Chapter 17
Hudson sat in the carved chair in front of Pop’s desk. Tracing his finger over the smooth wood, he glared at Malcolm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit. I may have been at the end of the hall this morning, but I saw the way you looked at Tessa. You were about to kiss her.”
He accepted the cup of coffee Malcolm handed him, not bothering to deny his assessment. “Shouldn’t you be thinking about the will instead of giving me shit? Or maybe you’d like to tell me why Lia said you should sleep in the pool house?”
“No to the second because it’s between Lia and me.
And no to the first because the reason we are having this will reading sucks.
If I open the cork on what I’m feeling, it’s going to get ugly.
And then you’ll ugly cry too. And then we’ll be hugging like best friends forever and I don’t want to get throat punched. ”
“Wise plan.” Walking around the desk, Hudson rested his palms on the headrest of Pop’s tall-backed chair. The supple leather warmed his fingers, as if the old man’s snow-topped head had just been resting there.
Malcolm leaned back in his chair and straightened his tie. “Still worried Tessa’s a gold digger?”
“No.” His lightning-fast answer concerned him. Could he trust his instincts about the pretty little thief? After Shayla, he’d been hyper-vigilant about not letting his cock overtake his common sense. But nothing since meeting Tessa had been clear.
“Dammit, Pop.” He shoved his hand into his dress pants pocket and gripped the sinker. “I wish I could talk to the old man and ask him about Tessa.”
With a hard sigh, Malcolm got up and strode to the bar. “Are you keeping the tracker in the ring now that you trust her enough to kiss her?”
“Yes. She’s in danger.” Hudson twisted the ring he’d slipped on his pinky. Turning the stone into his palm, he closed his fist around it.
Josie appeared in the doorway. “Tessa will be down in a minute. I’m going to fetch Ralphie.”
Malcolm held up a bottle of bourbon. “Want some? I’ll make it a double.”
“Why the fuck not?”
The scent of roses pulled Hudson’s attention like a hook. A tentative smile tilted Tessa’s lips as she pulled her shoulders back and paused in the doorway, confident and assured on the surface, yet edged with a wariness he felt more than he saw.
His body heat rose quicker than the warm temperatures still blanketing the coast.
Tessa in cut-offs was sexy. Adorable in scrubs. But the way she carried herself into a room of unknowns was downright dangerous.
The heavy click-clack of heels he could recognize clear across the mansion interrupted his gawking. He caught Vivian’s perfume a moment before a flash of beige appeared in the doorway.
She paused, her gaze landing on Pop’s vacant desk.
“I hate this room without him.” She shook her head and lifted her chin. “And I hate why we’re here.”
She let out a squeak as Nathaniel blew past her.
“How are you holding up?” Nathaniel clapped him on the shoulder. “Once we get through this, let’s break out the good stuff and honor Sam with a toast.”
“Maybe some other time.” Or never. Hudson wasn’t wasting single-barrel bourbon on someone Pop didn’t like.
“I need a drink.” Vivian strode to the bar, her gaze cutting to the fireplace. “You know another thing I hate? All these dead fish on the walls.”
“Don’t even think about touching them.” Hudson pointed above Pop’s desk. “We caught that tuna in Okinawa. And the striper was my first catch when I was three.”
“Sweet memories, but they’re hideous.”
Tessa slid from inside the doorway where she’d been quietly watching and faced Vivian. “They’re not hideous. They’re priceless.”
Vivian’s eyebrows reached her hairline. She smoothed them down as she looked over Tessa. “You must be Sam’s…friend. He probably left you the dead fish.”
Tessa’s fingers slipped on the tumbler of bourbon Malcolm pressed into her hands. She steadied her grip along with her composure. Bringing the glass to her mouth, she raised an eyebrow. “And you must be Vivian who doesn’t appreciate a good catch.”
Vivian blinked. “You sound just like Sam.”
Hudson slid to Tessa’s side and opened his fist. The ruby caught the light as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Actually, this is what Pop left her.”
He barely heard Tessa’s inhale over Vivian’s gasp.
“You can’t seriously believe that Sam gave his ring to some…” Vivian waved her hand. “Some interloper. It’s a valuable family heirloom.” She splayed her hand over her heart. “It belongs—"
“To Tessa.” He stepped into Vivian, close enough for her to feel the icy steel in his tone. “Now sit so we can begin this production you insisted on.”
She parted her lips. A clipped jerk of his chin stopped her next breath.
Accepting a drink from Malcolm, he cupped Tessa’s elbow and led her to one of the chairs in front of Pop’s desk. He nudged her to sit and stood beside her.
Malcolm waved in Ralphie and Josie and waited for them to take seats on the couch. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
As Nathaniel and Vivian settled into the remaining chairs next to Tessa, Malcolm took his place behind Pop's desk. Head bowed, he stood before the big leather chair with the reverence of a priest approaching an altar.
Ralphie pressed his hands together in prayer and bowed his head. “Amen.”
Tessa sighed. “This room. It’s everything about Sam.”
Hudson leaned toward her, his body moving without permission. She understood. He finally did too. She didn’t care about Pop’s money or the Langley name. She just cared.
Mine.
Hell no. Tessa wasn’t his. She was his duty, and fuck, his new obsession he hadn’t seen coming.
That shit had to stop.
Tessa fiddled with the ring on her finger as she stared at Hudson’s profile. Why had he looked at her like she’d stabbed him with a fillet knife after she’d given her opinion about Sam’s study? Had she overstepped?
She’d meant every word, but maybe she shouldn’t have had that extra glass of wine to dispel her doubts.
Screw it.
She’d needed the liquid courage. While she’d dressed, she’d wondered herself into a frenzy about how the rest of the family would react to her presence. Out of all the scenarios that had streaked through her brain, Hudson defending her hadn’t been a blip on her radar.
She snuck a glance at her champion who wore a suit like he commanded it and absorbed his confidence. Even though she struggled to breathe, Sam wanted her here. She reminded herself of that as Malcolm steepled his fingers under his chin and lowered his gaze.
Clearing his throat, he looked back up. “First, I need to tell you that Sam didn’t want a funeral or a memorial service. His wishes are to be cremated with no audience and his ashes scattered in the surf behind the house.”
“That won’t do.” Vivian’s bracelets clinked against her wineglass. “I already sent Shayla to the club to start planning the luncheon after the service.”
Hudson crossed his arms and stared over her head. “Unsend her.”
Vivian huffed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with and Tessa can be on her way.”
“Tessa is not going anywhere until we figure out why she was targeted and what it has to do with Pop.”
Vivian scoffed. “It probably has something to do with that house I didn’t know about that blew up.”
Nathaniel stopped typing on his phone and touched her shoulder. “Calm down so Malcolm can tell us what we—”
“Don’t tell me to calm down.” Vivian pointed at Tessa. “Am I the only one who thinks she didn’t meet Sam by accident?”
A low growl rumbled from Hudson. “I’ve been telling you for years that not everyone saw dollar signs when they looked at Pop. Leave Tessa alone.”
A warm feeling blossomed in Tessa’s chest. She wasn’t sure which was stronger—Frank’s voice telling her to run from the accusations, or the thrill she got from Hudson’s defense.
Twisting in her seat, she looked at Vivian. “Did Sam tell you why he bought the house in Belmarva?”
Vivian toyed with the pearls around her wrist. “I have no idea.”
“I do.” She raised her eyebrows, daring Vivian to question her.
Vivian’s fingers stilled on her pearls. She opened her mouth. No words came out as she sat back and offered a nod so slight, Tessa almost missed it.
Defending herself felt good.
Ralphie’s low, “Atta girl” filled her with pride.
But Hudson’s gravelly “Fuck, Tessa,” rivaled the first time Sam called her family.