Page 17 of Engaging with Her Enemy

“I think it shows you have good judgment for not taking him up on his offer.” Rhonda nodded for emphasis and then took their order. Tension rolled from Hudson, his voice tight and his movements jerky.

When Rhonda walked away, Becky kicked him under the table, hating herself when she'd tapped the prosthetic instead of his leg. “What the hell is your problem? One minute, you're offering to tutor me, acting nice and concerned, and the next, you're over there pouting like a ten-year-old that didn't make the baseball team because I dated some jerk.”

“I hate thinking about you with another guy.”

That pushed her back in her seat. “You and I haven't spoken in almost fifteen years, Hudson. You can't possibly think that I'm the same girl I was then. Or that I wouldn't have been with guys in the meantime. We weren’t even together like that in high school. I mean, I could have been married with a brood of kids by now. You could, too.”

“You aren't.”

“And you think that's because of you? That I've waited for you?” Why did she sound panicked? Until he'd returned, she'd not thought about him except a handful of times in the past years and always with a grudge in mind. Anger and hurt. Now, everything confused her. Why could she bare her deepest insecurities to him and no one else? No one, not even Juliana, knew about her weaknesses. No one else knew she was in school, had been in school at night for the past six years, slowly earning her associate degree. Being back with Hudson felt unexpectedly natural.

Hudson didn’t look phased by her turmoil. That annoyed her even more.

Rhonda brought their drinks, dropping them off and leaving without a word. Hudson picked up his glass. “I don’t want to fight.” He took a long drink of sweet tea Unlike most of the guys in their circle, he never drank alcohol. “Let's focus on accounting, okay. And being friends again.” He set his tea to the side and waited for her to agree.

If he wanted to avoid the big “elephant” sitting between them, then she could too. Being study buddies made her happy. She wouldn’t risk losing him because of a moron like Tommy. As much as strip-flashcards sounded amazing, who cared if she wouldn't learn a lick of accounting. She didn't need Hudson as a complication in her life right now. Not when she had a test next week. She had big goals.

Sleeping with Hudson shouldn't be one of them.

6

Hudson rubbed his quad above his prosthetic, cramping from walking on the uneven ground and clearing out his trailer. No amount of science could ever replace the real thing. Months of physical therapy had helped, though. Gave him balance and strength. He learned how to take care of himself. And then, back to the real world and working. The door opened, and he straightened.

“Did I do something wrong, Deputy?”

Cameron shook his head, surveying the damage. “Wow. The fire department didn't save much, did they?”

“They saved the rest of the site, so I'm thankful for that. The equipment and the men’s trucks. This part takes time. We have a contractor coming down from Atlanta to help set up a new mobile office and haul this one away.”

“Barry posted bail after the judge set it this morning.” Cameron picked up a half-burnt piece of paper and set it on the pile with the others. “The judge set it at the maximum, considering the circumstances. I wanted you to know in case he decides to do something stupid.” His lips twitched. “Again.”

“Thanks, but I'll be fine.”

“Sure.” He scanned the room and then rubbed his hands together. “I came here for another reason. I took Addie out to Rhonda's last week. Rhonda said that you and Becky looked nice together on your date.”

“Not sure you'd call it a date?” He'd hoped it'd be something like a date, but he couldn't seem to get past picturing Becky with some loser named Tommy. “We ate there.”

“She said Becky was laughing and flirting.”

“I really don't want to talk about it.” But she had flirted. It'd about killed him to drop her off and drive away.

“Okay. I get it.” He barked out a laugh. “Well, no, I really don't get it. Becky is usually a pain in the ass to everyone.”

“Maybe she's just a pain in the ass to you.”

“Probably, but still. She’s hated you for a long time. Then you show up, she acts like she's going to slaughter you, and then you end up best buddies. It’s a little odd, is all.”

“We're trying to figure things out.”

“Then, thereissomething going on.”

“Damn, Cameron, just drop it for now. We were friends once, and we're trying to get back there.” Pushing people for information might be a useful trait for his job, but Hudson screwing up the fragile relationship with Becky wouldn’t happen. He wouldn't tell anyone about her learning disability. Not again.

“Fine.” Cameron held up his hands. “Fine. I had to ask. If you end up marrying Becky—"

“Whoa.” Marry Becky? It sounded amazingly terrifying. “We ate dinner together. Let’s leave it at that for the time being.” He was trying to earn her trust back. Marrying her wasn’t in their future.

“Fine. I'll let you get back to it. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything.”

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