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Hudson was glad that whatever had been going on with this woman was coming to an end. Or at least he assumed it was.
He hoped it was.
For Wilder’s sake, but also for Kayleigh’s.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Kayleigh pressed a hand to her stomach as she waited for everyone to show. She was tempted to let Wilder know what was going on, but she wanted to speak with the woman first.
Caren and Hudson arrived before the other two, giving the three of them a chance to chat for a couple of minutes. Hudson was once again in business attire. This time, he wore a dark gray pinstripe suit with a white shirt and solid navy tie. He had quite the wardrobe, and he always looked like he could walk the runway for suit designers.
He gave her a smile as he walked into the office with Caren. “You’re going to have to ignore the grumbling of my stomach since I missed lunch.”
“Sorry about that,” Kayleigh said, relieved to see him. “We’ll get you a big steak once we’re done here.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Kayleigh didn’t know what this meeting held, but she was glad that Hudson was there for it. She felt a little more settled because of his presence.
“Anyone want coffee?” Hudson asked as he walked to the coffeemaker. Like the one in her office, it had both a pot and a single serve option.
“I’ll take a cup,” Kayleigh said as she joined him, then took over the process of making a pot of coffee, her arm brushing his. Her anxiety over what was to come was making her need to do something.
“How are you doing with this?” Hudson asked, his voice low.
When she felt a light touch on her back, she glanced up at him, her heart warming at the concern in his gaze. “I’m okay. Just… concerned.”
“Well, you’re not alone,” Hudson said. “I’m here… we’re here for you.”
She gave him a quick smile, then turned her attention back to the coffeemaker. “I appreciate that.” Sighing, Kayleigh added, “I know this isn’t about me, but because Wilder’s involved, I’ve been quite worried. I just want it all resolved.”
“I think we all do. Hopefully, we have good news after this meeting.”
The coffee began to stream into the pot, thankfully working quickly. As she was setting down mugs for everyone, Kayleigh heard Stephanie’s voice.
“Hi, Caren,” Stephanie said. “Thank you for joining us.”
“Would any of you like coffee?” Hudson asked.
Kayleigh turned to greet the newcomers, getting her first glimpse of the woman who’d accused her brother. She frowned as she assessed the woman’s appearance, realizing her expectation of what the woman would look like had been rather off base.
The woman stayed slightly behind Stephanie as they stepped further into the room. She was frail-looking, with light brown hair that was scraped back into a ponytail, making her features appear almost gaunt. Her shoulders hunched forward, and she kept her gaze on the floor.
For some reason, Kayleigh had thought she’d be more… justmore.More confident. More aggressive. More brazen. After all, she’d had the nerve to lie about what Wilder had done.
This woman didn’t look like she had the confidence to accuse anyone of anything.
Caren greeted the woman, then said, “Jenn, this is Hudson St. James. He works with me in New York. And this is Kayleigh Halverson, manager of the resort.”
Jenn briefly glanced at them, then nodded, crossing her arms over her chest, hugging herself.
Kayleigh had noticed that Caren didn’t mention Hudson’s role at headquarters. She made it sound like he was just someone else from HR, which was probably good.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Caren suggested.
Caren sat down at the head of the table and gestured for Kayleigh to sit to her right. Stephanie guided Jenn to the seat to Caren’s left, then sat down beside her.
When Kayleigh sat down, Hudson settled into the chair beside her. Again, his seat at the table relegated him to a position of less importance than he had in reality.
