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“And it’s not over yet,” Will told him. “It’s too close to call at this point.”
“We’re going for drinks,” Gareth announced as he got to his feet. “Text me what you want.”
Will and Janessa went with them, while Charli moved to another bleacher to talk to a friend. Kayleigh noticed that her parents were there, but they must have arrived late, since they were standing close to the door. Gareth and the others stopped to chat with them.
“Looks like my folks will be joining us,” Kayleigh warned Hudson as she noticed Janessa gesture to where they sat.
Sure enough, when the others continued on out of the gym, her parents walked in their direction, though they stopped to chat with a few people along the way.
“Should I be nervous?” Hudson asked.
“Not at all. My parents are great. They’ll enjoy meeting you.”
As they reached the row where they were seated, her mom had a friendly smile on her face. “Hello, darling.”
Kayleigh got up to hug both of her parents, then introduced them to Hudson, who had also gotten to his feet.
“What a pleasure to meet you,” her mom said with a smile as she shook his hand, then she tilted her head to the side. “You look familiar.”
Kayleigh glanced at Hudson, because she’d had that passing thought too, though she’d never voiced it.
Hudson’s expression froze for a moment, then he laughed. “I’ve been told that before. Must just have one of those faces.”
He definitely did have one of those faces, Kayleigh thought. A very handsome face. As she’d gotten to know him, the idea that he reminded her of someone had faded, and now he just looked like himself.
“How are you enjoying our little part of the country?” her dad asked. “Have you spent much time here before?”
“This is my first time in Idaho,” Hudson told him. “There’s a bit more snow than I’m used to, but it’s very beautiful. I’ve even done a bit of skiing.”
“Did you ski with Wilder?”
“I did,” Hudson said with a nod. “He’s doing a great job at the resort. It seems he’s very popular.”
Her dad gave a laugh. “Yeah. He has a very charismatic personality.”
“It’s just a shame we can’t keep him employed year-round.”
“Even if you had a job for him, I’m not sure you could keep him here once the snow melts,” her mom said. “We’d love it if you could, but I doubt that would happen.”
“We’re glad that at least something brings him back to Serenity,” her dad added. “Especially over the winter, so that he’s here for Christmas.”
“Are you going to be here for long?” her dad asked.
Hudson glanced at Kayleigh before he said, “I’m not sure at this point. Alexander wants this situation resolved, so I’ll probably be here until that happens. I may have to leave periodically, but as long as we’re still having issues at the resort, I’ll come back.”
“We’re praying that nothing more serious happens,” her mom said.
“So far it’s just been thefts of property, which, while not great, isn’t as bad as if someone were to get hurt or worse.”
Her dad nodded. “That’s very true.”
Kayleigh saw Gareth and the others heading up the stairs to where they stood. When they joined them, they all stood chatting for a few minutes before taking their seats again. Kayleigh and Hudson scooted down so that there was room for her parents to sit at the end of the row next to Charli.
Once they had their drinks, Charli handed around the bag of cookies she’d brought for them to share. There was quite an assortment, but Kayleigh opted for an oatmeal chocolate chip. She noticed that Hudson took a peanut butter chocolate chip one.
“This is like a Reese’s peanut butter cup in cookie form,” Hudson said after he’d taken a bite. “Delicious.”
“They’re a family favorite, so Charli usually has them on hand.”
