His house was a little outside of Christmas Town in an older neighborhood. Hudson pulled in the driveway, and I parked next to his truck. He got out, waiting for me to join him on the porch.
"This is cute," I said of the covered porch with two rocking chairs in front of the window and a swing on the end.
"It's one of my favorite features of the house." Hudson unlocked the door and pushed it open so I could precede him inside.
He trailed after me. "This is the kitchen. It's small, but I updated it a few years ago."
The space was open to the living room, and the backyard was visible because the outdoor light was on.
I moved to look out the window. It was flat with a fence which would make it perfect for a child.
"How old is your daughter?" Hudson asked, and I turned to face him.
"She's ten."
He gestured outside. "The backyard is enclosed with a fence so you don't have to worry about her."
"This is more than we need," I said, feeling uncomfortable with the rent on a place like this.
"You haven't seen everything yet." Hudson led the way past the formal dining room. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was perfect for a family of two.
We paused at the railing.
"Were you planning on renting this place furnished?" There was a couch and end tables in the living room and beds in the upstairs rooms.
"I bought all new furniture for my new house and haven't bothered to get rid of this yet. The Realtor said it would show better furnished. I assume this works for you since you don't want to move your bed for only a few weeks."
I nodded. "It's perfect. I don't have to move any furniture."
He braced his hands on the wood railing, his muscles flexing. "Do you think this will work for you?"
"It's really nice. Are you sure you want to rent it to me? You could get a great price for it."
He let go of the railing and stepped back. "I'm not renting it out now, am I? It's just sitting here empty."
"What do you want for it?" I couldn't afford to pay much more than what I was paying for my apartment.
His nose pinched. "We can discuss details later."
I swallowed before finally nodding. "Okay."
"Stay here tonight, and we'll figure everything else out later." Hudson turned to leave, but I placed a hand on his forearm, his muscles rippling under my palm.
"Thanks for coming out so quickly to the shop and letting me stay here."
He shrugged, and my hand fell away. "You heard Cooper. We have a contract with Christmas Town. We come whenever there's an issue."
"But you didn't have to rent this place to us." I was very much aware that we hadn't agreed on a price. I had a feeling I wasn't going to want to leave after living here for a while.
"But I want to." He continued without waiting for me to respond. "We have a lot to do tomorrow, so I'm going to head out. Call me if you need anything." Then Hudson jogged down the stairs, not bothering to wait for me to show him out.
I heard the front door open and close, and I went to the primary bedroom where Hudson had left my duffle on the comforter. This place was exactly what I needed to regroup. My dream was to be a business owner who could support my daughter. And for a few short months, I'd thought my dream was within reach.
I was getting foot traffic at my new location on Candy Cane Lane that brought in more customers than I ever saw at a pop-up event. Now I was closed during the busiest shopping season. I'd lose out on so many sales unless I came up with a plan.
I dropped back onto the bed, intending to think through the possible scenarios. I could do pop-ups again. I didn't like them, and they didn't generate as much income, but it was an option to recoup some of the lost sales.
I'd been thinking about opening an online shop. Maybe this was the time to move forward with that. I could be the model and hire Wynter, the photographer at Forgotten Dreams, to take them for me. It would probably be expensive, but then I'd have what I needed for my shop. It was an investment.
