Page 80 of With This Ring
“No, he’s met me at the door every night since you helped me find him.”
“Good.” Hudson bent down and rubbed the cat’s ear, and Troubleclosed his eyes while his purrs rumbled loudly. “I told him not to scare you again. I’m glad he listened.”
Dakota chuckled and set the glasses in the sink before they walked out to the porch together.
“Thanks again for supper.”
“You’re welcome.”
A strange expression traveled over his face, and he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. His finger traced her cheek, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. The intensity in his blue eyes sent a quiver through her belly. He leaned down, and her breath caught as she waited for his lips to caress hers after so many years. But instead his arm came around hers in a half hug.
“Guess I’ll see you around,” he said.
“Yeah.” She did her best to mask her disappointment. “Guess so.”
“Night.” He strode down the porch steps toward the driveway.
Dakota leaned on the railing, and her shoulders sagged. Doubt and confusion threatened to drag her under and drown her. Once again she had to remind herself that what they’d once shared had ended years ago. Why did she keep forgetting that when she was around him?
She headed back into her house while her mother’s wise words echoed through her mind:
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of Hud. If you get tangled up with him again, it will only lead to heartache.
Dakota pulled her phone out and posed her thumbs over the screen, ready to text Parker. Then she stopped and let out a long, shaky breath.
Slipping the phone into her back pocket, she continued to her bedroom and contemplated her strange evening with her ex. She had to stop allowing her feelings to run amok. Hudson Garrity hadhurt her once and would do it again. After all, he’d made it clear he wasn’t going to stay in Flowering Grove.
The smartest thing she could do would be to forget about Hudson. But how could she forget a man who was already imprinted on her soul?
Chapter 18
Kayleigh took Dakota’s arm on Friday night and pulled her past the crowd of rowdy patrons ready to hit the floor. General skate was about to begin as Kayleigh steered her best friend into the office at the back of the rink.
Once they were tucked inside the office, Kayleigh closed the door and rested her hands on her hips. “All right, Dakota. We’re alone now, so spill it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please.” Kayleigh harrumphed. “I’ve known you since we were kids, which means I can read you. You’ve texted one-word answers to my messages all week, and you didn’t smile once during our lessons tonight. You’re usually bubbly and energetic, but you look as if you haven’t slept in a month.” Her expression filled with compassion. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Dakota dropped onto the chair across from the desk and slumped backward. “It’s been a rough week. Things are spiralingout of control for me financially. The store situation has gotten worse.” She shared about her mortgage payment rising, how she hadn’t recovered from the lost stock, and how sales at the store hadn’t improved.
Kayleigh sat on the edge of the desk. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I don’t think so, but thanks. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do. I almost called my dad and asked for help this week, but I don’t want to hear ‘I told you so.’” Dakota rubbed her forehead.
Kayleigh leaned forward and rested her hand on Dakota’s shoulder. “Sometimes we need to swallow our pride and ask for help. That’s not a sign of weakness.”
“I know.” Dakota sighed. “I’m getting there.” She rested her hands on her lap. “But that’s not all that’s going on.” She sniffed and examined her faded blue jeans. “And I think I’m losing my mind because...”
Kayleigh gave her a palms-up. “Because what?”
“I can’t stop thinking about Hud.” Dakota grimaced and waited for the explosion of her best friend’s disapproval.
Kayleigh blinked. “You what?” Her nose scrunched. “Why Hud?”
“I saw him Sunday.” She explained how her family had surprised her with a cookout and how Hud wound up staying for supper. “After my family left, he fixed my cabinet doors and then we talked on the deck for a while, and it was... wonderful.” She bit her lower lip, and Kayleigh frowned. “Now I can’t get him out of my mind. I almost stopped by his house the other night, but I talked myself out of it. Seems he’s moving to the Middle East. I know he’s just going to disappear from my life again, and I’ll be left nursing another broken heart.”
Kayleigh held her hand up like a traffic cop. “Whoa. Stop right there. What about Parker?”