“He likes you a lot. I can see it in the way he looks at you, and I think he’s talking to Hudson on the sly. So, listen to what he says. He’d never tell you what to do, but I think he’s giving you useful clues as to how to help him.”
“Clues?”
“Something must have happened between him and an ex. Hudson said something about it after he’d talked to Tig the other day,” Jack said.
“Tig said he doesn’t want to rush, that he’d done that before and wants to take his time,” I said. “I didn’t think much of it at the time.”
“We have all made mistakes in the past that we’d rather not deal with ever again. Hudson doesn’t know much about Tig’s life after he left here. They kept in touch, but Tig is very private. He doesn’t share his personal life,” Jack said after glancing toward the back of the store where Hudson was.
“Do you think he’d care if I talked to him about Tig?” I asked. I didn’t want to pry or find out something Tig may not want me to know but I wanted to check there was nothing to be concerned about in his past. The last thing I needed was some crazy ex showing up at my door in the middle of the night.
“Go ask him,” Jack said and greeted a customer who’d walked in.
I walked to the backroom where Hudson was seated at his desk doing who knew what on the computer. He looked up whenhe noticed me and nodded his head in greeting. “What’s going on, Isaac?”
“Can I ask you something?” I took a seat on the other chair in the room, and he turned to face me.
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Oh yeah. Nothing I can complain about anyway. I just wanted to ask you if you knew anything about what happened with Tig and his ex. He mentioned an ex, but he didn’t say what happened.”
Hudson relaxed back into his chair and folded his arms. “I’ve known Tig for years and I’ve never seen him as crazy for anyone as he is for you. If there is an ex, I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said without answering my question.
“Hudson, I know you and I haven’t known each other very long, and I don’t want to start trouble, but when you showed up here and Jack was all into you, I was pissed off. Then I got to know you, and I saw how happy you make him.”
“Isaac, I never meant—”
“I want that too. What you two have. You’re meant for each other, and I cannot imagine either of you with anyone else. You’re disgustingly in love, and I want that.” I was shocked and simultaneously repulsed by what I’d just word-vomited all over Hudson’s desk, but it was true, every word of it.
“You really like Tig,” Hudson said, and I ignored the smirk he now wore. “I never thought I’d see you all tied up over anyone.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m ‘tied up,’ whatever that means.”
“But you want to be,” he said.Fucking Hudson.
“Yes, and I need your help—or advice. Possibly both.”
“Hudson?” Jack said from behind me as he walked into the office. “Isaac never asks for help with anything.”
Hudson’s face softened as he listened to Jack and before looking back at me. “You know he’s going to be pissed off if he finds out we’re all working together.”
“Tell me what to do then,” I said.
Hudson glanced at Jack once more before meeting my eyes. “Okay, I’ll help. He might have mentioned he was going to the store later.”
Twelve
Tig
Driving into town, Iheaded right to the grocery store. It would be a few days before I could get out of town to one of the bigger markets to get stocked up and there were a few things I needed to make it through. One of those had to do with gettinglunch stuff so I could make Isaac lunch and pay him back for bringing it for me.
I pulled into the parking lot and was actually surprised how busy it seemed to be. Most locals only came here for essentials and did their big shopping out of town, but some either didn’t like to drive that far, or weren’t able to. So, most of the town was here at least once a week.
As soon as I walked through the door I was transported back to high school and coming here for something Mom needed for dinner that night, and lunchbreaks where we’d walk here from school rather than go to the cafeteria.
“How ya going?” a man I’d never seen before said with what was either an Australian or possibly a New Zealand accent.
“Hey, good thanks. You new around here?” I asked the most obvious question.
