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Resignation left him with a heavy lump in his stomach. Hudson pulled his phone out and sent off a message to Caleb.
Please check with my meal prep chef to see if she has time to make me five days of meals starting tomorrow night.
Hudson stared at the message, somewhat reluctant to press send. For some reason, it felt so final. In his head, he knew it wasn’t. His heart, however, felt like going back to his life in New York and leaving Serenity—and Kayleigh—behind was the end of everything.
But regardless of the pain that thought brought, it was the right decision.
It was time to get back to his life and fully commit to his job once again.
With a quiet sigh, he tapped the button to send the message to Caleb. Hudson’s grip on the phone tightened as the ache in his heart intensified.
“We’re leaving as soon as we can,” one of the guests said after about twenty minutes. “Will you need to meet with us again?”
“No,” Kenneth told him. “Now that we have all your information, we’ll follow up with you by phone once we’ve been in contact with our insurance carrier.”
Hudson was glad that the guests had been cooperative. It wouldn’t have surprised him if they’d thrown demands around, since rich people often did that. Not that they weren’t entitled to make demands, especially considering the situation. However, it just made things easier for everyone involved if they kept calm and helped Lydia and Kenneth gather all the information they needed.
When the meeting ended, the guests left right away.
“Are you staying the night?” Kayleigh asked Lydia.
“No. We’re going to leave this evening.”
“It seems like a long flight for a short meeting.”
“Perhaps,” Lydia said with a shrug. “But when dealing with the rich and sometimes famous, it’s better to err on the side of caution. Alexander didn’t want to chance them badmouthing the resort if they thought their situation wasn’t being given the attention they felt it deserved.”
“That does make sense,” Kayleigh said. “Well, I appreciate you coming to take care of this.”
Lydia and Kenneth shook hands with Kayleigh, then Hudson left the boardroom with them. They both mentioned they wouldn’t mind a meal, so he took them to the Steakhouse, then left them there to eat their late lunch.
After a brief hesitation, he decided to go to Kayleigh’s office to see if they could talk. He knew that if he was going to leave that day, the only way he’d be able to truly leave Serenity behind was if he knew for certain that their friendship was over.
Still, his steps were slow as he walked down the hallway that led to Kayleigh’s office. When he finally made it to the doorway, he spotted Andrea at her desk.
“Is Kayleigh in?” he asked.
“Yep.”
Hudson didn’t wait for permission to go through to her office, and Andrea didn’t stop him as he moved in that direction. Now that he’d made up his mind, he wasn’t going to let his feelings get the better of him.
Kayleigh looked up as he stepped into her office. Her expression didn’t change at all, which, if he’d had any hope left, would have killed it.
“Do you have a minute?” Hudson asked.
Though he wanted to demand some of her time, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. If she wasn’t willing to talk, then he’d leave without the answers he wanted and put this whole thing behind him.
She gave a small nod, watching as he unbuttoned his suit coat as he sat down across from her.
“I’d like to talk to you about what happened this morning,” Hudson said, surprised—but grateful—that his voice was steady, not betraying the shakiness he felt inside.
Her gaze dropped for a moment, but there was still no emotion in her eyes when she looked back at him. “I’m sorry that I may have given you the wrong impression. That kiss… it can’t lead anywhere.”
Her words weren’t a surprise, but they still hurt. More than he’d thought they would. “Would you mind telling me why?”
When the silence stretched on, Hudson thought she wasn’t going to reveal what was in her mind.
“My faith is very important to me,” she finally said. “And I can’t be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t share that.”
