You Make Me Weak (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 1)

Seeing her at the hospital, in his father’s room, kissing the old man tenderly as if he meant something to her, that had thrown Hudson for a loop. He didn’t understand it, and he didn’t like being off his game.

“Hudsy?”

Hudson turned to Nash, his brain running full steam ahead. “Give me fifteen minutes to shower.”

“And?”

“Chicken wings and beer sound about right.”

Nash nodded and followed him into the house. “That’s good.”

Hudson didn’t know if it was good or not. He only knew that he had to see Rebecca again. That was his action. As for the consequences? Truth be told, he didn’t give a goddamn.

Chapter 12

“Table three needs a pitcher of beer and another five pounds of Dry Cajun.”

Rebecca punched in the order and shot Tiny a frazzled look. “Where did all these people come from?” She glanced out at the boisterous room and shook her head. The Coach House was packed. Every single table was occupied and not a seat at the bar was open. Mondays were busy, but she hadn’t seen it like this in months.

“Hockey game.”

“Huh?” She grabbed two empty pitchers and began to fill them from the fountain.

“High school. First game of the season, and the boys started strong. A lot of folks think they’re on the road to State this year. I hear the game was rowdy and the crowd pretty hyped.”

“I bet.” Rebecca watched as a table near the stage erupted in loud laughter, with a lot of backslapping and roughhousing. She placed the filled jug to the side and slid the empty one in its place, watching it carefully so as not to give it too much of a head before grabbing up the jugs and heading out to table three.

There were three couples at the table, and Rebecca knew them all. Margot and Pete Havershane, Jodi and Daryl McDougal, and Katelyn Davies practically sitting in Jason Bodemont’s lap. Jason was a couple of years older than Rebecca. He was good-looking, she’d give him that, but he’d always been an arrogant, entitled know-it-all. From what little she’d seen since her return to Crystal Lake, he hadn’t changed one bit.

He’d asked her out more than once over the last few months, but she’d always said no. She hadn’t seen him in a few weeks, and Rebecca was guessing Katelyn was the reason.

Rebecca dropped the jugs in the middle of the table and stood back. “Your wing order is in. We’re pretty busy, so the wait will be longer than normal.”

Katelyn slipped her arms around Jason. “Hey, Becca.” She dropped a kiss on Jason’s cheek. “Since when do you work at the Coach House? I thought you worked at the vet clinic.”

“I do work for Burke at the clinic, but wanted some extra cash. I started about six months ago.”

Katelyn frowned and sat up straighter, reached for a mug. “I’ve never seen you here.”

“That’s ’cause Rebecca only works Monday nights.” Jason winked up at Rebecca. “It’s the only reason I come in.”

Katelyn’s smile was as frosty as the north wind that buffeted the outside of the building. “Really? And here I thought it was for the wings.”

Jason laughed and smacked his lips together. He didn’t take his eyes from Rebecca. “Those too.”

There was an awkward silence, and Margot piped up. “I don’t know what is going on, but I hear Ethan Burke is moving back home, and Hudson Blackwell is in town.”

“Blackwell, huh?” Jason smirked. “Come back to count his daddy’s money.”

“John isn’t dead yet,” Rebecca said, indignantly. “And Hudson doesn’t give a rat’s ass about his father’s money.”

“That’s right,” Jason said. “He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about much in Crystal Lake. Isn’t that right?”

Margot’s eyes widened, and everyone looked uncomfortable, even Katelyn. They were all townies and well versed in the sad history of her busted romance with Hudson Blackwell.

“Is that all for now?” Rebecca asked tightly, taking a step back. She didn’t wait for an answer and threaded her way through the crowd, motioning to the busboy to clean the booths at the back.

By the time she returned to her place behind the bar, a slow-simmering anger heated her cheeks. And to make matters worse, she wasn’t even sure why. Jason was an asshat. She expected him to be rude. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t said anything that was untrue. Hudson had left. He’d broken ties, and that was the end of that.