I shake my head. “Not really.”
He grins. “Good for you, man. But what happened two weeks ago? Did you fuck it up?”
I glare at him. “We had a disagreement.”
“So why are you telling me?”
“I just wanted a friend’s perspective, I guess.”
He sets his wineglass down. “Give me all the info. What was the disagreement about?”
“She thinks I don’t want anyone to know about us because I’m embarrassed by her. By her age.”
Hudson shrugs. “Probably more embarrassed byyourage, though, right? She’s young and vibrant and you’re?—”
I cut him off, pinching the bridge of my nose. “No. The age difference is there; there’s nothing we can do about it. I guess I want to make sure she won’t get in trouble if people find out.”
“Little late for that, don’t you think?”
“You fuckin?—”
“I’m kidding. No, she won’t get in trouble. From what Deb has told me, she’s a rock star at her job. Workplace relationships happen. As long as it’s not going to get us sued, I don’t have a problem with it.”
“She doesn’t report to me.”
“Right. Seems fine.” He’s buttering a piece of bread meticulously, making sure every bit of the surface gets covered in butter. “Does she make you happy?”
“That’s an understatement. I know I’d take a lot of shit if people found out I was with someone so young, but if it’s that or be without her, I’ll take the embarrassment.”
“Fuck anyone who has a problem with it.”
“Yeah, I agree—unless it’s my kids.”
He laughs. “Your kids who saw your wife cheat on you with a contractor and leave you for him? Noel, you deserve to be happy. You’re a good man. If the woman who appreciates that is in her twenties, or thirties, or eighties, who cares? Life’s too short.”
I nod. “Yeah. Thanks.”
His expression turns serious. “Have I ever told you the last thing my father said to me when he was dying?”
“No.”
He sets down the bread, brushing the crumbs from his hands. “He could hardly talk anymore. The cancer had taken everything from him. But he worked so goddamn hard to get it out, because he was still in there. His eyes were the same, but his body was shutting down. He said one word to me. Live.”
I’ve never seen Hudson so emotional. He sniffs and straightens his shoulders.
“He told me to live, and I think about it all the time. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring, or if there will even be a tomorrow. So if she makes you happy, and you want to make her happy, hold on like hell and don’t let go.”
I nod, thinking of my own father. He’d love Jules. “I will. Thanks for sharing that with me.”
“You smell those meatballs?” He closes his eyes and breathes in the savory aroma. “When I die, this place is my idea of heaven.”
I raise my glass. “To Domenica.”
He clicks his glass against mine. “To Domenica. And time spent with a dear friend. And living.”
“Cheers.”
“Cheers, my friend.”
