Chapter 28
28
Hudson hadn’t seen much of Nadia over the last week since that day at the hospital, since their almost-but-not-quite kiss. But he understood. Her family had been absent from her life for such a long while that this, her sister turning up and Archie as well as two kids in the mix, was a lot to get her head around.
When there was a knock at the door that evening, he opened it expecting it to be Beau having forgotten his key again. He did it frequently, had done for years. Beau had improved a lot; he was working hard at school, he’d helped a lot at the airbase. Hudson guessed he couldn’t change everything about the kid, and why would he want to?
But it wasn’t Beau, it was Nadia, and he didn’t mind one bit.
A rumble of thunder came in overhead when he answered the door. ‘Come in,’ he said.
‘I don’t want to intrude.’
‘You’re not intruding. Now come in before the heavens open.’
She looked behind him as if to check who was around. ‘Are you sure this is okay?’
‘It’s absolutely fine.’ He took her hand, led her inside. ‘Carys is asleep, Beau is out with a friend. How about a cup of tea?’
‘That sounds good.’
In the kitchen, he put the kettle on and offered her a biscuit from the tin. ‘They’re only the packet sort, I’m afraid, nothing like the ones you make.’
‘Not for me, thanks, I’ve just eaten with Monica and her family.’
‘ Your family,’ he corrected her and got a smile in return. ‘How are they all doing?’
‘They’re doing well.’
‘And is Giles enjoying having a sister?’
‘So far, I think he is. He sees himself as her protector by the sounds of it.’
‘Just like Beau. I kind of love that about him: that he wants to keep watch for his little sister. God help the boys she goes out with one day – he’ll likely have left home by then but knowing him, he’ll be keeping a close eye.’
He set the mugs down on the table once the tea was made and she reached for hers. ‘Beau is well liked at the airbase.’
He knew she wasn’t here to talk about work or about Beau, not directly anyway, but what he’d learned along the way with Nadia was that sometimes, she had to settle into a conversation first before she’d say what was really on her mind.
‘He is; it could’ve gone a very different way. But I’m glad it didn’t. And he is very keen on a career with an air ambulance one day; his passion is growing and I’m over the moon about that. I think Brad talking him through some of the stuff he’s involved with as a critical care paramedic may well have ignited a flame of enthusiasm. The way he talks about his next years in education is a lot different to the moaning he’s done in the past; it’s as though he sees the point of it now. It might not last but…’
‘I really hope it does.’
‘I’ve told Lucinda too. In the interests of joint parenting and keeping each other in the loop.’
‘I’d say that’s wise.’
‘She hoped he’d go into business, the same way she has, that he’d be in charge of a team and work his way to the top. He might still do that, but I didn’t want her to dampen any of his enthusiasm for a possible career doing something else if it came out of the blue.’
‘Do you think she’d do that?’
‘I don’t, not really. But I just need to make sure we’re both on the same page when it comes to the kids.’
‘You’ll always be linked by them.’
‘Yep, and that’s not easy or pleasant sometimes. But it is what it is.’
Nadia had the fingers of one hand looped through the handle of her mug as she shifted it across the table but didn’t lift it up.
‘Okay, out with it: there’s something on your mind.’ He reached for her free hand but she quickly clasped her mug with both hands and his heart sank. ‘I thought things with us were good, that it might even be the start of something. Was I wrong to think that?’
‘You weren’t wrong. But… I’m paranoid about getting in the middle of anything, with your family.’
‘In the middle? You mean with me and Lucinda?’ When she nodded, he reminded her, ‘We’re divorced, happily divorced.’
‘It’s not just Lucinda to consider though, is it? Watching Archie with Giles and Bella today, they’re a little family. So were you four at one time and you still need to be in so many ways.’
‘Believe me, we’re better off apart than we were together. It’s upset things, made them unsteady, especially for Beau, but not in the long run. Staying together for them would’ve been the worst thing we could’ve done. There’s no going back and Beau knows that; it’s why he suggested I start dating.’
‘But did he really mean it? Is he ready for it? I know you, Hudson; you put your kids first and rightly so. I don’t want to be the one to come between you.’
‘Is that why you came: because you think you’re going to be a problem with the kids?’
‘I can’t stop thinking about it.’
They were interrupted by another knock at the door. ‘This will be Beau, I expect.’
Nadia got up. ‘I’ll leave you to it; you’ve got enough on your plate. We can talk another time.’
But Hudson wasn’t going to let her make a dash for it. Instead, he took her by the hand before she sensed what he was going to do and went to open the front door, not the easiest with only one hand free.
‘Forgot my?—’
‘Key, yes, I know.’
‘Hey, Nadia.’ Beau briefly looked at their hands and then closed the door behind him. ‘I’m starving.’ He headed for the kitchen.
Nadia still didn’t seem convinced that this was a good idea.
‘Hudson, I?—’
He stubbornly kept hold of her hand and led them back into the kitchen.
Beau closed the fridge, having given it a scan, and clocked their hands entwined again. ‘Are you two going out somewhere? Want me to look after Carys?’
Hudson let go of Nadia’s hand now he didn’t think she was about to run off and she sat at the table.
‘We’re just catching up; no plans to go out tonight. But I wouldn’t mind taking Nadia for dinner at the weekend if you’re up for a spot of babysitting?’
‘Sure,’ Beau replied, his head in the pantry this time.
‘You sit down,’ Hudson suggested to his son. ‘I can make you an omelette.’ And then to Nadia, ‘He’s a teen; all he sees is what he can grab, not ingredients he can put together to make something halfway nutritious.’
Beau rolled his eyes but thanked his dad. ‘Do we have mushrooms?’
‘We do.’
Hudson didn’t miss Beau’s attempt to grab a cereal bar from the pantry without him noticing.
‘What? This will keep me going. The omelette won’t be instant.’
And Hudson didn’t miss Beau’s cheeky grin towards Nadia either. Maybe Beau, without directly being asked the question, could put a stop to Nadia’s fears. Otherwise she might never go out on a date with him and he so wanted a chance with her.
‘Can I ask you a question?’ Beau said and when Hudson looked round, he realised it hadn’t been directed at him.
‘Go ahead,’ said Nadia.
‘I have to arrange work experience next year. I was wondering, would I be able to come in and do it with The Skylarks?’
Hudson beat the eggs with a fork but rather than a stab of resentment that Beau hadn’t asked him, he listened to his son talk with Nadia about the side of The Skylarks that Hudson wasn’t involved in. He wanted to be out in the field, he said, not just because of the action, but to save lives.
As Hudson prepared an omelette, Nadia answered more questions about the charity. They talked about her nursing degree, her days as a nurse, about the extra qualifications to be a critical care paramedic with the air ambulance, about the experience some of the team had joined up with.
Hudson tilted the pan and let the finished omelette slide onto the plate he’d set in front of his son.
‘I’m sure Brad or Bess or any of The Skylarks would talk to you more,’ said Nadia, comfortable in his son’s company. ‘I’ll look into getting you a week’s work experience. We’ve never had a student in before, but you’ve shown how hard working you are on a voluntary basis. I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.’
As Beau ate, he talked more at the dinner table than he had in a long while and Hudson enjoyed watching the interaction between him and Nadia.
When Beau eventually went off to watch TV, Hudson pulled out a chair. ‘Thanks for that.’
‘For what?’
‘The way you talk to him. It’s nice – it’s like there’s a mutual respect.’
‘He’s earned it.’
‘He has. Now, are you going to tell me why you tried to run off before, just because Beau came home?’
She was far more relaxed. ‘I didn’t want him to be put out that I was here. I mean it when I say I’m worried. What if he didn’t really mean what he said about you dating?’
‘I think he meant it. And now you’ve sat with him, perhaps he’s convinced you too?’
‘I think he might have done.’
‘Well, that’s progress.’
‘I needed to see it for myself. And a few days ago, I saw Lucinda at the supermarket with Conrad. She seemed happy with him. Seeing her with someone else reminded me that life goes on and even though you will always be linked to her, you deserve the same kind of happiness.’
‘Lucinda’s romantic relationships are her business now but I’m glad she seemed happy. She isn’t exactly likely to tell me. She’ll always be the mother of my children; you’re right that we’ll always be linked. But that really is it, I promise you.’
‘I guess I’m worried about making a mess of this… us.’
He got up, looked out of the window. ‘No sign of rain yet; how about we take Beau up on his offer and go for a walk?’
He went in to clear it with Beau, who was fine with the arrangement and his main concern was whether there were any choc ices in the freezer.
‘Plenty, but just one, okay.’
‘I’m not twelve, Dad.’
They left Beau in charge and headed out of the front door, down the garden path and turned left. The moody sky hovered above; another rumble of thunder came. A neighbour called out a hello and urged them to hurry to wherever they were going before they got wet.
‘Feel better?’ he asked Nadia as he took her hand.
‘Better?’
‘Being out of my house. Away from my kids so we can have a moment together.’
‘I do feel better; this was a good idea.’
‘I think so too.’ He loved the feel of her hand in his as they walked, turned the corner which would take them all the way down to the river.
‘Was that…?’ She held out her hand, testing for raindrops.
‘I forgot the umbrella.’
And then there was no doubt about it. Nadia’s question didn’t need an answer because the sprinkling of rain upped its tempo as the clouds gave up on holding it all in.
‘There’s a bus shelter!’ Hudson, with her hand in his, led the way as they began to run. The bus shelter was at the end of the street, with a view overlooking the river and they were a mere fifty or so metres away.
Both of them laughed uncontrollably as they headed for shelter; both of them were absolutely drenched in less than a few minutes.
It took a while to catch their breath once they were under cover.
Nadia squeezed the ends of her blouse, wringing out some of the drips, and did the same with her hair. ‘Well, your neighbour did warn us.’
He laughed. ‘She’ll be looking out of her window later, saying, “I told you so.”’
Never had Nadia looked so beautiful. The rain had made her eye make-up start to run, her hair was so wet, it looked shades darker than its natural blonde, but none of it mattered.
Water dripped from his forearms, his upper lip as he reached out and cradled her face with his hands.
And then they were kissing, like they’d both been waiting for this moment forever, like they should’ve been doing this all along.
He was glad they’d waited, glad he kissed her here, now, in this moment with the beauty of the river in the background, the sound of rain hammering on the bus shelter roof. And they had each other for warmth, huddled together on the bench while the summer storm unleashed and let them all know who was in charge.
When the clouds had passed by, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out once again, they made their way back to Hudson’s, hand in hand, no doubt from either of them that this really was the start of something.