He smiled. “You probably don’t remember me. I used to work at Blanc & Hartman.”
I glanced at his coffee, and then my eyes lit up in recognition. “Coffee-one-cream!” I shouted. “Oh my god, of course, I remember you. The only non-psychopath at the firm.”
He chuckled. “Coffee-one-cream. Clever. My friends actually call me Hudson. Or Hudd. Sometimes HudsonThomas, if they’re angry.”
My mouth quirked. “Sorry, I called everyone by their coffee orders in my head. I know your name is Hudson.”
He gestured to the seat across from me, and I nodded. “So, what have you been up to?” he asked.
I laughed awkwardly. “I work at a bookstore now. Much better environment for me, honestly. I, uh, well, I also am a paranormal investigator. Like, I post videos to YouTube and things. I have a decent amount of subscribers—enough to make a bit of money.”
He smiled easily. “Ah, a professional, then. That’s cool. You know, I believe in ghosts.”
“I always love to hear that. Less of me having to explain my reality.” I took a sip of my coffee. “So, what haveyoubeen up to? You said you left the law firm, too?”
“I did. Took some time off to travel, and yet…I keep ending up back here.”
“Are you from here?”
“No, no. I’m from the West Coast. But that feels like a lifetime ago now. Connecticut calls to me, what can I say?”
I snorted. “Well, that makes one of us. Never really felt a calling from this place, but there’s nowhere else I can imagine living. Unadventurous, maybe, or I just like to find comfort in a life constantly without it.” I shrugged. “Sorry, getting weirdly deep.”
He laughed and gave me a rather charming smile. “I don’t mind.”
“Oh, gosh, speaking of Blanc & Hartman, did you hear Blanc passed away? I came across the obit the other day. Aneurysm or something like that.”
He gave a stiff nod. “Look at a lot of obits in your line of work, I suppose?”
“Alot,” I confirm.
“So, your videos. You post them on YouTube. Do you post them anywhere else?”
I shook my head. “Where else would I post them?”
“You could post shorter clips to Facebook, or, uh, what’s that newer one? TikTok, with a note in the caption that the full video is on YouTube.”
My eyebrows jumped, mostly because at this point, TikTok wasn’t that new. “Oh, duh. That’s a great idea. I post on Instagram every now and then, but I haven’t gained a lot of traction. Static posts though, not reels. Thank you. Yeah, I should totally do that and cross-post to Facebook. And post on TikTok. I’d thought about that before but haven’t because of the length of my content, but shorter clips makes so much sense.” I glanced at the clock in the corner of my computer screen. “Oh, shit.” I closed my laptop and started to pack up. “I am so sorry. I promised I’d meet up with my sister, and I’m already late.” I stood and threw my laptop bag over my shoulder. “It was really great running into you.”
Hudson stood with me. “Yeah, you too.” His lips parted like he wanted to say something else. Maybe ask for my number, or maybe just plain ask me out, but perhaps that was wishful thinking. Instead, he said, “Good luck, Lacy. I’m rooting for you.”
I smiled in thanks and walked away.
twenty-five
. . .
Present Day
“Lace,what do you think of this?” Kit asks, drawing me back to reality.
I suck in sharply through my nose as I re-alert myself. That memory—that insanely random memory—just took me over.
I wander back to my window. Kit stands before the full-length mirror in my room, adjusting the black blouse he’s put on, unbuttoned a button lower than I would ever wear it. I want to comment on that, but bite my lip because I like the way it looks. I watch as his hands smooth absently over the silky fabric and feel a sudden and surprising heat coiling in my belly. I don’t hate that he’s touching me. In fact, I sort of like the idea of his hands on me.
I shake my head, ushering the thought out of my mind.Thatis ridiculous.
I catch Kit smirk in the mirror, like he knows exactly whatis going on inside my head. Or,oh god, if my body is having a physical reaction, he can tell.
