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“No.” Rebecca looked at her friend. “Last night shouldn’t have happened, and I can’t let it happen again.”
“But don’t you think maybe it happened for a reason? Obviously, there’s still something there.” Violet looked at her pointedly. “Maybe the two of you being back here at the same time means something. Maybe—”
“There is no maybe. There will never be anything between us. I had too much to drink and things happened and that’s the end of that.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
Rebecca reached for another donut. “I’m going to do what any other responsible, sane woman who had sex with someone they shouldn’t have had sex with would do.”
“And that would be…” Violet waited expectantly.
She nibbled the edge of her donut, mind made up. “I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen.”
Chapter 9
Darlene was at the house when Hudson got home. The smell of coffee and bacon made his stomach rumble, and he headed to the back where the kitchen and great room overlooked the lake. A large, open space, it had always been the main hub of the Blackwell place and for good reason. It was big, bright, and inviting. And for a bunch of growing boys, more importantly, it was where the food was.
“There you are,” Darlene said with a smile as she bustled about the kitchen.
He inhaled the mouth-watering scents. “You didn’t have to do this.”
She shrugged and smiled but said nothing.
Hudson took some time to appreciate his surroundings. The gleaming countertops and stainless-steel appliances were new, as were the cupboards. Gone was the oak that Hudson had grown up with. It been replaced by dark cherry, which was a smart contrast to the light cream-colored granite countertops.
“When did this all happen?” Hudson asked, sliding onto one of the stools at the island. This was the first chance he’d had to chat with her since he’d come back to Crystal Lake. Darlene handed him a cup of coffee, which he accepted with a smile, and he took a sip, watching as she prepared him a plate of food. Along with bacon, there were eggs, hash browns and—he smiled—fresh-cut pineapple, which was his favorite.
The woman remembered everything.
“Last year. Just before Christmas.” She set the plate down in front of him and got busy cleaning up while he dug in. Shit. A guy could get used to this.
“This is amazing. Thanks, Darlene.”
He watched as she tossed some plates into the dishwasher. After his mother passed, she’d appeared in their lives and had become as much a part of the Blackwell clan as any family member. She’d come in as a newly divorced woman in search of an income—she’d been hired to look after the boys—and had never left.
A few years younger than his father, she’d managed to age in a much more gentle, refined way. Her body was trim, though there were new wrinkles around her eyes, and her once jet-black hair was silver. It looked good on her. Dressed simply in jeans and a blue blouse, she was a striking figure, and not for the first time did Hudson wonder about the fact she never remarried. About the fact that she was always in their home. Even after the boys had left. There were several times his father had called, and he’d heard her voice in the background.
He finished his plate and sat back on the stool, glancing around the place and seeing it through new eyes. There’d been a lot of improvements since he’d been home last. New leather furniture sat in front of the fireplace. No longer were the walls beige; they’d been updated to an off-white with dark charcoal accents. The dark wood floors and rich leather, coupled with the fresh
, crisp walls, was a good look for the room.
The new décor and furniture hadn’t quite made it upstairs yet. At least not to his old bedroom. That particular space hadn’t changed one damn bit, and Hudson had been pleased.
“I talked to Dad’s doctor.”
Darlene paused and then tossed the scraps from his plate into the garbage before leaning against the counter.
“What did Regan tell you?” she asked.
Suddenly restless, Hudson got to his feet. “It’s not good.”
“No,” Darlene said softly. “I didn’t think it was.” She watched him closely. “When are Wyatt and Travis coming home?”
“I don’t know. Wyatt is racing, and Travis is gearing up for a new season. Exhibition games right now, but he’s the starting goalie, and that’s something he worked hard to get, but it’s even harder to keep. They just traded for a hotshot backup, and I know he’s keeping Travis on his toes.”
Darlene’s lips thinned. “I get that the boys are busy. I really do. But for God’s sake, Hudson, surely an exception could be made? He’s their father.” Her cheeks were pink and her nostrils flared. “He’s your father. He deserves more than to be alone when he’s so ill. Deserves more than to be ignored by his children.”
Hudson loved Darlene. He really did. He knew she meant well and that her heart was in the right place. But in this instance, he had his brothers’ backs. There were reasons things were the way they were.
