Page 126 of None Of Your Business

“Did he really put you in the guest room, or was that just a cover story?”

Hudson drops his head into his hands.

“He really put me in the guest room,” I say.

Eleanor claps her hands. “I knew it! The boy has no moves.”

Ed sets a plate of eggs in front of me and squeezes Hudson’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to her, son.”

Under the table, a warm hand slides onto my knee.

Hudson’s fingers grip my leg, his thumb pressing into the tight joint to work out the stiffness. He’s reaching for the toast with his other hand, totally poker-faced.

Heat climbs up my neck.

Before I can kick his shin, the front door opens.

“We brought pastries!” Josh’s voice echoes down the hall.

A second later, two-year-old Maya tears into the kitchen, dark curls flying everywhere. The second her eyes land on me, she skids to a stop.

“Ro-an!”

She launches herself straight into my lap. My heart melts on the spot.

“Red,” she announces happily.

“Red,” I agree, grinning at her. “Hi, kiddo.”

Josh walks in behind her carrying a coffee tray, followed by a bright-eyed woman with a blonde ponytail who has to be his wife.

She takes one look at me holding Maya, dumps her purse on a chair, and slides straight into the empty seat beside me.

She leans in. “Hi, I’m Sophie. We’re going to be best friends.”

Eleanor shakes her head from the end of the table. “A little less enthusiasm, Soph. We’re trying not to scare her off.”

“Nonsense,” Sophie says, waving a hand. “She survived Hudson, and she likes my kid.”

Maya jumps off my lap to go play.

Under the table, Hudson’s hand moves higher. His palm presses flat against the inside of my thigh, squeezing lightly.

I kick his ankle.

He doesn’t budge. He just takes a bite of toast and cuts his eyes toward me.

Alright, Shrink Wrap.

While Ed and Eleanor argue about their roofing guy, I slide my foot out of my shoe under the table. I drag my arch slowly up Hudson’s calf.

His toast stops halfway to his mouth before he exhales and tightens his grip on my thigh.

I nearly choke on my food.

“You okay?” Eleanor asks.

“Fine!” My voice is way too high. “The eggs are… spicy.”