Page 99 of Roughing It

“What did Saul say to you two?”

Both of Hudson’s brothers smile, and Gray answers. “He said it was nice to see our grouch of a brother happy for once, and if Blakely’s the one who turned your attitude around, she deserves a seat on the town council. And if we want to see it for ourselves, we better hot-foot it to Ava’s. Why?”

A weight falls from my shoulders. It’s only one person, but hearing something nice about myself from the town gossip… It’s an unfamiliar experience. And like he somehow keeps doing, Hudson reads me, a hint of a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“I’m not covering the bill.” He waves Ava over and politely requests additional menus.

“Blakely, get the stuffed sopapilla. It’ll change your life,” Bo says as he attempts to squeeze in next to me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Hudson asks.

Bo looks to his left and right. “Sitting.”

“Not next to her, you aren’t.”

Gray and I watch as the other two bicker until Hudson all but hauls Bo out of the booth and slides in. His arm wraps around my shoulders and he presses a quick kiss to my temple.

“Now that that’s settled,” Gray snarks, “how about we give Blakely a menu rundown?”

“You said a stuffed sopapilla? Stuffed with what? When I think sopapilla, I think dessert,” I say to Bo.

“Ah, that’s your closed-minded Texan way of thinking. You need to broaden your culinary horizons.”

Hudson snorts. “You order the same thing every time.”

“Why mess with perfection?”

A short time later, a massive plate of food sits in front of me. The football sized sopapilla—somehow fluffy and golden despite being smothered in red and green chile sauce—is calling my name. Bo gives me a grin that I’m sure makes him a favorite of the Trail Creek dating pool and watches until I take a bite. A soft moan slips from my lips as the flavors of slow rolling heat, gooey cheese, and spiced meat explode on my tongue.

The coffee, the food, the books. How have they kept this town a secret?

Hudson’s hand settles on my thigh, and he whispers, “Those noises are for my ears only, Blakely. Don’t make me murder my brothers at Ava’s.”

I giggle as he shoots daggers at his brothers.

Gray tilts his head. “Still can’t believe you convinced this asshole to show his ugly mug online. We’ve been trying to get him in our videos and posts for a couple of years.”

“I bet I know how she did it.” Bo winks at me, then yelps. “Fuck, Hudson! That hurt.”

The easy back and forth between the brothers has me feeling more and more comfortable. To the point I forget I’m in a small town. Forget I don’t belong here.

For a moment, I indulge in the fantasy of what if. What if this could be my future? No more lonely city. No more fake friends and selling a curated version of myself online. Instead, laughter and love surround me. Years pass by, children play at our feet, the cabin grows, making room for a son, a daughter. Sixty falls, sixty springs, a lifetime in our little cabin in the woods.

“Food okay?”

Hudson’s voice drags me to the here and now, and I shake my head to disperse the lingering fog of memories that can never be. “Yeah, yeah, good. I, um, need to use the restroom. Please excuse me.”

Hudson stands, and I bolt from the booth toward the opposite corner. Stumbling into an empty stall, I sink onto the seat. I have to stop imagining a life with Hudson.

In a desperate act of self-sabotage, I open my socials and go straight to the messages.

And there, as expected, are several from my mother.

Shaw_Babe: Since you’re doing so good the least you can do is help your poor mother. Haven’t had electricity in the trailer for two weeks.

I scoff. She found access somehow. Three more messages wait, each time-stamped about thirty minutes apart.

Shaw_Babe: Don’t ignore me, Blake Lee. I’m your mother. You owe me. I raised you till you were grown, feeding you, clothing you.

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