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His assumption on the arrival time proved correct, so he hauled himself out of bed and into the shower so that he could get ready to face the day. A day that was probably going to continue to be difficult.
Once he was dressed, Hudson called room service for some breakfast. Not that he was hungry, but he had no idea how the day would unfold, so he needed to eat while he could.
As he ate the scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast that was delivered, an email came back from Kayleigh. He hesitated to read it, taking three more bites of the eggs before he opened it.
Thank you for letting me know. I’ve set up a meeting with the guests at one. We’ll be meeting in Boardroom C, which is big enough to handle everyone who needs to be present.
Short, professional, and to the point.
Hudson stared at the words, his heart aching at the thought that he’d lost the friendship he’d built with Kayleigh. And if that was true—and not just an emotional knee-jerk reaction—maybe it was time to leave.
Now that he’d made contact with the police chief, Hudson didn’t need to be in Serenity Point to follow up with him. Which was a good thing because if he left, he wouldn’t return unless Alexander absolutely demanded it of him. And even then, he would fight against the order.
By the time Hudson left for the meeting, he had shoved all his emotions aside. There were work-related things that required his attention, and he was going to focus on them.
The team from headquarters had arrived, and Hudson had already met with them in his suite.
After not having any issues for years, the resort at Serenity Point was making up for lost time. He doubted that it had ever had so many visitors from headquarters in such a short period of time.
And knowing Kayleigh like he did now, she’d probably be glad if she didn’t see any of them ever again.
Alexander called just as they were getting ready to leave for the boardroom, so Hudson told the pair from headquarters to go ahead. With nothing new to tell Alexander, it was a short call, though he promised to phone as soon as the meeting was over.
When Hudson walked into the boardroom, there were already several people there. His gaze immediately sought out Kayleigh and found her standing with a group of people he didn’t recognize. He assumed they were the guests who’d been affected by the fire.
He took a step in her direction, but then pulled himself up short. If this had been when he’d first arrived, he would have walked up right away, all business. If it had been before the fire and… the kiss… he would have also approached her without hesitation.
Instead, he went to where the pair from New York were standing together.
“Have you met Kayleigh?” Hudson asked.
“Not yet,” Lydia Jacobson said with a shake of her head.
Hudson had worked with Lydia and Kenneth before, so he had been happy to see a couple of familiar faces. He knew that they’d handle everything competently, in much the way Caren had.
“Well, let me introduce you.”
Hudson tried to keep his body relaxed, his hands loose at his sides, as he approached Kayleigh and the guests. He waited for her to turn towards them, then made the introductions of Lydia and Kenneth. She, in turn, introduced the guests.
“Why don’t we have a seat?” she suggested, gesturing to the table.
Unlike the boardroom where they’d been meeting previously, this room had more elegant elements in its décor. This was a room that the guests could use, and since this meeting involved resort guests, it made sense that they would meet there.
Hudson would normally have sat beside Kayleigh, but he ended up taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. As he had done previously, he let Kayleigh take control of the meeting.
With her speaking, Hudson a reason to watch her, so he did. Though she looked perfectly put together, he could see the strain the past several hours had taken on her. She wore a dark blue suit with a plain white blouse. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail.
But more than her subdued look, it was the lack of expression on her face that drew Hudson’s attention. It had been rare in the time he’d known her to see her without some sort of emotion on her face. Whether it had been smiles or tension, there had always beensomethingthere.
But now, there was nothing in her eyes. No expression. Nothing to reveal how she was really doing.
He got the feeling that she was just trying to hold it all together. It hurt his heart that she wasn’t leaning on him. It was hard to accept the sudden change in their relationship when all he wanted was to offer her support as she dealt with yet another difficult situation at the resort.
Kayleigh turned the meeting over to Lydia and Kenneth, her gaze briefly meeting Hudson’s before she focused on Lydia, who was addressing the guests.
Hudson felt Kayleigh’s rejection of what had been building between them deeply, but he wasn’t going to force her to reconsider her reaction. Not that he didn’t want to fight for a chance to prove that they could have something good between them. But they both had to want it. Not just him.
He desperately needed to have a conversation with Kayleigh before he left Serenity. Unfortunately, he had a feeling it still wouldn’t give him the understanding he wanted.
