by L. P. Dover
Hudson tries his best not to smile and fails. “Yeah, laugh it up,” I say, glaring at him. “You were the golden boy in high school. No one ever made fun of you.”
He laughs and has the gall to reach for my hand, but I move it away. “I told you I was sorry. I really am. It was a long time ago. I tried getting you to speak to me after that, but you didn’t want anything to do with me. If you only knew how much I really liked you.”
“You’re so full of shit.” I look over at Stan and Jean who seem to be enjoying the conversation by the smiles on their faces. “I’m sure you all can edit that out?” I say to them. Stan gives me the thumbs up.
I can only imagine what parts of this conversation are going to air on the show tonight. Hudson rubs a hand over his face and is about to speak but is cut off when Ryan appears by our table with an envelope in his hand.
“You two enjoying breakfast?” he asks.
Hudson doesn’t speak, but I plaster on a smile. “Of course.”
Ryan hands me the envelope. “Great. In the envelope you’ll find today’s adventure. And then once you’re back, you’ll have dinner and then meet up with me for your interview.”
Holding the envelope, I look at him and smile. “We can’t wait.”
As soon as he’s gone, I tear open the envelope and read what’s inside.
Hudson and Allison,
Today you’re going to take it easy in your own private pool by the ocean with endless drinks and whatever your heart desires. Make sure you have your sunscreen and have fun!
Your host,
Ryan
“What does it say?” Hudson asks.
Handing him the letter, I stand and grab a strawberry off my plate. “Looks like we’re going to have fun in the sun.”
Hudson stands, his eyes on mine. “One way or another, Allie, I’m going to make you see I’m not the same guy you knew before.”
I bring the strawberry to my lips and take a bite. “Good luck with that. I’ll meet you in the lobby when it’s time.” With those last words, I turn and walk away.
Hudson is in the lobby when I get down there, shadowed by Jean and his camera. Stan, of course, is following behind me. The resort manager—a guy named Andre, with dark, tanned skin and bright blue eyes—greets us and leads us to a private section of the resort. The pool is surrounded by lush bushes with beautiful red and yellow flowers scattered throughout. There’s a bartender at the fully stocked bar and he waves at us as we walk past.
Andre flourishes a hand toward the pool. “Please make yourself at home here. Josh will get you everything you need.” The young guy at the bar nods and Andre smiles and walks away.
“Want a drink?” Hudson asks.
I sigh. “You have no idea.”
We go to the bar and Josh makes me a tequila sunrise and Hudson takes a Long Island iced tea. The pool is serene with its own private waterfall. I take a seat in one of the lounge chairs and Hudson sits in the one beside me. Go figure.
He takes a long sip of his drink and stretches his body. Even though I dislike the guy, he does have a nice body. “Tell me about being a pharmacist. Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?” he questions, looking over at me as if he’s really interested.
I slide my sunglasses down over my eyes. “Yep.”
“You were always really smart. Top three percent of our class.” I’m shocked he even knows that. His lips tilt slightly in that sexy smile of his. “I had a feeling you’d do something in the medical field.” I hate that his grin makes me feel things I shouldn’t. Yes, he’s good looking, but that’s it. The man has no redeeming qualities.
“What about you? I never thought you’d be a firefighter.” I definitely wouldn’t have guessed that back in high school. Hudson was part of the cool crowd. I could see them being politicians or doing some other job in the public eye.
Hudson stretches his arms behind his head. “My parents wanted me to be something more, but I knew fighting fire was what I wanted to do. It doesn’t bring in a ton of money, but I’m happy.”
“And what made you want to come on the show?” I wonder.
He shrugs. “All the guys at the station applied. Do you remember Dave Jensen? He was my best friend in school.”
I nod. “I remember him.” How could I forget? They were always together, but he didn’t make fun of me like Hudson and some of their other friends. Dave was smart and in a lot of my classes.
Hudson blows out a sigh. “Well, Dave dared me to apply and I never back down from a challenge. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get picked.” His eyes squint against the sun as he looks at me. “What about you? Why did you want to be on the show?”
I snort. “I didn’t. This show is my sister’s baby, her idea. She’s one of the producers. She begged me to be a participant and since I love her, I couldn’t say no. I’m here to support her.”
He smirks and his eyes roam over my body before he quickly turns his attention to the pool. “Looks like we have several hours out here together. What do you want to do?”
I finish my drink and stand. “I’m going to get another drink. Want another Long Island?”
His cup is still halfway full, but he shrugs. “Sure. I can get it if you want?”
“Nope. I got it.”
I hurry to the bar and Josh smiles. “Ready for another round?”
Quickly, I glance over my shoulder to make sure Hudson can’t hear me. “Make his extra strong, please.”
Josh nods. “Will do.”
He pours a little extra liquor into Hudson’s drink and I hold back my smile. The sooner I can get him drunk, the sooner he’ll pass out. I have an idea, but it’ll only work if he’s asleep. It’s time for a little payback.
Once Josh is done with our drinks, I head back over to Hudson who has just finished his other drink. I hand him the new one and he takes a sip. “Wow, this one’s stout.”
I laugh. “Yep. Figured the drunker we get, the better. I didn’t sleep well so I’ll probably take a nap.”
He nods. “Same. I couldn’t sleep last night. All I wanted was to talk to you, but I knew you didn’t want to see me.”
I want to believe he’s sincere, but I just can’t. “You can drop the act any day now, Hudson,” I say, lifting my glasses so he can see how serious I am.
He sits up and a spark of anger flashes in those gray eyes of his. “I’m not acting, I’m being completely serious. What’s it going to take for you to realize that?”
I shrug. “A lot more than just a few nice words.” Taking my drink, I can hear him sigh as I walk away. I honestly don’t know what it’s going to take. Lots of kids get bullied in high school, but I was new and had no friends. Luckily, with my black and blue face, I’d gotten sympathy from the nerd crowd who took me under their wings. They were the smart kids and I fit in perfectly with them. From that first day, they were my tribe. I didn’t need to be friends with Hudson and his fake group of people.
Stan follows me as I make my way to the pool. There’s a float off to the side so I grab it and toss it into the water. The cool water feels great on my heated skin. The sun in Aruba is intense. It’s a good thing I put on a bunch of sunscreen before leaving my room.
Hudson grabs a few more drinks over the next hour and even attempts to talk to me, but I pretend I’m asleep. Eventually, he passes out and it’s my time to make a move. I slowly get out of the pool and walk quietly over to him. He’s on his stomach, snoring lightly. Now’s my chance.
Reaching into my bag, I pull out my sunblock. Not sunscreen, but sunblock. It works like a charm. Stan and Jean move closer with the cameras. I lift a finger to my lips for them to be quiet. Taking the sunblock, I squirt a little bit into my palm and scoop a dab of it onto my index finger.
Every so gently, I slide my finger down his back. His skin is smooth and hot to the touch. I don’t use a lot of the sunblock because I don’t want it caked up on his back. After everything is said and done, I don’t want him knowing what I’ve done unt
il it’s too late.
In big letters on his back, I trace the word badonkasnonk on his back. It takes all I have not to laugh as I’m doing it. We still have three more hours by the pool which works to my advantage. Hudson snores away while I sit back with my tequila sunrise. Good times.
Six
Allison
By the time Hudson woke up, I knew my plan had worked. He apologized for sleeping during our time together, but I didn’t care. It took all I had not to laugh when I saw the words show up on his back. He put on his shirt and that was that. Judging by the way he greeted me at the door when he came to get me for dinner, I assume he hasn’t seen it. I expected to see Stan and Jean with their cameras, but then I remembered we’re to be alone for this dinner date. The producers wanted the couples to get to know each other without all the pressure.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Hudson asks, setting his fork down. “Is there something on my face?”
A snicker escapes my lips. “Not on your face.” On your back maybe.
He glances down at his shirt. “You’re giving me a complex.”
Good. “Sounds like a personal problem,” I say.
Hudson stares at me, smirking devilishly. I hate it when he does that. I don’t want him to like me, it makes hating him more difficult. It’d be so much easier if we could eat in silence. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. In high school, he was known for his big mouth.
“Tell me,” Hudson begins, his voice sounding curious, “why hasn’t someone swept you off your feet yet?”
Staring blandly at him, I take a bite of my steak. “I’m not the sweeping kind.”
He shakes his head. “You’ve lost your damn mind, Allie. Any man would be lucky to have you, even if you are a little icy around the edges.”
I bat my eyelashes. “I’m only like that with you.”
Hudson chuckles and it makes me want to smile, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I will not let him wear me down. Thankfully, we finish eating our steak, potatoes, and asparagus, and we’re each brought a huge piece of chocolate cake. I dig right into mine since it’s my favorite.
“All right, I want to try something,” he suggests. He glances down at his watch. “We have ten minutes before we have to get ready for our interview. I want you to tell me five honest to God different things about you that you feel defines you as a person and I’ll do the same. You have to promise to tell the truth.”
Not going to lie, this shocks me. It’s kind of deep for someone like him. Although I’m curious to see what he says about himself. Conceited. Jackass. Rude. Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt; it’s just hard when all I’ve known is how he was when we were in high school.
“Same goes for you,” I say. “No lying.”
He holds out his hand. “Deal. We’ll shake on it. And if you doubt me, just remember there are no cameras around. It’s just you and me.”
The second our hands touch, I can’t deny how good it feels. I quickly pull away and clear my throat. “All right, I’ll go first.” I cut into my cake and lift up the huge piece of chocolatey goodness. “I can’t live without chocolate. You might not think it defines me, but it does. I’m literally not fun to be around without it.”
Hudson laughs. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”
I stuff the cake into my mouth. There are no cameras around to see me pig out, and I don’t care how Hudson sees me. By the smile on his face, he obviously finds it amusing.
“If we’re on the topic of food, I can’t function without peanut butter. It’s killing me not having my morning PB & J sandwiches.”
Mouth gaping, I stare at him. I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for lunch, but I don’t want to tell him that. “What kind of jelly?” I ask. Please don’t say strawberry.
Hudson smirks. “Strawberry. There’s no better combination.” Dammit. That’s what I would’ve said. Strawberry is what I use on my sandwiches. That’s one thing we have in common.
“Okay, moving on,” I say, trying to think of something deeper. The only thing I can think of is my work. “When I was younger, I really wanted to be a doctor, but when I got older, I realized I didn’t like the sight of blood. I loved learning about diseases and what medicines help cure them. It fascinates me.”
Sitting back in his chair, his eyes bore into mine. There’s a solemn look in his eyes that puts a ping in my chest. “My parents would’ve loved for me to go to an Ivy League college and be something more than I am, but do you want to know why I decided to be a firefighter?”
The feel of the room changes drastically. It’s like I can sense his sadness. “Why?” I ask.
He averts his gaze to his half-eaten cake. “You might not remember this, but it was toward the end of our senior year. I missed about two weeks of school.”
I remembered that because everyone was wondering where he was. “How could I forget? All your friends were lost without you.”
His jaw clenches. “I was at a funeral in Michigan.”
My chest tightens. “I’m sorry, Hudson. I didn’t mean to sound insincere.”
He waves me off. “It’s okay.”
“What happened?” I speak the words softly.
He lifts his eyes to mine. “My dad’s best friend and his family’s house had burned down. Everyone survived except for Lisa. She was eight years old. Died of smoke inhalation.”
I can see the pain on his face, and it breaks my heart. “I can’t even imagine.”
He nods. “So ever since that day, I knew that if she had been saved a few minutes earlier, she’d still be here. That’s why I do what I do. I want to save people.”
All I want to do is comfort him and as I’m about to reach for his hand, the door to our private dining room opens wide and my sister walks in, all smiles. “Hello, you two.”
Hudson and I both stand, and I walk over to her. “What are you doing here?” I ask her.
She winks at me. “I came to get you. It’s time for your interview.” Then she leans in close. “Nice touch with the sunblock. Everyone laughed when they watched the feed.”
Hudson joins us and Erin holds out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Hudson. I’m Erin, Allie’s sister.”
His eyes widen. “Oh wow. It’s nice to meet you.”
Erin nods for the door. “Let’s get you two ready. I have to hook the microphones on to you.”
We follow her out the door and down the long hallway to one of the smaller conference rooms. There’s a backdrop on one side of the room with the show’s logo printed on it along with two chairs in front of it and a large TV screen to the side. Ryan is already in place with a camera man behind him and two more throughout the room.
Once Erin has the microphones hooked up to us, she goes to stand behind Ryan while we take our seats. The countdown begins and in three, two, one … it’s showtime.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Ryan announces as he looks at the camera man near me. “We’re now here with Allison and Hudson. We’ve gotten your feedback and took your questions into consideration. I have to say, I’m really excited to hear how our couple responds. We had some interesting new developments come into play this morning. Let’s take a look.”
Ryan turns to the TV screen and on it is a clip of mine and Hudson’s breakfast time where he mentions our past. I knew they would play that. My stomach twists and turns and my palms grow sweaty. I can only imagine what the viewers want to know now. Once the clip is over, Ryan focuses on us and smiles. “I have to say, that was a major plot twist. Viewers had noticed a little bit of animosity from Allison, and now we know why.” Ryan stares right at Hudson. “You broke her nose in high school? How did you manage that?”
Hudson smacks a hand to his face. “I am never going to live this down, am I?”
Ryan chuckles. “Not yet, I’m afraid.”
Hudson sighs and looks over at me. “Well, it was freshman year and Allie was new to school. I accidentally tripped her, and she fell.
When I tried to help her up, I got bumped and ended up knocking her into the lockers and breaking her nose.”
Ryan cringes and turns to me. “Ouch. That had to be hard, especially on your first day at a new school.”
I snort. “You have no idea. And as you already know, I spent the rest of my high school years with those lovely nicknames.”
Ryan nods. “I can see why you hated him after that.” This makes Hudson shift uncomfortably in his chair and I smile. Ryan glances over at Hudson. “You have a lot of making up to do if you want this to work, Hudson.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Hudson peer over at me. “Trust me, Ryan, I plan on it. A lot’s changed since high school. All I wanted was Allie’s attention, but I tried getting it the wrong way. As you can see, it backfired on me.”
Ryan chuckles again. “Are you trying to say you liked her back then?”
I freeze. Do I really want to hear his answer? Hudson is still looking at me, but I can’t bring myself to turn my head toward him. “I did,” he confesses. “I was even going to ask her to the senior prom, but then I overheard her talking in the library to her friend about how much she hated me. That was when I realized just how badly I’d screwed up.”
Gasping, I jerk my head toward him. The solemn look on his face is back and he shrugs. “It was the day I came back from that two-week trip I told you about at dinner tonight. Sometimes it takes something like that for you to see things clearly.”
It just so happens, I remember that day as if it was yesterday. Hudson had gotten back to school and it was all anyone could talk about, even Crystal, who was my friend, sitting with me in the library. I remember her talking about Hudson and how cute he was, and my reply on how I hated him. I had no clue he was close by. I want to tell him I’m sorry, but I don’t get the chance.
