Chapter 6
six
SKYLER
Lee can’t stop laughing as I describe my latest encounter with the man who thinks he rules the island . Which I guess is a good thing, because I expected her to be appalled. To tell me I need to get away from this place before I upset all the rest of the locals.
Instead she makes me describe his expression in full detail as I hear her tapping on her laptop.
“Hudson Fitzgerald,” she says, glee rounding her syllables. “I’ve got him. Ooh, he’s a looker.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“An asshole you practically slept with in your imagination,” she says.
“I didn’t sleep with him. I just refused to back down.”
But Lee is too busy mumbling something to her baby to hear me. Instead she lets out a sigh. “Oh god, that’s so sad.”
“What’s sad?” I ask her. “The fact I practically garroted him with his tie?”
“No, there’s all these photographs of him carrying his daughter and trying to shield her face from the paparazzi in London. God they’re assholes. I’d hate to be famous and live in that country. At least here we all drive around in cars and it’s harder for them to get a picture.” There’s a click. “Ooh, there’s an article about him. He had to fly to London last year to regain custody of his daughter.”
“Custody from who? His wife?”
“No,” Lee murmurs, and I know she’s skim reading. Another of her superpowers. “According to this article, Ayda’s mom died in a car accident shortly after she and his daughter arrived in England. And they weren’t married so it complicated things. Her parents refused to let him have his daughter back after the accident, so he had to fight them through the courts.”
My throat tightens because that is really sad. And also because I feel guilty. The man lost the mother of his child and then lost his daughter and I’ve been calling him an ass. Even if he is, I can feel some sympathy for him.
“She died in a car accident?” I ask.
“Apparently,” Lee says, sounding distracted. I can picture her trying to feed the baby while scrolling through her laptop at the same time as talking to me. She really is a superwoman. And a good girl.
The type of woman that Hudson would probably hold in high esteem. Unlike my messed up self.
“Ooh,” she says, sounding excited. “Wanna know how much his business is worth?”
“Not really,” I tell her, because I’m already feeling inadequate. But then curiosity gets the better of me. “Okay, how much?”
“Fitzgerald Enterprises is made up of a conglomerate of businesses,” Lee intones, like she’s reading off her computer. “Though the exact valuation isn’t known, estimates put the net worth of these enterprises at just over two billion dollars.”
“I bet none of it’s liquid,” I say, trying to make myself feel better.
“Maybe you should ask him what he’ll offer for the bar,” she says. “Make him pay big.”
“I’m going to head to bed,” I tell her, not wanting to think about him getting his hands on this place. “I’m exhausted.”
“Of course you are. All that salty air. Make sure you call me tomorrow.”
She hates when I don’t call. And I’m really terrible at remembering. But then I know if I don’t she’ll call me anyway.
“I’ll try,” I promise. We end the call and I stare at my phone for a moment. Then, in a fit of madness, I open up my incognito browser and type in Hudson Fitzgerald’s name.
Photographs load up slowly. And in each one of them he’s unsmiling, his eyes stormy and piercing.
Like he can see right through the screen to me ogling him.
I touch my lip stud, remembering the way he looked when he stared at it, his eyes the same vibrant color of the ocean.
He’s rich, he’s arrogant, and he doesn’t know how to talk to people without antagonizing them.
So why is my heart beating like it’s about to fly out of my chest?
* * *
HUDSON
“I hear you’ve been making friends with the locals,” Parker says sardonically as I walk downstairs after reading Ayda a bedtime story.
Tonight it felt like I needed to make things up to her. I was an asshole earlier and she got to see the whole thing.
Parker is one of my closest friends – and also a business partner. We met in college during freshman year and for more than a decade he and West Abbott, the third of our triumvirate at college and our other investor, have been the only two non-family members I’d trust with my life.
And right now he’s smiling at me like he’s just won the lottery.
“She isn’t a local,” I say, annoyed that I’m having to think about Skyler Brown again. Because every time I do all I can think about is those lips and that metal stud and all the things I want to do with it.
That’s it, the next time I go to the mainland alone, I’m going to get laid. It’s been a long time and there’s no way I’m getting involved with anybody on Liberty. I’ll call up an old friend, one who knows the score, and fuck this annoyance out of myself.
Then everything can go back to the way I like it. Calm, normal. In control.
“She kind of is,” Autumn says, breezing in. She and Parker have been married for six months.
I’m happy that they’re happy. I’m also annoyed that they got together behind my back.
“Of course she is,” Parker agrees happily, giving me the side eye to watch my reaction. “Her dad was Liberty born and bred, right?”
“Right,” Autumn nods, and I know these two have been talking about this all evening. That’s the problem with living on a small island, the gossip is fucking rife. And my sister thrives on it. “She’s pretty though, isn’t she, Hud?”
I let out a long sigh. “It’s Hudson. And I guess, if you like that kind of thing.”
Her lip curls into a grin. “I do, I really like her. I’m hoping to see a lot more of her.”
“Just be careful,” I say. “You don’t know her.”
“She’s Wayne’s kid. She’s practically family,” Autumn says. “And you should be nicer to her. If you want to buy the bar you’re going to have to win her over.”
“Of course I don’t.” I frown. “I’ll make a good offer.”
“Not everything and everybody can be bought,” Autumn says pointedly, taking a seat on my sofa and kicking her shoes off. She crosses her legs into a yoga pose that tells me this isn’t just a flying visit. She and Parker live in the lighthouse that came with the hotel. She’s worked hard with an architect to make it perfect for them.
I just wish she was there right now, because I have work to do tonight.
“Is there something I can help you with?” I ask pointedly. “Or is this a social visit?”
Her grin widens. She’s used to my mood swings. “Actually, I’m here to talk about Ayda’s birthday party.”
“What birthday party?” I ask. Ayda’s birthday is early next month. But I haven’t arranged a party.
Autumn rolls her eyes. “It’s your daughter’s sixth birthday. It’s a big deal. You can’t treat it like it’s another day.”
“I wasn’t planning on treating it like another day,” I tell her. “I thought we could go to the mainland. Maybe take her out for dinner.”
“She’s six, Hudson, not thirty-six. Where were you planning to take her? To some five star swanky place where she’ll have to behave like she isn’t a kid?”
Truth is, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Maybe I don’t let myself. Having fought so hard to get her back with me, I’ve learned to take each day as it comes. “A party really isn’t a good idea,” I say.
“Why not?” Autumn reaches into the bag next to the sofa and pulls out her tablet. “I’ve already started planning the theme. You know how into Frozen she is. I thought we could use that as the theme. Or maybe go a bit wider and do Princes and Princesses.”
“It’s spring,” I point out. “Almost summer.” As far as I can remember, Frozen takes place in winter.
“Exactly. It means we get to play with decorations and outfits. There’s this company that sends princesses to run the party, with games and gifts and pretty cakes.” She shoves the tablet toward me, but all I see is a sea of pastel blues and pinks. “I called them and paid a deposit.”
“Isn’t there a small problem?” I ask, because I really don’t want to throw a party. I love my daughter more than I love anything in life, but I fucking hate being surrounded by people I don’t know.
“What?” Autumn asks, tipping her head to the side and glaring at me.
“She has no friends to invite,” I point out.
From the corner of my eye I see Parker watching us. He doesn’t step in between us, mostly because he knows that my kid sister usually has me wrapped around her little finger.
“Of course she does,” Autumn counters. “There are kids on the island. And adults too. They’re all her friends.”
“What if she doesn’t want to have a party?” I ask, grasping for straws.
“What kid doesn’t want a party?” Autumn runs her finger over her bottom lip, like she’s cooking something up. “And anyway, aren’t you always the first to tell us we should be treating her like a normal kid? And normal kids have parties, Hudson. With pretty dresses and pink cakes and other kids throwing up because they eat too much sugar.” Autumn’s on a roll now. “So stop being an ass and just say yes.”
I let out a long breath. “Let me run it past Dr. Methi the next time I see him.” I take Ayda to a psychiatrist for therapy on the mainland once a week.
“I already called him,” Autumn says smugly, making me regret putting her on the list of approved people for Dr. Methi “He thinks it’s a great idea. I’ve already ordered the invitations for us to hand out.”
Parker coughs out a laugh, because he knows I’ve lost this battle. And maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t know.
I want Ayda to be happy. I want her to talk again.
“Okay,” I say, already regretting it. “We’ll have a damn party.”
Autumn claps her hands together and grins at me. “Thank you. It’s going to be the best day ever.”