His Curvy Fantasy, page 20
“How are things going with Hudson?” Finley asked one morning. She was putting in an order for more books and I was helping her with inventory. She hadn’t asked much about Hudson, but I was sure she was curious.
“Good. For now.”
“What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “I really like him. He’s not who I thought he was at all. He’s really good for my kids, and we have a lot of fun together.”
“But?”
“But he’s going to get bored. Or realize I’m not worth the effort. Or find someone else.”
“Why would you think that?” Finley asked, ignoring her computer.
“It’s what happens.”
“Not always. We’re surrounded by women at book club who have happy, healthy, secure relationships. Why can’t you have one?”
“I just don’t know if it’s in the cards for me.”
“It is. I know it is. I’ve never seen Hudson like he is with you. He doesn’t date, at all, and he’s crazy for you.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. He hasn’t dated since his wife died. He might want to figure out what else is out there.”
“He’s not that kind of man. He didn’t date a ton before Hillary. He knows what he wants. And that’s you.”
“I guess.”
“What do you want? Do you want to be with him?”
“Yeah, I do. I’ve never dated anyone like him. I really like him.”
Finley smiled, that look where her eyes went soft and crinkled around the edges and she looked like she couldn’t get enough of the happy. “Good. Trent and I are still talking about that marketing job. It would mean some travel, but I think most of it will be done remotely. I think it’ll be really good.”
I nodded, unsure why she kept mentioning it to me. She said she had no intention of letting me go, but when they brought in someone to handle marketing, she might change her mind. I wasn’t brave enough to ask her if that was the plan. Not yet. “It sounds like it’ll be a good option.”
“Yeah? That’s good to hear.” She went back to her computer. “Do you want to grab us some lunch? Hudson said he could have something ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Are you matchmaking?”
“Definitely.”
I chuckled and shook my head, but we both knew I would do as she asked and go see him. Finley smiled when I pulled on my coat and headed for the door.
“Thank you!”
I waved. “I’ll be back soon.”
“No rush on my part.”
I shook my head as I walked out.
The wind whipped around me on the quick walk next door. Not a lot of people were out, even though it was a Saturday. Joey was working, and Matty was spending a few hours with Hudson, so I knew we wouldn’t get much time together, but I still wanted to see him.
O’Kelley’s was warm. It was quiet still, but a few groups were having lunch and enjoying the warmth of the place. Matty was at the bar. I didn’t see Joey, but that didn’t concern me.
Hudson was standing on the other side of the bar from Matty and looked up when I walked in. He smiled at me and said something to Matty. I walked toward them, my gaze locked on Hudson’s.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
“Good afternoon. I heard you were making us lunch today.”
“I am. Matty and I were just talking about that. He wants a burger today, too.”
“Thank you. Put it on my tab.”
Hudson shook his head. “Employees eat for free. Joey didn’t eat earlier this week when he worked so he has a free meal banked.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s policy. I do it for everyone.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I did want to talk to you about something, though. If you have a minute to come to my office.” He raised a brow.
“Sure,” I said, my pulse skipping faster.
Hudson led the way. As soon as I stepped inside, he closed the door and pushed me against it. Our hands roamed quickly, grasping for each other in a frenzy to grab on to as much pleasure as we could in a few minutes.
“I’ve missed you,” he growled against my throat. “I want to be inside you right now.”
“Oh, God, yes,” I moaned back.
“I also wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What?”
“I’m in this, Anna. You and me. This isn’t a fling for me. I want you and Joey and Matty in my life.”
“Did Finley say something to you?” I blurted, taking a head-clearing step back.
“No. Finley didn’t say anything. I just want you to know that. I know it hasn’t been long, but I’m the kind of person who makes quick decisions and jumps in. To show you I’m serious, I want to pay for Joey’s college.”
“You what?” I gasped.
He smiled. He thought I was happy about his offer. That my gasp was a good thing.
“Yeah, I mean, I have money, and it’s just sitting there not doing anything. We can set up a trust or something so you don’t worry that I’m going to stop paying at any point. Eventually, I’d like to do the same for Matty.”
“What… Uh… I…”
A crash outside the office drew our attention. Shouting followed.
Hudson moved me from in front of the door. He yanked it open and took a step back.
“I found these two going at it in the closet,” Jonathan told Hudson.
I looked past him and saw Joey. Shirtless. He was standing in front of Tierney, who was also shirtless.
“Joey?” I shouted.
“Shit,” he breathed. “Mom, this isn’t what it looks like.”
“It looks like two underage kids taking advantage of me,” Hudson growled.
Joey’s gaze snapped to Hudson’s, then sank to the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be. This is a place of business, and there’s no excuse for anything like that. She’s not an employee, and I could lose my license for having a non-employee in employees only areas. You both need to get yourselves together and get out of there. Now.”
“Yes, sir,” Joey mumbled. He bent down and grabbed his shirt, then handed Tierney hers. Her cheeks were bright red, and she didn’t look up at any of the adults.
They left the closet and headed back toward the bar. Jonathan shook his head and grabbed a mop, then followed the kids.
Hudson hung his head. He exhaled loudly, then stepped back into the office and closed the door again. “I probably didn’t handle that well. I’m sorry. It doesn’t change my opinion of him. I still want to pay for his college. He’s a smart kid with a bright future, and I—”
“You’re not his father. You’re his boss. You have no right to do something like that. How could you think I’d be okay with it?”
“You said you can’t afford college for him, and you’re not sure he’ll get a scholarship. If he doesn’t, or even if he does, I want to help. I can pay for it easily. The money isn’t an issue.”
“It is for me. I will not be indebted to you. I will never do that. You’re not going to promise me something like that and then use it to get whatever it is you want from me. Jesus, I was just telling Finley you weren’t who I thought you were, and then you go and prove me wrong. You’re exactly the kind of man I thought you were. And I’m done.”
22
Hudson
I gawked at her back as she stalked away. Was she serious?
“Anna,” I called out.
She didn’t stop.
I followed her down the hall and into the bar. She stopped at the bar where Charlie had her food ready. I caught up to her before she could turn to leave.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded.
“That was you being an asshole.”
“Excuse me? I was trying to help you out.”
“I don’t need your help! I don’t need anything from you. I can’t believe I thought you understood. That I thought you were different. But no. You’re just like every other man who thinks he can make a decision and the little woman is just going to go along with it. Screw you, Hudson Grant. And your insulting offer to control me.”
“Seriously? That’s what you think I was doing?”
“Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me you weren’t? That you don’t see money as a tool to solve all your problems?”
“Of course I do. That’s what money is.”
She scoffed. “Said like someone who’s never had to worry about money.”
“That’s not true.”
“Really? Because normal people don’t pay for college for someone else’s kid. He’s not yours. He’s never going to be yours. Stop trying to pretend you’re their father. Just because you don’t have your own kids doesn’t give you the right to claim mine just because we’ve slept together.”
I sucked in a breath and took a step back. I nodded once. “Good to know where we stand.”
She glared at me.
“I guess we’re done if that’s how you feel.”
She inhaled sharply and nodded. “Yep. You’re off the hook.”
“Lucky me.”
“Come on, Matty. Let’s go. You can stay with me today.”
“But, Mom—”
“Now, Matty.”
Matty slid off his stool and trudged behind her out the door.
And out of my life.
“Are you okay?” Jonathan asked.
“Yeah, I’m fucking great.”
“Was she pissed because Joey was in the closet?”
“Nope. Probably. That isn’t why she left. We’re done.”
“You’ll figure it out. You two were good together.”
“We’re over. She made that clear. I’ll be in my office.”
“Hud—”
“I need to get ready for the interviews on Monday. The top three for the business manager job will all be here in the morning.”
Jonathan nodded and let me go. It was better that way. For everyone.
I was better off alone.
I was a miserable asshole the rest of the weekend. I locked myself in my office and told everyone I was getting ready for the interviews. They all knew I was just avoiding people. Not that they minded when I snapped at everyone at least once.
Monday morning, I mainlined coffee and tried to wake myself up. I hadn’t gotten any sleep. My brain felt like mush. My eyes were scratchy, and my skin was too tight on my body.
The first interview was set for ten o’clock with the others right after. By the middle of the day, I’d have someone chosen and I could…
Who the fuck cared? I would have all the time in the world and nothing to do with it.
It didn’t matter anymore. I hadn’t heard anything from Anna. Joey barely said anything to me on Saturday when he left, and he wasn’t supposed to work again until Wednesday. If he actually showed up. I wouldn’t be surprised if Anna made him quit.
Again, none of it mattered. I was done with her. We were over. She made it clear what she thought of me. I had no interest in killing myself to get her to change her mind. It wasn’t worth it. If she didn’t want to be with me, and she didn’t, then I didn’t want to be with her.
I just wish I’d found out before I fucking fell in love with her, but oh, well. You live and learn, and I won’t make that damn mistake again.
My back hurt from sleeping in my guest room for two nights, so I tossed a few painkillers down my throat and washed them down with the dregs of my coffee and went to O’Kelley’s.
The bar was closed and dark, like it was supposed to be. I unlocked the door and set about flipping chairs off tables and getting everything ready for when I opened. Jonathan and Danielle were both going to be there at ten so I could focus on the interviews and not get pulled away to handle something in the bar.
I went through inventory, forgetting my count a dozen times before I even made it through the first item on the list. Fuck it. I’d have to figure it out later.
I made myself more coffee and drank the shit black. It tasted like sucking an exhaust pipe, but it woke me up a little.
Just before ten, I unlocked the back door. Danielle came in a few minutes later, following shortly after by Jonathan. He took one look at me and shook his head. He’d already learned not to comment on my appearance. Or my attitude. Or my ability to focus. My brain was even more fucked up than normal since I wasn’t sleeping.
Right at ten, I opened the front door. A woman in a clean white button down and a slim pair of black pants walked in. She smiled and shook my hand and followed me to the office for interview number two.
Rachel was a good candidate. She had a business degree and an incredible track record. She was currently working as a business manager for an attorney’s office in A-Bay.
“Why do you want to move up here?” I asked her.
“I probably wouldn’t move. It’s only about twenty minutes, which is very doable even in winter.”
“Why are you looking to leave your current position?”
“I’m always open to new opportunities. My current job has a lot of things that I like, but a more casual environment where I can have a more flexible schedule appeals to me.”
“Are you okay with working around a bunch of drunk people?”
She blanched, her perfect smile faltering just a touch.
Did she seriously not consider that part of the job?
“Well, I’m not a big drinker. And the office manager is someone who will be dealing with mostly background stuff, so I doubt I’d be around drunk people all that often.”
Her snooty attitude reminded me of Anna for a split second, and the asshole caveman part of my brain decided she wasn’t right for the job. I couldn’t risk even a hint of Anna invading anymore of my life. Not when she was everywhere and in everything and I was already dying because I had to let her go.
“Actually, you’re around drunk people all the time in this job. It’s in a freaking bar. What do you think people do here?”
She sucked in a breath. “Okay, but people aren’t always drunk.”
“I think they could be. And you should probably plan for it. If you can’t handle being around drunk people, you probably shouldn’t apply for jobs in bars, you know? I mean, that’s kind of dumb, if you ask me.”
“Well, I didn’t ask you, but thank you for your opinion.” She stood and grabbed her too big bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Grant. I think this interview is over.”
I nodded at her and didn’t feel the slightest upset to see her go.
The second interview was almost as successful. That guy lasted a little longer, but he still walked out. He wasn’t willing to get in the middle of a fight between two drunk people if he needed to.
What the fuck? It was half of my job. I needed someone who could handle shit like that.
The third candidate showed up ten minutes early. He was pressed and polished and looked all wrong for the place on arrival. His gray suit with a blue tie would be dirty in minutes, and his perfectly parted hair would get messed up just as fast. Hell, I wanted to mess up his hair just to prove it.
I knew from his resume he was the most qualified with a lot of experience managing restaurants and bars and some experience with businesses, too. He was also older than the other candidates and already lived in town. He was my top choice, when I actually gave a shit.
“Hudson, good to see you again,” Arthur said, approaching me with a hand out.
I shook his hand. “Yep.”
He stood there for a second, his gaze tightening. “Should we sit?”
I sighed heavily. “Yeah. We’ll go to my office.”
He flashed a smile I knew was forced and followed me down the hall. I closed the door while he sat in one of my guest chairs. I needed to burn those, too. Anna sat in them. The couch definitely had to go. Maybe I should sell the entire fucking bar.
“So, um, thank you for giving me another opportunity,” he said.
“Yep. Glad you could come in.” I glanced at my desktop and grabbed his resume. “I guess we should get started. First thing is what can you do for me and this place that the other candidates I already spoke to can’t do?”
Surprise flashed across his face at my gruff and direct question. He folded his hands together and composed himself before looking at me and pressing his lips up into a tight smile. “Obviously, I don’t know who else you spoke to, so all I can tell you is what I’m capable of. I have years of experience as a business manager in restaurants, bars, and offices. I’ve adapted to every situation I’ve been in. I have my own systems that I bring with me and use to make a place that’s already successful even more successful. For me, this job isn’t just about taking things off your plate or making your life easier, it’s also about making the business more profitable.”
“Assuming you care about money,” I growled.
His smile faltered again before he stuck it back on. “True. But I have yet to meet a business owner who doesn’t. It doesn’t really matter what you’re selling, you want to make money.”
“Not everyone cares about money.”
“Um, yes. Okay.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at my notes again. “How do you handle conflict? Are you willing to jump in when drunk assholes start throwing punches or would you be too afraid to wrinkle your suit?”
He rolled his lips in and pressed them together. He sucked in a breath, then tilted his head. “Conflict is always a part of any job. I’m not afraid of conflict. I’m typically the one who gets blamed when things don’t go as planned, so I’m used to it. As for jumping into a fight, I can’t say it would be my favorite part of the job, but I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Not worried about your suit?” I asked. Yeah, I was an asshole.
He smiled. “Not at all. I take it you don’t like men in suits.”
“Don’t know that many. I tend to prefer hanging out with men who are less concerned with their appearances.”
Arthur nodded again. “Good to know.”
“How do you work under pressure?” I asked, continuing the interview.
“Well, most of the time. I will usually step back and evaluate a situation before I jump in. I believe there is always a solution to every problem, and it’s easier for me to find it from the outside instead of the inside, so I tend to think things through a bit before trying to fix them in the wrong way.”
