Page 80 of Must Have Been Love

Jesse looks like he’s been expecting this one. He doesn’t shift, doesn’t break our gaze. Just gives me the softest of smiles. “Because I asked him to.”

“Why?” I ask, completely confused. “This place is worth a lot of money. You could have sold it to Hudson and been set for life.”

“I don’t give a damn about money,” he says. “And I think you’re the same. Yes, I need enough to keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach, but more than that? I don’t know…” He shrugs. “It doesn’t seem to make Hudson happy, does it?”

I swallow hard, remembering how Hudson looked this morning, all crumpled up on my floor. I have no idea what time he fell asleep, but he was dead to the world as I looked at him, my stomach tight because even at my lowest he kept to his word. He didn’t get into my bed.

I’m still processing that. I’ll think about it later, because there is a lot going on in my world right now and I need to concentrate on one thing at a time.

“Money can definitely help,” I say. “And it doesn’t matter, I’m signing over half of the bar to you.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“You just said yourself that money doesn’t make you happy. But do you know what does? The thought of co-owning a bar with my baby brother.” I give him a broad smile. “Plus I might get a day off if you have to help too.”

“I work on the ferry,” he points out.

“And that’s fine. You can come here when you want. Or we can employ more staff. Whatever, we’ll work it out.”

A sense of peace falls over me. It’s like I’m slotting a jigsaw piece into place. This is how it’s supposed to be. Dad requested me to stay here for six months to get to know my brother. This funny, lovely guy sitting with me.

I’ve always believed in fate. I don’t like to force things. I like drifting with the breeze.

I think that’s what my dad liked too, when he was sober. And here I am, drifting into a new life.

“I want you to be in this with me,” I tell him. “And I think that’s what dad would have wanted as well.”

He looks stupidly pleased at that. There’s a pinkness to his cheeks as he smiles.

“I’d like that,” he says.

I’ll have to ask Hudson to recommend a lawyer. But that’s for another day, we can make it official in time. As far as I’m concerned, from this moment on we’re going to be working together. And I like that.

“Is that it? Any more questions?” he teases.

“Not yet.” But I’m pretty sure I’ll have more. They don’t seem so urgent now. There’s a weird peace in my heart that I never thought I’d have. Especially last night, when it felt like my world was collapsing around me.

But there’s no urgent need to know everything anymore. I have enough information for now, and I know if I have more questions he’ll answer them. We look at each other again, and I try to see the resemblance between us. He has freckles like me, but that’s it.

It’s a start.

“I do have one more question actually,” I say, and he groans out loud. But this one isn’t about him or me.

It’s about the one thing that’s been bugging me since I arrived.

“What happened to Eileen and Mylene when they went to the mainland?” I ask him. “Is that also something everybody but me knows?”

He grins. “Nope. We’re all as in the dark as you. I don’t think we’ll ever know.”

“Damn,” I say, because I’m desperate to know. “I guess some secrets aren’t supposed to be found out.”

* * *

HUDSON

I’m working on the business plan for the fishermen’s cottages when there’s a knock at my office door. I should be on the mainland with Ayda at our therapy session, but after taking one look at me after I came back from Skyler’s this morning, Autumn decided she’d take her instead.

Usually I’d put up a fight, but I was too tired and my muscles ached too much to deal with Autumn’s stubbornness, so I let her take my kid for an ‘Aunt and Niece’ day on the mainland and decided to hole up in my office and actually get some work done.

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