Page 97 of With This Ring
“You know, you’re so worried I’m going to fall back into my bad habits. Well, did you ever wonderwhyI used alcohol and drugs and cut classes?”
“Of course I did. I spent hours on the phone with your guidance counselor trying to figure out what was going on with you.”
“You took off to start a new life, and I felt so alone.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. “You and I were orphans. Yes,Aunt Trudy did the best she could, but she’s not our biological parent. You’re the only other person who can relate to what it was like growing up without Mom and Dad, but you would never discuss it with me. And that’s why I resorted to other methods—trying to find some relief from the constant hollowness and pain.”
He was flummoxed. “I drove you to that?”
“You sure did. Then to make it worse, you forced me to discuss my feelings with a stranger. Do you know how hard that was for me?”
“But that’s what the guidance counselor told us to do to help you. She said you needed a counselor.”
“But I didn’t need a stranger, Hud. I neededyou,” she said, pointing at him, “but you were never available.” Her voice rose. “Why is that, Hud? Why couldn’t you ever open yourself up to me?”
He stared at her. “I-I-I don’t know.”
“Well, I sure do.” She pulled her keys from her pocket and stood up straight. “You hide behind your money so you don’t have to open up to anyone. You pretend that all you care about is ‘taking care of me and Aunt Trudy,’” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “But the truth is, all you care about is taking care of yourself, Hud.”
“No, no, no.” His throat caught. He moved toward her, but she put more distance between them. “What can I do to make this right? Tell me, and I’ll do it,” he pleaded. This was his worst nightmare. He couldn’t lose her. “Do you want to talk about Mom and Dad now? What do you want to know?”
She took a deep, shaky breath. “It’s too late. I thought I found my soul mate, the one person I could open up to completely. But you managed to ruin that for me. Now I’m alone again—all because ofyou.” She opened her car door and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Layla, wait. Give me a chance, and I’ll fix this. Don’t go.”
She faced him, her expression darkening. “You’ve intruded in my life for the last time. I don’t need you anymore. And anotherthing. I give up on trying to get you and Dakota back together. I thought maybe if you realized what you’d left behind here in Flowering Grove, you would actually want to be a part of our family. But it’s obvious you never will.”
Layla started her car and drove away, leaving him standing in the parking lot.
Hudson felt as if the ground had opened up beneath him and was going to swallow him whole. He’d lost his sister, which meant he’d losteverything. He stared after her, his body slack, his mind buzzing with confusion and grief.
Without his sister and without a hope of working things out with Dakota, nothing was left for him in Flowering Grove. It was time to leave.
He dragged himself back into the restaurant and found Gavin, who looked concerned.
“Is everything all right?”
“No,” Hudson said. “I need to resign.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Thanks for the opportunity.” He shook Gavin’s hand.
Gavin patted his shoulder. “I’m going to miss you. You’ve done good work here.”
Hudson nodded goodbye to his coworkers, then headed out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk toward his SUV. He sat in the driver’s seat and typed out a text to Darren:
Hey. I’m ready for Bahrain. Send details.
Then he made his way toward the Airbnb for the last time. He was going to pack up and leave as soon as he could—getting as far away from Flowering Grove and his heartache as possible.
Chapter 22
“Dakota!” Layla burst through the front door of the store with tears streaming down her cheeks.
With a gasp, Dakota rushed toward her and gathered her into her arms. “Layla, sweetie, what happened?”
“My wedding is off. Canceled!” She sobbed into Dakota’s shoulder.
“Oh no! That can’t be true.” Dakota rubbed her back as sadness rocked her. “Did you and Shane have an argument?”