Page 59 of Engaging with Her Enemy

She'd passed…with a C.

She didn't care. Her head fell back onto the seat. Done. With tests. With studying.

Driving home, she called Hudson. Before he could say anything, she screamed, “I passed!”

“The class?”

“Yes! I passed, I passed, I passed!” She gunned her little car into her driveway, letting the backend swing around. “I have my degree, Hudson.”

“Baby, I'm so proud of you. You did it.”

“With your help.”

“No. You did it. You. No one else could have gotten that degree for you. You put in the time. You made the decision to succeed. I'm thankful you let me be a part of it.”

She walked into her house, catching her reflection in the hallway mirror. “I did it,” she told to herself.

“Maybe now you can let your friends in a little more. They'd be so proud of you, especially if they knew how hard it was for you to go after your dream.”

A slice of panic flamed in her chest. “I'm not ready, Hudson. Please don't push.”

He sighed but dropped the subject. “You're off for the day, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Let's go out tonight. Can you be ready in an hour? I'll make reservations somewhere nice.”

She did a little dance. “Sounds great! See you, soon.”

“I love you,” he tacked on.

She closed her eyes. “I love you, too.” She hung up. It'd taken six years to get a two-year degree, but she'd done it. She was ready for a new chapter in her life. With the diner. With Hudson. She still couldn't tell anyone about her learning disability. Not yet. The struggle was still too fresh to make a joke about it, and there wasn't any other way she could tell people without keeping it lighthearted and downplaying the impact. Her friends and strangers second-guessing her would drive her insane.

She danced her way down the hall to her bedroom. Only one dress would work for tonight. Something short and tight with a pair of mile-high heels. She felt damn near invincible.

When she climbed out of the shower, she heard her front door close. “Hudson?”

“Cameron,” he called. “Lock your damn door, Becky.”

She rolled her eyes as she rubbed a towel over her head to get rid of most of the water. “I figured Hudson would come by to change. We're going out tonight.”

Becky threw on a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts and came out to see Cameron. He stood at the table, an odd look on his face staring at a massive number of flowers.

“Hudson must have stopped by or else the flower fairy did. These are amazing.” She leaned over and smelled them. A card sat on the other side of the table. Cameron slid it over.

His eyes narrowed at her like they did when he questioned a suspect.

“What's your deal?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

She waved him away. “Go. Arrest someone or save a cat from a tree. Give someone else your serious face. Addie seems to like it. Go bother her. I’m in too good of a mood.”

“Addie does like my face, but the fire department rescues cats.”

“Then why did I see you up in Mrs. Rottenham's tree yesterday?”

He pointed at the card set on the table. “Why did he send you flowers?”

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