slice of life in your eyes, it did something to my heart. Ugh! I’m glad you won’t ever read this. I sound like one of those literature geeks in Mr. Water’s class.
Yours always,
Hudson
Luna reached for the next one. It was dated six months later than the first. Hudson was telling Ava about his new car and how he was glad she’d been the first girl to ride in it.
She could hear the voice of the young boy Hudson had been in the letters. She skimmed through the rest, her heart getting heavier as she read. As the letters went on, Hudson grew more mature. His feelings for Ava went from a schoolboy crush to something deeper.
She opened the one Hudson had written when Ava went away to college.
My dearest Ava,
I can’t believe you’re actually gone. I stopped by your parents’ house the other day, and it felt so empty. I sat by the pool and thought of all the times we swam together. Remember that night we swam under the moonlight? Remember our kisses? You said they didn’t mean anything to you, but they meant something to me.
I know you feel stifled here and that you want to go out and conquer the world. My biggest hope and prayer is that you’ll come back to me. Ava, you are my first thought in the morning, my last thought before my head hits the pillow at night. You have my heart in your hand. I know you think of me as just a friend, but how can you not see what I see? That the two of us are meant to be together? I will love you always and forever.
Hudson
Bitter tears flowed down Luna’s cheeks and dripped onto the letter, smudging the ink. She couldn’t read anymore. How could she have ever thought that she could simply step into Ava’s shoes and that Hudson would fall in love with her? Luna couldn’t erase a lifetime of feelings within a few weeks. For Hudson, it had always been Ava. It was still Ava.
A sob wrenched her throat as she slipped off the bed and sat down on the floor. Her shoulders shook as she let the tears flow, giving herself fully to her grief.
The plan was for Hudson to meet Luna at the country club. Beverly was jabbering a mile a minute, her voice bubbling with excitement. Todd was driving. He, too, seemed excited about the party, but he was a bit more subdued about it. Luna knew that it had been a hectic week for Todd with the harvest. Thankfully, everything had gone well.
“We’ll let the guests mingle for a bit as they munch on appetizers. I’ll give the official welcome. Ava, you’ll sing, and then you and Hudson will make the big announcement. Afterwards, we’ll sit down for dinner. Then, guests can go to the stations for caramel apples and donuts.”
Beverly turned to look back at Luna. “You never did tell me what you’re singing.”
“Lonely Moon.” Luna decided that if she had to sing in public, she’d go out with a bang and sing her own song that had topped the charts.
Beverly’s lips turned down. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before.”
“I think you’ll like it.”
“I’m sure I will,” Beverly said with a doting smile. “I took your guitar over earlier. It’s there waiting for you.” She hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t need a piano accompaniment?”
Todd chuckled. “Give it a rest, Bev,” he said with a gentle reproof. “Ava knows what she’s doing.”
“I know,” Beverly sighed. “You know how I get before an event,” she laughed.
“Yes, I do,” Todd said encouragingly as he reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
Luna looked out the window at the passing landscape. Everything was about to come to a head. Her stomach was tied in knots. While the guests were mingling, as Beverly put it, Luna was going to pull Hudson aside and tell him the truth. Whereas she’d been so hopeful that he could love her for herself, she now knew that he never would. Her heart felt dead and empty.
“Honey, are you okay?”
Luna realized that Todd was looking at her through the rearview mirror. She forced a smile. “I’m good.” She clenched her hands. “Just a little nervous about singing tonight.”
He frowned. “You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to.”
Beverly harrumphed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Todd. Ava loves to sing. Don’t you, dear?” she turned to look at Ava as she spoke.
“I’m good with it.”