Eloise #2
“This is a place of business. I didn’t think it was appropriate to just walk back,” I said as I followed him through the door into the kitchen.
Hudson kept this place immaculate. The stainless-steel kitchen glistened as the late morning sun shone off of it.
For a place that used so much flour, there wasn’t a speck of it to be found.
I would never have to wonder about the food made at Sweet Beginnings.
The kitchen looked like an operating room with how clean it was.
Hudson tipped his head to the side and shot me a few confused glances. His eyebrows were knit together as if he were trying to process what I’d said.
At the back door, Hudson reached out and grabbed the handle before he paused.
“Not appropriate?” he asked like he’d been fixated on that word this entire time. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate? You’re Eloise.”
I raised my eyebrows. Was he really this obtuse? “That’s my name,” I said, unable to hide the sarcasm in my voice. “And you are Hudson.”
He paused. “You’re always welcome here, you know that, right?” His hand was still resting on the door handle like he was in no hurry to turn it.
Anxiety squeezed my gut. One minute into this conversation, and Hudson was pushing us from surface-level only into something deeper.
If I gave in to my urges and argued with him, he was going to ask me what my problem was.
I would be forced into having it out with the man I’d been determined to keep at a distance.
It would be better for me to just smile and nod and leave everything I wanted to say to fester in the back of my mind.
“I appreciate that,” I said as I forced a smile. “Now, let’s get these boxes brought in.”
Hudson stared at me like he was trying to decide if he believed me or not, but thankfully he let it go and turned the door handle. The boxes were heavy, and there were quite a few. We worked in silence, bringing the boxes into one of the cleared-out storage rooms near the back.
I was sweaty and thirsty when we finished. Hudson looked barely winded. Besides the slight glisten of sweat on his forehead, his skin had remained unchanged while I was certain mine was now beet red.
“This seems like a lot for just one night, don’t you think?” he asked as we stood in the storage room, surveying the boxes.
I glanced around and shrugged. “It’s their wedding. Of course Josalyn wants it to be perfect.” I flicked my gaze over at him. “What do you care? Don’t you profit off of people who do a lot for just one night?”
He quirked an eyebrow.
I couldn’t stop myself. I kept going. “How much are your wedding cakes versus a birthday cake?”
He studied me before he laughed. “Man, my question really bothered you.”
Heat began to prick at the back of my neck.
I didn’t like it when he made assumptions about me.
“Your question didn’t make me feel one way or another,” I lied.
“I just think it’s a little hypocritical to make comments about wedding decorations when the average baker charges 200% more for a cake if they slap wedding on it. ”
He was facing me now. His arms were crossed and his gaze was trained on my face. “I’m sorry that my question offended you.”
If he only knew. His question was just the tip of the iceberg of annoyance that I felt for this man. I decided not to respond and just rolled my eyes instead.
“I didn’t realize you were so passionate about the cost of weddings.” He dropped his arms and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
Maybe I was annoyed that weddings cost so much.
Maybe I was annoyed that businesses marked up prices because they knew, when it came to weddings, people would pay up.
But the biggest reason I was so annoyed was the fact that none of the money he was charging my brother was going to go to Benjamin or Hannah.
And that thought pissed me off.
I blew out my breath. My body felt like it was on fire with rage. My mind felt muddled, and my anxiety had crept up to a level where I knew my filters would be affected. If I didn’t want to say anything I would regret, I needed to calm down.
“Come with me,” Hudson said. His voice was deep and commanding. It startled me.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I protested.
My words didn’t stop his approach. He kept moving until he was standing inches away from me. I held my defiance as I stared up at him. Just because he was tall and muscular, he thought that he could boss me around.
I was my own person, and I refused to be told what to do.
“Come with me,” he growled. His voice was low but demanding. Like he would fight me about this.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said again.
He studied me before he sighed. Then he bent down and, next thing I knew, I was being flung over his shoulder. I yelped as I scrambled to grab onto anything—finally fisting his shirt to keep myself upright.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded as he wrapped his arm around my legs and began to carry me out of the room.
“You’re hungry,” he said, like that justified what he’d done.
“I am not.” My stomach betrayed me and growled.
He walked over to one of the bar stools in the kitchen and dragged it over to the main island. In one swift movement, he deposited me on the stool. I glared up at him as he peered down at me.
“Stop acting like you know me,” I said with all the confidence I could muster.
Hudson raised his eyebrows as he studied me. And then slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned in until his gaze was level with mine. “I do know you.” His gaze flicked down to my lips. “Pretty well.”
The memory of our drunken kiss years ago slammed into me. My breath caught in my throat as my ability to speak disappeared. I hated myself for reacting this way. The last thing I ever wanted to do was kiss Hudson Maxwell again. I hated this man.
Thankfully, I was able to snap out of the trance he’d put me in. I glared at him and pulled away. I folded my arms across my chest to show him defiance, but really, it was a way to protect myself. I’d been friends with him once, and that was a mistake that I would not make again.
He paused as he studied me—like he thought I would get up if he left—but then he stepped away. I watched as he moved around the kitchen. He retrieved a big plate from the back cupboard and then headed out to the front of the store, leaving me to sit there alone.
Lucky for him, he was only gone a few seconds, because had he been MIA any longer, I would have left. I had my hand on the counter to push myself off the stool when he walked back in. There was no way I wanted to experience Hudson the Neanderthal again, so I dropped back down onto the seat.
If he’d noticed that I was about to make a run for it, he didn’t say anything. He rounded the island and set the plate down in front of me. It was now overflowing with baked goods—and they all smelled amazing.
My salivary glands woke up instantly at the sight of the food. I cursed him. He was right. I was hungry. And I hated that he’d known I was hungry.
“Eat,” he commanded.
I folded my arms once more and glared at him. He held my gaze before he let out a short laugh and then turned to walk over to grab the other stool in the room. When he returned, he sat down about a foot away from me. He pushed the plate closer.
I flicked my gaze down at it and then back over to him. I didn’t like how he was telling me what to do. He couldn’t treat me like his best friend’s little sister anymore. This kind of behavior wasn’t going to work on me like it had in the past. I was a grown woman who made her own decisions.
He narrowed his eyes. Then his expression softened as he reached over and grabbed the seat of my stool, pulling me closer to him.
My heart pounded as my hands flung out to catch myself on the countertop.
I wanted to say the reaction was because of the sudden movement, but, deep down, I knew it was because he was now mere centimeters from me.
Our proximity didn’t seem to bother him as he reached over, his chest brushing my shoulder as he pulled the plate of baked goods in front of me once more.
“Please eat,” he said, his voice softer, more coaxing, this time.
I stared at him, blinking a few times, before my resolve to continue the standoff began to wane. I was hungry, and he knew it. From the look in his gaze, he wasn’t going to stop until I relented.