Eloise
The lemon bar that Hudson had sent home with us yesterday was still sitting on the dresser when I woke up the next morning.
I glanced over at the white paper bag and sighed before I closed my eyes.
Maybe if I pretended it wasn’t there, I’d be able to forget it.
That assumption proved to be unfruitful.
It remained like a siren call, beckoning me to lay down my weapons of war and take a bite.
But I wasn’t going to do that. Eating Hudson’s baked goods felt like admitting defeat. And I was never ever going to let that man win. Not after what he did to Hannah. I didn’t blame him for the pregnancy—he’s human and we all make mistakes—but I did blame him for everything he did after.
I sighed and flipped to my back. I stared up at the ceiling above me. This was going to be a very long week. Once Gaines and Josalyn left, it was going to be just Hudson and I. I could avoid him today, but eventually, I was going to need to find a way to get along with him.
And getting along meant fighting my urge to confront him with every reason I was disappointed in him. Maybe his actions hurt more because I’d thought he was a good guy. I’d even allowed myself to have a crush on him back when we were teenagers.
When I found out that he had been the one to do that to Hannah, I was shocked. I didn’t think that he was capable of being such a schmuck.
But when the shock wore off, I couldn’t ignore the truth in front of me.
Hudson made a baby and then refused to do the right thing and actually take care of the child.
I closed my eyes and blew out my breath. I needed to get a grip. I could hate the man while still maintaining my integrity.
I flipped to my side and grabbed my phone off the nightstand, I swiped it on and found my text chain with Hannah.
Last we’d talked, she’d been fired from her job and was about to be evicted.
I’d sent her some money to help in the interim but made a point to complain to Gaines about it in the hope that he would say something to Hudson.
Thankfully, my brother picked up on my subtle hints, and a few days later, Hannah texted me a thank you for saying something because money had been deposited into her bank account and she was able to catch up on rent.
The last message I’d sent her was a thumbs-up. Now that I was face-to-face with the man who’d put her in this situation, I was curious if the money had become a monthly stipend or if it had been a one-time thing.
I flipped onto my back once more and held my phone over me as I typed.
Hey girl! How’s Benjamin? How’s the job hunt? Sorry I haven’t messaged in a while. Things are swamped here.
I set my phone down on my chest and closed my eyes. Hannah was historically a quick responder, so I figured she’d reply in a few minutes. I’d get some extra shut-eye while I waited.
My phone buzzed, vibrating my rib cage. I picked it up to see that Hannah had responded.
Things are okay. No full-time job yet, but I was able to get some work through the temp agency. It’s hard cause I can’t afford daycare yet, and my mom can only watch him a few hours a week.
I frowned, hating that she was going through this alone. She had been a phenomenal gymnast, a shoo-in for the Olympics. The pregnancy derailed her training, and she never seemed able to catch up again. A sour taste rose up in my mouth as my stomach churned with anger at Hudson.
His baby momma gave up her dreams to raise his child. The least he could do was help.
Let me know what you need. You know I have a direct line to the sperm donor. If you need me to apply pressure, I can.
I wasn’t sure if I was overstepping, but being here—seeing Hudson—was making me snippy.
When I was in Chicago, this situation was out of sight, out of mind.
My daily life had a way of creeping in and distracting me.
But now I had all the time in the world.
If Hudson thought that I was going to let things slide, he was kidding himself.
I was ready to put the hammer down on that man.
Thanks, Eloise. I really appreciate it. You’re a true friend.
I had a lot of things that I wanted to say to her response.
Mostly about how much of an ass Hudson was, and how it was easy to look good when put up against him, but I decided to keep those thoughts to myself.
I was sure that Hannah wasn’t happy with Hudson, but that didn’t mean she wanted to have a bashing session with me. He was still her son’s dad.
I texted her a smiley-face emoji, and just as I flipped back to my side to put my phone on the nightstand, there was a knock at my door.
I pulled off my covers and padded over to open it.
Gaines was standing in the hallway. His hair was damp from his morning shower. His smile widened as he studied me.
“You up?” he asked as he made a point to flick his gaze down to my pajamas. His eyebrows were raised like he was questioning the Daisy Duck pattern on my nightgown.
“Daisy Duck is iconic. And yes, I am up,” I said as I folded my arms across my chest in an act of defiance.
Gaines’s grin returned. “Good. Get ready and come down. Breakfast smells so good. I’ve really missed Harmony and all its food.” He paused like he was in an active memory before he blinked and brought his attention back to me. “We have a few appointments to get to today.”
He turned on his heel and hurried down the stairs across from my room. I wanted to ask for more details, but he was out of earshot before I could form the words. In all honesty, it didn’t matter what we were doing. I was here for Gaines and Josalyn and whatever they had planned.
I showered, styled my damp, curly hair, and applied a bit of makeup in record time. I settled on a pair of acid-washed jeans and a baby-pink basic t-shirt that I tucked in at the front. I figured we’d be trekking around, so I settled on my classic Adidas shoes.
I slipped my purse over my head and grabbed the key to my door before slipping out into the hallway.
I could hear voices followed by laughter coming from the dining room as I bounded down the stairs.
Gaines was standing by the buffet, where silver platters stacked high with all sorts of breakfast foods were lined up.
He had a plate in his hand and was nodding as a woman with blonde hair talked.
She was standing near the swinging door to the kitchen with an empty platter in her hands.
“Morning, Eloise,” Josalyn said. She was sitting at the table with a plate full of eggs and pancakes piled high in front of her. Her fork was midway to her lips.
“Morning,” I said as I stepped further into the room.
“Eloise, this is Shelby. Do you remember her?” Gaines asked as he stepped toward me. He nodded in the direction of the blonde woman who was now smiling at me. “She is Charlotte Cane’s granddaughter.”
I studied her for a moment before I shook my head. “Maybe?” I said. I’d spent most of my time with my grandparents when we came to Harmony. Gaines was the wild one, always sneaking out to spend time with the locals. I kept to books and movies, never feeling the need to socialize.
“It’s okay,” Shelby said as she waved her hand in my direction. “You were always so busy with Bert and Nadine.” Her smile turned soft like a memory had just played out in her mind. “They were always so sweet to me.”
A familiar ache rose up inside of me every time I thought of the people I’d lost. Mom. Grandma. Grandpa. A hole in my heart had been ripped open, and nothing I could do would close it. I was just good at living my life around the pain.
I offered her a weak smile before I turned my attention to the buffet. “It smells delicious,” I said as I took a step toward the food. I grabbed a white plate from the stack.
I turned to give Shelby an approving look, but she was gone.
From the way the swinging door was still moving, I could only assume she went back into the kitchen.
Feeling silly that I’d been talking to myself, I closed my lips and turned my focus to the food.
My stomach growled as I stared at the scrambled eggs and crispy bacon.
Once my plate was overflowing, I grabbed a fork from the utensil stack and moved to join Gaines and Josalyn at the table. I pulled my chair out and sat, shaking a fabric napkin over my lap before I dove into the food.
Gaines and Josalyn were talking about the day’s plan.
Josalyn needed to stop by the wedding dress store in Eden for the final fitting.
Gaines and Hudson needed to pop into The Gentleman’s Attire to grab their tuxes.
Then we were going to head back into Harmony and go by the floral shop to check if the peonies were going to be delivered in time.
I ate in silence, listening to their conversation, not really feeling the need to add anything.
“Miriam said that the centerpiece materials should be delivered to Hudson on Monday,” Josalyn said as she turned her attention to me. “I still can’t believe the first batch got lost.”
I nodded. Putting together centerpieces was on my list of to-dos once they went back to Chicago. “Got it,” I said through the bite of egg I’d just slipped into my mouth.
“After the final alterations, you’ll need to pick up my dress,” she said.
“Yep,” I replied.
We went through a few more tasks that I already knew about from the detailed email Miriam sent, but if it made Josalyn feel more in control of her wedding, she was free to rattle them off every chance she got.
I could feel her nervous energy, and I was willing to do anything—be anything—she needed to feel better.
We finished breakfast and cleaned up our plates, leaving them in a grey tub near the kitchen door. I followed behind Gaines and Josalyn as they made their way out the front door and down the stairs to their rental. I slid into the back and shut the door as both of them climbed in up front.