Page 98 of The Love Haters

Hutch gave a little headshake, like he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be fine.

As he walked away, I called after him, “There is one favor I need to ask of you, though.”

He turned. “Shoot.”

But this was a terrible question to have to ask. I squeezed my eyes closed. “Can I film you putting on your pajamas?”

Another new Hutch frown for the collection:Are you insane?“What?”

How to explain? Cole had definitely told him my job was on the line. But how much had he told him?

“Did Cole tell you about Sullivan?” I asked.

Hutch shook his head.

I took a breath. “Our boss is a lady named Karen Sullivan. She’s themain person who gets to decide if I keep my job or not. She will see this video. And I think she will really… appreciate your visuals.”

“Appreciate my visuals?”

I nodded. “So much so that she might not fire me.”

Hutch tilted his head inquisitively. “Are you trying to titillate your boss?”

“Just a little bit,” I said. “For a good cause.”

At that, Hutch smiled and shook his head. And I suddenly noticed that I’d seen him smile more times today than in all the weeks I’d been following him around.

I hated to belabor it, but I felt the need to justify myself. “I’m just saying,” I said, gesturing at his torso, “that thing could save my job.”

Now Hutch looked almost embarrassed. “Only one problem,” he said. “I don’t sleep in pajamas.”

Oh, god. “Please tell me you don’t sleep naked.”

“That would be a tall order for your cinema verité, wouldn’t it?”

I flared my nostrils, likeJust tell me.

“I do not sleep naked,” Hutch said.

I let out a relief-drenched sigh—

“I sleep in boxer briefs.”

—then I tried to suck it back in.

The sight of this made Hutch laugh. “I can put on pajamas, if you want,” Hutch offered.

With most men, I would’ve jumped at that offer. Of course.Of coursehe shouldn’t be sleeping in his underwear.

But there was just something about Hutch.

I thought about a story Rue had told me the other night about a time she and Hutch were traveling together and their flight got delayed. They had to deboard and wait to change planes in the terminal. The hours ticked by, and people were missing connections right and left, and everybody waiting just got angrier and angrier, and people started going up to the reservation desk and yelling at the gate agents—who, of course, had no control over anything.

After watching this for a little while, Hutch got up and walked off.

When he came back, he had a whole tray of coffees. He walked up to the reservation desk, and he set the coffees down, and said to the ticket agent, “I know it’s been a tough day, and I know you’re all working so hard. Thank you for everything you’re doing.”

Then he left the coffees there for them.

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