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Hudson’s tongue tripped all over the place because suddenly he felt like a guilty sixteen-year-old who’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing.
“Never mind,” Darlene said with a small smile. “It’s none of my business. I’ll be back tomorrow after a meeting at the church with some homemade soup.”
“Darlene, you don’t have to.”
“No,” she replied. “I don’t. But you’re home, and it’s been too long since I’ve had the chance to spoil you.”
She was almost to the front door when he heard her voice drift back at him. “Rebecca Draper is back in town. If you don’t already know.”
The door clicked behind her, and Hudson was left on his own. He stretched and walked over to the bank of windows, watching the water roll in from the lake. It was going to be another sunny day. Hot by the looks of it. His gaze swept the shoreline and rested on the boathouse.
How many nights had he and Rebecca spent out there, holed up in the room above it? Too many to count. Hudson backed away from the window, shaking off the melancholy that had claimed him, and headed upstairs. He needed a quick shower and a change. He’d take stock of the boathouse and dock, make note of what he needed for repairs, and then he’d head back to town to get them.
A few hours of good hard labor would help him think. Help him figure out how he was going to deal with Rebecca. Because they were going to have a conversation whether she wanted to or not.
Decision made, he got busy.
Chapter 10
It was nearly four in the afternoon when Rebecca pulled into the parking lot at the hospital. Liam was with her, anxious to get inside and show Sal the new model car he’d convinced his pal Jason to trade a hockey card for. A gorgeous replica of a 1972 Corvette, it was shiny red, and the details were exquisite.
“Do you think he’ll like it, Mom?” Liam pushed a chunk of blond hair away from his face and looked at her. As always, the sight of him made her heart hurt. Sometimes it was so full, she didn’t think she could stand it.
“I think Sal will adore it.” Her voice shook a little bit as she spoke. The elderly gentleman meant a lot to her and Liam. Six months ago, when he’d hired her, Sal had taken a shine to her son, and the two of them had hit it off. Sal even started referring to Liam as one of his own grandboys. It meant a lot to Rebecca, considering her own father wasn’t grandfather material. Kind of hard to be there for your family when you were a mean drunk with a hard right hook, and in and out of jail.
“I hope so. I think it’s the exact same car as the one he had when he used to be a badass.”
“Liam. Language.”
“What? Sal told me he was a badass. Besides.” Liam shrugged. “That’s not a bad word. Maybe when you were a kid it was, but not now.”
She shook her head as the two of them slid from her car and headed inside. Crystal Lake Memorial Hospital was a bright, sunny place, and the design was such that there weren’t many areas without natural light. For a hospital, as bleak as they could be, it wasn’t so bad. They made their way through the main entrance and over to the elevators. She listened to Liam talk excitedly about some new video game he was playing with his pals, Michael and Ian. It had something to do with cars, and he was hoping Sal would be able to play with him when he got out of the hospital.
Again, her heart squeezed. Sal’s prognosis wasn’t good. His cancer had spread. And that was something she hadn
’t shared with Liam. Not yet anyway.
They reached the fifth floor, and she paused, spying Regan Thorne over by the nurses station. “Go on and see Sal. He’s expecting you. I’ll be there in a minute or two.”
Liam ran off, the path to Salvatore’s room one he knew well. She smiled as she watched his blond curls bounce. Not many boys would take time out of their Sunday afternoon, especially on fair weekend, to visit a sick elderly man. She had a good kid. Considering the toxic environment he’d been born into, it was saying something.
Turning quickly, she hiked her bag over her shoulder and headed to the nurses station.
“Working Sundays now?” she said, approaching the doctor. A white overcoat didn’t hide the sleek black dress and elegant heels.
Regan glanced up from the chart she was reading and smiled. “I got called in to check on a patient, but I’ll be heading out soon to dinner. You here to see John and Sal?” Regan knew her routine well.
“Yes. I thought I’d pop into John’s room. That’s if… Is he alone right now?” She was tumbling over her words and hoped that her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt, because that would be embarrassing. She was thirty-three, for God’s sake, not a damn teenager.
Something shifted in Regan’s eyes. They softened with understanding. “Hudson isn’t here, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Was she that easy to read? “Okay.” Rebecca started to back away. “Thanks.”
“Hey, what’s this I heard about you and Ethan Burke?”
Rebecca groaned. “Don’t believe everything you hear, Regan.”
“I know the way this town works.” The doctor chuckled. “Still, it was a good story.”
