wait for your other guest?”

Mira glanced at me. She already knew what she wanted to order. “We’ll wait.”

“Very good.” The waiter left us to attend to his other tables.

I picked up my menu and scanned the lunch items. But my mind was still on the conversation at hand. I lowered the menu and leaned toward Mira. “Here’s the thing—I’m afraid the real reason he won’t tell me what he has planned is that he doesn’t have anything planned.”

“Wouldn’t he just admit that?”

“No.” There was no way Hudson would let me believe he didn’t have complete control over the situation. “He wants me to feel safe.”

Mira beamed. “Of course he does.” There was never any doubt that the girl had faith in her brother. “Laynie, he’ll come up with something. I know it. And whatever it is, he’ll do a good job. He’ll be committed and he’ll go to great lengths. This is probably a horrible comparison, but look how devoted he was to keeping Celia’s secret. All to protect her.”

“He wasn’t protecting Celia.” Jack sat down in the chair between me and Mira. “Sorry, I’m late. Traffic. I didn’t realize you were joining us, Laynie. What a nice surprise!”

Mira spoke before I could give my own greeting. “Are you suggesting Hudson was protecting you? Because that makes me sick.” She roughly handed him her menu.

“Oh, I know what I want,” he said, setting the menu to the side without acknowledging Mira’s hostility. “He was protecting your mother. He didn’t want her to get hurt from my infidelity.”

Mira looked to me. “Still a valid comparison—Hudson will do far more for you than he’d do for Mom.” Again, before I had a chance to speak, she turned back to her father. “And you say that as if it were unreasonable that she would be hurt.”

“It’s unreasonable that he cares.” Jack circled his shoulders, probably trying to release the building tension.

Mira’s jaw tightened—the same way her brother’s tightened when he was upset. “Thank god he didn’t inherit heartlessness from you.”

“No, he inherited that from Sophia.”

Her eyes widened. Leaning forward, she whispered harshly, “Would you just stop?”

My eyes danced from one to the other as they volleyed their attacks. So much for me being a buffer at the meal. Hudson was right—Mira definitely didn’t need one.

Jack set his palms on the table and turned to face his daughter. “Mirabelle, I’m not heartless. You think it’s cruel that I cheated on your mother. It was. It is. I’m not perfect.”

Mira’s eyes filled and I suddenly recognized her anger as pain.

“But you have to understand, sweetie, that Sophia is also culpable. She’s not an easy woman to love.”

Mira dabbed at a stray tear that had spilled over. “And do you love her, Daddy?”

Jack reached over to take Mira’s hand in his. “Yes. I do. Of course, I do.”

“Do you tell her?”

“Every day.”

Mira smiled. But it was brief. She pulled her hand away from his. “Actions speak louder than words, you know.”

I’d been silent, letting the father and daughter say the things they needed to say, while I sat feeling like a voyeur. But I couldn’t let her last comment go by without reacting. “Sometimes.”

Jack and Mira looked at me as if they’d just remembered I was there.

Or maybe they wanted clarification. I wasn’t about to turn the meal into a Hudson-hasn’t-said-he-loves-me conversation, so I simply said, “Sometimes it would be nice to have both.”

The waiter’s return saved me from saying more. Since everyone else knew what they wanted, I went last, settling on a Chef Salad.

“And can I get a Manhattan?” Jack asked before the waiter left.

“For lunch, Dad? Seriously?”

“Hey, I’m not the one with the drinking problem.”

I braced myself for Mira’s reaction. Generally, no one spoke about Sophia’s alcoholism. I wasn’t even sure if Mira acknowledged it or if she was in denial.

Her dark eyes didn’t even flinch. “But you certainly facilitate it.” Apparently, she wasn’t in denial. “Can’t you just have tea? Or water?”

“Oh for the love of Pete. Your mother isn’t even here.” Jack’s eye twitched—another of Hudson’s traits when he was upset. “Is it too tempting for you, my dear? Because it doesn’t look like you’ve touched your water. I’m sure you’d rather have something stronger.”

Mira folded her arms over her belly and huffed. “I don’t care what you drink. I’m not thirsty. I’m saving room for my meal.”

There was finally a break in their bickering, and I searched for a new topic to discuss, but before I could think of one, Jack did.

“Now what is this about Celia and Hudson?”

I cringed at the sound of their names together. Like they were a couple.

Mira’s eyes lit up. “Can I tell him?”

“Oh my god, no.” Though he’d never said so, I had a feeling Hudson preferred to keep his father out of his private life.

Mira had no such barriers. “I’m telling him.” Without waiting for my consent, she told a condensed version of the story I’d told her—Celia following me, the notes in the books, Hudson trying to formulate a plan.

When she finished, I realized I was flushed. All the attention focused on me was embarrassing. “It’s really not a big deal. I was overreacting to bring it up.”

“No, you’re not!”

Jack met my eyes, his expression tight. “Mira’s right. Celia isn’t a threat to take lightly.”

“See that guy over there?” I pointed to a man sitting alone a few tables away. “He’s my new bodyguard. Believe me, we aren’t taking this lightly.” Remembering this new addition to my life renewed my anxiety about the situation.

“Good. Hudson’s taking her seriously. That makes me feel better.”

Jack’s concern wasn’t helping me. “Why?”

He seemed surprised by the question. “I care about you, Laynie.”

I stiffened, afraid of where his declaration was going.

If he noticed, it didn’t stop him. “You’re family now. You’re an important part of Hudson’s life and he—and I—would be devastated if anything happened to you.”

“Thank you, Jack. I really appreciate that.” Of course his affection was innocent. I kicked myself for momentarily thinking otherwise. And his words were an unexpected balm. “I care about you too.” I darted my eyes to Mira. “All of you.” Maybe not Sophia, but that didn’t need to be said aloud.

I swallowed back the lump of emotion in my throat. “What I meant though, is why does Celia worry you? Why does she care so much about hurting me? She acts like a jealous lover. Were she and Hudson together?”

“No way,” Mira said at the same time Jack said, “They were never together.”

“But Hudson’s so secretive. He might not have told either of you. You can’t know for sure.”

“I know for sure. There’s no way he was with her.” It wasn’t the first time Mira had stated her opinion on the matter.

Jack agreed. “He’s been disgusted with her ever since she seduced me.”

Mira scowled. “Seduced you? As if you weren’t part of it.”

“Yes, I was part of it.” Jack grinned devilishly. “But there are very few men who would turn down a naked woman in their bedroom, no matter what their marital status.”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s not unheard of.” Paul Kresh came to mind. I’d been naked in his office once. All it earned me was an arrest.

The waiter delivered Jack’s drink. Mira rolled her eyes but didn’t comment on his beverage choice again.

When the waiter left, she asked, “If Hudson’s so disgusted with Celia, why are they even friends?”

Her question was one I’d asked myself many times over the past few weeks. It never occurred to me that Jack might be the one with the answer.

He took a swallow of his drink and sat back in his chair. “Hudson blames himself for who she is now. He feels a sort of responsibility for her.”

Mira’s forehead twisted in confusion. “I don’t get it. Why would he be responsible for who she is?”

Apparently Mira didn’t know about the true history of Celia and Hudson—how he’d manipulated her into falling for him and then slept with her best friend. It was that betrayal that had driven her to sleep with Jack in the first place. As some sort of revenge.

Jack met my eyes, confirming he knew more than his daughter. “It’s a long complicated story. If you want to know more, you’re going to have to ask Hudson. Or Celia.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Using her spoon, Mira fished out an ice cube from her still full water glass and stuck it in her mouth. Surprisingly, she didn’t pursue the long complicated story further.

While hearing from Jack had been insightful, my one haunting question remained unanswered. “Okay, they’re friends and he’s supported her and he’s never been into her and she knows that—so why is she after us?”

Jack sighed. “Beats me. It’s probably another one of her games. She’s fond of them, you know. And she’s good at them. I put nothing past her. She’s a calculating, conniving woman, and she hates to lose.”

“Great.” I rubbed my hand across my forehead, trying to ease the headache that was quickly approaching. “How the hell are you supposed to get out of her grasp?”

“Let her think she’s won.”

Our meals arrived then, and the conversation turned lighter to talk of Mira’s baby and her decision to not find out whether she was having a boy or a girl and what colors she was planning for the nursery. Despite the earlier tension between her and Jack, they settled into an easy groove, and I found myself more relaxed than I’d been in days. Lunch with the two was just what I’d needed.

When we were finished, Mira talked us into crème brûlée and coffee. We lingered over our dessert, enjoying each other’s company. Finally, she shoved away her plate. “God, I’m stuffed. And I have to go to the bathroom. Again.”

I’d gone with her the first time, but now I chose to stay behind, eager to get a few private words in with Jack. This would probably be my only opportunity, after all.

When Mira was out of earshot, I dove in. “Jack, I have a personal question for you, if you don’t mind.”

“About six and a half inches. But it’s not size that matters; it’s what you do with it.” Hudson’s dirty sense of humor obviously came from his father.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious.”

He looked as if he might be preparing a comeback, but perhaps the glare on my face changed his mind. “Okay. Shoot.”

“Sophia once told me that Hudson was a sociopath. Do you believe that too?” It was blunt perhaps, but I knew Mira would be back soon, and I didn’t know how honest Jack would be with her around.

“Sophia’s still claiming that bullshit?” Jack shook his head, his expression a combination of disgust and exhaustion. “One psychiatrist suggested it one time a handful of years ago. Hudson’s never been clinically diagnosed as such, and no, I don’t believe it. That boy cares. A lot. He just isn’t always able to express it. Blame that on Sophia too.”

I let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. No matter what Jack’s answer, I already knew what Hudson was and wasn’t. But hearing the details of Sophia’s claim—and knowing his father didn’t agree—was a relief.

But his words brought up another question, one that had plagued me from the moment I’d met Hudson’s mother. “Why do you blame Sophia for his lack of expression? I don’t think you mean just her drinking. What did she do to him?”

“Well, if I’m going to explain that then you’re going to realize that I’m to blame too.”

“I can handle that.”

“But can I?” Jack considered a moment. Then he sighed. “Sophia wasn’t always hard like she is now. When I married her she was refined and serious, but she could be fun. But then I started building Pierce Industries. I didn’t have the money that Sophia came from. Her parents were convinced that she married beneath her. I wanted to prove them wrong, prove that I could be the man she should have married.”

“And you did.” Though Hudson had taken Pierce Industries to the top, it had been Jack that had built a solid foundation.

“I did. And Sophia wanted that too. But she hadn’t expected how lonely it could be, being married to a man who was married to his work. She decided I was cheating long before I ever did.”

His eyes glossed with sadness, or perhaps regret. “Not being around—that was my mistake. Her loneliness drove her to drinking. Alcohol made her more closed off. So it became a cycle—I wasn’t around because of work and when I was around, I didn’t want to be because my wife was a coldhearted bitch. I’d throw myself more into work, just to avoid her.”

I hid my smile. If I’d had to live with Sophia, I’d have done the same thing.

Reading my mind, Jack winked, but his somber tone remained. “Eventually, she realized the one person I would come home for was Hudson. He was my son. My firstborn. I made time for him whenever I could.” Jack’s eyes beamed with a love that only existed between a father and his child.

It made my heart soar—I really did love this man who loved my man as much as I did.

Jack swirled his finger around the rim of his coffee cup. “Sophia used my son to get to me. She dangled him in front of me to get my attention and pulled him from me just as quickly. Hudson was always a smart kid. He learned pretty early on that his mother used him as bait. Poor guy got caught in the middle of so many games. It’s no wonder he became good at them himself.”

My chest ached, picturing Hudson as a little boy, only wanting to be loved by his parents, instead being used as a pawn. “Was it the same with Mira?”

“No. Hudson had already become Sophia’s rival by the time Mira came along. Sometimes I think he fought his mother just to keep his sister out of her focus.” This idea seemed to make Jack proud. “Now does that sound like the actions of a sociopath?”

“No. It doesn’t. But I already knew he wasn’t. He has too much love in him.” Or was I just fooling myself? If he really loved me, why couldn’t he say it?

I felt a presence come up behind me, and I turned, expecting to see Mira.

“What the fuck are you doing here with her?”

It wasn’t Jack’s daughter.

It was his wife.

Chapter Eight

Sophia’s fingers clutched the back of my chair. “Celia wasn’t enough? Now you have to steal this one from Hudson too?” Her voice was too loud, and people nearby were already starting to murmur.

Jack’s face said he was as surprised by his wife’s presence as I was. “Sophia. What are you doing here?”

“Spying on you, osbiviously.” She meant obviously, but her words were slurred and hard to understand. I’d never seen her that way. Never seen her that intoxicated.

“You’re drunk.”

“That’s illeverant. Irreverant.” Sophia slumped into Mira’s empty seat. “That doesn’t matter.”

“How did you even know to come looking for me here?”

Sophia smirked. “Mira. She told me she was having lunch with you. I decided to come to the lie. To see the lies. To hear your lies about me this time. Now the whole thing is a lie. You got your daughter covering for your cheating ass as well?”

“Mom?” This time the person behind me was who I was expecting.

Sophia reached for her daughter’s hand with both of hers. “Mira! Look who I found your father with now. Hudson’s new girl.”

Mira glanced around at the onlookers as she patted her mother’s hand. “Mom, Dad’s not with Alayna. He’s with me. I told you I’d be here. I was the one who invited Alayna.” She spoke to Sophia like she was a child.

Memories of helping my own drunken father swam to the surface of my mind. Public situations were the worst. At home, Dad could scream and cry and make a fool of himself. We’d let him pass out in his mess and clean him up later. When there were others around, we had to be responsible and hope he wouldn’t be completely humiliating.

Mira’s expression said she was hoping pretty damn hard for the same.

“You invited this whore?”

Too late—Sophia had already crossed to embarrassing. Though her attacks on me were fairly routine.

“I did invite her. I didn’t invite you. Why are you here?” Mira waited only a second before going on. “Never mind. Mom, you’re drunk. We need to get you home. Did you take a cab to get here?”

“No.”

“How did you get here?” Mira signaled to the waiter to bring our bill. It was admirable how take-charge she was. I guessed it was a role she was used to.

“Frank?” Sophia paused as if not sure that was the right answer. “Yes, Frank’s outside somewhere.”

“I’ll call him.” Jack was already pulling out his phone.

Mira bent down to her mother. “I’m going to walk you to the curb, okay?”

Jack stood. “No, Mira. Let me. Frank?” he spoke into his cell. “Sophia and I are ready to go home. Fine. We’ll be out there.” He pocketed his phone then moved to help Sophia stand.

“Did you drive yourself, Daddy?” Mira’s words were mundane, but her eyes were filled with gratitude.

“Yeah, my car’s with the valet.”

Sophia fell against Jack. She was passing out.

Mira gently slapped her mother’s face. “Mom, you’re almost there. Hang on ‘til you get to the car.” When Sophia roused, Mira said to Jack, “I took a cab. I’ll drive your car home for you.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a valet ticket. “Thank you, babydoll.”

Mira took the ticket and nodded. Then she collapsed in her chair.

I watched as Jack led Sophia out of the restaurant. There was love in the kind way he held her up, the way he supported her journey.

When I turned back to Mira, I found she was crying.

“Don’t mind me.” She waved at her face as if she could fan away her tears. “I cry at everything these days.”

“I think this was a valid thing to cry over.” I shifted in my chair. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable with Mira’s emotion, but I wished I knew how to soothe her. The best I could come up with was putting a hand on her knee.

“Why? I should be used to this by now, shouldn’t I?”

I didn’t say anything. I knew she didn’t really want an answer—she wanted someone to listen. As for myself, I’d never gotten used to it. But Mira was older than I was when my father died. I probably would have expected to be used to it by then too.

Mira looked out toward the restaurant entrance. Even though her parents were long gone, I knew she was picturing them there. “I just keep thinking, this is going to be the grandma to my baby. Do I want my child to be exposed to this?”

God, I’d never thought about that. If Hudson and I had a kid…

I shook the thought off. “I can’t imagine what that must be like. I do know how hard it is to have an alcoholic parent—how embarrassing it is. Has she ever been to rehab?”

“No.” She laughed, like it was an inside joke of some kind. “She won’t even talk about it.”

“Have you forced her to talk about it? Like an intervention? I’m not saying they’re fun, or easy, but they can work. I’ve seen them work firsthand, actually.”

“With your father?”

“No. No one ever staged an intervention for him. I regret it often. I wonder if things would be different if…” How many times had I wondered if my mother could have changed something? If his boss and his friends and Brian and I and our mother had sat him down and demanded change. Could that have saved his life? Saved my mother’s life?

I’d never know the answer. “Anyway. That’s the past. But I was talking about me.” I cleared my throat, surprised that I was sharing something so personal with someone I admired. “I had an intervention pulled on me.”

“What? When? For drinking?” My confession seemed to shock Mira out of crying.

“For obsessing over relationships, actually. I didn’t have many people in my life that cared for me at the time, but I’d gotten arrested, and—”

“Wait a minute—for obsessing?”

I watched my hands wringing in my lap. “For stalking.” I peeked up to see Mira open-mouthed. “I know. Embarrassing.” I swallowed my humiliation and focused on the goal of sharing my story. “Anyway, my brother and a couple of friends I had back then that have since all abandoned me because I was a total shit to each and every one of them, well, they sat me down and convinced me to seek help. Honestly, I only went because if I didn’t agree, it would have been jail time. But having them gathered like that—hearing that people cared what I did and what happened to me—it meant a lot.”

Mira put a hand to her mouth. “Alayna, I didn’t know.” Her eyes glistened still from her tears, but I could see something else as well—not disgust, like I would have expected, but compassion. “You’ve hinted at a rocky past, but…I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t. Why would you?”

“I guess I wouldn’t.”

“My point in telling you is that I’ve learned through all my therapy that most addictions are really just a cry for love. And the crazy thing is that the more you’re addicted to something, the harder it is to look up and see all the love there is around you. For the one outside, it can be tough to break through. But sometimes you can break through. As long as you’re willing to try.”

I watched the wheels turn in Mira’s head as she processed all I’d said. But she didn’t say anything else. And then the waiter was there, telling us that Jack had paid for our bill on the way out, and our lunch was over.

“Monday for your fitting?” Mira asked as we parted.

“Yep. I’m looking forward to it.”

I pulled out my phone, ready to text for my ride when I saw Jordan waiting for me across the lobby. With my bodyguard in tow, I walked to meet my driver. “Jordan, is there something wrong?”

“Not exactly, Ms. Withers. But I wanted to warn you that Ms. Werner is outside. She’s been here throughout your lunch.”

“Fuck.” So much for thinking bodyguards and Pierce family members would protect me from Celia. “What is she doing?”

“Nothing. Sitting on a bench down the street is all. She even waved at me.”

“Yeah, she’s a very friendly stalker, isn’t she?” I chewed on my lip, thinking. “Did you tell Hudson?”

“I texted him, yes.”

“Would you take me to him?”

“Of course.”

Maybe Hudson would share his plans for my stalker now. I just hoped he actually had something in the works.

* * *

My new bodyguard, Reynold—who was only mildly attractive—insisted on coming with me into the Pierce Industries building. Having only had him around one morning, I hadn’t yet gotten used to always having a shadow. Fortunately, Reynold was good at his job. He tailed me inconspicuously and made it easy for me to forget he was even there.

Reynold stayed in the lobby while I took the elevator up to Hudson’s floor. As soon as I saw his secretary, I realized I hadn’t called or texted ahead of time. I had a feeling my unannounced visits irritated her, but Hudson had never claimed to mind so I smiled and pretended my presence was no big

deal. “Hi, Trish. Could I possibly stick my head in to chat with Hudson for just a minute?”

Trish returned my smile. “I’m sorry, Ms. Withers, but Mr. Pierce isn’t back from his lunch date.” She seemed a little too happy to really be apologetic.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was after two. Still at lunch? “Oh. Okay. Thanks.”

Disappointed, I pushed the elevator call button to go back down. While I waited for it to arrive, I pulled out my phone and texted Hudson that I’d stopped by.

I had just pushed send when the elevator doors opened. Standing there was Hudson. With Norma Anders.

Immediately I tensed. They were the only two people in the elevator—was that who Hudson had been on a lunch date with so late in the afternoon?

“Alayna. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Hudson didn’t seem put off by my presence, at least.

“I almost missed you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. Come with me into my office.” He began to usher me toward his door. Then he stopped. “Norma—”

She cut him off. “I’ll email you.”

Hudson nodded. “Good. Thank you.”

Norma took off down the hallway, I guessed to her own office. I hadn’t realized she shared a floor with Hudson. I’d never thought about it, really, but now that I did, it bothered me how close they worked together.

Once the door was shut behind us, Hudson put his hands on my upper arms. “Why are you here? Did something happen?”

The original reason I’d come to see him seemed like nothing compared to how I now felt at the sight of him and Norma together. My blood was boiling and my stomach was knit tight. “I don’t know—did something happen?” Jealous accusations had always been one of my fortes.

Hudson leaned back, confusion on his face. “What do you mean?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, hoping I’d sound less bitchy if I was in his arms. Also, I was sniffing for women’s perfume. “Let me rephrase—was Norma your lunch date?” The only scent I came up with was the usual Hudson smell that tended to set my pheromones on overdrive.

“More like lunch meeting, but yes.”

I’d hoped the evidence had been misleading. “Did you dine with her alone?”

Hudson withdrew from my embrace and pinned me with a stern stare. “Alayna, keep this up and I’m going to have to put you over my knee. Except I know how much you like that.” He bopped my nose with his finger and headed toward his desk.

His patronizing attitude made me all the more infuriated. “I don’t like that you had lunch with her. Alone.”

He shuffled some papers, his attention obviously elsewhere. “Well, I don’t like who you had lunch with either, so we’re even.” Before I could react, he looked up at me. “And no, that’s not why I had lunch with her. It was business. We’re working on a deal and we needed to hammer out details.”

Of course it was business. Did I have any reason in the world to think otherwise?

I didn’t.

I still didn’t like it.

I walked over to the other side of his desk. Memories of our last encounter here helped take the edge off my emotions, leaving me sounding less accusatory but whinier. “Did you have to do it in a social setting?”

Whinier seemed to work in my favor. Hudson’s eyes softened, though his tone was still straightforward and aloof. “I chose a lunch meeting with you in mind, Alayna. Would you rather that we’d stayed in my office with the doors closed and no one around?”

With the lingering images of the things I’d done with Hudson in his office behind closed doors, the question made me a bit ill. I slumped into an armchair. “You are not helping the situation.”

Hudson sat across from me. “You know that Norma is one of my key employees. My business frequently requires me to interact with her. In person. Sometimes, we’re alone.”

The explanation of his working relationship with Norma made sense. And sounded familiar. I decided to suggest a one-size-fits all solution. “Maybe you could transfer her.”

“With what reason?”

“The same reason you transferred David.” It was the exact same deal, after all. In reverse.

Hudson pinched the bridge of his nose. “While I understand your comparison of the situations, I’m not transferring Norma.”

I stood with a shriek of frustration. “This is really unfair you know.” I paced as I spoke. “I can’t work with someone you don’t trust but you can work with someone I don’t trust? And since you’re the big business owner in this situation, you were able to just take care of things with David, transfer him, and if he refused, fire him. What can I do? Nothing. I’m helpless.” I paused my walking and shook a finger at him. “Norma has a big fat crush on you, Hudson. I can see in her eyes that she’s not afraid to make a move.”

Hudson jiggled his mouse and focused on his computer screen. “She is quite aware that I don’t return her feelings.”

“How does she…?” The only way she’d know that was if he’d told her and the only reason he’d tell her…“Has she already made a move?”

“Alayna, this conversation is going nowhere. I have appointments—”

“Hudson!”

With a deep sigh, he leaned back in his chair and met my eyes. “She’s told me that she wishes there were more between us. If that counts as making a move, then yes, she’s made a move. But, as I’ve said, I’m not interested. And she knows it.”

I gritted my teeth to insure my next words didn’t come out in a scream. “Can you explain how this is different than me working with David?”

He blinked. Twice. “I can’t. You’re right. It’s not different.”

“But that’s all I get? You won’t change it?” It wasn’t going to be much of a victory if he answered the way I suspected he would.

“I can’t lose Norma. She’s too valuable to my company.”

And that was what I’d expected he’d say.

I leaned on the back of the armchair. There was nothing to say. Nothing I could say. He agreed with my point but was unwilling to do anything about it. Now we were at an impasse. Our eyes locked on each other as we each silently refused to back down.

After several long seconds, Hudson swore under his breath and looked away. When he turned back, he asked, “Do you want David to stay?”

My heart flipped in my chest. “Would you let him if I said yes?”

His eye twitched. “If that’s the only way to make this right, then I would.”

A thrill of happiness ran through me.

Until I remembered all the reasons why David staying wasn’t a good idea.

“Dammit, Hudson.” I couldn’t believe I was actually going to say what I was going to say next. “No. I don’t want David to stay anymore.” I refused to meet Hudson’s eyes. “It wouldn’t be good for him. He’s…he’s in love with me.”

“I know.”

I already knew Hudson knew. It was me that was just now admitting it.

I turned away from the desk and plopped myself down on his couch. Hudson came and sat down next to me. I rubbed my hand across his cheek. “Thank you for offering, though. I know that wasn’t easy for you.”

“No. It wasn’t.” He ran his fingers up and down my arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake. “But it would be worth it to make you happy.”