Chapter 54
Chapter Fifty-Four
T hey agreed to talk Thursday at six, which was nine on East Coast time. At a few minutes before six, Lauren got a text message from Hudson asking if they could push it to seven. She figured he must have had to work late and didn’t think anything of it. She heated up some soup and changed into her most comfy pair of sweats and her Nantucket sweatshirt. She wore it constantly, and it reminded her of summer and made her feel closer to Hudson.
She finished her soup, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and settled in on her sofa to watch TV. At a few minutes before seven, she was surprised by a knock at the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone, so she peeked through a side window and was shocked to see Hudson standing on her doorstep.
She swung the door open, and he grinned and handed her a bouquet of flowers. She pulled him into a hug, followed by a welcome kiss.
“What are you doing here? I thought we were doing a FaceTime call.”
Hudson had an overnight bag with him and set it down by the door. He smiled mischievously. “I never said it would be a call. You just assumed. I thought it would be fun to surprise you.”
“I’m definitely surprised. How long can you stay?” Lauren led him inside and they sat in the living room, next to each other, on her sofa.
“I have a return flight on Sunday. And I’m booked at a local hotel. My rental car is out front. We finished up our project yesterday and I’m starting planning on a new project on Monday.” He smiled. “And I’m not just here to visit. I have a proposal to offer. Did your agent mention that something new might be coming in?”
Lauren nodded. “She said she’d know more specifics next week.”
“I talked to her earlier and said I’d like to give you the details in person.”
Lauren’s heart raced. “What is it?”
“Would you be interested in working on a non-reality project? Cami bought the rights to develop Kate’s mystery, and we are producing it as a limited series for Netflix. We’d like you to start with us in November if you’re interested. It should wrap by the time filming starts for season two of Nantucket Influence , if there is one. If not, there will likely be other projects.”
Lauren felt overwhelmed with happiness. It was an exciting opportunity and a chance to expand her experience and work with Hudson. It was pretty much a dream come true.
“I would love to do that. Thank you and please thank Cami for me. I am so excited. I’ll need to find a place to stay, though.” She wanted her own place. Things were too new for her to consider moving in with Hudson, not yet.
“I have a lead for you on that. A friend of my mother’s goes to Florida in the winter and is leaving mid-October and she’ll be back in June. What she’s asking for rent seems pretty reasonable.” He mentioned the amount, and Lauren’s jaw dropped. It was about half what she was paying for rent in LA. If she sublet her place, she’d actually come out ahead financially. And if Nantucket Influence was renewed, they’d put her up at the inn again.
“That sounds too good to be true. Why is it so low?”
“Well, it’s nothing fancy, just a small two-bedroom cape house, and it’s inland, not on the water. But the demand for winter rentals is nothing like summer. It’s always much less. My mother texted me a few pictures.”
He opened his phone, found the pictures, and Lauren fell in love. The cottage was adorable. It was a typical Cape Cod-style home with weathered shingles, flower boxes and baby blue window shutters. There was also a small patio in the back with rose bushes all around it. Inside was light and bright with polished hardwood floors and soft, beachy tones of cream, blue and gray. The kitchen was small but had everything she’d need and it was fully furnished and the living room looked like the Pottery Barn catalog come to life with a cozy sofa and matching chair with white slipcovers that gave it a shabby chic vibe.
“If she’ll have me, I’ll happily take it,” Lauren said.
Hudson grinned. “I’ll let my mother know. So, do you forgive me for showing up uninvited?”
Lauren leaned over and kissed him. “Totally forgiven. I’m so excited that you’re here. And I can’t wait to go back to Nantucket and work with you.”