Hudson gets out of the car and stands in front of the hood. “Do you enjoy living dangerously?” His eyes roam my body from head to toe.
He gives me goosebumps and not the scared kind. Every once in a while, he looks at me and I forget he’s a big jerky bodyguard here to boss me around. I’m captivated by his eyes and the way tiny crow’s feet spring out from the corners when he smiles. It’s easy to forget Hudson is bossy. But then he normally says something to remind me and I get back to my senses.
“No, why?”
“Because I can’t decide if you’re stupid and that’s why you don’t take this seriously or if you know something I don’t.”
And here come my senses running back to me. It never takes long after I decide he’s cute for them to revisit. Plus, he’s not all wrong. I do have information he doesn’t, and for a second guilt floods my system. I’m not telling Ben or Hudson everything, but I made a promise. And, gut intuition tells me to keep it.
A small group of people — twenty or so — are clustered around the Animal Snatch fill-up station where the map in my game said the sea urchin has spawned. It’s rare but not so rare I would expect this many people to be standing around waiting to catch one. And there isn’t a raid going on, so they aren’t battling a larger animal.
Hudson throws his red and white ball, catching the water creature on his second try.
“Good job. You’re getting way better at this.” I pat him on the shoulder and pretend I don’t notice the warmth of his skin through his light fleece jacket. Why are the jerky ones always hot?
A bus pulls up on the side of the road, and the exhaust brakes squeak as it comes to a stop. I wave a hand in front of my face but it does nothing to dispel the fumes of diesel. The driver opens the door and the large group who’d been standing around climb on in a somewhat single file line while the bus driver stands outside watching.
“That bag is too large, ma’am,” he says pointing to a woman in line carrying a beach bag on her shoulder. The bag in question is so full the sides flop out.
The woman stops, her eyes wide in horror at the bus driver. “This is my purse.”
He rolls his eyes and uses his thumb to wave her forward. “Just make sure it doesn’t block the aisle.”
She turns and immediately starts complaining to her husband about not being able to take her purse on the bus. I stash my phone back in my pocket after having caught the animals in this area and continue to watch.
The last person steps up to the bus door, and the driver turns in our direction. “You two on this tour?”
“What?” I take a step back putting myself closer to Hudson. “No, he wanted to see the city.”
The bus driver nods his head.
“Are you headed there?” Hudson asks pointing to the large image on the side of the bus advertising tours to Muir Woods National Monument, home of the giant red wood trees, and the Winchester Mystery House.
The driver taps inside the bus. “Sure am. Look, it’s the day after Christmas. This bus is practically empty. If you two wanted to jump on I’d be more than happy to take you along for the ride.”
Hudson looks back at me, his eyes full of excitement. It’s quite possibly the first time I haven’t seen him analyzing the surrounding areas or contemplating me like I’m a moron. “Have you ever been to the woods?”
I shake my head. “No. Do you want to go?” Obviously, he does, but Hudson is a guy you ask first.
Hudson’s pinched lips grow into a smile and he nods. “If you’re okay with it,” he says trying to play it off like I can’t read the excitement ready to burst out of him.
I laugh and walk to the bus. “Let’s go.”
The bus driver smiles and watches me board, but Hudson stays behind making sure he can’t pay for the tickets. I don’t turn my nose up to a free ride anywhere. When he finally sits beside me at the front of the bus, he’s vibrating with energy.
“Amanda, you’ve been in San Francisco how long and never made it to the woods?”
I shrug. I’m not really a tree girl. If for some reason nature calls, I head to Golden Gate Park for a stroll on a paved surface. “Do you want the window seat?” I may not have been to the woods but Hudson will enjoy the view more.
Hudson shakes his head, his nose crinkling even though his eyes stare out the window scanning the area. “I locked the car, but I didn’t move it. Derek, the bus driver, said it would be safe parked there. I hope he’s right. I didn’t buy the extra travel insurance.”
I hit him on the shoulder playfully. “You didn’t buy the travel insurance? Haven’t you watched every movie ever? Always buy the travel insurance.”
Hudson laughs, and it’s the first one that’s not short. “Sounded wasteful at the time.”
“You sure are excited about seeing tall trees.” Not being outdoorsy, spending an entire day traveling to the woods to look at timber isn’t something I’ve made time for. Now I wish I had stories and cool facts to wow Hudson with during the drive. I’ll Google it when he’s not looking.
“One of the reasons I agreed to take the job in Pelican Bay was the nature areas. Pelican Bay is practically surrounded by its own large wooded area and then it’s only a short drive to Arcadia National Park. Mom would say I should’ve been a park ranger rather than a Navy SEAL.”
