5. Stella

Chapter Five

STELLA

“Hudson? Um, what are you doing here?” I sputtered.

“I live here in the unit downstairs. I thought you were the pizza delivery guy,” he replied.

I stared up at Hudson, my hormones spinning cartwheels inside, while my pulse bolted as if it was trying to win a race.

“What are you doing here?” he asked while I remained speechless.

“Um, I guess I’m your neighbor now, or about to be. Phoebe told me about this rental. Upstairs, I think?” My voice sounded squeaky and I hated it. I cleared my throat. “I guess Russell and Paisley own this place, and…” I pointed up to the sky for some reason.

“They do.”

I stood there, uncertain what else to say. “Have you seen it yet?” Hudson finally asked.

“Paisley texted me some photos. I know her and so I just went for it.” I cleared my throat again. “Will it be okay if I’m your neighbor?”

Hudson’s eyes widened. “Of course. It’s a duplex, but there’s a shared kitchen. I think it was originally built to be a vacation rental.”

The sound of tires on gravel came from behind. I spun around, relieved at the distraction. The delivery guy jogged out and handed Hudson the pizza. A moment later, after Hudson paid him and waved him off, he opened the door wider. “Come on in. Nobody else has been here since I’ve been living here. I haven’t been in town that long. Maybe about six months. You can go on upstairs. I actually haven’t been up there at all.

“Here’s the shared kitchen,” he said as he led me in, gesturing ahead.

My hormones thought this whole thing was freaking great. Maybe we’d see Hudson more. Me and my hormones were not friends. They had bad judgment.

Hudson showed me the kitchen, which was just beyond the entryway. It was open and bright with lots of counter space and a view of the lake.

“You can have some pizza if you want,” Hudson offered. He got two plates out of the cabinet.

“Um, sure. I’ll just go upstairs and see what it looks like.”

I hurried out of the kitchen, fumbling with the keys before jogging up the stairs. When I crested the top stair, the space opened up. The stairs came into the center of the living area. One side had a couch with a TV mounted on the wall, and the other had a desk and some shelving. To one side at the back of the stairs was an inviting bedroom with a big bed and a bathroom with a rainfall showerhead centered over a soaking tub.

Paisley had explained to me that she and Russell had updated the space before they moved out with the plan to rent it. Like the kitchen downstairs, the living room offered a beautiful view of the lake. It was early evening and close to dark with lingering colors from the setting sun shimmering on the water and the moon rising through the violet sky.

“You can handle Hudson living downstairs,” I whispered to myself. “He’ll be gone a lot in the summer anyway.”

I’d been making do in a small garage apartment that Tish had helped me find, but it wasn’t a great option long-term. It was too tiny.

Steeling myself, I took a deep breath and hurried back down the stairs. Hudson was already chowing down on pizza. Of course, the man was sexy even when he was eating. He wore a T-shirt, the soft fabric caressing his muscled chest and shoulders lovingly. His sweatpants rested low on his hips. His bare feet were hooked around the rungs of the stool.

My hormones sat up and took another long look. I resolved to remember that my hormones were idiots and they could have their feelings, but I would be sensible. I’d been sensible for years now. I hadn’t been on a date in over five years at this point.

I tended to go for guys who wanted it all from day one. All meaning sex. They wanted that when all I wanted was love and safety.

“I’m sure it’s nice up there,” Hudson said.

“It’s really nice.”

“The only reason the upstairs one wasn’t available when I moved in was Paisley and Russell still had a bunch of stuff stored there. My understanding is the layout is like my place downstairs. Help yourself.” He gestured to the empty plate on the counter across from him.

I was legitimately starving, so I sat down across from him and tried not to notice he was even sexy when he chewed. To make matters worse, he had ordered pepperoni pizza.

“My favorite pizza,” I admitted.

Hudson nodded somberly, as if this was a really important detail. “Good. I can trust you then.”

I burst out laughing. My heart did a little cartwheel while my belly spun in flips when he chuckled and his green eyes twinkled.

“Are you moving in tonight?” he asked.

“Probably tomorrow. I wanted to stop by before I showed up with all my stuff.”

“I’m around. If you let me know when, I’ll help you move.”

That was the neighborly thing to do, so I told myself. “I’ll give you my number,” he added. “Just text me.”