Page 53 of Summer Love

Hudson glanced at his phone and stood, holding his hand out to me. "We should head back."

"I guess the boss can't play hooky for long," I said as I placed my hand in his. His hands were calloused from work. The roughness sent a tingle down my arm.

The breeze had picked up, and the sky was turning gray. "Is it going to rain?"

Hudson grinned as if he remembered last night. "It always seems to rain around you."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, my heart rate kicking up.

His eyes darkened with what I thought was desire. "It depends on what's happening, I guess."

Did he want to get me alone in the rain? I've always wanted to kiss someone as the water fell around us. Was he having the same fantasy?

Instead of asking him about it, I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't ready to voice those thoughts out loud. I was attracted to him, but I had no idea how he felt.

At the house, we got back to work and made good progress on the floor.

I was impressed that he worked alongside his crew. He wasn't just a supervisor, and he was always quick to assist someone else. I didn't think he was just putting on a show for me, because his coworkers didn't act surprised when he did it.

At the end of the day, my phone buzzed.

Valerie: Can we meet and talk about the progress of your article?

I sighed.

"What is it?" Hudson asked.

"My boss wants to talk to me about the article. I should probably outline it so I have something to share with her."

"You can leave. I'll finish up here."

"Are you sure?" I usually stuck around until everything was cleaned up and he was locking the door for the night.

Hudson nodded. "This is my job. Yours is to write an article."

"See you tomorrow then." I headed home to work on a rough outline, wishing that I was with Hudson and not cooped up in my room.

I lifted my head to gaze out the window. I wondered what Hudson was doing tonight. It had become a habit to ask him, since we were supposed to be spending a lot of time together. But tonight, I'd forgotten. Was he spending time with Shane, or did he go to the gym to work out?

Hudson wasn't my boyfriend. I didn't need to keep tabs on him, but that didn't stifle my curiosity. This relationship was unconventional, and it was messing with my head. It was probably best that I create some space between us.

For the rest of the week I worked with him during the day and then worked on the outline of the article in the evening. Doing both at the same time was incredibly helpful. I could determine what I wanted to reveal about him and his family, then figure out a way to get that experience with him.

On Friday, I met with Valerie at the office. It was a small space in a strip of businesses. We were next to one of the Realtor offices, one of many on the island.

In Valerie's office, I sat across from her. On the wall, there were framed covers of pastIsland Timesdisplayed.

"How's the article coming?"

I handed her my outline for the article. "I'm getting a feel for Hudson and the rest of the Kingston family. I think my angle is how close-knit they are and how much they give back to the community. Each brother volunteers, whether it's building flower boxes at the senior center or mentoring kids." I felt good about this kind of article bringing interest to the island.

Valerie's forehead wrinkled. "That's not very sexy though."

"That's what the photo shoot is for. The glossy photos of the Kingston brothers are sure to generate interest."

"Yeah, but then they're going to read the article to get more details about their dating history, and they're going to be confused by the family angle."

"I guess I'm not understanding the assignment. Do you already have an angle you'd like me to pursue?" I didn't like asking, but it was clear she disapproved of mine.

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