Hudson laughs. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”
I stuff the cake into my mouth. There are no cameras around to see me pig out, and I don’t care how Hudson sees me. By the smile on his face, he obviously finds it amusing.
“If we’re on the topic of food, I can’t function without peanut butter. It’s killing me not having my morning PB & J sandwiches.”
Mouth gaping, I stare at him. I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for lunch, but I don’t want to tell him that. “What kind of jelly?” I ask. Please don’t say strawberry.
Hudson smirks. “Strawberry. There’s no better combination.” Dammit. That’s what I would’ve said. Strawberry is what I use on my sandwiches. That’s one thing we have in common.
“Okay, moving on,” I say, trying to think of something deeper. The only thing I can think of is my work. “When I was younger, I really wanted to be a doctor, but when I got older, I realized I didn’t like the sight of blood. I loved learning about diseases and what medicines help cure them. It fascinates me.”
Sitting back in his chair, his eyes bore into mine. There’s a solemn look in his eyes that puts a ping in my chest. “My parents would’ve loved for me to go to an Ivy League college and be something more than I am, but do you want to know why I decided to be a firefighter?”
The feel of the room changes drastically. It’s like I can sense his sadness. “Why?” I ask.
He averts his gaze to his half-eaten cake. “You might not remember this, but it was toward the end of our senior year. I missed about two weeks of school.”
I remembered that because everyone was wondering where he was. “How could I forget? All your friends were lost without you.”
His jaw clenches. “I was at a funeral in Michigan.”
My chest tightens. “I’m sorry, Hudson. I didn’t mean to sound insincere.”
He waves me off. “It’s okay.”
“What happened?” I speak the words softly.
He lifts his eyes to mine. “My dad’s best friend and his family’s house had burned down. Everyone survived except for Lisa. She was eight years old. Died of smoke inhalation.”
I can see the pain on his face, and it breaks my heart. “I can’t even imagine.”
He nods. “So ever since that day, I knew that if she had been saved a few minutes earlier, she’d still be here. That’s why I do what I do. I want to save people.”
All I want to do is comfort him and as I’m about to reach for his hand, the door to our private dining room opens wide and my sister walks in, all smiles. “Hello, you two.”
Hudson and I both stand, and I walk over to her. “What are you doing here?” I ask her.
She winks at me. “I came to get you. It’s time for your interview.” Then she leans in close. “Nice touch with the sunblock. Everyone laughed when they watched the feed.”
Hudson joins us and Erin holds out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Hudson. I’m Erin, Allie’s sister.”
His eyes widen. “Oh wow. It’s nice to meet you.”
Erin nods for the door. “Let’s get you two ready. I have to hook the microphones on to you.”
We follow her out the door and down the long hallway to one of the smaller conference rooms. There’s a backdrop on one side of the room with the show’s logo printed on it along with two chairs in front of it and a large TV screen to the side. Ryan is already in place with a camera man behind him and two more throughout the room.
Once Erin has the microphones hooked up to us, she goes to stand behind Ryan while we take our seats. The countdown begins and in three, two, one … it’s showtime.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Ryan announces as he looks at the camera man near me. “We’re now here with Allison and Hudson. We’ve gotten your feedback and took your questions into consideration. I have to say, I’m really excited to hear how our couple responds. We had some interesting new developments come into play this morning. Let’s take a look.”
Ryan turns to the TV screen and on it is a clip of mine and Hudson’s breakfast time where he mentions our past. I knew they would play that. My stomach twists and turns and my palms grow sweaty. I can only imagine what the viewers want to know now. Once the clip is over, Ryan focuses on us and smiles. “I have to say, that was a major plot twist. Viewers had noticed a little bit of animosity from Allison, and now we know why.” Ryan stares right at Hudson. “You broke her nose in high school? How did you manage that?”