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A pause.
“You going to invite me in?”
She shouldn’t. She should tell Hudson to leave and never darken her door again. She should tell him that a repeat of the weekend wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. That whatever this was between them meant nothing. It was just left-behind residue. An echo from their past. An acknowledgment of a desire that still burned, but a desire that would do neither one of them any good.
“Are you hungry?” she found herself asking.
I’m crazy.
“Something smells good.”
Certifiable.
“We’ve got lots.”
Should be locked up.
Hudson stepped out of his boots and shrugged off his jacket. He hung it on the hook by the door, and Rebecca turned and headed for the kitchen, very much aware of the man who trailed behind her. Liam was sitting at the small island, spoon halfway to his mouth, when he spied them. He looked from Hudson to Rebecca and then set his spoon down, his curiosity evident.
“Hey, Liam. My friend Hudson is joining us for dinner. You remember him from the other day?”
Liam nodded. “Hello.”
Hudson walked over to her son and offered his hand, which Liam took rather gingerly (wasn’t often he shook hands with anyone).
“Smells good in here.” Hudson smiled.
“I made it.” Liam jumped off his stool. “I’ll grab an extra bowl, Mom.”
And just like that, her kitchen became a hub of domesticity. Hudson washed up while Liam filled two more bowls of soup. Rebecca grabbed rolls and butter, and the three of them sat down at the kitchen table to eat.
Rebecca’s appetite wasn’t anywhere near where it should be, and she couldn’t even blame that on the wine. Hudson made her nervous as hell. She ate slowly, while in just under thirty minutes, Hudson managed to find out pretty much everything about Liam’s life in Crystal Lake.
He knew that Liam played defense on a local house league hockey team, and that one of his coaches was his Uncle Mac. He also knew Liam loved fishing and boating and camping. That Liam loved math and science but hated reading, even though his mother made him read every night for twenty minutes. Something he agreed to do if she let him stay up for an extra hour.
“So what’s your mom got you reading? The classics?”
Liam grinned. “Nope. She never said what I had to read.” He giggled at his mother. “I read comics.”
Rebecca shrugged. “You’re still reading, and that’s all that matters.”
Liam pushed his bowl away. “What’s your job, Hudson?”
Hudson leaned back in his chair as if considering his answer. “I work in law enforcement.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “You’re, like, a cop?”
“He’s FBI.” Rebecca grabbed their bowls, not in the mood for small talk anymore.
“FBI?” Except that particular acronym lit a firestorm of questions, and while Rebecca cleaned up after dinner, she listened to Hudson patiently explain some of the duties he performed.
After at least the tenth question, Rebecca leaned against the counter. “Liam. Homework.”
“But…”
“No buts. I happen to know you have a geography test tomorrow, and I haven’t seen you study for it.” She pointed to the stairs. “So get to it.”
Liam sighed, an exaggerated sort of thing, and slid from his stool. “Maybe you could come for dinner again?”
