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“You go on and take your bags to your room,” she said, waving her hand toward the back of the house. “Then come to the kitchen. I have lunch ready.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there.”
The home Gail lived in had been a gift to her from Alexander when she’d retired after Hudson hadn’t needed her to take care of him anymore. The house had two bedrooms, and though she could have used the second one as a craft room or an office, she kept it set up with a large bed for him.
In the room, he set his bags on the seat of the bay window, then slumped down beside them. How was he going to survive without having work to focus on? His mind was going to dwell on Kayleigh and the hurt she’d inflicted on him even more than it already did. And he wasn’t sure he could survive that without falling apart.
Not wanting Gail to come looking for him, Hudson took some deep breaths, then got up and went to the attached bathroom to clean up before he left the bedroom.
When he stepped into the kitchen, Gail greeted him with a beaming smile. It was a smile that she’d given him every time he’d walked in the door of the apartment they’d shared when he was a teen.
It had been a balm to his young, grieving heart. But in spite of that, he had never let Gail know how much he’d appreciated her for making him feel like there was still someone in the world who valued his presence.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. “I hope so. I have all the fixings for subs.”
Hudson wasn’t hungry. He hadn’t been hungry in ages, but as long as she didn’t serve him steak, he’d eat whatever she put in front of him.
She’d set the table in the sunroom, which was right off the kitchen. The room had wicker furniture off to one side, while the table and chairs were on the other. There were various plants set on wooden stands throughout the room, revealing Gail’s green thumb. It was a cozy room—as much as a room with all glass walls could be.
Like he had with Kayleigh, Hudson knew to wait until Gail prayed for the food before he began to eat. Unlike Kayleigh, however, she prayed out loud.
Rather than ask about him as they ate, Gail chatted about things that were happening around the retirement community. Hudson had no idea who the people were that she spoke about, but he didn’t care. As long as she was talking about them, she wasn’t talking about him.
He knew that wouldn’t last, though.
And sure enough, when they’d finished eating their subs, she brought out a plate of brownies and a cup of coffee for Hudson, then sat down and regarded him with a concerned look.
Hudson was sure that he looked rough. Even though he hadn’t spent a lot of time in front of mirrors recently, he knew that between the sleepless nights and the stressful days, his appearance had suffered.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Gail prodded gently.
“What has Alexander told you?” Hudson asked, certain that the man had told hersomething.
“He’s concerned,” she said.
“I’m not sure why. I’ve been doing my job.”
“That’s not what’s worrying him.” She paused, regarding him for a moment before she said, “It’s as your father that he’s worried about you. Not as your boss.”
“He doesn’t need to worry about me.”
“He loves you, so worry comes with the territory.”
Hudson lifted his brows at that. “Loves me? I doubt that.”
“The relationship the two of you have had has been on your terms,” Gail said. “If he had a choice, Alexander would absolutely claim you as his son.”
Though he didn’t think Gail was lying exactly, he doubted that she had a clear understanding of the relationship he shared with Alexander. “Why now? Why not back when I was a kid?”
Gail seemed to mull something over before she answered him. “Two reasons. The first is that your mom had always told him she didn’t want him to publicly claim you. Second, he had no confidence in being a father, and you didn’t want anything to do with him in that role.”
“Seems he’s done okay with Xander, Sabrina, and Jayden.”
“And you don’t have any idea why?”
Hudson shrugged. He hadn’t spent a lot of time dwelling on it.
“Alexander didn’t have a good example of how to be a husband or father growing up. When he got married for the first time, he was hopeful. He wanted to love and be loved in a way that he hadn’t seen in the relationships of the adults in his life growing up. But he didn’t know how to do that, and he had no patience to learn.”
