Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
ELENA
G rams insisted we join her in the living room to watch a movie. The rain fell outside, and the sky was dark. It felt like we were in a little cave, protected from the rest of the world. The only place to sit in the room was on the couch with Hudson.
Every time his leg or foot brushed mine, a tingle shot through my body. I couldn't stop thinking about how he looked wrapped in only a towel, his sculpted chest on display. It would only have taken one tug to see everything underneath.
It wasn't fair that he was so attractive or that I couldn't keep my mind off him. I was positive Grams knew what was going on in my head, because every once in a while, she'd look over at us and smile.
Hudson didn't have to stay, and I was positive he was just being polite. When the movie ended, he threw off the blanket from our laps. "I'd better get going. I want to do a few things before dinner."
"Oh, aren't you joining him, Elena?" Grams asked as she got up to follow us into the kitchen.
"Yeah, it will be a good opportunity to meet his family and get to know him better." Did she notice how stilted I sounded? I was trying to remind myself that it was strictly professional, but being with Hudson felt personal. We spent a lot of time together, and we'd shared some things on his deck last night that made me feel vulnerable.
"Right," Grams said.
"I'll be back to pick you up at six," Hudson said with his hand on the door.
"Okay," I said even as I knew I should push back on that idea. I needed to distance myself from him. If he looked hard enough, he would see that I was attracted to him. That my mind was going to forbidden places. That it felt a little like bringing a woman home to meet your parents, which was ridiculous. His dad was the one who assigned me to Hudson. This was a job.
He opened the storm door and dashed through the falling rain and into his truck.
I hoped to disappear into my bedroom to get ready, but Grams said, "How did it go last night?"
I sat on the couch. "It was nice. He played basketball with the boy, and then he took him out for ice cream."
"You were home late."
"He invited me over to his place afterward so I could ask questions about the mentorship." At her knowing look, I rushed to add, "You know, journalism kind of questions."
"You didn't fool around?" Grams said so matter-of-factly that my mouth dropped open.
"No." I couldn't believe her sometimes.
"You kids are too slow to… What do you call it these days? Hook up." Grams waved a hand in my direction.
"Grams, I'm not looking to hook up with Hudson, and if I was, I wouldn't be sharing it with you." My cheeks heated because my body was one hundred percent on board. It wasn't a good idea to hook up with one of the most eligible bachelors. I was fairly sure Valerie wanted the guys to stay single, and I wanted to keep this job so I could stay here.
"I'm living vicariously through you; you have to share."
"There's nothing to share."
"Hmph." Grams walked past me into the living room. "He sat here for two hours and watched a romance movie. He didn't make an excuse to leave until after it was over."
I snorted. "He'd do anything for you."
"He might enjoy my company because I'm a treat, but I'm fairly positive he's hanging around because he likes you."
I rolled my eyes. "That's not the case."
"I hope you don't miss what's right in front of you."
"He's never seen me. Not really." Was that true anymore? We'd shared quite a bit last night.
Grams raised her brow. "You're not stupid, at least not when it comes to your professional life."
"Which is why I don't want to mix personal and business."
Grams shook her head and turned her attention to the TV. "You're adults. You can handle it."
Grams could easily look back on her life and see where she made a mistake. But it was harder when you were in the thick of it like I was.
"I'd better get ready for dinner." I stood and moved toward the staircase.
"You two are making it a habit to get caught in the rain."
I laughed. "It seems that way."
"I think the universe is trying to tell you something."
What could the universe be trying to tell me? That Hudson looks good in a towel? I laughed to myself as I walked up the stairs, and when I reached my room and saw the towel resting on my desk chair, I remembered what Hudson looked like in it with nothing else on.
Why would the universe torture me when I couldn't have him? I curled up on the round chair, looking out at the rain that was still falling. I swore I could smell Hudson in my room.
That was going to be torture when I lay down to sleep tonight. I couldn't help but think what would have happened if we were alone in the house. Would I have been confident enough to make a move?
I wasn't sure if he liked me, or he was merely tolerating me. But then why did he offer to help with Grams's porch in his free time? Why did he stay and take a shower instead of heading home? Why did he agree to watch a movie with me and Grams?
The list of questions was endless, and I needed to get ready for dinner. I changed into a sundress, grabbing a lighter jean jacket in case it was cool with the rain tonight, and styled my hair.
I had a feeling seeing Hudson interact with his family wasn't going to alleviate this attraction to him. It would only heighten it, because Hudson was a family man, and I anticipated that it would only make things worse.
At six on the dot, the doorbell rang, and I heard Grams opening the door. As I descended the stairs, she said, "Well, don't you look handsome."
My gaze met Hudson's, and my heart fluttered. He wore a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms tucked into khaki pants. He was effortlessly sexy.
He raised a brow as I approached.
Did he know what I was thinking?
"You two have a good time." Grams walked away.
"You ready to go?" Hudson asked me, and I grabbed my purse before following him outside. The rain had stopped, but it was still humid.
Inside the cab of his truck, it was quiet with nothing but the sound of the AC fan blowing.
After a few seconds, I felt the need to fill the silence. "Anything I should know about your family?"
He laughed, then looked over at me. "Honestly? I think you have to experience it."
I laughed, uncertain this was a good idea.
"You aren't nervous, are you? I thought you were fearless?"
I let out a harsh breath. "I don't know why you'd think that."
"You went to Boston for college, and then stayed when it wasn't your scene, and now you came back. I bet your friends in Boston thought you were crazy for moving to an island to watch over your grandmother."
"Pretty much."
"Were you dating anyone there?"
"Not really. I dated one guy, but it wasn't anything serious." I hadn't even thought about Daniel since I'd come home.
"You don't miss him?"
"Not at all."
"What did he say when you told him you were leaving?"
"He tried to talk me out of it, and when it was clear I wouldn't change my mind, he said I was being impulsive. I'd regret my decision."
"He thought you were immature for taking care of your grandmother?" Hudson glanced over at me, and I could see the disgust in his expression.
"My friends were more interested in their salaries, promotions, and investment strategies than family."
"Sounds like you made a good decision to come home."
"My parents are worried about me too."
"How do you feel?"
"You know, I'm loving being home. I missed the island so much."
Hudson reached over, touched my hand, and squeezed.
I followed the movement, not quite believing that he was touching me so easily, as if we were more than friends.
"What you did was admirable."
"Thank you."
He removed his hand, placing it on the wheel. "And fuck your friends in Boston."
My surprised laugh rang out. "I don't think I've ever heard you swear."
"Dad has a strict no-swearing policy at work. I'm not saying we never do it, but we learned early on not to."
I shifted slightly so I could watch his face while he drove. "What if employees swear?"
"He doesn't care about that. He just wants us to make a good impression. Even though we do blue-collar work, we're professionals. We're running a business, and Kingston Construction has a reputation to uphold, a brand, if you will."
"Yeah, I can see that. Your dad is a smart man."
"I went to school for business, but he taught me everything I know."
"You can learn so much more on the job than in a classroom."
Hudson pulled up to his parents' house, which was nestled among the palm trees. It was up on stilts which would protect it from the storm surge of a hurricane.
"What a cute house." It was private, yet I could smell the ocean air, so the beach was close.
"It was a bit small for all of us, but Mom never wanted to move."
"I can see why." It was well-loved too, with freshly painted shutters and potted plants dotting the driveway and sidewalk.
Hudson entered the house without knocking, and I followed him inside. Nerves swirled around me as he took my hand and let me into the kitchen where everyone was already gathered.
His mother came around the counter and hugged me. "You must be Elena. We've heard so much about you."
"I hope it's all good things."
His mother waved a hand at me. "Of course."
"Elena, this is my mother, Joy. You already know my father, Jonathan," Hudson said.
"Nice to see you again," I said, shaking Jonathan's hand.
Jonathan raised a brow. "You came to see us in action, like animals in a zoo?"
I laughed. "Something like that."
"And you know my idiot brothers. There's a lot of them," Hudson teased with affection in his voice.
"Hey, that's not cool," Shep said, coming into the room and hugging me.
I hadn't expected his family to be so affectionate.
"Let's eat now, and then you'll have time to play on the beach," Joy said as she arranged tacos on a long tray that held them upright.
Hudson grabbed the tray and placed it outside on the table that was set up there. Then we all jumped in to carry out the toppings and drinks.
I stuck with the lemonade over the margaritas because I needed my wits about me around his family. For some reason, I felt pressure to make a good impression. I had to remind myself I wasn't here as Hudson's girl but as a journalist.
"You can grab whichever taco suits your fancy. There's fish and chicken." Joy pointed at each option. "You can add the toppings you prefer."
The brothers waited for her to give the go-ahead.
Joy shook her head. "Why don't you take what you'd like before I unleash the boys."
I laughed as I reached for two fish tacos, and then the cilantro, cheese, and tomatoes.
"Now everyone else can get what they'd like," Joy said, and it was a frenzy. The brothers reaching for tacos, knocking each other's hands out of the way.
Joy shook her head. "You would think I raised these kids in a cave or something."
"They must have eaten a lot of food growing up. I remember when my brother was going through a growth spurt. My mom complained about the grocery bill and never having enough food in the house. I can't imagine having six teenage boys."
"I got used to it. We always have a lot of food because their friends would come over for dinner too. Our house was always full."
"That sounds lovely."
"It was hard to find a quiet space to think, but luckily you can get around the island fairly easily by bike," Dalton said.
"That's true."
"And the beach is down that path." Jonathan pointed at the sandy area that had obviously been worn down over the years by their feet between the growth.
"That sounds like a lovely way to grow up." They had each other and the freedom to hang out with friends whenever they wanted to.
"We talked about moving to Captiva into a larger house, but we love the small town feel of this area. We can get anywhere within a few minutes. Since you grew up here, I'm sure you're aware of the higher volume of traffic during tourist season,” Joy said.
"Oh, I am." All locals complained about it, but there was only one main road coming onto the island. That was where most of the retail and restaurants were located too. Locals tended to congregate at the restaurants and bars off the beaten path.
"Hudson said you only recently moved home," Joy said to me.
"My parents moved off-island when my brother had kids a few years ago, and they were worried about my grandmother living here by herself. I wanted to be closer to her."
"That's sweet. Who's your grandmother?"
"Sofia Perkins."
Joy laughed. "Oh, yes, I think everyone knows Sofia."
"She has an active social life with her friends and the senior center. I didn't want her to have to move away from the only home she's ever lived in."
"She has one of the little cottages on the beach?"
"That's right."
"Yeah, it would be a shame if she had to move."
"That's why I'm here. And now that I'm back, I'm remembering all the things I loved about the island."
"The beach?" Cooper asked. "There's not much else to see."
"Did you want to move away at any point?" I asked him.
Cooper nodded. "I did for college. But our business is here."
"You don't like the beach?" I asked him, wondering if this was an issue for him.
"It's not that I don't like it. But the island's small, and there wasn't a lot to do growing up here. There's one tiny movie theater, and everything else caters to the tourists."
"Ignore Coop. He's grumpy today for some reason," Shep said, making everyone chuckle, but I wondered if Cooper's comments didn't come from something deeper.
Maybe all the Kingstons weren't content to live on the island or work for their father.
"Luna's friend, Penny, recently moved to Colorado for a change of scenery. She ended up falling in love with a doctor there and settling down," Joy said.
"I heard about that. It’s quite a change from the beach."
"She initially moved there for a temporary teaching assignment. She wanted to experience winter. Apparently, she got snowed in with the local doctor, and the rest is history."
"I can’t wait to talk to her about it. I've wondered what it would be like to write people's stories and submit to various news outlets and magazines."
"I didn't realize you were interested in freelancing," Hudson said.
"It's something I've thought about. I enjoy learning about people's lives and sharing their stories. Those kinds of things tend to be freelance."
"Is that what you're doing at the island magazine?" Joy asked.
"This is my first story, and it's a test of sorts to see if I'm a good fit."
"What happens if it doesn't work out? Will you go back to Boston?" Jonathan asked, refilling his glass with lemonade.
I sighed. "I'm not sure yet. There are certainly more jobs in the city than here for a writer."
"I would think you could write anywhere," Hudson said.
"I don't have a lot of experience on my resume yet. You have to put your time in before you can get freelance jobs." This bachelor piece was light compared to what I wanted to do. But maybe there was a story worth sharing.
"I heard you went with Hudson while he was mentoring Shane?" Joy asked.
"That's right. It sounds like such a great organization.”
"The business contributes to their scholarship program,” Jonathan said.
"That's amazing." The fact that the business was active in the community and a volunteer program was interesting and would be the perfect addition to the article. "Does anyone else do anything for the community like that?"
"Shep offers his services to various businesses," Jonathan said.
Shep waved a hand to dismiss his father's claim. "If the garden club needs a flower box, I make one. It's not a big deal."
"You volunteer the materials and your time. I'd say that's worth mentioning," Hudson said.
"If you put that in the article, you'll ruin my bad-boy reputation," he teased.
"I wouldn't want to do that," I said lightly. "Are you helping the senior center with their flower boxes? Grams mentioned something about it."
"Yeah, they requested garden boxes."
"You must be busy between working your regular hours and then doing things on the side," I observed.
Shep shrugged. "It's nothing."
"Coop tutors kids at the community center," Joy added.
"I didn't want to do a full mentorship like Hudson, but I wanted to do something," Cooper said.
"It sounds like you're all active in the community."
Jonathan inclined his head toward his younger son. "Brady coaches a kids' baseball team."
Brady shook his head. "I like sports and want to stay active."
It didn't sound like it was something they did to promote their business. If anything, Shep and Coop seemed embarrassed by it. It was an interesting dynamic.
Shep and Coop had a reputation of being troublemakers when we were growing up. They got into trouble in and out of school. I wondered if they'd cleaned up their act.
I didn't know much about Dalton and Brady as they were so much younger than me. I'd graduated before they were in high school.
"Maybe I should shadow all of you for a day. You seem to be doing so many interesting and wonderful things," I said with a smile.
"Is Hudson's life not interesting?" Shep teased.
"I wouldn't say that." The story was already percolating in my brain. Hudson was the heir to take over the business, and all of them were invested in the business and the community.