“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Lilah asked from her perch on a ladder.
Caleb snorted from where he squatted on the floor, holding the other end of the blue tape they were placing diagonally along the back wall of The Sweet Spot.
Christ, Hudson should’ve stayed home instead of coming by to help Lilah paint before the new hardwood floors were laid later in the week. Cleaning out gutters would’ve been better than this.
“Bite me.” Okay, so it wasn’t his most mature response, but his little sister always managed to bring out the asshole teenager in him.
But he could admit—at least to himself—that she wasn’t far off. He’d been stomping around the bakery all morning as they’d worked on the diamond design Lilah was obsessed with for the walls, his mind constantly replaying the interaction with Kenna the other day.
The days were slipping away from him, the time he had to spend with her vanishing before his eyes, and he felt like he was grasping at air. While she hadn’t flat out ignored him, it seemed a hell of a lot like she’d been avoiding him. Ever since their encounter in the woods. And if he had to bet on it, he’d say it had nothing to do with their hot and heavy tree trunk activities and everything to do with the call he’d gotten after. He’d watched the life drain from her eyes the moment he’d told her who’d called and had kicked himself every second since.
Why the hell had he told her? Better yet, why the hell had he taken the call in the first place? He was on leave, which meant he didn’t need to answer to his commanding officer—the call could’ve easily been returned later that day when he was by himself. But habit had him answering without a second thought, and look where that got him.
“Your attitude have anything to do with the situation with the Havens?” Lilah asked.
Hudson snapped his head in her direction, his brow furrowed. “What situation?”
She glanced back at him over her shoulder, arms stretched to reach the top corner of the wall. “You know, the whole thing with Mac’s daddy.”
“Obviously, I don’t, or I wouldn’t be askin’ about it,” he said, unable to keep the frustration from seeping into his tone.
“See?” she said, pointing a finger at him. “Panties in a damn twist.”
“And here I always thought it’d be nice to have a sibling,” Caleb said.
Hudson closed his eyes, prayed for patience, and blew out a long breath. “What situation, Lilah?”
She gripped the sides of the ladder as she climbed down, then scooted it a few inches to the left. “You know, all the medical stuff. You seriously haven’t heard about it? It’s been the talk of the town.”
Considering he’d spent most of his time this week at the cabin, trying to get that in shape before he left, he wasn’t exactly pining for gossip. He gave a sharp shake of his head.
“Well, I guess Richard had a heart scare or something,” she said, her voice soft.
“He what? When?”
“Last weekend.”
Before Hudson’s trip into the woods with Kenna. Had that been her shitshow of a day she’d mentioned? But why hadn’t she told him? She and her dad had never been close, but this still had to have hit her hard, especially considering that was how her grandpa had passed away. Had she been hurting and scared that day, and he’d rutted into her like a fucking animal?
“What happened?” he managed to ask through his tight throat.
“Dunno the specifics, but that’s why Mac’s been runnin’ around town like a chicken with her head cut off. Tryin’ to keep up with everything her daddy had goin’, while also tryin’ to keep him from doin’ everything he’s not supposed to.” She rolled her eyes, then gestured between him and Caleb. “In case either of y’all are helpin’ in here while you’re home, he’s not allowedanything. At least not yet. I’m workin’ on a new gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free recipe.”
“Taste-free, too?”
“Shut up, ass.” Lilah climbed back up on the ladder, shooting Hudson a glare over her shoulder. “Caleb likes ’em just fine.”
Hudson narrowed his eyes, dividing a look between his best friend and his sister. “Why the hell has Caleb tried them and not me?”
Caleb heaved a sigh as he pulled a strip of blue tape off the roll and handed one end to Lilah before squatting again with the other end. “Not sure how I got dragged into this. I just eat what people give me.”
“Even if what they give you tastes like dirt?” Hudson asked.
“Screw you, Hudson Miller.” Lilah faced him from five feet in the air, hands braced on her hips, her anger enough to keep her steady as a rock on that ladder. “If you’re gonna be an ass, you can get out. Caleb can help me all I need.”
Shoulders slumping, Hudson closed his eyes and blew out a breath, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snap at you. I’m just…”
She sighed, no doubt exasperated by his asshole ways. “Love-sick over Mac.”
