Page 27 of Off the Record

“I came to let Paisley know I’ve saved seats for you both.” Hudson glances at Phil. “There’s another seat open, if you’d like it.”

“Oh, thank you, sir. That would—uh, be…thank you.”

Not quite sure what he meant to say there. The man really is shy. His cheeks go red, and he looks at Simone like a lost child in need of help.

“Thanks, Mr. Owens,” she says calmly. The woman knows how to be in charge. “We’d like that.”

“Great.” He reaches for my hand, sliding it over his arm and sending me into a heart attack. What even is this? Mr. Darcy and his special lady out on the town? The man has old schoolmanners, and I’m here for it. “I think they’ll begin serving soon,” he mutters. “We should head to our seats.”

I glance up and see Leo standing near a table in the center of the room, his eyes on us.

Oh. Hudson probably noticed him too, and he’s playing his role. Very, very well, I might add.

We don’t quite make it to the front of the room when Leo reaches us, a wide, forced smile on his face. Kyla hangs on his arm, her blonde hair curled in glamorous waves like Sabrina Carpenter, wearing a light pink dress that makes her look amazing and delicate. Intrusive thoughts start their way into my brain, but I shove them right back out before they have a chance to form.

“Good luck tonight, Leo,” I say, sending him a smile and tugging on Hudson’s arm like we can keep on walking.

“Thanks.” Leo says. “Did you?—”

“We should probably take our seats,” Hudson says with a perfunctory smile before pressing his hand to the small of my back. It was done so smoothly, I’m not entirely sure we’ve made it away until he’s pulling out my chair and showing me where to sit.

When I glance over my shoulder in search of Leo, he’s still standing where we left him, Kyla tugging on his hand and urging him toward their table. His eyes are lost, like he’s confused by what happened, or possibly how it happened. There’s no sense of victory in it. If anything, I feel more unsettled now, even though I’m a sad little meerkat and it’s obvious Hudson is doing his best to protect me from who he thinks the hyena is in my life.

Simone takes the chair next to me and invites Phil to sit beside her. “Did anyone come with you?” she asks him. He starts telling her about how his mom was going to join him but came down with a stomach bug, so he’s on his own. Hismom. I like him so much already.

Simone seems to like that, too.

Hudson leans close, his lips almost brushing my ear when he speaks. “You okay?”

“Yes,” I say, a little too brightly. “I’m not holding on to anything, remember?”

“You looked disappointed back there.”

I do feel that way, but only because I’m not sure this is the right way to handle Leo anymore. Also because Hudson is making me feel things I shouldn’t. He’s only trying to help me. I guess I wish it was real. “I’m not.”

“Okay.” He takes me at my word, which is a nice comfort. “I was looking at the numbers today, and your clicks on the website this week have tripled.”

I sit up a little taller. “Seriously?”

His smile is sweet. Not overly wide, but soft like it’s just for me. “I think you’re onto something with this column.”

“I told her she should go micro. I was right,” Simone says.

Hudson looks confused. “Micro?”

“Like thinking of the small people. The small stories,” I explain. “Simone nudged me in that direction.”

“Well, it’s working.” Hudson leans back in his chair, getting comfortable. His arm goes around the back of my chair. I fight the urge to lean into him, just a little. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I could very easily find myself falling for this guy.

The open seatsat our table don’t remain empty when the food is brought out. We get our salad plates from servers along with the arrival of the last four dinner companions—Hudson’suncle, Mr. Prescott, with a woman in her thirties and another middle-aged couple I don’t recognize.

Hudson stiffens once they’re seated. “Mom. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

Mom? Is the other man his dad? The resemblance is there, but it’s not overt. I have to search for it in the shape of his dad’s eyes and the olive tone of his mom’s skin—though she is more sun-kissed. The pair of them look like they’ve stepped off a plane from some warm, tropical location, with bleached hair and impeccable tans. The big lettuce leaf I just stuffed in my mouth is awkwardly angled and won’t let me chew it away, so I’m stuck with my mouth closed, unable to speak as Hudson performs introductions.

Simone watches all this with faint disinterest, but I think Phil might have a stroke, given how strained his expression is. It makes me wonder if he would’ve turned down the offer to sit with us if he’d known who would join our table and that we’d be right in the front of the room. Heck,Imight have turned down the offer, but I’m too interested to see what kind of people Hudson came from.

The emcee tonight is the woman who runs advertising with theTribune, Lucy. She has curly gray hair and a commanding voice. She welcomes everyone, telling us to enjoy our meal and that the awards will begin shortly.

---