Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
I’m shaking my head. “Hudson, you’ve created some kind of job for me that you don’t even need someone for. I’m not a professional decorator or anything. I’m sorry if I led you to believe I was. It’s just something I enjoy doing.”
He comes across the room and sits in the chair next to me. He’s so much bigger than me, which is weird. I’ve always been a bigger woman, but for the first time, I feel almost small and dainty next to him. Being this close to him affects my breathing, but I try to act as if it doesn’t. His voice is deep, and there is something on his face that he’s trying to hide from me. “Trust me, after you see my house, you’ll see why I need some help with it. And I don’t want a professional, I want you.”
I’m shaking my head the whole time he’s talking. This is ridiculous. I have to tell him no. Last night, I convinced myself that I need to put some distance between us, and now he wants me to come and work in his home. “I can’t… I shouldn’t.”
He reaches across the table, and I watch as he stops and clenches his hand into a fist. “Ellie, one day I’ll want to get married and have a family, and my house is a bachelor pad right now. You would be doing me a big favor.”
I force a smile to my face. I don’t know why the thought of Hudson with a family bothers me, but it causes my stomach to churn. “Hudson, don’t you think your future girlfriend or wife would want to do this?”
He opens his mouth and closes it before clearing his throat. “I want you to do it.”
“You don’t know anything about me. What if you hate my decorating and think I have bad taste?” I argue.
He shakes his head. “That’s not possible.”
I lean back in my chair to put some distance between us. “Thank you for the opportunity, Hudson. Really. But I think I’m going to go out to the distillery and work there part-time.”
Anger crosses his face but just as quickly disappears. “Are you afraid of me? Is that why you don’t want to work at my house?”
His question surprises me but not as much as my response. “Actually, I’m not afraid of you at all. There are things—people—that terrify me, but no, I’m not afraid of you at all. Not now.”
His face softens. “Okay… remember this morning when you were talking about your love of decorating and making a house feel like a home? I’ve been away for a long time. I can’t remember that feeling you were talking about, but I know it exists. That’s why I want you to do this for me. I know you think I’m making it up, and honestly, before this morning, I would have never even thought about having my house decorated, but now it’s something I want more than anything. It’s all I’ve thought about this afternoon. It’s more than just decorating my house. I want a home. I want that feeling.”
There are lots of reasons why I shouldn’t do it. It’s instinct for me to say no, but I know I can’t. Not after hearing what he just said. I don’t think he realizes I’m attracted to him. If he did, he probably wouldn’t want me at his house. Surely I can keep it to myself. I’m about to tell him I’ll do it when Lucas comes back into the room. “So did you guys figure things out?”
He looks between the two of us, and Hudson looks at me. His pleading look only tells me that I’m making the right decision. This obviously means something to him. I force my gaze on Lucas. “Yeah, if you’re sure it’s okay. I think I’ll go with option two… helping Hudson with his house makeover.”
Lucas is surprised. “Uhhh, okay, sounds good. So tomorrow, come into the office, and we’ll go over how the day-to-day will look.” He pauses and looks at his brother. “Then she’ll go over to your house in the afternoon, and you can get started.”
Hudson crosses his arms over his chest, and a big smile forms on his face. “Sounds good to me. Perfect.”
Chapter 9
Hudson
As soon as we’re out of the meeting, Ellie hightails it out of the office, grabs her purse at her desk, and is walking to the exit. I know she’s not completely comfortable with the decision she just made, and I’m figuring she needs a little time to herself. I follow a little slower behind her, expecting her to go to my truck. But instead, she makes her way past my truck and keeps walking. She literally thinks I’m going to just let her walk all the way home. I start to jog and make it to her in no time. I stop in front of her, and she glares up at me. “I’m sorry. Was there something else?”