One Tiny Lie – Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,40

Spencer Wellington again. And, her past would stay where it belonged—in the past. Luna could only hope and pray that was the case!

She said goodbye to Margot as the two went their separate ways. It wasn’t until Luna got to her car that she digested Spencer’s parting words. See ya around, Luna. That meant he was staying a while. The thought tore at her insides as tears stung her eyes.

Luna sucked in a deep breath as she willed herself to get a grip. She couldn’t fall to pieces now, not when everything was going so well. She had to be stronger than this. Resentment scorched through her veins as she thought of Douglas Wellington. He’d deceived Luna, made her believe he was something he wasn’t.

She jerked, realizing the direction her thoughts were taking. Even though her intentions weren’t malicious, Luna was deceiving Hudson. Would he hate her when he learned the truth? Her mind sprinted in circles. Should she go to Hudson this very minute and tell him the truth? If Spencer Wellington were to do some digging, it wouldn’t be hard for him to figure everything out. Her breath came in fast, ragged, puffs. No, she couldn’t panic. She had to stay the course. She needed to find the right time to tell Hudson the truth. The two of them were getting closer everyday. All Luna needed was a little more precious time.

10

By the time Luna got back to the vineyard, she was starting to feel a bit more at ease about the situation, convincing herself that the happenstance meeting with Spencer Wellington was an anomaly. She’d probably never see him again. And, if she did, chances were, it would be after she’d told Hudson the truth. She’d come to this conclusion by asking herself: What would Ava do?

Ava wouldn’t let someone like Spencer Wellington scare her away from the thing she wanted most. She would stay and fight. Luna was trying to reshape herself into the person she wanted to become. Well, there was only one way to do that, and that was to stay the course. For better or worse, she was determined to see this thing with Hudson through.

She was walking by Todd’s study when she realized he was sitting at his desk. She stopped and peeked her head in. Todd’s expression was so bleak and despondent that it caused her heart to lurch. When he realized Luna was there, a smile immediately overtook his features. It was so warm and genuine that had Luna not seen him a second ago, she never would have known anything was wrong.

“Hey, beautiful girl,” he said affectionately as he waved her in. She sat down in one of the chairs across from him.

“Hey, Dad.” Had Ava been here, she probably would have sprung over and kissed Todd’s cheek, but that was a bit overt for Luna. She did like calling Todd Dad, however. It was nice actually having a dad who cared, as opposed to one who was raising a separate family while his first was cast aside like a discarded pair of shoes.

Todd sat back in his seat, propping his hands behind his head. “Your mother tells me things are going well with Hudson.” Todd was a little under six feet tall with dark, wavy hair that was silver around the temples. His eyebrows were as dark as his intelligent, keen eyes. He was thickly set like a tree trunk with hard muscles. From pictures she’d seen, Luna knew that Todd had been much thinner in his youth. She guessed that he’d started gaining weight in his thirties. The bulk suited him, however, giving him more of an imposing demeanor.

“Yes, things are going great with me and Hudson.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“What’s wrong?” Luna could tell that something was weighing heavily on his mind. Whatever it was, she wanted to help fix it. It was crazy how connected Luna felt to Todd and Beverly. Ava had resented them leaning on her so much for their emotional support. However, Luna welcomed it. It felt good to be needed.

His lips formed grim lines as he sat up taller in his seat. He looked past Luna and then back at her. “Look, I know how set your mother is on you marrying Hudson.” He spoke in hushed tones, as if worried that Beverly might overhear the conversation. “And, admittedly, it would help us in the short term to join forces with the Davenports.” He clasped his hands. “However, it’s not your responsibility to