Page 37 of What About Us
It’s Erin Parker and her daughter, Jennie. Paige and Jennie are in the same class at day camp, and Paige’s been talking about her nonstop.
Erin works here in town as a physician’s assistant at the small health clinic on Main Street. Her dad, Henry, has been the town doctor for years. Erin had a huge crush on Hudson in middle and high school, and she even started calling herself his girlfriend at one point. Hudson never told her they were exclusive, but when he left for NYU, she was crushed.
I can hear Erin’s laughter ring out the closer we get to them. I stifle a laugh. By the way she’s looking at him, it’s clear she’s still obsessed. I can just imagine their conversation.
I brought you a cookie, Hudson. You look so handsome today, Hudson. Be my baby daddy, Hudson.
I snicker to myself. I amsogiving him shit about this later.
“Jennie!” Paige squeals and drops my hand, running the rest of the way to her friend.
Erin’s gaze follows the sound and her eyes land on me. Her smile wavers a bit but stays in place, looking slightly annoyed. I wave and smile, knowing it probably pisses her off, just like it used to every time she saw Hudson and me together in high school.
“Hi, Finnley.” Her friendly tone sounds forced.
“Hey, Erin,” I say sweetly and walk around her to sit next to Hudson.
She scrunches up her nose like she smells something bad as she watches me, then seems to remember she was talking to Hudson before I came over. She holds up her phone and says, “Ok, I’m ready.”
Hudson looks wholly uncomfortable, but rattles off his phone number. He glances at me as she types it into her phone.
What is actually happening right now? They’re exchanging numbers?
“Great,” she says and turns up her smile. “I’ll send you a text.”
“Sounds good,” Hudson says.
I don’t know what makes me do it, but I reach across his lap and rest a hand on his thigh—dangerously close to his crotch—to grab a water bottle. I stop just shy of rubbing my tits on his lap. I can feel both their eyes on me, and Hudson leans back just a bit, giving me more room. I silently hope I’m not blushing, because my heart is pounding like crazy.
When I sit up, Erin’s watching me with narrowed eyes, and Hudson flicks his gaze to mine, a quizzical bend in his eyebrow. I glance over, then lightly brush his shoulder, before running my hand down his back. I let it linger a little before leaning back on my hands, just a bit closer to him, so our shoulders are touching.
Resting my head on my shoulder, I look up at Erin, trying to ignore the fire burning under my skin from touching him so freely out in the open. I want more. He shoots me another questioning look. He probably thinks I’ve lost my damn mind. Maybe I have.
“Oh, mosquito,” I lie, with a little smile, but grimace internally.
Am I jealous ofErin Parker?Nope. Just marking my best friend territory.
They talk a little more, and I pretend to study my nails. But the more she laughs, the more irritated I become. Can’t she see that we’re here together? I mean, we’re nottogether,together,but she really needs to take a hint and scram. He’smybest friend. She needs to find her own.
“Well, we’ll get back to our seats. But we’ll talk soon?” she asks Hudson, batting her eyelashes.
I’d laugh if I wasn’t irritated. She’s so blatantly obvious and I have to force myself not to roll my eyes.
“Yeah, absolutely.” His smile looks genuine. That bugs me even more than her ridiculous flirting.
When she walks away, I turn to him. “She still can’t take the hint, huh?” I nudge him with my shoulder.
He watches her go and shrugs. “She wants to get the girls together.”
My eyes leave him to follow her. “Maybe she could be your new friends with benefits girl,” I joke, expecting him to tell me to get bent.
But he doesn’t. When I look over at him, he’s still watching her walk away. And that makes my stomach sink.
Chapter 13
Finnley
I have no excusefor why I’m pulling into the ranch three days later. Well, other than the fact that I overheard Hudson on the phone this morning, making plans with Erin to bring the girls riding this afternoon.
