Page 60 of All the Beautiful Things
Laughing at her ridiculous expression, I leaned back in my chair. “What for?”
“Because you didn’t call me after the wedding and tell me what happened and how it went!”
Oh. Right. She’d texted me Saturday. I’d told her all about the weekend before, the news with David and Hudson asking me to stay with him, but I hadn’t said much more than that. She was sure the wedding would change everything.
Someone should get this girl a crystal ball for as psychic as she was. She could make loads of money.
“It went well,” I muttered, already feeling that familiar flame on my cheeks igniting whenever I thought of the weekend. Or how Hudson and I spent most of it.
Naked, mostly, like most of our time together yesterday outside of work, too.
Which was partly why I was behind in studying for finals.
Hudson’s half-naked body is enough to make me not care if I fail.
“You did it!” Angie hissed, whipping me back to the present.
Heat crept down my throat, burning the top of my chest. “We, um, worked things out I think, yeah.”
Her hand slammed down to the worksheet I wasn’t even focusing on but staring at to hide my blush. “Tell me everything.”
I speared her with a glare. “I am not telling you anything about any of that.”
“Not even a little hint?” She pushed her thumb and forefinger together and then pulled them apart. “Or maybe, not so little?”
I snorted despite myself. Angie was a piece of work. I grabbed her fingers and smushed them together. “Especially not about that.”
“You’re no fun.”
“That’s not what Hudson says.”
She guffawed, laughed so hard I knew eyes were on us. The ex-con and the girl who befriended her for whatever reason. It no longer made me feel like little prickles were at the back of my neck, though.
Progress. I was healing. Moving on.
The reminder helped, especially since I hadn’t given Hudson my answer on whether or not I wanted him to call off Shawn.
“You’re hilarious, Lilly. You know that?”
“So you say. You ready for this?” I tapped my pen on my laptop. The final was in two hours. Angie had promised we’d cram in last-minute studying.
Not that she needed it. She was acing the class. Me, on the other hand, would still be lucky if I pulled out a solid B even with all her help over the last month.
“Of course I’m ready. And you are, too. You’ve had me helping you.”
I rolled my eyes playfully. “Awfully sure of yourself.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She tossed her black braids over her shoulder and gave me a jaunty wink. “I’m awesome. But you are ready. You just need to believe in yourself.”
In more ways than one, I figured.
19
Hudson
My dad batted away the blanket I tried to drape over his lap.
“Stop fussing over me and go home.”
