Candace and Maggie looked at each other, then back at me. “No, it was you confirming you were single that freaked him out. I doubt we’ll be seeing his fine ass anytime soon.”
Maggie giggled as I shrugged and said, “He’s probably a jerk, anyway. Any guy that good-looking knows he’s good-looking. I’m not the least bit interested in learning any more about the man.
I could feel both of their eyes on me as I made my way around the counter and pulled out a box that had been delivered earlier. I quickly got to work checking in the items and adding them to the inventory. There was no way I was going to even try to dissect Hudson’s reaction.
At least not until later tonight, when I had a beer in one hand and a pint of ice cream in the other while I soaked in a hot bath.
Hudson
The moment I walked out of Turning Pages, I had to force myself not to run to my rented SUV. My heart was still beating out of control from the way Greer had stumbled on her words and smiled at me. My God, I had never seen a more beautiful woman or smile.
“What in the fuck was that?” I whispered to myself as I made my way down the sidewalk. It was wet from earlier today, when a fall shower had passed through and lowered the temperature just a bit.
As I walked along the street, I smiled and greeted the folks I passed. Boggy Creek was just like I had remembered. The people who lived here were friendly, the town was still small, and it was quiet. Unlike New York City, where I could hardly hear myself think at times. And it was lovely. And clean-smelling. Every few feet were hanging baskets of flowers off the street lamps that not only offered a pretty sight, but the lovely scent of fresh flowers.
I glanced back over my shoulder…for what, I wasn’t sure. I highly doubted Greer Larson had followed me out of her bookstore.
The second I saw my rental car, I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Once I’d opened the door, I nearly threw my laptop bag onto the passenger seat, slid in, and started up the white Chevy Blazer. I dropped my head back onto the headrest and let out a humorless laugh. “Jesus, Hudson, could you have been any more obvious?”
From the first moment I’d caught sight of Greer Larson standing behind the counter of Turning Pages, I hadn’t been able to keep my body from reacting to her. When she’d smiled and greeted me and then got tongue-tied, I felt my freaking heart jump. And the reaction my dick had was just as shocking.
There was something about her—other than her stunning looks—that made her the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. And that smile…Christ, it lit up the entire bookstore. When she’d stumbled on her words, something inside of me had jolted to life.
I closed my eyes and pulled up an image of Greer. Her hair hung just below her shoulders in waves of brown with hints of copper that made my fingers itch to touch and see if it was as soft as it looked. And those hazel eyes of hers. I was going to be seeing those eyes in my dreams. She looked to be around my age, early thirties.
My phone buzzed in my bag, pulling me from my thoughts.
Reaching in, I pulled it out and groaned when I saw the name on the screen.
Melissa Faulkner.
“Hey there, Melissa.”
“I haven’t heard from you, Hudson. Are you there? Settled? Have you gotten any writing in?”
With a roll of my eyes, I started the car and waited for my phone to connect to Bluetooth—and for Melissa to stop asking me a million-and-one questions.
“Does the place you’re staying have good Internet?” she asked. “And for the love of God, where are you?”
“Are you finished?”
She sighed.
“I got here yesterday, and the bed and breakfast I’m staying at does have Internet if I need it. I have gotten a few words down, and, for the last time, I’m not telling you where I am. The whole reason I left New York, Melissa, was to get away from everything and everyone.”
“I suppose that’s a little bit of a dig at me.”
It was my turn to sigh. Melissa was amazing at her job, which was working as an assistant to Russ Wallace, my literary agent. She was also my ex. We had dated off and on for two years and then mutually decided that we worked better as friends. She’d only recently been promoted as Russ’s assistant and, honestly, I thought things would be weird at first. But Melissa was now happily engaged to a guy she had only been dating for three months. According to her, it was love at first sight, and Manny was her soulmate.