Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Never mind that I won’t see Hudson again until Monday.
That’s beside the point.
Irrelevant.
Still, I can’t resist going to check in on him in the afternoon. I know he’s busy with the Zion Oil and SolarCo merger. A few hours ago, his office was filled with people. Now, though, he’s solo.
I’ve gotten so used to seeing him dressed for the gym that it’s jarring to take in his navy suit and tie. Behind his desk, he’s Mr. Big Shot in all his glory.
“I can come back later if you’re busy.”
His dark eyes track my every step into his office. “Later isn’t any better.”
“Then I’ll just leave this and go.”
I set a coffee on the edge of his desk and am about to step back when he asks, “Why are you still at the office?”
People have been trickling out since noon to take advantage of the holiday. It’s close to 4:00 p.m. now, and the place is all but deserted. I told my mom I was going to try to leave an hour ago.
I can’t meet his eyes for some reason. I look down at my nude heels. “Oh, just ticking off a few last-minute things.” Lingering is more like it… “Are you going to try to leave early?”
He checks his watch. “No later than 6:00. I have to make it over to Red’s Bakery to grab pies for tomorrow.”
I look up, watching intently as he rubs his jaw. My stomach tightens as if it’s my hand doing the touching. I wonder what it would feel like. That scratchy stubble… “I take it the closing went well?”
“Without a hitch.”
My smile is genuine when I congratulate him. “I’m surprised you aren’t celebrating.”
“I will be—with pie.”
I laugh. “Right.”
I rock back on my heels.
“Don’t get soft on me over the weekend.”
Considering there’ll be no training for us because of the holiday…
“Oh please. You’re the one I need to be worried about getting soft.”
“True. I guess you could get in a session with Jasper.”
Jasper. I almost choke.
“Eh…no.” I concentrate on the windows behind him. “No Jasper.”
“Not a boxing guy?”
“Not-my-boyfriend guy.”
When Hudson doesn’t reply, I’m forced to look at him again. I want to know why he’s gone silent. He’s frowning like this news upsets him for some reason. Maybe he’s just confused. I feel compelled to add, “Anymore. And don’t you dare say something crass like Lucky him or I’ll steal back that coffee.”
He leans forward and yanks the mug off the desk like he’s scared I’ll make good on that promise.
“You broken up about it?”
I’m surprised he’s even asking. It’s not like he and I usually have heart-to-hearts. This would be the first.
“The breakup? No. His parting words…eh.” I shrug a shoulder and try to laugh it off. “Let’s just say he gave me a lot to think about.” I say the last part with emphasis so he’ll catch my meaning.
Hudson does his signature scowl. “I don’t want to hear it. It’ll piss me off. No, never mind—tell me.”
I chew on my lip, almost tempted to confide in him, which is wild considering I haven’t told anyone about Jasper’s comment. When I texted my law school friends to tell them the news of the breakup, they were bummed for me until I assured them it was truly for the best. My parents were strangely relieved, my dad especially. I thought they liked Jasper, but when I brought it up to her, my mom said she liked him because I liked him. The same couldn’t be said about my dad.
“Nah. Never liked him.”
To which I laughed. “Dad!”
He shrugged. “Eventually, if you two became serious, I would have told you my true feelings. But until then, I felt like it was best to just let it run its course.”
Nyles has been the only one to try to dig for more intel. He doesn’t buy that Jasper and I just outgrew each other. He thinks there’s something more to it. I’ll have to watch the wine at Thanksgiving tomorrow or I’ll be spilling all the details, the good, the bad, and the ones I haven’t even had the courage to admit to myself yet.
“It’s nothing,” I tell Hudson. “People say dumb stuff during breakups. That’s all.”
He doesn’t say anything; he doesn’t have to. His silence is the best interrogation tool there is, like he knows if he sits there stoically for long enough, eventually I’ll crack like a pistachio, start to sob, and tell him all my deep, dark secrets.
It strikes me, suddenly, how strange it is that I’m here in his office just chatting with him. There was no reason for me to come see him. I didn’t even think to come up with an excuse, and he didn’t ask for one. I don’t know how or exactly when it happened in the nearly two months I’ve been working at Elwood Hoyt, but somehow out of all my options, all 700+ employees, I’ve befriended Hudson Rhodes.