pulled up to a beautiful clubhouse. “This is about as exclusive as it gets.”
“Give it some time,” he said.
He parked the truck and jumped out, quickly coming around and opening her door. She took his hand as she climbed down and continued holding it as they walked inside the beautiful building. She couldn’t help but admire the architecture.
“It’s not what I was expecting,” she admitted as they made their way down a hallway, Hudson nodding at several people and saying hello as they kept walking. They turned a corner and went through a set of open double doors, where a large reception counter was set up with two women behind it. The women looked up and smiled.
“Hello, Mr. Anderson, your table is ready,” the woman — Miranda, according to her nametag — said as she stepped from behind the counter.
“Thank you, Miranda,” Hudson said. He was still holding Daisy’s hand . . . and she liked it.
They were taken through a full dining room where conversations were animated, guests were smiling, and several people waived at Hudson as they passed. They were shown to a window table in the back corner of the room where Hudson held out her chair.
Once they were seated and their drink orders complete, Daisy looked outside at the beautiful view of the golf course. Several people were out playing, with golf carts in various locations, and there were numerous works of art in view. A large pond with a fountain in the middle appeared to be the centerpiece of the course.
“At dusk the lights come on and the fountain glows. On Friday nights they have a firework show over the pond, much to the delight of the diners. It’s like being at Disneyland in Washington,” Hudson told her.
“I’ve always loved fireworks, and I really want to go to Disneyland,” Daisy admitted.
“You haven’t ever been?” Hudson asked. “I think that’s a crime.”
Daisy laughed. “Gramps took me to a lot of things, but facing the crowds at an amusement park wasn’t his idea of a very good time. And besides that, I don’t like how dirty the rides are,” she finished.
“I remember you saying you didn’t like amusement parks,” he said.
“Disneyland just seems different. I don’t want to get on all the rides, but I wouldn’t mind the magic of the place,” she said.
“I think you’d change your mind about the rides once you were there. It really is the happiest place on earth,” he said. “And besides, though I don’t think any parent really thinks trying to keep track of their kids in a crowded park is an ideal time, I will still definitely take my kids to many, many parks when they’re old enough.”
“How many kids do you plan on having?” Daisy asked. She felt her stomach tighten a bit. She was trying to remind herself this wasn’t a date, but if it had been, this issue would keep them apart. She didn’t want to have kids. What shocked her was that the thought wasn’t quite so strong as she sat there with Hudson. She could almost picture a miniature Hudson running around. It was an appealing thought. She shook her head to get that sort of idea right out of her mind. She’d heard of women changing to please a man, she wasn’t going to be one of them.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “Maybe two. I think one makes the child too spoiled and makes a parent run like crazy trying to entertain them. I think three is an odd number, and four just seems like too much to handle. Two seems like a solid number. Maybe one boy and one girl.”
Daisy found herself laughing again. “You do realize you don’t get to pick the sex,” she told him.
“I’m used to getting my way. I think I’ll have a boy first, and then a little girl,” he decided.
The waiter took their orders and disappeared again.
“I might be too full to golf after all of this food,” she said as she sat back in anticipation of their food coming out.
“Nah, it’s good to move after a meal. There’s no way you’re getting out of this. You have to experience the full day or this doesn’t count and I get another chance to win you over,” he insisted.
She groaned as bread and salads were set down. She thought about using the restroom and setting off the fire alarm. She’d played golf once and had about fallen asleep. It had been the most boring time of