Page 35 of Baking With A Rockstar

A sudden and unexpected urge to know everything overcomes me. Why not torture myself some more and hear all about his weekend?

“So, why exactly did you have a fancy dinner with Addy then?” Saying her name makes me want to throw up, and I try to keep it to a slight snarl when her name leaves my lips.

“I didn’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m still not sure what strings she pulled, but she knew where I was and just invited herself. When I told her to leave, she said she’d make a scene, and sadly, I know she’d have totally done it. I was exhausted from my day of meetings, and the last thing I needed was one of her public outbursts. Not to mention, the field day the media would’ve had with that, which probably would have played right into her hands.”

He takes a deep breath and puts his fork down on his plate. “So instead, I decided to listen to whatever she had to say and get the hell out of there as fast as I could. She isn’t a good person to have around, and I didn’t want her to cause any more drama than she already has just by being there. That womanlovescreating chaos around her; it’s one of her absolute favorite things to do.”

I huff and barely refrain from rolling my eyes.

His eyes lock with mine, the look in them intense. “Somehow, she knew about you, Charlie. She knew we live together, and about Mira too. I couldn’tnotlisten to her after she dropped that piece of information on me. All I wanted was to figure out what she was up to. The last thing I want is her dragging you guys into some fabricated mess.”

Saying I’m stunned by Hudson’s explanation might be a bit understated. It’s so far from all the scenarios I’ve been coming up with ever since I saw the first photo online that I need a minute to digest it. All the while, he looks at me with big puppy eyes, making it extremely hard not to dissolve into a puddle from that look alone.

“So, dining with her for the whole world to see was just for my sake?” The words feel wrong, and my stomach clenches with unease.

“Sadly, yes. I had to figure out what she wanted. The only way to get any info out of her is by schmoozing her. I know it doesn’t sound right—and trust me, I really didn’t enjoy my time with her—but things with her are never easy. The saying ‘you catch more flies with honey than vinegar’ was created for people like her.”

“You could have explained things to me. One simple message or phone call would have been enough, Hudson. Instead, I had to watch this show happen online, like the rest of the world.” My voice sounds like it’s about to break, and I hate it. I don’t want my emotions to get the better of me, because I don’t want to come across as weak.

After things ended with Sebastian, I promised myself I’d never let anyone walk all over me ever again. I owe it not only to myself but also to Mira. My life has changed dramatically with her in it, and I have to make all my decisions depending on what’s best for both of us.

He rubs a hand over his face. “I know, I should’ve known better. I panicked and didn’t think about how it might look in the media. I just wanted to do the right thing.”

“Is she gonna leave you alone now, at least? Did you figure things out with her?”

He shakes his head and actually looks defeated. “I wish I could say yes, but for some reason, I have a bad feeling about her. She wasn’t happy when she left, and she isn’t one to easily give up.”

Swallowing hard, I put my fork down too. I doubt I could get another bite down right now anyway. My brain’s a mess, going over everything I just learned, getting stuck on one thought specifically that makes the unease in my stomach multiplying. “She wouldn’t come here, would she? I mean, she wouldn’t do anything stupid, right?”

Sadly, there are some crazy people out there, and you can never be too careful.

“I don’t think so. She’s never been here, always said she wouldn’t get caught in a small town so far away from the spotlight, so I doubt she’d do it now.” He stops talking and stares past me into nothingness. “I still wonder how I could’ve been so blind about her. It’s all so blatantly obvious to me now, whenever I see her. I mean, even my own family only met her once. At that point, we were already engaged, and that took weeks of persuasion on my part.”

“That’s sad.” I actually mean it. I can’t imagine being engaged to someone when I haven’t met his family or vice versa. She just doesn’t sound like a nice person, and Hudson still seems to have a hard time dealing with the past.

“It is, but it’s my own fault. I fell for her whole charade. She’s like a siren. She lures you in and sounds pretty much perfect until she strikes completely unexpectedly.” Shoving his hand roughly through his hair, the frustration is written all over his face.

He closes his eyes for a moment before looking straight at me. “That’s exactly how Addy is. She’s a fantastic manipulator, and she has absolutely no problem using that skill to her advantage whenever she deems necessary, which is pretty much all the time. When I first saw her, she was so beautiful and funny, and I never thought she’d be capable of doing all the appalling things she did.”

He’s lost in his memory again, and I hate seeing him like this. No matter what happens with us now, he’s still become my friend, and no one should be treated like that. I still don’t know the whole story, but I trust him enough to believe what he just told me.

Hudson clears his throat, shrugging like it doesn’t matter.

He can’t fool me though. The ugly mark she’s left is still clinging to him like a nasty rash.

“Anyway. I’ve learned that beauty can be very misleading, especially when it’s paired with lies and pretensions.” He says it so nonchalantly now, like I’m not sitting here, burning with curiosity about what exactly happened.

I’m so into the story that my mind is demanding more information. But before I actually get a chance to ask him, I suddenly have to cough really hard.

Leave it up to me to choke on my spit. Fabulous. And so classy too.

“You okay?” Hudson jumps up from his seat to pat me on the back. “One second, let me get you some water.”

The contact shouldn’t have sent a shockwave through my body—especially since it wasn’t intimate in any way—but I can still feel the lingering warmth of his handprint on my back. A moment later, he hands me a glass of water, and I take it eagerly, still coughing between sips. I’m sure my face is beet red as I try to get my cough under control. How embarrassing.

He remains right next to me, and the urge to turn my head and look up at him is almost impossible to resist. Taking the decision out of my hands, he puts his fingers under my chin to gently turn it his way. I’m surprised when he’s suddenly at eye level since I didn’t expect him to bend down for me. I momentarily get lost in his brown eyes, so drawn in by the depth of emotion shimmering right beneath the surface, my resolve chipping further and further away with each additional second I spend with him.

“Charlie, I really am sorry about everything. I know I didn’t handle the situation very well, and hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I can easily see now that there would have been a million better ways to handle it. I underestimated the media, but I should’ve known better.”

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