Playing with Words (Boggy Creek Valley #2) - Kelly Elliott Page 0,26
I asked.
“Told you it was a last-minute decision to come here.”
Had he told me that? I couldn’t remember. Truth be told, when the man looked at me and smiled, it felt like fifty percent of what he said went in one ear and out the other. He had a way of making me forget to even breathe.
“Right,” I said softly as I followed him over to the front desk area. As if silently summoned, Joanne appeared.
“I’ve got your credit card on file,” she said, “so I’ll just close it out with last night’s charge.”
“I don’t mind paying for the entire time I said I would be here. Or for tonight, since I’m checking out so late.”
Joanne waved her hand to dismiss Hudson’s comment. “Oh goodness, no! Don’t you even worry about that.”
She typed on the keyboard and printed out a piece of paper. “Now, you just sign this and you’re all set.”
Hudson smiled. “Thank you so much, Joanne. You and Ron have been the perfect hosts, and the Willow Tree is amazing. I’ll miss seeing your bright smile every morning.”
A blush moved over Joanne’s face as Brighton returned with a small bouquet of flowers she must have picked from the garden. “Be careful there, Hudson, my father might think you’re trying to steal his wife from him,” she said.
It was Hudson’s turn to blush.
Joanne walked around the counter and gave him a hug. “Now, you be sure to stop by and visit before you head on back to the Big Apple.”
“Yes, ma’am, I will.”
Hudson gave Brighton a quick nod and then turned to look at me. “I’m in the white Chevy Blazer; I’ll just follow you to the store.”
I nodded, quickly gave Joanne a hug, and waved goodbye to Brighton. As I headed out of the bed and breakfast, I glanced to my left and saw Hudson putting his bags into his rented SUV. A sudden pang of excitement hit me at the thought of going back to the cabin with him.
“Oh dear. Oh goodness,” I whispered to myself as I made my way to my 4Runner. Once I’d slipped inside, I let out a long breath. “Get a hold of yourself, Greer. He’s only here for a few weeks, and then he’s going back to New York.”
Candace’s words from a few weeks back ran back through my mind. “You should go to Boston for a week, meet a man, and have a hot affair.”
I let my gaze move back to Hudson. He looked at me, waved, and then slipped into the SUV.
Was Hudson the type of guy who would be interested in a no-strings-attached affair while he was here? Would he even be interested in me like that? Maybe he only saw me as a friend, someone helping him in his process to write a book. I mean, I knew I was decent looking, but Hudson could clearly have any woman he wanted. I let the thoughts linger a bit too long and a horn honked. I looked up to see Hudson laughing. He held up both hands as he shrugged.
I mouthed “Oh, sorry” at him and then quickly pulled out of the bed and breakfast’s driveway and headed toward the grocery store. We walked inside together, and Hudson handed me his phone when I asked what he needed.
I read the list out loud and then stared at him. “Coffee, almond milk, Cap’n Crunch, chocolate, pretzels, OREOs, eggs, and orange juice?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hudson, where are the meals?”
He looked down at his list, and I couldn’t help but feel the warmth from his body as he moved closer to me to read it. He smelled so good. I had been trying to figure out exactly what he smelled like since he’d first walked into the bookstore yesterday. It was woodsy but with a slight sweetness to it.
“I’ve got meals on there.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Where?”
“The cereal, the eggs.”
Looking up at him, I asked, “You’re going to live on cereal and eggs?”
He shrugged. “That’s pretty much what I eat at home, besides takeout. Though, I doubt I’ll be able to get Uber Eats to bring me a pizza out here.”
I rolled my eyes. “What types of food do you like?”
“Besides Cap’n Crunch?” he asked with a smirk.
I tried not to giggle and failed. “Yes, besides that.”
He looked up in thought. “Let’s see. I like Italian.”
“Okay, what else?”
“Um…ahh…pizza. Chinese. Thai.”
I rolled my eyes. “Good Lord. I would hate to see your bloodwork if you’re living off takeout like this.”