One Tiny Lie – Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,9

he raked another one onto her plate.

“You know you want it,” he said with a teasing grin.

“You talked me into it,” she laughed. She took an appreciative bite. The onion ring was delectable — tender on the inside with a crisp coating.

“We have another surprise for you both,” Juliette announced.

Hudson’s eyes widened, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips as he looked at Luna. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“I guess so.” Luna couldn’t imagine what else Juliette had up her sleeve. As long as it didn’t involve singing in public, Luna was okay.

Juliette’s eyes danced with anticipation as she homed in on Hudson. “What’s the one thing you absolutely love?”

“Ava?” Hudson flashed Luna a disarming smile.

Luna would’ve been over the moon about the word love, but she could tell Hudson’s answer was an automatic reaction, devoid of any real feeling. Confusion swirled inside her, driving home the point that while Hudson was going through with the engagement, it didn’t mean that everything was hunky-dory. They still had much to work out before riding off into the proverbial sunset.

“That goes without saying,” Juliette answered, rolling her eyes. “The Windswept.” Her words were wrapped in a breathy excitement.

Hudson’s jaw grew slack. “What’re you saying?”

“The Windswept is yours,” Juliette sang. She trilled out a velvety laugh. “Consider it an early wedding present from me and your dad.”

Hudson sat back in his seat. “Wow. Thank you,” he uttered, genuinely touched.

Luna had no idea what The Windswept was, but she wasn’t about to ask any questions that could get her in hot water.

“Maybe the two of us should’ve gotten engaged a long time ago,” he mused, glancing at Luna.

Luna’s stomach tightened. Was Hudson getting engaged to her because his parents were bribing him to do so? At the very least, they were showering him with expensive gifts. In a hard twist of irony, it would seem that the tables had been turned. Now, Hudson wanted to marry her for what he could get out of the deal. Well, maybe not. Luna didn’t know why Hudson had changed his mind. Still, he seemed pretty excited about getting The Windswept, whatever it was.

“You and Ava should take her out sailing tomorrow,” Juliette encouraged. She turned to Beverly. “Hudson and his dad have been restoring that sailboat for years. It belonged to Alistair’s uncle.”

Hudson sat back in his seat looking thoughtful. A second later, he rubbed his jaw, a morose expression overtaking his rugged features. “No, that won’t work.”

Luna’s face fell. “It won’t? Why not?” She heard the disappointment in her own voice.

“Because you hate sailing,” Hudson countered, giving her a puzzled look.

“Of course I do,” she muttered. Everything she liked, Ava hated and vice versa. Luna needed to have a long talk with her sister. She was putting a damper on everything!

“I’m sure you could make an exception,” Beverly said stiffly, giving Luna a sharp look.

Luna jerked, realizing how her statement had come across. She probably sounded like a spoiled brat. “Uh, sure. I’ll make an exception.”

Surprise flicked over Hudson’s features. “You will?”

Luna looked him in the eye, hoping that he would recognize the sincerity of her words. “Of course. For you, I will.”

“Thanks,” he said quietly. “That means a lot.” He rewarded her with a beautiful smile that set her insides aglow.

“Good, it’s settled,” Juliette pronounced. “I’ll get Anna to make you lunch.”

Luna assumed that Anna was the Davenport’s housekeeper.

“That’s so nice,” Beverly said, clearly impressed. She looked at Luna, her eyes shining with love. “I’m so proud of you.”

An unexpected rush of emotion rose in Luna’s throat. “Thank you.” She looked at Hudson who was studying her. “What?” she whispered.

He gave his head an imperceptible shake. Later, he seemed to be saying.

Their food arrived a second later. Luna did her best to eat in a regal, proper manner that would make Beverly proud. Several times, she felt Hudson studying her. Her eyes asked why, but there was no answer in his expression, only an enigmatic smile. All the while, the knowledge that the engagement was moving forward kept circling her brain. And, she was going sailing with Hudson tomorrow. Wowza, what a day this was turning out to be.

3

“Guess what?”

“What?” Luna asked dutifully. One of the hardest aspects about pretending to be Ava was feigning a friendship with someone that she had absolutely nothing in common with. Margot Chase was Ava’s best friend and had been relentless in calling Luna to schedule a time for them to get together. Luna got the feeling