Page 35 of With This Ring

“Guess that means I’m first.” Hudson rubbed his hands together, glancing over at Shane and then back to Dakota. “Sorry for the tension. We should’ve made separate appointments.” He paused. “Layla is just being Layla.”

“Oh.” She hesitated, hoping he’d elaborate. When he didn’t, she wrote his name at the top of the form, forcing her hand to stop quivering. “What’s your phone number?” she asked, keeping her eyes trained on the piece of paper.

“It’s the same.”

“Sorry,” she snipped, “but I don’t remember it.”

“Right. Why would you?” He rattled it off.

She wrote it down, pretending she hadn’t known it by heart for so many years. “Do you know your neck size?”

He shared the number, which she wrote down.

“Your chest?” She peeked up at him.

He crossed his arms over his middle and told her the number.

“You must have a tailor in New York.”

“I do. I have to look the CEO part.”

She tried not to react to the news that not only did he have a tailor, but also he was an actual CEO. He certainlywassuccessful,which meant he’d gotten everything he’d wanted—all without her. It was obvious that heading to the big city and leaving her behind with a broken heart had been a great decision for him.

He should be so very proud of himself.

“Well, I won’t waste your time if you can tell me all of your measurements.” She poised her pencil. “I’m ready when you are.”

He shook his head. “Cuts can be different for different suits. You should measure me.”

That meant she had to touch him.

Oh boy.

“How’s your knee, by the way?”

She blinked at him, surprised to see his expression was a little softer. “Sore but much better. I’ll be fine before I have to teach Friday.” She consulted her clipboard. “Let’s start with your overarm measurement. That’s around your chest with your arms at your sides. But I would imagine you already knew that.”

“Yup.” He stood as directed, and she wrapped the measuring tape around him. Being this close to him was almost too much for her.

“Do you teach skating at the rink every weekend?”

“On Fridays and Saturdays.” She felt like an idiot for being so flustered when Hudson seemed completely unaffected by her presence. He obviously had zero attraction to her, which only added to her frustration with herself.

Shane continued to talk on the phone on the other side of the boutique, fully engrossed in a conversation involving bushes, perennials, and landscape timbers.

“Let’s get your sleeve length,” Dakota said.

She slipped behind him before stretching the tape measure from the base of his neck, over the top of his shoulder, down the back of his elbow, and over his arm to just past his wristbone.

“You like teaching?” he asked. “Skating, I mean.”

“I do.” She wrote down the measurement. “I need to get your outseam. Would you please stand up there?” She pointed to the platform in front of the wall of mirrors.

Hudson hopped up on it and stood sideways. He started to say something just as the bell above the door rang and Skye rushed in.

Her niece waved and hurried toward Dakota with her backpack bouncing on her shoulders. “Hi, Auntie.”

“How was school?” Dakota asked her.