Page 43 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“Probably the right call,” he says. “I tried one, and they’re pretty dry.”

GAH!

“I know I’m not the best in the kitchen,” I say, more to myself than Hudson. “But baking is hard.”

“Wait.” He sucks in a breath. Actually, it’s a full-on gasp. I look up at him, and his dark eyes go extra wide. “You baked these?”

I nod, and my shoulders collapse. “For your birthday.”

He looks bewildered. “You baked cupcakes for me.”

Now I feel sick. “It was a dumb idea.”

His face does this thing you’d expect if someone said you’d won the lottery, but then you find out they’re only joking. In other words he shifts from shock to horror.

Quickly.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, the words coming out in a rush. “I thought Robin Johnson left these for me.”

I swallow around the lump in my throat. “Well, she didn’t.” My throat is tight, and my neck’s on fire now. Hopefully Hudson doesn’t notice. I shouldn’t have cared so much. I didn’t realize I did care this much. But now I’m embarrassed not only by how bad my baking is, but by the fact that I baked for him in the first place. And he was so shocked.

Clearly we don’t have that kind of relationship.

“Sorry they’re so dry.” My volume is turned down to almost a whisper.

“No, they’re great.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I mean it. These are the best cupcakes ever.”

What kind of emotional boomerang is this? I go directly into self-preservation mode.

“The cake mix was going to expire anyway,” I blurt. “Most of the stuff in Big Mama’s pantry has been there since the nineteen hundreds. And the pink frosting was probably left over from when Daisy was born.” I’m working up to the quickest I-don’t-care shrug of my life when Hudson suddenly drops to his knees. Then he wraps his arms around my middle. The man is knee-hugging me. In my chair.

“Thank you, Olivia. Thank you so much.” His voice is full of emotion, which is way too confusing for my poor whiplashed brain.

I gulp again. “It’s no big deal.”

“It is a big deal.” He holds me for several more seconds, and my whole body reacts to his touch. It’s like I’ve been tossed into an oven set to broil. Shifting in my seat, I slip my arms around him too. I don’t want him to be the only one hugging. That would be even weirder, right? Or maybe what’s weird is two coworkers hugging each other.

Even on his knees, Hudson’s shoulders are broad and strong, and that makes his sudden vulnerability all the more surprising.

Ugh, Olivia. Stop it.

Hudson finally peels himself out of our mutual bear hug, and his eyes are bright when he meets my gaze. His jaw shifts. “Olivia.” He almost looks like he’s fighting back tears.

“Are you all right?” I ask. Before he can answer, someone calls out from the lobby.

“Liv? You here?”

Chapter Sixteen

Hudson

“Brady?” Olivia chirps.

I leap to my feet—and across the room—just as Olivia’s cousin appears in the doorway.

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