Chapter 56
Chapter Fifty-Six
L auren arranged for her apartment to be sublet to a traveling nurse. It was all done through an agency and it seemed like the best solution, as traveling nurses usually signed three-month contracts at a time and they preferred furnished units like Lauren’s.
She couldn’t wait to get back to Nantucket and to see Hudson again. They’d had a wonderful long weekend when he surprised her. But it went by much too fast and it had been almost a month since they’d seen each other.
She flew on an overnight flight and landed in Nantucket around ten in the morning. Hudson had offered to pick her up, but she told him she’d see him later that night instead. She wanted to get settled into her new place first. She picked up her rental car and, less than fifteen minutes later, pulled in the driveway for the cottage. Lauren had spoken to the woman that owned the cottage by phone and since she was already in Florida, Lauren stopped by Hudson’s mother’s house first to pick up the keys. His mother seemed happy to see her and gave her a warm hug.
“I’m so glad this worked out. Jamie is glad to have someone we know take care of her place for the winter and there’s such a shortage of affordable housing.” She handed Lauren the keys. “And I know Hudson is happy to have you back on the island.”
Lauren smiled. “I’m very excited to be back and looking forward to working with him again.”
She was much more excited to just see Hudson, but she didn’t want to get into that with his mother. She suspected she already knew, anyway.
“Well, I’m sure I’ll see you again soon. I’m off to check out a new yoga classdowntown.”
Lauren left and ten minutes later, pulled into the driveway for the cottage. It looked just as cute outside as it did in Hudson’s photos. She’d only brought one huge suitcase and wheeled it to the door and stepped inside. And instantly felt at home.
The cottage was light-filled with lots of windows and it was so cozy. She brought her suitcase upstairs and into the master bedroom, which was spacious with a skylight and an ensuite bathroom. The other bedroom was smaller but would be fine for either a guest bedroom or office. It had a queen-sized bed and a desk.
Lauren took a hot shower, then crawled into bed to take a nap. She was exhausted and hadn’t been able to really sleep well on the plane. She slept hard for a few hours and woke around one feeling well rested and hungry. There was no food in the house, so she went to Stop and Shop and stocked up on groceries, including cold cut turkey. She made herself a sandwich when she got home, then unpacked and put everything away. She’d also stopped by the wine shop and picked up a bottle of prosecco for a glass of celebratory bubbly when Hudson arrived. He’d said he was going to bring a pizza with him, which sounded perfect to her. She didn’t feel like going anywhere yet.
Hudson knocked on the front door at six sharp, holding a box of pizza and carrying a bottle of red wine. She took both and set them down on the kitchen counter and then went into Hudson’s arms and welcomed him properly. He kissed her passionately. It felt so good to be wrapped in his arms. When they finally ended the kiss, he pulled back and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
He went out to his car and returned a moment later, holding something that took her breath away. It was the painting she’d thought was so stunning when they went to Kristen’s show—the one with the dark sky and the cottage overlooking the ocean. It seemed full of possibility and it really spoke to her. But she knew he’d wanted it too.
He handed it to her. “It’s a house-warming gift.”
“You got that for me? I thought you loved it, too.” She was so touched.
He nodded. “I did. I went back a few days later and bought it. But every time I looked at it, I thought of you and how much you loved it, too. I bought myself a similar one from the collection. I knew that I wanted to give this to you, but wasn’t sure about the timing. I figured I’d either send it out west if the deal with Kate didn’t work out—but fortunately it did, and here you are.”
“Here I am,” Lauren said softly. “Thank you. This is such a thoughtful gift. I’m so happy to be back here. I’m grateful for the chance to work with you and Cami, but I’m mostly just happy to be able to see you again. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, so much.”
Lauren opened the prosecco and poured them each a glass and they toasted to being together again and to new beginnings with the film project and their relationship.
“How do you like the cottage?” Hudson asked.
“I love it. When I stepped inside, I felt like I’d come home. That probably sounds silly.” It had been such a strong feeling, though. She’d never felt that way about her LA apartment.
Hudson smiled and put his glass of wine down. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, and kissed her. “I don’t think it is silly at all. Nantucket is your home now.”