Chapter 20
20
CLAIRE
Hudson nodded toward the car window next to me and I turned to look, nearly jumping out of my skin when I found Mom’s face practically pressed to the glass, her expression irritable. Behind her, Dad and Emily waited. I pushed open the car door with a sigh, and Mom was already talking before my feet hit the pavement. “This is going to be Nora’s new family, so I want you to be on your best behavior,” Mom said, looking between Emily and me as if the two of us were impulsive eleven-year-old boys rather than successful grown women.
Emily snorted. “When have I ever not been on my best behavior?” she muttered, but Mom didn’t answer, she simply gave us a meaningful look and turned toward the door. I followed, saying nothing, and Hudson caught up in a single long stride, placing his hand on my spine. I didn’t want to like his touch, but more and more, I not only liked it, I craved it. And something about his wide palm sitting splayed across my lower back was grounding me right now, as we headed into the viper’s den. Facing this party with Hud felt like going in with backup. No matter what else happened, I was sure he’d be there for me.
It was clear to me that Mom and Grant Dupree were working together in their attempt to play matchmaker. I’d assumed Grant’s mother, Agatha, was in on it as well, but it took less than two minutes to change my mind.
“Claire! Emily!” Agatha Dupree exclaimed as we walked in the front door. “Is it possible you two are getting more beautiful with age, because that’s really a travesty,” the older woman joked. I smiled and leaned in to give her a hug. Agatha squeezed me tightly for a moment, then her arms dropped away. “And who’s this?” she asked, turning all her attention toward Hudson, who was clearly bracing himself for yet another day of intense scrutiny.
“Mrs. Dupree, this is my boyfriend, Hudson. Hud, this is Agatha Dupree.” I was pretty sure it was the first time I’d called Hudson my boyfriend, and the word set off a kaleidoscope of butterflies in my stomach.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a hand.
“Duprees hug,” Agatha declared, spreading her arms. Hudson looked surprised, but he leaned in to give Grant’s mother a hug. Over his shoulder, Agatha’s eyes went wide and she mouthed, “Oh my gosh!” at me. I understood completely. It was hard not to be overwhelmed by how handsome Hudson was. “Come in, come in,” Agatha said as she released Hudson, gesturing for everyone to walk through the house and into the kitchen. “Richard is outside getting the grill ready, and I’m just finishing preparing things here. Please, help yourself to food and drinks.”
“Can I help you?” I asked quickly, determined to offer before my mother had a chance to scowl at me as if I were an ungrateful guest.
“Sure, honey. You and Emily can finish cutting those melons for me,” Agatha replied, gesturing toward a hefty pile of melons with her chin. I sighed internally. I’d really been hoping Agatha would decline my offer. “Hudson, dear, go ahead out back. The men are all there,” Agatha suggested, nodding toward the sliding door Dad was currently slipping out of.
I made a face at Hud none of the older women could see and he grinned, lifting one shoulder as he walked out the backdoor. Mom busied herself making a salad and she and Agatha fell into easy chatter about their kids while I made my first slice into the watermelon, feeling like an army private peeling his first potato. Next to me, Emily tipped her head, scrutinizing the cantaloupe with a surgeon’s eye.
There were six melons, and I was tempted to text Hudson just to drag him back in here. We could’ve used his knife skills. Hell, we could use whatever help we could get, and neither Tessa or Nora were there yet, a fact which annoyed me immensely. Apparently I could’ve spent more time walking around Bridgeport with Hudson, and instead I was here, cutting enough melon to feed a small army. I hated that I was the only one who followed the rules and I always got punished for it.
“For someone who’s supposedly fake dating, you seem to be having a hard time keeping your tongue off Hudson,” Emily said casually, her low voice pulling me out of my thoughts and back to the present. I surveyed the room quickly to see if Em had been overheard, but Mom and Agatha were engrossed in their conversation. A grin played at the corner of Emily’s lips.
I glared at my older sister. “Does this feel like the time?” I asked through gritted teeth.
Emily glanced around us. “No one’s paying any attention,” she said, and she was right. The Duprees’ kitchen was monstrous, and Emily and I had been set up in a completely different corner from Mom and Agatha. I shrugged concedingly, and Emily’s eyes lit up. “So, as I was saying. You suck face with Hudson a lot.”
My knife slid through the watermelon, making long slices in the pink flesh. Again, Emily wasn’t wrong. “I can’t seem to stop, Em. I keep telling myself I need to and then…” I made a big gesture in front of my mouth with one hand.
Emily’s expression was thoughtful. “Maybe you need to give in—treat it as a fun fling?” she suggested.
I’d considered it, but I knew to my very core I wanted more . I also knew said core was a lovesick moron who wouldn’t know a bad idea if it hit her in the face. “But I like him, Em. I really like him. There’s no way I could have a fun fling without falling for him.”
Emily’s eyes widened in surprise. “You like him that much?”
I nodded resignedly. I wished I didn’t, but I did.
“Shit. I didn’t realize.” Emily pursed her lips again, thinking. “Have you considered giving it a shot?”
“Forty-eight hours ago you were the one telling me he was a stripper,” I hissed.
“You said he wasn’t,” Emily protested.
“He isn’t,” I said with a sigh, setting down my knife. “He says he made the thirst trap shit during quarantine, and that’s all.”
“But you don’t believe him?” she asked. I shot Emily a look. “Claire,” Emily said, and when she spoke this time it was soft like when I was little and needed help getting calmed down.
“Emily,” I protested, but my sister kept speaking, her voice soothing.
“Not every guy is like Dan. If you really like Hudson and he says he’s not interested in women online, maybe you need to trust him.”
I was shaking my head before Emily finished talking. “No, Em. Look at him. Everything about Hudson screams red flag .”
Emily looked skeptical. “I don’t know, Claire Bear. As an outsider, Hudson seems really…” she trailed off, and I leaned forward, curious what word could possibly fill that blank. “Smitten,” she said finally.
I opened my mouth to protest, but I didn’t get the opportunity.
“Hello, everyone,” a melodic voice said behind me. It was a woman’s voice, but not one of my sisters, and I turned curiously toward its owner.
“Hi, Alex,” Mom said, and my eyes almost bugged out of my head. The last time I’d seen Grant and Ethan’s little sister, Alex, was before I’d gone to college. At the time, Alex had been a short, thin fourteen-year-old with doe eyes and a mouthful of braces.
“Claire, Emily, you remember Alex, right? Alex, these are Nora’s sisters, Emily and Claire.”
“I remember you,” the girl— woman —said brightly. I was still tongue-tied, looking at this gorgeous twenty-something with her billowing blond hair, perfectly contoured makeup, and crop top that showed her curves to perfection.
“Nice to see you,” I stammered. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yep, good to see you again,” Emily added, continuing to cut her cantaloupe.
“You too,” Alex said brightly, opening the sliding door.
I felt a hot bolt of jealousy as I realized Alex was going to be outside with Hudson. Don’t be ridiculous, I scolded myself. Jealousy is for people with feelings, and you are not developing feelings for Hudson North. I scoffed, a tiny laugh escaping me.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked. I hadn’t realized Mom was suddenly paying attention, and, if I were honest, I was not even remotely okay. I was a woman developing some pretty strong feelings for a man I knew I couldn’t fall for. And right now those feelings included a fair amount of jealousy. “I’m fine. I almost cut myself,” I lied easily.
Emily glanced up only long enough to confirm this was untrue, then she smirked and returned to her dissection of the cantaloupe.
Mom scowled. “Goodness, you’re so distracted. I’m done with the salad. Let me cut the watermelon,” Mom offered. “Go ahead outside.”
“Thanks,” I said, my eyes already trained on the sliding door. I felt badly leaving Emily behind, but not badly enough to stay. After all, I couldn’t see Hudson or Alexandra from this angle, but my imagination could more than adequately fill the empty space. I knew I should be fighting the jealousy—maintaining the distance—but instead I was drawn to the door, my eyes seeking out Hudson greedily.
My first view was of Alexandra’s head tipped back with laughter, and I felt a white-hot bolt of jealousy shoot through my body, shattering all pretenses of neutrality I’d been aiming for. In fairness, Ethan and his father, Richard, were also laughing, but the fact that I didn’t immediately notice them only served to further prove how far gone I was where Hudson was concerned.
Hudson’s eyes found mine as I stepped outside, and I indulged in one moment’s fantasy that he’d been telling the truth when he said he always watched for me. I couldn’t get carried away, though. For all I knew, maybe pretending to care was part of the fake date service.
Richard barreled on with the conversation they’d been having, not giving me much notice, but Hudson kept an eye on me even as he chatted easily. I found no such ease. If casual party conversation was a chore on most days, it was an impossibility now. I wasn’t even hearing the words floating around me as I tried to make sense of the last few weeks.
There was the Hudson from the elevator, the same man who’d been good company through the long ride up to my parents’ house. I had undeniable chemistry with him. Hell, if not for the arrival of the fire department to “rescue” us, I’d have probably found myself in a compromising position that very first night in the elevator, and I doubted I’d regret it.
That chemistry had only grown on the first day we got here. He’d tolerated my family with an enviable grace and saved me from Grant time and again—he’d asked me on a date, for chrissake—and I’d still had every intention of sleeping with him until Emily had barged in with those stupid videos.
That moment, staring at Emily’s phone, had felt so much like reading the email from Dan's mistress—like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
Did it really matter, though? If Hudson was a player, fine—I hadn’t been looking for a husband—all that mattered was that I didn’t get played. I needed to lighten up and enjoy the rest of the week.
“Oh, I’ll always watch, even though they break my heart every season,” Hudson said, and though I was positive he was still talking about sports with Richard, his eyes remained trained on me.
“Can I steal you for a minute?” I asked, and Hudson didn’t hesitate, holding out a hand so I could guide him wherever I wanted. “We’ll be right back,” I promised, my words meant for Richard and Ethan, rather than for Hudson himself. And I certainly didn’t care if Hud never crossed paths with Alexandra again.