Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Hudson sighed down at the too-small text on the screen of his phone. Not only had he not gotten the Dorothy Burrows listing, but his devices were out here conspiring to make him feel old too. He sighed again, jamming the device back into his pocket. He loved his job, truly he did. But sometimes, particularly when he suffered a professional setback, he felt a pang of regret that he'd made so much of his life about his job, especially in recent years.

He ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath. Okay, okay. Time to take a walk.

Whale Harbor in the summer was a treat, and despite his lowered mood, Hudson couldn't help but appreciate the happiness that hung in the air. The sidewalks were bustling with tourists, giggling children, and parents carrying umbrellas and pails. There was laughter and a crisp salty tang to the air and a cool breeze that caused the flowers to ruffle merrily and…

And Lori Sims, walking up the sidewalk.

Normally, Hudson might not have wanted to see Lori immediately after losing a massive listing to her. But today, Lori wasn't looking like her usual, sternly professional self.

No, Lori was wearing a charmingly large pair of headphones, bopping her head to a beat only she could hear.

Hudson couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Lori this way, looking so happy and carefree. And yes, perhaps she was happy because she'd defeated him for one of the greatest properties that he'd ever laid eyes on, but Hudson found, to his shock, that he didn't mind that much. Not when he was watching Lori dance like she was a kid, like nobody was watching her.

When she saw him grinning in her direction, he would have expected her to stop short, to hide that she'd ever been acting in such a frivolous manner. Instead, she smiled back, rolling her eyes at herself in a playfully self-deprecating manner as she pulled off her headphones.

"Howdy there, DJ Sims," he greeted.

This eye roll was definitely at him. "Oh, hello, Hudson. I didn't know you moonlight as a comedian."

He shrugged. "Nah, just naturally this funny."

The look she shot him was so skeptical that she didn't even need words. Apparently, she was the comedian, since it made him laugh heartily. She looked extremely pleased.

"Uh oh," she said. "Now you've given me another thing I want to beat you at. How many laughs can I force out of Hudson Boone?"

"Hey," he protested. "I'm not some grump or anything!"

She gave him an arch look. "Wouldn't even matter if you were, since I'm so good at everything I try."

"And modest," he agreed.

"Pfft. No point. I'm so obviously awesome that it would just come off as lying."

He couldn't help it. He laughed again. Then he grew more solemn. It had been kind of her not to tease him about it, but he couldn't ignore the issue…

"Congratulations on the Burrows listing, by the way," he said, surprised that the pang of disappointment wasn't as acute as it had been only a little while ago. "I put up a good fight, so I know you must have deserved it."

"Thanks," she said graciously. Then that typical teasing gleam came back into her eye. "Guess you'll have to put up a better fight next time. But don't think I'm going to rest on my laurels either, there, buddy."

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I learned a long time ago not to underestimate you, Lori."

She propped a hand on her hip and he knew she meant it to be a powerful posture but really was rather… adorable.

"You better not," she challenged. "Or, actually, on second thought, do go right ahead and underestimate. It'll help me keep kicking your butt."

"I thought you didn't need any help due to being amazing at everything," he returned.

"Huh. Good point."

She shot him a jaunty wink and, in a dramatic move, popped her oversized headphones back over her ears before sashaying past him. He shook his head, laughing to himself quietly as he let her brush past him. A moment later, he continued his own walk down the street.

When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that Lori had started dancing again. And suddenly he felt as cheered as if he were the one doing the happy, silly dance.

"Oh my goodness, you little monsters, hush!" Marty exclaimed with a laugh as cats wound around her feet, crying out for their breakfast. "How is it possible that there are four cats here most of the time, but at mealtimes we have about two hundred cats?" she asked Wyatt as he came into the kitchen.

"Two hundred feels like a conservative estimate," Wyatt joked as he scooped Trouble and Macy out of the way so Marty could move. "I'd put our daily average closer to a thousand."

Peaches sat perched neatly next to her bowl, looking like she considered herself too dignified to get involved in the chaos her siblings were perpetuating.

"Yes, yes," Marty assured Peaches. "We know you're not part of this nonsense."

"Not our Peaches," Wyatt added, juggling the cats in his arms to give the orange kitty an affectionate scratch behind the ears.

The caterwauling cut off abruptly when Marty deposited food in the appropriate bowls, replaced with eager little growls of approval over their meal. Marty chuckled. No matter how many times she saw it, the sharp contrast between the hungry little demons and the happily munching kittens always made her laugh.

Behind her, Wyatt was moving around the kitchen, getting their usual pot of coffee started. An impulse striking her, she asked, "Do we have any bananas?"

Wyatt gave her a cursory glance over his shoulder before returning to his task. "No, uh, I don't think we do," he said absently. "Unless you bought some this week?"

"No," she replied, feeling strangely disappointed. That was bizarre. Neither she nor her husband were particular fans of bananas, so they weren't part of their regular grocery purchases. She'd just had the most random craving for one, however…

She blinked as her own mental wording occurred to her. A craving ? She did a quick overview of her body. She felt somewhat tired, it was true, although she'd attributed that to the hectic pace of summers in Whale Harbor, when tourism and business were at their annual highs. But maybe she was a bit more tired than usual?

"Okay, sweetheart, I'm off," Wyatt said, breaking into her reverie. He had a mug of coffee in one hand, a bagel in the other. "I have a million rentals pending today, so I have to run. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah, of course," she said absently, raising her cheek to accept his kiss. "Have a good day. I love you."

"Love you too!" he called as he headed out the door.

She must have gotten lost in her thoughts again, because the next thing she knew, Peaches was butting her head against Marty's shin and Bertram, Macy, and Trouble were all looking up at her quizzically.

Marty grinned down at them. "Okay, thanks, guys. I need you to keep me on track this morning, apparently." She crouched down, giving them all pets and scratches as they wound around her, happy to have her attention again.

"The thing is," she said. "I think your mom might just be…"

It felt scary to even say it, like admitting the possibility out loud might get her hopes up further than they already were. But if you couldn't tell your secret hopes to your cats, Marty reasoned, who could you tell them to?

"Pregnant," she finished on a whisper.

Bertram butted her affectionately, as if in encouragement.

"I'm probably getting ahead of myself," she allowed. She ran through her calendar in her mind, thinking back to her last cycle. "And it's possible that I'm a little late, but not by enough for it to mean anything, only a day or two."

No matter how she looked at it, her hopes were rising.

"I could be imagining it," she said, to herself more than the cats at this point. "Sometimes wanting a banana is just because they're a delicious fruit! Or maybe I'm low on potassium, I don't know." She couldn't stop smiling, however.

Peaches rested her paws against Marty's knee.

"Okay, here's the plan," Marty told the cat. "I'm going to go to the store to buy a test, but I'm going to wait a few more days before I take it. If I get my period, then we know! We can always keep trying, and lots of people have to try for several months before they get pregnant. It will be a little disappointing, but not unlikely. I will also buy some bananas," she added, because darn if they didn't still sound like they would just hit the spot right about now.

Peaches purred, as if she approved of this pragmatic approach to things.

Inside her own mind, however, Marty felt anything but pragmatic. She felt fizzy with hope and possibility.

Maybe it was nothing, true… but maybe this was the start of the rest of her life, her future, and her growing family with Wyatt.