Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
Lauren walked onto the front lawn at the inn a few minutes before six, just as Hudson pulled into the driveway in a red Jeep. She climbed into the passenger side and they drove off.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you drive anything other than your work van,” she said. When she’d visited him, he’d only had the one vehicle, the van in his driveway.
He smiled. “The Jeep was in the shop when you came for dinner that night. The van is just for work. The Jeep is for fun. It’s great for four wheeling on the beach.”
Lauren had noticed that there were a lot of Jeeps on the island and other four-wheel-drive vehicles. There were also plenty of Range Rovers, BMWs and Mercedes—an unusually high number of luxury vehicles. She wasn’t all that surprised though, and LA was similar, depending on the neighborhood.
Millie’s was busy, but they were seated immediately at a hightop table in the bar. Lauren could see the dunes and the ocean from their table, and she knew she’d picture this image months from now when she was missing Nantucket.
They both ordered margaritas and laughed when they put their food order in because it was exactly the same as the first time they’d been there with Eloise. They shared an order of guacamole, chips and salsa to start and Lauren got the scallop and bacon tacos and Hudson the steak ones.
“Not very original of us,” she said.
Hudson grinned. “If I find something I like, I prefer to stick with it.”
Lauren met his eyes and smiled. “I do, too.”
The night was magical and went by much too fast. They finished eating and ordered another round of margaritas and a dessert to share. Not because they were especially hungry for it, but because they needed an excuse to linger. Neither of them wanted the evening to end. They had such a good time and there was never a lull in the conversation. They sometimes found themselves finishing each other’s sentences and laughing about it.
Finally, though, it was time to go. And Lauren was leaving the next morning. It would be a long day, with several flights to get back to the West Coast.
It was a perfect night, but as much as she loved the idea of dating Hudson, Lauren didn’t see how they’d be able to sustain a real relationship now that she was leaving. When Hudson pulled the car into the driveway at the inn, they kissed for a while and neither of them wanted to stop, but it didn’t make sense to take it any further.
“I wish I had more time here,” Lauren said.
“I hate that you have to leave. But we can find a way to make it work. Maybe you can come back for the Christmas Stroll weekend? And you never know, I might actually get on a plane and go west. I haven’t been to LA in a long time.”
Lauren laughed. “And you swore you’d never go back.”
“Yeah, well. Things change. Now I have a good reason to go back.” He leaned in and kissed her again. When he kissed her like that, he made her think it might actually be possible for them to be together. But she knew it didn’t really make sense if they could only see each other every few months.
“If you meet someone you want to date, you should do it,” she said. “Because we really don’t know if this will work or when we’ll actually see each other again.”
He frowned. “I don’t want to see anyone else. I know I should probably tell you the same thing—to go on dates if you want to.” He kissed her again, very gently, before saying, “I hate the idea of you dating anyone else. I’m not going to lie.”
She met his eyes and smiled. “Well, at the moment, you are the only person I’m dating. And I’m not thinking of anyone else or eager to meet anyone else.”
“Excellent! We’re on the same page, then.”
Lauren laughed. “I really had a great time tonight. Thank you for dinner.”
He walked her to the front door, and they kissed again before she went inside.
“Text me tomorrow when you get home. I’ll miss you,” Hudson said softly.
“I will. I’ll miss you, too.”