Chapter 23

HUDSON

Friday rolled around, marking the last day of Diana's job before school was out for the rest of the summer. I couldn't wait to spend some quality time with her, to kick off the weekend in style.

I checked the time, bummed to see I had to wait another hour to pick her up. I had been so anxious to see her. All week she'd been busy. At first, I was worried she was purposely avoiding me. But she made it clear it wasn't that. I believed her.

While I sat outside, lounging next to the pool, Zayn called.

"How's it going?" he asked. "Still in Cold Springs?"

"I am. I'm sitting by the pool under my brand new patio umbrella."

"You sound sober," he said.

"I haven't had a drink all week."

"Seriously?" he asked with surprise.

I chuckled. "I know, right? I can barely believe it either."

"Well shit, I'm happy for you," Zayn said. "Do you think you've got this under control?"

"I think I'm taking it one day at a time," I said. "I'm breathing clean air. Eating fresh food. I even made lasagna a couple of days ago."

"Putting a frozen lasagna in the over doesn't count as cooking," Zayn said with a laugh.

"It wasn't frozen, you prick," I said, missing my friend. My buddies were the only things I was really missing about the city right then. Everything else I needed was right here. "I mean, I didn't make fresh pasta or anything, but I put the ingredients together, and it turned out alright."

"Would Gordon Ramsay have eaten it without yelling at you and calling you a donkey?" he asked.

"I'm sure he would have hated it, but in my defense, I wasn't trying to sell the lasagna. It was just for me."

Zayn laughed. "Well, I've got to say, it's good to see you getting yourself together. I'm proud of you, man."

"I'm a work in progress, but I'm trying," I said.

"Kameron isn't going to believe it."

"You don't need to tell Kameron anything," I said. "I don't want his bullshit negativity. He's not going to like that I'm doing this my way and not his. He wants to ship me off to rehab, to prove he was right that I'm a piece of shit."

"I don't think that's true," he said. "We already know you're a piece of shit."

"What the fuck, man?"

"But only when you're too drunk or high to think straight," my brother added quickly. "And that's the whole thing. That person who blacks out and makes bad life choices? That isn't you. That's the party monster who is exhausting to deal with."

"Yeah, no arguments from me," I said. "Things spun out of control for a while there. I'm working on it. You understand but Kameron never will."

Zayn sighed. "That's bullshit, and you know it. He wants what's best for you. And you're doing great. Focus on you, and the rest will follow."

I took a sip of my iced tea. "I hope you're right. I want to be in control of my life and not let my past define me." I glanced at the pool, taking in the clear blue sky and the gentle breeze. "Maybe this won't work and I end up flat on my face. Then Kameron can say he told me so and send me off to some overpriced ranch meant to cure me. But until then, I'm just?—"

"One day at a time." Zayn chuckled. "I think that's a motto a certain group uses."

I grinned. "I think you're right."

"How is it going with the woman you mentioned?" he asked. "Are you still seeing her?"

"I am. She's really nice. Total change of pace from the women I used to chase in the city."

"I had a friend do the program," he said. "Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the rules was he couldn't get into any new relationships. I think he said it was like the first year of sobriety or something."

"I'm not in that program," I said. "And the success rate for that program is the same as people not in the program. So maybe their rules are kind of bullshit, huh?"

"I didn't know that," Zayn said.

"Yeah, I looked into it, okay? I'm doing my own thing. And Diana is good for me. She's a way better person than I've been the last few years."

"I'll trust that you know what you're doing," he said. "Plus, you've got me in your corner. I've got your back, no matter what."

"Thanks," I said. "Look, I need to go. I'm actually going to pick up Diana soon."

"You guys planning a big night out?"

I knew exactly what he was asking. Was I going out and partying? "I'm just taking her to dinner. There aren't any clubs here. Yes, there are bars but that's not where we're going."

"Okay, okay," he said. "Well go have fun and be good."

"For once, I'm really trying," I said, laughing.

I ended the call and went to get my keys. I was picking Diana up from the school. I pulled up outside the school and waited. Diana emerged from the building, a smile lighting up her face as she spotted me waiting for her.

"Hey there," she greeted and slipped into the passenger seat with a grin.

"Hey, yourself," I replied, returning her smile. "Ready for some fun tonight?"

Diana nodded eagerly. "You bet. I've missed you."

"I've missed you," I said, smiling. "You look more excited than the kids that summer is here."

"Yes, are you kidding? I love those little munchkins, but I also need a break. Especially after this last week." She exhaled a long breath. "Once they smell freedom, they can't sit still."

"So, I was thinking we could go somewhere new for dinner," I suggested.

"You haven't been here that long," she said. "Most places are new to you."

I laughed. "Okay, fair enough. But I saw there was a country club. They serve a surf and turf that seems to be pretty popular, according to the reviews online."

"Absolutely not," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Oh, is the steak bad?" I asked. "The pictures actually looked decent."

"The steak is fine," she said. "But my father will be there with all his friends right about now. The last thing I want is for him to see us out and about together—and at one of his local haunts of all places. It would be walking into the lion's den."

I frowned, taken aback by her reaction. "Are you embarrassed of me?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Diana looked into my eyes and shook her head. "Not at all. It's my father. He means well, but he's so strict about what I do and who I associate with. Trust me, you don't want to meet him, especially when he's in his element."

"So you don't want to be seen out in public with me?" I murmured, hurt but not wanting to show her that I had feelings. In my experience, caring about things wasn't considered manly.

"I don't want my dad to think we're together," she clarified. "It's not you. It's my crazy family. Remember when you made me that awesome breakfast and I had to rush to school? The principal called my dad, and my father chewed me out for it."

"Yikes," I said. "That's pretty crazy. You're not a child. I can attest to that. I've seen you naked."

Her cheeks turned pink, and a fire lit inside me, begging me to repeat our night at the castle. "No, I'm not a child," she said. "But my father doesn't care. He'll try to ruin this, and I don't want that to happen."

I nodded. "Me neither."

She turned toward me, her gaze locking with mine. "Can't we just have this thing? I want us to have a nice night together without my dad interfering."

"Okay," I said, willing to accommodate her. "We'll find somewhere else. Somewhere he won't be."

I had underestimated the situation. The last thing I wanted was to cause any trouble for Diana, especially with her family. For better or worse, family was for life. Diana and I had only been on a few dates. I didn't even know where our budding relationship was going yet. There was no sense driving a wedge between her and her father.

Diana smiled gratefully, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "Thank you, Hudson," she said softly. "I appreciate you understanding. I am not ashamed of you at all. If anything, it's my father I'm ashamed of. He's a meddler."

I nodded. "In that case, I'll defer to you. Where can we go to get a decent steak around here?"

I was determined to make the most of our evening together, regardless of where we ended up. After all, it wasn't about the location or the meal. It was about being together. I would eat grass if it meant I could spend time with her.

"How about Salt?" she asked. "Have you heard of it?"

I shot her a confused look. "Everyone's heard of salt, I think. I mean, next to pepper, it's right up there with the best seasonings."

"No, not table salt," she said, giggling. "Salt is a restaurant in town. Upscale. Nice. Good food."

I smiled. "Tell me how to get there, my beautiful navigator."

She slapped my arm playfully but she blushed at the compliment. I drove through town, following her directions. While we went, she pointed out places that meant something to her. The bowling alley where her brother poured nacho cheese into the holes of their father's bowling ball as a prank. The gas station dumpster where all the raccoons lived. She liked to feed them sometimes. And she pointed out the high school where her parents met.

Cold Springs was a beautiful place, but it became even more beautiful when she helped me see it through her eyes. This was a community where everyone knew each other and shared their lives. Where I lived, it was just a bunch of people stacked on top of each other but never interacting. No one knew the people they passed on the sidewalk, and there were so many faces, they all faded and became a blur.

I liked this way of living better. Young me would have loathed it, but as I got older and wanted different things out of life, Cold Springs seemed like a great place to settle down a bit. Or maybe it was just because Diana was here.

The woman was a treasure.

At Salt, we were seated at a cozy table with a candle on it. With dim lighting and soft music, the place had a romantic vibe that set the tone perfectly for the evening.

A young woman approached. Diana looked up and laughed. "Well, look who we have here."

The waitress glanced from me to Diana. "What are you doing here?"

"Abigail, we're here to eat," Diana said with a grin.

The pieces clicked together in my head. She was Diana's sister. I had met her that night at the bonfire.

Abigail looked over her shoulder. A man wearing a suit who appeared to be the manager was staring at her.

Abigail took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Good evening. Or afternoon? It's not really dark out, right?" She groaned. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should get another server."

"Good evening to you, too," I said, trying to stop her from spiraling into a panic attack. "I think anything after five o'clock counts as evening. For future reference."

Abigail nodded and seemed to compose herself enough to try again. "Good evening. My name's Abigail, and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

The poor girl was jittery as hell. My heart went out to her. "Of course," I replied, flashing her a reassuring smile. "I'll have a glass of your house red, please."

Diana asked for the same, and Abigail darted off to fetch our drinks.

"Is this her first night?" I asked as I glanced through the menu.

"I think like her third," Diana said. "So it's still pretty new. She's nervous. She wanted the job and now she's got it, and she doesn't want to screw it up. That's part of being my father's daughter. You don't get to screw up. You don't get to fail. It's a lot of pressure. It might just be a waitress job, but she had to beg my father to approve."

"Why does he need to approve?" I didn't want to criticize the man but he seemed like a control freak.

"It's just one of those things," she said, sighing. "Obviously, she can take whatever job she wants, but it just makes things easier if we have our father's approval. He is very committed to maintaining a certain image. We have to have a respectable job."

"I get it," I said, nodding. "Family image means a lot to some people." I was a Bancroft, so I knew all about that. My poor choices had tarnished the family name from time to time.

Abigail returned with our drinks and put them down in front of us.

"You're doing a great job, Abigail," I said. "Just remember to take a deep breath, relax, and smile. Customers are like bees. They can sense your fear."

Abigail actually cracked a smile at that. "Thank you," she murmured.

Encouraged by her response, I decided to offer her some tips and tricks to help her settle into her new role. Several of my friends ran high-end restaurants, and they had shared some tips on what diners liked from their servers. I gave her some advice on how to upsell certain menu items and on the art of reading your customers and tailoring your service to their needs.

Abigail listened intently, soaking up every word like a sponge. When she left to check on another table, she held her head higher and her back was straighter.

"Thank you," Diana said to me.

"For what?"

"For being kind," she said with a shrug. "I imagine you've been in a lot of fancy restaurants and recognize good service."

I grinned. "I have. Although I've also been a server a few times when some friends needed help. You pick up things on the job. She'll get the hang of it in no time."

Abigail returned to our table with our food, a wide smile plastered across her face. "Thank you so much for your advice," she whispered. "I tried it out on one of my other tables, and they left me a fifty-dollar tip!"

"That's fantastic," I exclaimed. "Good job. I won't even ask for my cut."

Abigail laughed. "How about I bring you some extra bread?"

I nodded. "Deal."

Diana watched her sister stride away, smiling. "You did a very nice thing tonight."

I shot her a steamy look. "That's funny because I was hoping to do something very naughty tonight."

Diana raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that so?"

I shrugged. "We don't have to, but a man can dream, right?"

As we ate, I could see there was something on her mind.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I think I'm going to tell my father," she said.

"Tell your father what? About my advice to Abigail?"

"About us," she said.

"Oh. What are you going to tell him, exactly?" I asked, unable to resist a playful tease. "And does he own a gun?"

She laughed. "No."

I laughed and pretended to wipe sweat from my forehead. "Whew."

I waited patiently, curious to see what she would say. After all, we hadn't exactly labeled our relationship yet, so I was eager to hear how she would describe it to her father. I doubted she was going to tell him we had sex.

"I'm going to tell him I've been seeing someone and it's going well," she declared.

"Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate your honesty," I said with a smile. "And if there's anything I can do to make it easier on you, just let me know. I would offer to give him a background report, but I think that would just make things complicated."

She laughed. "There's no need for that. I appreciate the offer, but this is something I have to handle on my own. My father can be difficult."

I nodded, finishing my bite of food. "But I'll be here for you if you need me. And who knows? Maybe my reputation will make him think twice before being too harsh."

Diana smiled. "Maybe. So, how was your week? Did you do anything exciting?"

"I spent a lot of time by the pool," I said. "I took a few naps. Went on some walks. I spent a week doing nothing, honestly."

"And how was it?" she asked with a smile.

"It was refreshing," I admitted. "I needed to stop and slow down."

"Have you ever done that before?" she asked.

I laughed. "Not that I remember. And I literally mean that. I'm sure I've spent plenty of weeks doing nothing, but I was probably drinking and high."

She looked at me curiously, studying my face as if trying to find any remnants of those times. "I can't imagine you like that."

"Neither can I," I said with a laugh. "But it's all part of my past. I'm trying not to be the same person I was. It's time to reset and have a fresh start."

"Are you enjoying your fresh start?" she asked. "Is it a struggle?"

I took a deep breath, not sure how to answer that. "Yes and no. I think it's mind over matter. When I'm sitting in the sun or swimming, I'm not really thinking about drinking."

She pointed to the glass of wine. "What about that?"

"I'm enjoying a glass of wine with dinner," I answered. "I don't want ten glasses. Being out here, I think I'm away from all the things that made me want to get wasted. It's way easier to practice self-control."

She nodded. "I understand. I mean, I don't, but you're doing this on your terms."

"I am," I said.

"Can I ask you a favor?" she asked.

"Anything."

"Can you give me a ride to my parents' house?"

"Absolutely."

Before we left, I made sure to leave Abigail an insane tip. Diana raised an eyebrow but said nothing about the tip.

We headed for her parents' place, and she got quiet, clearly tensing up.