9. Hudson

Chapter Nine

HUDSON

Staring down into Stella’s wide eyes, my brain scrambled. For a split second, I forgot we were in public. I forgot everything but the feel of her soft curves bumping against me.

“Hudson.” Griffin’s voice broke through my brief distraction.

I spun around just as Stella stepped back, exclaiming again, “Sorry!”

“Yeah?” I glanced toward Griffin.

“You’re up.” He gestured toward Janet who was waiting behind the counter with a smile.

“Oh, I’ll take a house coffee.”

Janet said something to the woman standing beside her. I’d never seen her before. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She smiled at me. “I’m training today, and I can totally handle a house coffee.”

Janet chuckled. “You can handle a lot more than that.” She glanced from me to Griffin. “This is Casey. She just started today, so be nice to her.”

“I’ve got a hell of an order,” Griffin replied. “Aside from Hudson, I have a whole text for the orders from the station. It’s either stressful, or a great learning experience,” he quipped.

Casey smiled. “A great learning experience!”

Griffin gestured to Stella, who was in line with us. “Put Stella’s on there too.”

“Oh, you don’t have to get my coffee,” Stella said. Her cheeks were pink, and she was studiously not looking at me.

“I’m getting over ten coffee drinks, so adding yours to the mix is no big deal. Tish would be offended if I didn’t get your coffee for you,” Griffin replied.

Stella laughed softly. “Okay, I’ll return the favor and get Tish something next time.”

“Stella likes it sweet,” Janet chimed in.

“I do. I’ll go with the vanilla caramel latte today, but make it strong. I don’t do that silly skinny stuff though. That’s ridiculous,” Stella said, lifting her chin.

Janet grinned. “We don’t serve the skinny stuff.”

“You really don’t?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“I really don’t,” Janet said firmly. “I refuse to engage in our society’s obsession with weight.” She turned her attention to Casey. “You start with these two, and then what’s your list?” Her gaze arced to Griffin.

Griffin slipped his phone out of his pocket. “Buckle up.” He recited an entire list that Janet jotted down on a scrap of paper.

Casey began prepping our coffees and talking with Stella, who happened to be closest to her. “Are you new to town?” Stella asked.

“Actually, I am. Just moved here. I’m a Southern girl, and I always wanted to come to Alaska. Bucket list.” She made an invisible checkmark in the air. “Here I am. So far, I love it. It’s beautiful and I have a cute little apartment next door. Janet rented it to me and gave me a job.” Casey’s smile was warm when she glanced toward Janet.

“I needed to rent the apartment and I had an opening here. It worked out great,” Janet said.

At that moment, Holly came walking into the café with Nate. Her sharp gaze bounced from me to Stella. In seconds, she was reminding Stella that card night was tonight, whatever that was.

Griffin caught my eye. “Tish loves card night. She goes whenever she can.”

Holly glanced toward Griffin. “Make sure to remind Tish. It’s tonight.”

A few minutes later, Stella and Holly left together. It felt as if there was a magnet in my body. I wanted to follow her so badly, but I knew there was no slick way to handle this. I kept wondering just how much she regretted our kiss. I didn’t regret it, yet I knew it was complicated. I let out a quick breath.

“What’s up?” Griffin asked from my side.

“Oh nothing, just thinking about things I’ve gotta get caught up on.”

Griffin’s gaze sharpened for a beat, but he didn’t press.

That evening, I was walking out of the station, and Nate was waiting beside my truck, his elbow resting on the tailgate.

“Hey, what’s up?” I stopped beside him.

My cousin flashed a smile. “Hey, hey. Thought maybe I could hitch a ride with you.”

“Of course. Not that I mind giving you a ride at all, but where is your truck?”

“In the shop. Routine maintenance. Easier to leave it for the night than worry about working around it. Holly told me I had to find my own way home because she’s with her friends tonight.”

“Oh right, that card night thing. Where are you headed?”

“Let’s go to Wildlands. We can catch dinner,” he replied.

“Works for me. Hop in.”

A short drive later, I parked behind Wildlands Lodge & Restaurant.

It was situated in the center of town on a lake. It was a popular tourist destination during the warmer months and also a favorite for locals. When I was a kid, I remembered coming here for burgers with Nate and his parents.

After we stepped out, I turned to look at the lake. “Wow, the sky is putting on a show.”

Above the lake, the northern lights were flickering in the sky, mostly green tonight mingled with streaks of blue. The colors were shimmering like a translucent curtain in the sky.

Nate and I walked toward the lake. Our footsteps crunched on the frozen gravel in the parking lot. We stared up at the sky together.

“Never gets old,” Nate said after a moment of quiet.

“Definitely not.” My voice was low and reverent.

After my jumbled childhood and the churning anxiety I carried from it, the outdoors was almost like a cathedral for me. A sense of peace crowded out the cacophony of anxiety and uncertainty that took hold sometimes.

I drew in a slow breath, appreciating that Nate was comfortable with silence in these moments. After a few minutes, we turned together and walked inside. As usual, the place was hopping.

Nate and I threaded our way through the crowd, joining a group of friends at a large round table in a back corner.

“Hey there,” Graham said, clapping me on the shoulder as I sat down beside him.

Nate took another chair and I glanced around as greetings were lobbed across the table. Graham, Russell, Cooper, and Wes were here from my crew. While Beck, Ward, and Remy were here from the other hotshot crews. Just as a waitress arrived to get our orders, Parker approached with Donovan.

“Hey, man,” I called, lifting my hand in a wave.

A few more chairs were tugged over from nearby tables and Parker sat down near me with Donovan. Parker smiled uncertainly as he looked around the table. Donovan introduced him to everybody he hadn’t met yet.

“Both of you used to live in Fireweed Harbor, right?” Griffin prompted as theconversation carried along.

“I lived there a few times, but not full-time,” I offered. “Parker and I knew each other in high school.”

That was the truth, but I just left out the fact that we attended high school classes together while we were in detention. While I didn’t hide my troubles in high school, it wasn’t easy to explain in a large group.

Parker nodded along. “I’m glad our paths crossed again,” he offered. “Can’t imagine somebody I would trust more out in the field.”

I smiled over at him. “Same goes for you.” After our food and drinks arrived, I asked, “How have you been this last decade or so?”

He finished a bite from his burger before pausing, his gaze considering. “Good. Haven’t had a lick of trouble in my life since my younger days. Moved out of state for a while. Mostly, I needed to clear my head and get some distance from my dad, you know?”

“I definitely understand that. Sounds like we’ve kind of followed a similar path with different geography. I’ve stayed out of trouble since those days. Still get pissed off about how our dads dragged us into that mess, but I’m glad I’m okay now. I’m really glad to see you.”

Parker’s eyes crinkled at the corners, his lopsided smile familiar.

“So what’s the deal with your sister? I didn’t know you had a sister.”

Although you could bond when you were in juvenile detention together, there were a lot of things you didn’t talk about, unspoken rules about family and things. So maybe he had a sister all along and wanted to protect her. I didn’t really know.

“I always heard rumors that I might have siblings out in the world. My dad kind of got around, if you know what I mean,” he offered dryly.

I chuckled. “I do know what you mean.”

“I decided to do one of those you know DNA tests. Lo and behold, my dad had a few connections. I reached out to the mom of my half-sister and she was really nice. She told me about my sister. I don’t know if my sister even wants to know if I exist, but turns out she’s here in Willow Brook. I didn’t know that until after I took the job here. I’m kind of hoping I can connect. Be nice to have another relative,” he said with a shrug.

I studied him for a few beats and took a pull from my beer. “I bet that’d be nice for you. My dad was… Well, you know what my dad was like. He’s still kind of a flake although he hasn’t been in jail for a few years and finally found some legal ways to pay the bills.”

Nate stopped by the table, clapping me on the shoulder. “This is my cousin, Nate.” I thumbed toward him.

Nate waggled his brows. “That I am.” His gaze shifted toward Parker. “Do you have family in town?”

Parker paused before replying, “Maybe, but I don’t know yet.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press. “Family is what you make it.”

Just then, Nate’s phone chimed and he slipped it out of his pocket. “Oh, I’ve gotta take this.” He winked before he turned away.

When I glanced back at Parker, he looked thoughtful. “I remember you talking about Nate.”

I nodded. “He’s from the stable part of my family.”

Parker chuckled, and I added, “I’m glad you’re here. If your sister is in town, I hope you connect.”

“I’m trying real hard not to have any expectations.”