Page 30 of Resting Beach Face
I smiled, genuinely happy for him, but a tinge of sadness crept in. I didn’t expect I’d ever have that kind of love. Not when I couldn’t give a partner what they really needed.
Hudson picked up a napkin to wipe his fingers. “But enough about me,” he said. “You mentioned wanting to talk about something?”
Nerves fluttered. I wasn’t sure Hudson would understand my dilemma. He was so happy here, but me? I just never fit.
“I’m, uh, considering a business opportunity.”
He braced his arms on the table and leaned forward. “Oh?”
I swallowed. “I have a friend over in Chicago. He wants me to come back and work with him.”
Hudson’s gaze sharpened. “Is that what you want?”
“Maybe. I was good at it. Better than I’ve ever been at running the B&B.”
“And what about the B&B then? If you leave…”
I wet my lips. “Well, I’ve got an offer from some developers, but after what happened with the resort…” I cleared my throat. “I just want to be careful.”
Hudson sighed. “Damn, man. You’re really gonna leave me with all these kids? You were supposed to start dating Cash so I wouldn’t feel like such an old man around them.”
My heart wrenched, and the memory of Cash standing too close on the dock behind The Rusty Hook rose up in my mind.The soft, almost wounded tone of his voice as he said, “I can’t kiss whoever I want. I tried once, and he rejected me.”
Hudson painted a nice picture, but it wasn’t realistic.
“I’m not the guy for Cash,” I said firmly.
Even if deep down, I wished I could be.
“That’s a shame,” Hudson said quietly. “I’ve never seen that guy give anyone a second look but you.”
I scoffed. “He gives everyone a second look.”
“No, he gave them a thorough first look?—”
“So much better,” I grumbled.
“But that was a year ago or more. You know he’s changed. You must have seen it.”
I shrugged. “That really isn’t my business. What to do about the B&B, about my future, can’t be about someone else.”
“No, of course not.” Hudson sighed. “Your happiness is what’s important. If your work gives you that, then you should pursue it. But if it’s something else…”
“Like?”
“Friends. Family. Community.” He cocked his head. “You’re not alone here, you know? You have people who care.”
My throat tightened. Hudson was a good friend, and sure, I enjoyed my gardening chats with Mimsy and Pipsy. Pearl and Ruth Marie at the Outdoor Market begged me for strawberries each year, and gave me jams and canned fruits in return.
I wasn’talonehere, exactly, but I wasn’t Hudson. I didn’t have a loving boyfriend or a mother here in town.
Most of all, though, I wasn’t an extrovert. I didn’t enjoy meeting tourists. I didn’t knowhowto deal with all the people who passed through the B&B, who intruded into my life, who made me feel uncomfortable and out of place in my home.
I didn’t know if returning to Chicago would make me happy. But it would be comfortable there. Easier to fade into the background, where my flaws weren’t so damn noticeable.
“Swallow Cove is great, but…I think I have to explore this option, at least.”
Hudson’s brows drew together in a frown, but he nodded his understanding. Just one of the things that made him a good friend.
