Chapter 17
“You need to join us on Sundays,” Mom ordered, standing in the driveway with Dakota and the rest of the family. “We’ve been
so worried about you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be in touch.”
“You’d better.” Mom pulled her in for a hug and whispered in her ear, “Do yourself a favor and steer clear of Hud. If you
get tangled up with him again, it will only lead to heartache.” Then she gave her shoulder a pat and climbed into the passenger
seat of the car.
Dad embraced her next. “I know you say you’ve been busy, but it’s not like you to pull away.” His dark eyes studied hers.
“Do you need anything?”
She felt the urge to tell him the truth—the entire truth—but she couldn’t stand the idea of letting him down. He had warned her that she’d taken on too much when she opened the boutique and bought the house, and she was determined to fix this mess herself. Asking for help was like admitting defeat, and she was a Jamison. It wasn’t in her makeup to fail.
“No, I’m fine, Dad,” she insisted. “But thank you.”
“Call me if you need me,” he told her before folding his tall frame into the car and starting the engine.
Dakota turned toward Skye and Gunner, who were laughing by a red sports car. “Gunner,” she said, and he looked over at her.
“Are you going to stop by the store to get your tux for the prom?”
“He sure is,” Skye said, resting her hand on Gunner’s bicep.
Gunner held up his hand. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be by after school this week.”
“Good. See you then.” She waved to her brother and his family and then ambled toward the house.
Her heart gave a little kick when she realized she was going to be alone with Hudson again. She stopped in the kitchen doorway
and took in the view of him fixing her cabinet doors. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He looked over his shoulder and grinned, which sent shivers dancing down her spine. “What does it look like?”
“I told you I can fix them myself.” She walked over to him, and a whiff of his woodsy cologne sent her senses spinning.
He tightened a screw and then opened and closed the door, testing it. “You fed me, so it’s only right that I do something
to repay you. And I found this screwdriver in a drawer.” He looked sheepish. “I didn’t mean to go through your things, but
my aunt would tan my hide if she knew I stayed for supper and didn’t bring something to share.” He pointed the screwdriver
toward the counter. “I was going to start the dishwasher, but I thought fixing your cabinet doors would be more helpful.”
“Thanks.” Despite herself, appreciation shimmied through her. “That’s really thoughtful.”
“Happy to help. Dinner was delicious, and the company was great too.” When he turned to face her, he was only a breath away. He stared down at her, and her throat dried. “I guess I should get going.”
But she wasn’t ready for him to leave—not yet.
“Would you like to sit on the deck?”
“Sure,” he said without hesitation.
She poured two glasses of sweet iced tea before handing him one.
He smiled again, and her heart did a jig.
They sat out on the deck just as the sun started to set, sending vibrant colors across the sky. A cool breeze kicked up the
smell of moist earth mixed with honeysuckle. Dakota skimmed her hands over her arms and mulled over the evening. How easily
Hudson had fit in with her family once again. Then she turned toward him and recalled their last conversation.
“Did you deliver the cufflinks to Layla?” she asked.
“Yes, and you’ll be happy to know we’ve agreed to call a truce. Again.”
She smiled. “That’s fantastic.” She took a long draw from her glass of iced tea.
“I heard your mom say she was worried about you,” he said, and Dakota gulped.
Had he been eavesdropping when her mother told her to avoid him? She tried to hide her embarrassment. “What exactly did you
hear?”
“Nick said something about how you’d missed a bunch of their Sunday night dinners. Is that why she’s worried?”
Dakota nearly blew out a relieved sigh. “Yeah. I’ve been working late at the store trying to get Layla’s gown right, among other things. It’s turned into a more difficult project than I imagined.” She realized what she said and added, “Not that I can’t handle it. It’s just taking more time than expected, and I don’t want her to be disappointed with the final product. I know how much it means to her.”
“I have full confidence the gown will look exactly like my mom’s. You always were the best seamstress in Flowering Grove.”
Dakota smiled. “Thanks.”
“It’s the truth.” He shrugged. “I remember how busy you stayed tailoring all of your friends’ gowns during prom season. Your
sewing room was full of dresses.”
She sipped her tea while the compliment warmed her from the inside out.
“Do you remember those matching shirts you made us for spirit day in high school?”
“I do. In fact, Layla mentioned them recently.”
He looked embarrassed. “Would you believe mine is still hanging in a closet at my aunt’s house?”
She guffawed. “You’re lying.”
“Nope.” He shook his head, and she laughed. “Any news on your financials?”
Her happy mood evaporated, and she gave him a tight smile. “Everything’s about the same.” She turned toward him. “Hey, do
you remember the old Franklin farm?”
“Of course. We used to go for hayrides there every fall.”
“Right. I took my nieces and nephew there until they said they were too old for the hayrides, which makes no sense. No one
is too old for a hayride.” She folded her leg underneath herself. “Anyway, it’s for sale.”
His lips twitched. “Are you in the market for a farm?”
“Yes and no.”
“Dakota, I’m sorry, but you’ve lost me.”
“I know, but just listen. Lately people have been turning their old barns or warehouses into wedding venues. The Franklin farm had this big old barn, and if I had the money, I’d buy the farm, restore it, and open my own wedding venue. I’d hire someone to run the venue part and then I’d open a store on-site. It could be a one-stop shop for gowns, tuxes, bridesmaids’ dresses, and all of the accessories, plus the wedding venue.” She shrugged. “I know it sounds crazy, but it might bring more weddings to Flowering Grove. Which would be good for our little town.”
She folded her hands in her lap, shocked that she’d shared that idea out loud with him. She hadn’t told anyone, but when she
was with Hudson, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from admitting her deepest thoughts and desires.
He studied her and then took another drink of iced tea. “Have you thought about my offer for a loan?”
“Thanks, but no.” She picked at a piece of lint on her jeans. Maybe she should have kept her idea to herself.
“Now isn’t the time to be so stubborn.”
She decided to let that dig go. “Tell me about the company you sold.”
“All right.” He leaned back in the chair and rested his right ankle on his left knee. “It’s called D&H Software Solutions.
My partner and I designed a business management system that combines human resources and financial management. Many companies
use different applications, which can be tedious, especially when the systems don’t talk to each other. This streamlines their
processes, and since we were a little bit ahead of our time, the software took off.”
“That’s amazing. You were always so determined to own your own company, and you did it. You should be proud.”
He gave her a half shrug.
“You’ve always been so modest.”
“What?” He laughed.
“You have. I remember when you got all of those scholarships to college, you acted like it was no big deal and you didn’t
deserve them. But you did deserve them.” She couldn’t help but be proud of him even though he wasn’t hers anymore.
He shook his head.
“No, really, Hud. You’ve always been humble.”
“Well...” He grimaced. “Layla would disagree with you.”
They were silent for a moment as they took in the sunset. Then she turned toward him again. “Who’s D ?” she asked.
His forehead crinkled. “What?”
“From D&H. H is obviously you.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “Darren, my business partner.”
“How’d you meet?”
Hud set his glass on the small table next to his chair. “We were hired at another software company around the same time and
worked our way up together. We just clicked and became good friends. Next thing I knew, I had convinced him to start a company
with me. Then we managed to sell it for a nice profit.”
“Wow.” She nodded slowly. “You got what you always wanted—financial stability and success in a big city.”
Hudson took a long drink from his glass and kept those sky-blue eyes focused somewhere across the yard.
Silence stretched between them, and she considered how much their lives had changed since they’d broken up. She longed to
ask him if he was in a relationship, but what did it matter now?
“I overheard you talking to Nick, and I was surprised when you said you’re working for Gavin.”
He angled his body toward her. “Why would that surprise you?”
“You always seemed to want to be the boss.” She set her glass down. “I’m just surprised you’re working for someone else.”
His smirk made her laugh.
“Do you like working for Gavin?”
“Believe it or not, I do.” He drummed his fingers on his calf. “It’s nice to not have to shoulder all the responsibility for
once. Plus, I’m learning a lot more about construction than I learned back in the day.” A strange expression overtook his
face. “And I’m determined to prove to my sister that I’m still cut out for the work.”
“What does that mean?”
“She thinks I’m too full of myself to do manual labor.”
Dakota pivoted to face him. “Too full of yourself?”
“Yeah.” He pressed his lips together. “She bet me that I wouldn’t stick to the job, so now I have no choice but to do it.
You know, pride and all that.” He sighed. “I’m trying to show her I’m not the snob she thinks I am.”
“Huh.” She thought for a moment about all he’d just said. Then she asked the question that had been haunting her all evening.
“Why Bahrain?”
He paused before answering. “It’s a great opportunity.”
“But you’ll be so far away.”
When he raised an eyebrow, she realized what she’d said.
“From your family,” she added quickly, but heat was already creeping into her cheeks. “You’ll be so far away from them. Won’t
you miss your aunt and your sister?”
“Of course I will.”
“Didn’t you miss them when you were in New York?”
He nodded and sipped more iced tea.
She studied his face and longed to know what he was thinking. Do you still care for me? Is there any chance we could try again?
She mentally pulled herself back.
“You look like you really want to say something, Kot— Da kota.” He set the glass down again. “So just say it.”
“Why isn’t Flowering Grove good enough for you?” Her quiet voice wavered.
His eyes narrowed and then recovered. “Is that what you think of me? That I believe I’m too good for my hometown?”
“Hud, I don’t know what to think.”
He moved his fingers over the arms of the chair. “I had to move away to make enough money to take care of my aunt and my sister.
I couldn’t have done that if I had stayed here.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Her voice was so tiny she could barely hear herself.
He scanned her small backyard. “I didn’t realize how much I missed this.”
Her stomach dipped. “Missed what?” she asked.
“The stars.” He pointed up toward the sky and then around the yard. “The quiet. The sunsets. Don’t get me wrong. New York
has its perks. I love my apartment and my building, but this—this is nice.” He faced her, and his expression was warm, sending
a jolt through her. “Do you remember that time we decided to drive out to Coral Cove for the day?”
A bark of laughter burst from her lips. “That was a disaster.”
“Well, not the entire day. We had fun walking on the beach and wandering through those junk stores you love.”
“They’re not junk stores, Hud. They’re eclectic.”
A smile played on his lips. “Right. Eclectic .” He made quotation marks with his fingers.
She gently elbowed him in the side, and he chuckled. “Don’t make fun of me,” she said with a laugh. “Back then I had a collection
of those funny little magnets that I cherished.”
“Your brother used to say your folks’ fridge was going to fall over because of your magnet collection.”
She laughed harder and wiped her eyes.
“After you covered the fridge, you started putting them in a drawer in your nightstand. You had magnets from different states, some with sayings on them, others with cats and dogs. The drawer was so stuffed it would barely close.” He cocked his head to the side. “I always think of you when I see a display of magnets. I wonder if you have them all stuffed in your drawer somewhere.”
Her heart stuttered at the earnestness in his face.
He grinned. “What on earth did you do with them when you moved out?”
“Well...” She tapped her chin. “I think they’re in a box in the attic.”
He laughed, and she enjoyed the deep, rich sound. She hadn’t realized how much she missed it.
“You insisted we stop in every single store to look at their magnets, and we quickly figured out that they had the same magnets
at each one. But you still had to check them all out.” His eyes sparkled in the low light glowing above the deck. “And when
we ran out of stores, we decided to head home.”
“And that’s when your truck broke down and we had to call my dad for help.”
He cringed. “Your folks were not happy about driving three hours to rescue us. Still, your dad was generous as always and
offered to pay for the tow truck.” He lifted his face toward the sky again and smiled. “Sitting in the bed of the truck and
stargazing while we waited was fun.”
Yes, it had been. She could almost feel his warm hand holding hers while they pointed out the stars and made up names for
the constellations. And then there were those kisses that made her lose track of reality. Her lips tingled at the memory.
The night had been magical. Actually, almost every moment spent with Hudson had been magical back then.
She examined his profile—those high cheekbones, that strong jaw, and those lips that she’d once known by heart. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather rushed through her, and she hugged her arms to her middle.
“I loved that old truck, but I had too much faith in it.” He tapped his fingers on his knee.
“I loved that truck too.”
“We had some good times together.” The softness in his voice reminded her of velvet.
She nodded, unable to speak for a moment.
He stared out toward the backyard again, and the quiet hum of traffic sounded in the distance. His expression became pensive,
and she could almost hear his mind churning with thoughts.
Concern filled her, and she started to reach for his shoulder. But she held herself back, afraid to be too forward with him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” He focused on her again. “I had to run an errand for Gavin today, and it took me out to Ridge Road. I drove by that
old house where I used to live before...” He paused. “Before my folks died.”
“Oh.” She sat up straighter. Hudson rarely spoke about his parents.
“Did I ever show you that house?”
“Once, when we were eighteen or so, we drove by there.”
“We moved around a lot when I was little, but that was the house I remember the best.” He rubbed his ear. “It looks different
now. Better. The porch has been replaced. And the house was painted. It used to be this dull beige color, but now it’s blue
with white shutters.” He stretched his long legs out in front of him. “Seeing that house brought it all back.”
“Brought back what?”
“My childhood.” He looked up at the sky as if his memories were projected there. “I vaguely recall heated discussions between my parents about my dad’s frequent unemployment. My mom would say things like, ‘And why does the boss not like you this time, Chan?’ Or ‘How am I supposed to feed these kids if you’re not bringing home any money?’” He shook his head. “I remember feeling the stress and hearing my mom cry. I asked my aunt about it all when I got older, and she said my dad was a good and loving man who just couldn’t keep a job.”
“That had to be difficult,” she whispered.
He was silent for several beats, and his expression became grave. “I remember every detail of that night.” He looked down
at the deck. “The night when they died.”
“You don’t have to talk about it,” she said softly.
“I know, but I want to.”
Her heart squeezed. Hudson had never shared the details except to say his parents were in a car accident.
“Layla and I had been staying with Aunt Trudy while Mom and Dad traveled to Greensboro to find a place to live. Dad was planning
to start another new job there.” He exhaled through his nose. “It was supposed to be a new beginning for us in a new town.
At least, that’s what my mom told me when she explained I’d have to start at a new school.”
He stared out toward her fence. “I woke up to blue lights reflecting on the ceiling of my aunt’s spare bedroom—which eventually
became my room. I ran down the stairs and found two police officers standing in the doorway.” His blue eyes glittered. “And
Aunt Trudy was sobbing.” His voice sounded gravelly, as if he was trying to hold back his swelling emotions.
Dakota’s eyes stung, and she sniffed before clasping his strong hand. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return and then
held on.
“After the police left, I asked her what was wrong, and she said, ‘Hudson, I’m really sorry, but your parents are gone.’ And then she started crying again. I really didn’t understand it, but as the days wore on, I realized she meant they weren’t coming back.”
“Hud,” she breathed. “I’m so sorry.”
He wiped his eyes with his free hand. “After that, we had to move into Aunt Trudy’s house. I remember flashes of the funeral,
and the hushed conversations my aunt shared with members of our church.” He cleared his throat, and her chest constricted.
She gave his hand another gentle squeeze, and he responded with a sad smile.
“I’m so grateful my aunt stepped up and became the parent we needed.”
“Of course she did, Hud. She’s your family.”
“Right, but it was a sacrifice taking in two kids. She did the best she could, raising us on her limited income. Since my
parents died in a single-car accident, there was no lawsuit, no damages awarded to help us financially. And my parents never
had life insurance, savings, or any investments. She had to shoulder it all herself.”
Dakota released his hand and angled her body toward him. “I understand, but she loves you and Layla like her own. I don’t
think she sees raising you and your sister as a sacrifice at all.” She gestured widely. “I’d do the same for my nieces and
nephew without a second thought.”
“Still, I’m grateful. That’s why I made a promise to myself—that someday I would take care of my aunt and sister. I didn’t
want Layla to have to move around a lot like I did. I wanted her to have a stable childhood. It was also my life’s goal to
pay back my aunt for her generosity and prove to her just how much I appreciated all she’d done for Layla and me. Without
her, we probably would have gotten separated and then lost in the foster care system.”
“Hud, Trudy knows you appreciate her, and you have proven to her how much she means to you.” She rested her hand on his broad shoulder. “You’ve done all you’ve set out to do. You should be proud of yourself.”
He sniffed and wiped his eyes again. “You know, I’ve never shared any of that with anyone. I just don’t talk about my folks.”
He massaged the back of her hand with his fingers, and his touch set her skin aflame. “It felt good to get that off my chest.”
“I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to share it with me.”
They studied each other. The air around them seemed electrified, and intensity crackled between them. Dakota’s heartbeat zoomed,
and she was certain to the depth of her core that she still cared for Hudson—deeply. She was drawn to his compassion and determination.
His loving devotion to his aunt and his sister was his most attractive quality. And despite their complicated past, he had
offered Dakota help with her store.
In that moment, she longed for him to tell her he cared for her too.
He suddenly glanced at his watch. “I didn’t realize how late it is. I need to get to the construction site early tomorrow.”
He stood and picked up his empty glass. “Thank you for listening. I had a nice time tonight.”
“Me too.” She held her hand out toward the glass. “I can take that.”
He shook his head and then opened the back door for her.
She slipped into the house and found Trouble blinking up at her.
“Has he hidden on you again?”
“No, he’s met me at the door every night since you helped me find him.”
“Good.” Hudson bent down and rubbed the cat’s ear, and Trouble closed his eyes while his purrs rumbled loudly. “I told him not to scare you again. I’m glad he listened.”
Dakota chuckled and set the glasses in the sink before they walked out to the porch together.
“Thanks again for supper.”
“You’re welcome.”
A strange expression traveled over his face, and he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. His finger traced her cheek,
leaving a trail of heat in its wake. The intensity in his blue eyes sent a quiver through her belly. He leaned down, and her
breath caught as she waited for his lips to caress hers after so many years. But instead his arm came around hers in a half
hug.
“Guess I’ll see you around,” he said.
“Yeah.” She did her best to mask her disappointment. “Guess so.”
“Night.” He strode down the porch steps toward the driveway.
Dakota leaned on the railing, and her shoulders sagged. Doubt and confusion threatened to drag her under and drown her. Once
again she had to remind herself that what they’d once shared had ended years ago. Why did she keep forgetting that when she
was around him?
She headed back into her house while her mother’s wise words echoed through her mind:
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of Hud. If you get tangled up with him again, it will only lead to heartache .
Dakota pulled her phone out and posed her thumbs over the screen, ready to text Parker. Then she stopped and let out a long,
shaky breath.
Slipping the phone into her back pocket, she continued to her bedroom and contemplated her strange evening with her ex. She had to stop allowing her feelings to run amok. Hudson Garrity had hurt her once and would do it again. After all, he’d made it clear he wasn’t going to stay in Flowering Grove.
The smartest thing she could do would be to forget about Hudson. But how could she forget a man who was already imprinted
on her soul?