Chapter 28
twenty-eight
SKYLER
“Well hello stranger,” a husky female voice calls out to me as I drink my morning coffee on the deck a few weeks later. I’m sitting on one of the white-painted chairs that Autumn insisted would work perfectly with the vibe she was trying to create in the bar. Of course, she was right.
Which is why I’m smiling at her as she, Ayda, and Barney the dog walk toward me.
“Hi.” I sit up. “Want a coffee?”
“Just had one.” Autumn takes a seat beside me and Barney lays down at her feet. Ayda walks over to me and pulls at my sleeve.
“What is it, sweetie?” I ask her. The other day, when I was on the phone with Hudson, he explained that Ayda’s speech therapist thinks there’s been some improvement. He’s even hopeful that a breakthrough might be imminent.
But right now she’s still making gestures and I recognize this one. She wants to color. I jump up, excited, remembering the princess coloring book and new crayons I bought and stashed in the drawer behind the bar.
A minute later she’s kneeling on a chair at the table next to ours, Barney guarding her, as she chooses between a dark red and a bright pink crayon to color in the first dress.
I sit down and swallow my last mouthful of coffee. In the distance I can see the ferry. Both day visitors and those staying longer are getting more common now that the warmer weather is finally here. I’ve had to add on extra shifts for our staff to keep up with demand.
Last week, thanks to a bout of flu that seems to be going around the island and made most of my staff ill, I had to cancel my date night with Hudson. Grumpy didn’t even cover his response. I was still smirking about it later that night when I was pouring a gin and tonic, only to find him behind the bar next to me, helping me serve customers.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered. “I thought we weren’t telling people yet.” He’d only just met with Dr. Methi, who’d suggested that I have a session with him before he helped Hudson work out a plan to get Ayda used to having me around. I’m happy with that, I’m in no rush.
Hudson, though, is in a constant rush. “I’m spending time with you,” he’d huffed, completely annihilating a pint of lager as he tried to pour it from the tap.
“Go sit down. I’ll be over when I take my break.” I gave him the glass that was more foam than beer. “And drink this, nobody else will.”
I pull my mind away from that memory and try to concentrate on Autumn, who’s looking at me like she’s trying to work something out.
Before she can say anything she sneezes, only just getting a tissue out in time. “Oh God, I’m sorry.” She shakes her head. “I swear I thought I was over this thing.”
“You had the flu too?”
“Hasn’t everybody?”
She’s not far off. Most people have. Mylene had to close the coffee shop for a few days last week, and Eileen battled through because she had guests. Jesse says he had it but not badly, and I’ve seemed to have somehow escaped it altogether. I credit my off-island genes for keeping me safe.
“So anyway,” Autumn continues. “I would have come over last week but I didn’t want to spread anything.” She reaches out to trace a bead of morning dew on the tabletop. “So how was your trip to the mainland the other week?”
I lift a brow. “Good.”
“You manage to get that contract with Jesse sorted?”
“Uhuh.” I nod, my eyes narrowing. She never makes small talk. “We both signed it this week.” I also had to ask Hudson to sign the disclaimer my now-lawyer sent over. I gave him a blow job to soothe the pain of it, though.
“That’s good. I was going to ask your opinion. Something really weird happened when you were away.” She gets her phone out, and I’m actually intrigued. Her eyelashes bat as she looks up at me. “Did you know Hudson was over in the mainland too. The same day you were?”
“No,” I say too quickly.
She gives me a smile. “Of course you wouldn’t have. He was in New York and you were in…”
She waits for me to fill in her sentence but I don’t. Because I know where this is going and it’s nowhere good.
“So what was weird?” I ask, unable to keep my curiosity from escaping.
“When we were on Facetime I saw a pair of women’s shoes on the floor in his hotel living room.” She clears her throat. “Really pretty shoes, too. Do you think he’s seeing somebody?”
I let out a breath. “How would I know?”
“I think you know how you’d know,” Autumn says.
“Maybe you were mistaken. Could they have been an ornament? Or left by a previous guest?” I suggest, trying not to smile at the way she’s glaring at me. God, she looks like her brother sometimes.
“I took a screenshot,” she says triumphantly, holding her phone up. She zooms in on my shoes – because there’s no doubt that’s what they are. “They look kind of seventies, don’t they?”
“Hmm.” I pull my eyes away.
She puts her phone back down. “So, how long have you been sleeping with my brother?” she whispers.
I look over at Ayda, alarmed, but she’s way too busy coloring to listen.
I point at her anyway. I’m not a bad person, but I’ll use her to try to get out of this conversation.
But then Autumn grabs my hand and drags me up. “Come over here,” she mutters, practically yanking me across the deck to the railing that separates the bar from the little strip of land that leads down to the beach. I don’t fight her too hard. This is Hudson’s fault. He should have hidden my damn shoes.
“So?” she asks, folding her arms across her chest.
“Have you asked your brother that question?” I say.
She rolls her eyes. “Of course I haven’t. Would you?”
I smile. “Probably not.”
“ Are you sleeping with him?” she asks again.
“Yes.” I’m not going to lie to her. And I trust her enough that this will stay between us. And if Hudson’s angry that I confirmed it, well let him be. This is absolutely his doing.
“Oh.” She blinks. “I didn’t think you’d capitulate that quickly.”
“Have I spoiled your plans?” I ask.
A smile pulls at her lips despite her attempts to look angry. “Kinda. I was hoping for a bit more back and forth. I’m not above resorting to blackmail.”
“Sorry.” I lean on the railing, feeling the breeze lift my hair. God, I love this place so much.
“So?” she asks, sounding urgent again. “When did it start?”
“I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “I guess at Ayda’s party.”
Her eyes widen. “You were the woman in his office that Parker disturbed?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I was.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this from me. I thought we were friends.”
“We are,” I tell her. She looks genuinely upset. I take her hand and squeeze it. “You were always going to be the first to know as soon as we were ready.”
“I was?” she asks, sounding mollified. “Good.” She clears her throat again, like the frog in it refuses to leave. “What exactly do you mean by ready?”
My heart rate picks up. “I think we’re going to start dating out in the open soon.”
Her eyes widen. “Hudson said that?”
“Yes. He wants me to meet with Dr. Methi. For us to discuss telling Ayda.”
“Oh my God!” Autumn starts to jump up and down. Her excitement is so loud it causes Barney to bark. Ayda looks up at us, her brows pulled tight. “Nothing, honey!” Autumn calls out. Then she lowers her voice. “Oh my God,” she whispers it this time. “We’re going to be sisters.”
“It’s just dating,” I whisper back. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“I’m not,” she insists. “Do you know how many times Hudson has asked somebody to meet Dr. Methi to discuss his relationship with them?”
I shake my head.
“Me either. Because it’s never happened.” She takes my hand and dances around with me. “Face it, it’s more serious than dating. He wouldn’t want you to talk to Dr. Methi about that. He’s into you. Really into you. He’s bound to propose in no time.”
I roll my eyes at her again, because seriously, this is too much. But there’s a warm feeling in my stomach that I can’t ignore.
Would it really be so bad if Hudson proposed? For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere. With people I’m falling stupidly in love with. Not just Hudson but Autumn and Ayda and Jesse.
No, I don’t think it would be that bad. And that’s really damn scary to me.
* * *
“So you’re Skyler Brown,” Dr. Methi says as he leads me into his office. “Please take a seat.” He points at the sofa, so I take a seat on the warm leather cushions. He sits down in the armchair opposite. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Thank you.” I have a headache, which is annoying since I want to be present for this meeting. I’m hoping it’s a result of working long hours and not me catching the flu that’s still been working its way through Liberty. I don’t have time for it, not when half my staff are out with it.
Autumn and Jesse are running the bar for me again today. Though I guess Jesse is running it for himself now that the bar is half his. But I’m still grateful for them both.
Of course Autumn insists that family helps family. Even though we’re nowhere near that.
“I hope the things you’ve heard about me are good,” I say to Dr. Methi. “Because otherwise it’s all lies.”
He laughs gently. “If it helps, I kind of knew you existed before Hudson admitted it to himself.”
I blink, surprised. “How so?”
“He was behaving differently. More angry, if anything. And nothing makes Hudson Fitzgerald angrier than losing control of a situation. Or a person. Especially himself.”
“You think he lost control over me?” I hate that it makes me feel warm. Because I think I lost control too, but in a whole different way.
“Absolutely. You wouldn’t be sitting here if he hadn’t. He’s a man who doesn’t trust easily. But once you’re in his circle…” the doctor trails off. “Anyway, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Why don’t we take a step back?”
“Okay.” I nod.
He looks me in the eye. “I thought it would make sense for us to talk one on one so I can best advise Hudson how to deal with Ayda and your relationship. Before we start, I guess I should make sure you’re on the same page as him.”
My throat feels scratchy. “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want this.”
He smiles. “I’m glad to hear that. Because I have to tell you I’ve never seen Hudson as animated as he’s been in the last few weeks.”
“Is that good?” I clarify.
“Mostly. When he stopped fighting himself. So you’re new to the island, right?”
“I am, but my father grew up there. He left but kept going back. He owned a bar that he left to me. I came to the island once he passed and found I’d fallen in love with it. And the people.”
For the next forty minutes Dr. Methi listens to me, asking questions, giving prompts, until my whole life appears laid out before him. He doesn’t look shocked when I tell him about my dad’s illness, about discovering Jesse is my brother, about how Hudson and I butted heads until we were both sore from it.
“And you’ve never had a serious relationship before?” he asks.
I pull my lip between my teeth, feeling suddenly embarrassed. “Not really.” I’ve dated, I even lived with a guy for six weeks once, before he very calmly told me that his girlfriend – the one I didn’t know existed – was coming home and it was time for me to move out.
But I’ve never had somebody ask me to be in a relationship.
“Why is that do you think?” Dr. Methi asks.
“Maybe I’m not relationship material,” I say. My throat feels tight.
“Hudson seems to think you are.”
“For now.”
Dr. Methi blinks. “Why do you say it like that?” he asks. “What does ‘for now’ mean?”
I take a deep breath. I feel weirdly dizzy. “I’m well known in my family for messing things up then running away,” I confess, because as embarrassing as this is, I can’t lie to this man. Not when he wants to make sure what is decided is in Ayda’s best interest. She really is the priority here, after all.
“Tell me about a time that happened.”
I do, I tell him about dropping out of college. How furious my mom was, how I used the money I’d saved over the years to pay for a one-way ticket to Europe.
“That doesn’t sound much like messing up,” the doctor says gently. “It sounds like a young person trying to find themselves.”
“Well it took me a long time,” I say and he laughs.
“I think you just hit the nail on the head,” he tells me. “It takes as long as it takes. We have this weird view in the developed world that unless you follow the same path your parents and grandparents followed that somehow you’re not worthy. Do well at school, go to college, get a job, get married, and have kids.” He lifts a brow. “But there’s only a small minority of people that actually thrive in that environment. That’s why there are so many dropouts, so many divorces, so many messed up kids.”
“My mom and my sister seem to have it under control,” I tell him. “It’s just me. My mom thinks I have my dad’s blood.”
He tips his head to the side. “What do you think?”
His question takes me by surprise. What do I think? I mull on it for a moment, trying to get the thoughts straight in my head.
“I think that I wouldn’t have wanted to live my life any other way,” I say. “I don’t like doing what I’m told. I don’t like having to conform. And I hate being judged for that.”
His smile is wide. “Good. That’s what I was hoping you were going to say. Hudson is…” He looks like he’s trying to choose his words carefully. “He’s a man who needs to be challenged.”
“He hates being challenged.”
“But he needs it,” Dr. Methi repeats. “I know he’d hate for me to say it, but he’s not always right. Very few people are willing to point that out to him.”
“I like his certainty.”
“And he likes you challenging it,” Dr. Methi says softly.
“He does?”
He lifts a brow. “He’s asked you to be in a relationship with him. It’s not something a man like him does easily. I have a feeling he likes you very much.” He steeples his fingers together, still looking at me. “And I also think that you would be good for Ayda. Hudson tells me that you two already know each other.”
“I met her on my first day on Liberty,” I say.
“And you understand her issues?”
“I’m starting to. I’d like to learn more.”
He nods. “That’s what I was hoping for. It’s not easy having a child with issues like Ayda. Especially not in a new relationship.”
“I know.” I nod. “And I think that’s what I’m worried about. I don’t want to be another reason she’s traumatized.”
“And that’s why you won’t be. Because you care. She’s been pulled a hundred different ways in her short lifetime, and it’s going to take a period of stability for her to come to terms with all she’s had to deal with. She also needs to spread her wings.” He smiles at me. “Something Hudson struggles with a lot. I have a feeling you’ll help him with that.”
“I want to,” I say.
“Good.” He looks up at the clock. “We’re coming to the end of our session. But I’d like to see you again soon. With Hudson and Ayda. I think it would be good to have a joint session.”
“Should we wait until then before we start publicly seeing each other?” I ask.
“There’s no reason why Hudson can’t speak with his daughter before then. And gently introduce you into her life as more than a friend.” He stands up, holding his hand out to me. “I absolutely think this could be a good thing for all of you. Just take baby steps. Use your instincts. And I’m always a phone call away.”
His words fill me with warmth. I stand up, ready to shake his hand, but the sudden movement causes a rush of dizziness to wash over me. I stumble to the left, and Dr. Methi lunges to catch me before I fall onto his perfectly arranged coffee table. His arms are around me as he slowly moves me back to the sofa, setting me down.
I hate being dizzy. I hate the way it makes my stomach twist. “I’m so sorry,” I tell him. “And thank you for catching me.”
“Are you feeling okay?” he looks concerned. “Have you eaten today?”
“I wasn’t hungry,” I tell him. “But I’ll grab some lunch before I catch the ferry back.”
He still doesn’t look happy. “Have you been feeling sick?”
“Not really,” I tell him. “There’s been some flu going around the island but I thought I’d escaped it.”
He walks over to his desk and grabs a pad, scribbling something on it. “Here,” he says, ripping the top page off and handing it to me. “Stop by my secretary and she can give you the information for the lab and how to schedule. Just to rule out any other possible symptoms.” I raise a brow. “If you’re going to be part of Ayda’s life it’s absolutely paramount that you take care of your own health.”
“Of course.” I nod, my cheeks pinking up as I slide the paper into my pocket. “Thank you.” I’m already feeling better, more steady as I stand.
“No problem. It was a pleasure to meet you, Skyler. I hope to see a lot more of you.”
This time when I shake his hand there’s no dizziness at all. “Likewise,” I tell him.
And after his secretary gave me all the info I need for my blood draw, I walk outside, smiling as I feel the warmth of the sun bathing my face.
Good things are happening. I can feel it.
Maybe this is what it’s like to finally grow up.