Hudson just shrugs, mouth full of chips and dip. “We won. I earned every single calorie tonight.”
Must be nice, measuring success in touchdowns and victory beers. My big win this week was not tripping over a tangle of extension cords in the studio. God, that’s depressing.
“Does Finn have Rosie tonight?” I ask them.
Daphne shakes her head. “He’s busy with Foxx tonight, my mom has her.”
Hudson wraps his arm around Daphne’s shoulders, bringing her head to his lips. “The whooooole night.”
“Thank god I’m not in the same building as you guys tonight.”
Daphne laughs, unfazed. “Honestly, I plan on being asleep by nine.”
Hudson frowns. “That’s not what we talked about.” But Daphne just grins at him. He looks at me like he’s been personally betrayed. “Is this what our married life is going to be like?”
“It’s what having a toddler is like,” Daphne says, already reaching for another chip. “Lower your expectations.”
“I will not, and you know it.”
When Daphne and Hudson found out they were having Rosie, I’d never seen Hudson be so committed to something that wasn’t football. He stepped up and, with the help of Daphne’s twin brother, Finn, last year, they made it through, and I’m really damn proud of them both.
A waiter places our drinks and food down, and Daphne’s phone lights up where she left it on the table. I see a message pop up from her best friend, Liv. I haven’t thought about her ina while, not since she visited before summer break. Even then, her visit was the usual weather warning that seems to be Olivia Matthews.
“Everything okay with Liv?” I ask, taking my first bite of the best salted fries in town.
Daphne gets this strange, faraway look on her face before she answers, which is unusual for her. Liv is her twin flame; despite being an actual twin with Finn, they’re sisters in every other sense of the word. “She’s uh… actually, she’s moving to Cedar Lakes.”
I pause, the first burger bite halfway to my mouth. “She’s attending CLU?”
Daphne nods, taking her sweet time chewing a fry, and across from me, Hudson suddenly becomes very quiet, which isn’t unusual when he’s eating, but I know my best friend, and there’s a shifty air about him.
“Huh,” I say, setting my burger down. “That’s interesting. Figured it was too late in the semester for that.”
“Something happened at Washington State,” Daphne says, still dancing around it. “So, her dad pulled some strings.”
I don’t know much about Liv’s family, but clearly her dad has enough pull to make things happen at CLU.
“Is he a professor?”
“No, he works with insurance, but he knew the dean of the school somehow.”
Well, that doesn’t add up still. My brow lifts as I decide to nudge further. “What’s she studying here, or has she not declared a major yet?”
“History and art,” Daphne says, reaching for her drink. “She’s more into museums these days. Wants to be that person who tracks down and collects historic art for them… what are they called again?”
“Curators?” Hudson offers, eyes still fixed anywhere but mine.
Daphne snaps her fingers. “Yes! That’s it. Art curator.”
I nod slowly, chewing my food as I watch them both do everything in their power to act like this is a casual conversation, but I can sense there’s more to it. I lean back slightly, eyes flicking between the two of them as I reach for my drink, the coolness of the condensation licking against my fingertips. Daphne’s suddenly invested in her napkin. Hudson’s now examining the ketchup bottle like it holds the secrets of the universe.
“So,” I say slowly, drawing the word out, “Liv’s moving here. Her housing must be sorted, then?”
Daphne doesn’t answer right away.
I arch a brow. “She’s staying on campus like we did?”
Daphne hums. “Well…”
