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“I’m sorry. Okay. Why don’t you just say what’s really on your mind? Don’t worry about anyone’s reaction or how it sounds. Just get it off your chest, and we can pick it apart from there.”
“How long are you staying again?” I asked.
“As long as you need me to. I’d at least like to see Audrey and make sure she’s okay with my own eyes.”
“Fine,” I said. “Okay. Just … I want to be with her.”
“You wanted to have sex with her.”
I glared at him, but all he did was shrug.
“Yes. I wanted to have sex with her. Then, she told me how she was feeling, and I wanted her to stay, to be a part of whatever the hell this thing was. But there’s no way that can happen because of the life I live. She doesn’t even know my real fucking name, Hudson. But my daughter blossomed around her. Audrey talked to her like she talks to me.”
“Wait, she did? Audrey talked to her?”
“Yeah, and she was the one to initiate it,” I said.
“The fuck? It took Audrey months after she started talking to talk to me,” Hudson said.
“It felt right having her in my home. We sat on that couch to negotiate shit, and all I wanted to do was pull her into my lap and ask her to stay with me. Just like that. Without any pretense or anything. I don’t know why. There’s just something about her that drew me to her immediately. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
“Okay, so I can’t give you any advice. But it’s obvious you’re all twisted up about this. When was the last time you two spoke?”
“A week ago.”
“Well, look. I promised Audrey pizza and ice cream for dinner the last time I came to visit. Take the night off of thinking and come out with us.”
“Thanks,” I said flatly, disappointed that he couldn’t just tell me what to do.
“I can’t tell you to go for it. You hardly know the girl, and your life is what it is. I can tell you that I know you, and I know your tone of voice. I know how harshly you can talk sometimes. You might owe her a conversation just to apologize, depending on how worked up and tense you got on that phone call.”
Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that. “Fuck me,” I said.
“No, thanks. But now I want pizza, so let’s get Audrey from school and do an early dinner,” Hudson said.
Audrey ran into Hudson’s arms, and the three of us went out to dinner. Even with that distraction, I couldn't stop thinking about Heather and how she must’ve been feeling after our phone call. She hadn’t tried to call me, but I hadn’t tried to call either. The least I could’ve done was check up on her.
So after we all got back to the cabin, I left my daughter with Hudson and headed back into town.
I walked into the bakery and saw Heather whirling around back. I knew she was only minutes from closing the shop down, but I needed to see her. After Hudson mentioning an apology, I couldn’t shake the fact that I owed her at least that after the abrupt way I ended conversation.
When she turned around to see me, I didn’t get the reaction I expected.
“Andrew,” she said with a smile. “What are you doing here?”
She was smiling at me?
“Is Rebecca with you?” she asked.
“No. She’s, uh, with a friend of mine,” I said.
“Oh. Well, let me get a cinnamon roll for her so you can take it with you. Do you want one?”
Why was she being so friendly?
“I wanted to apologize,” I said.
Her body stopped in the doorway of her kitchen before she slowly turned around.
