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“It might be a good idea,” Hudson said. “Not because I think he’ll need one for legalities. However, he might feel more comfortable if he has someone to guide him through this process.”
“I’ll talk to him and my parents about that.”
“I know that it’s an added expense, but I think it might benefit him in the long run.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
“I’m going to catch Alexander up on what’s taking place. I haven’t talked at length to him about this yet, since he’s dealing with the situation in Baton Rouge.”
Kayleigh sighed. “He’s done so much for us. I hate for him to know about this.”
“Why?” Hudson asked. “He obviously saw something in you and Wilder that he believed in. I think he’d be upset if he found out after the fact that this was happening to Wilder. I doubt he’ll step in, but he would want to know.”
Kayleigh hoped Alexander was as willing to give Wilder a chance to defend himself as Hudson had been. She wouldn’t blame him if he just wanted the situation dealt with, and the easiest way to do that would be to fire Wilder.
“Don’t worry about Alexander,” Hudson told her, as if he was reading her mind. “I’ll take care of him.”
Kayleigh figured that Hudson knew Alexander better than she did. She had only had limited interactions with him over the years, while Hudson seemed to have daily contact with the man.
“Are you busy this evening?” Hudson asked.
“Not unless Wilder wants to talk to me.”
“If he doesn’t, do you want to get dinner?”
She shouldn’t. She really shouldn’t, but in the midst of this situation, Hudson seemed to be the one who understood how she felt more than anyone else. This was about Wilder, yes, but because of her job and her relationship to Wilder, she wasn’t untouched by all of it.
“Sure.”
“Do you want to meet at the Steakhouse? Unless you’d rather eat somewhere else.”
“The Steakhouse is fine.” And maybe it would help her keep the time they spent together in perspective.
Eating at her workplace would make it seem less like a date. Not that she thought Hudson viewed it as a date, but her mind would certainly try to make it into one.
“Should we meet there at seven?”
“Sure. That sounds good.”
“However, if Wilder ends up needing to speak to you, don’t hesitate to cancel.”
With those plans made, they ended the call. Kayleigh debated for a moment if she should call her parents with the update. If Wilder was going to finish out the day, he wouldn’t be able to talk to them right away about what had happened.
Maybe if she called them, it might make up for the fact that she hadn’t told them about everything at the start. Plus, they were likely as worried about everything as she was.
Her dad had seemed less upset with her than her mom had, so Kayleigh took the coward’s way out and phoned him. When he answered the phone, she let him know she had a bit of an update, then waited while he went to find her mom. He put her on speakerphone, then told her to go ahead.
As quickly as possible, she recapped what Hudson had shared with her.
“So he thinks Wilder should get a lawyer?” his mom asked. “Even though he believes he’s innocent?”
“I think it would be a good move because emotions are high, and it might be beneficial to have someone who isn’t emotionally involved to give advice and support to Wilder.”
“Why is this woman doing this?” her mom asked. “Why would she make up these stories about Wilder?”
“I don’t know,” Kayleigh said. “And even when they determine Wilder’s innocence, we still might not know.”
“Can they arrest her for making false claims about Wilder?” her mom asked. “Because you shouldn’t just be able to mess up a person’s life without facing consequences.”
