Page 141 of Bridesmaid Undercover
I press my lips together and stare at the fry scraps on my plate. “She pointed something out to me, though, that I’m still trying to process.”
“Is this about Everly?” he asks.
I slowly nod. “Yeah, Maple brought it to my attention that I have feelings for Everly.” Brody’s eyes widen but I continue, “And the more she talked about it, the more I realized that she was absolutely right.”
“Holy shit,” he says. “That’s a bit of a twist.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” I sigh. “I mean, fuck, man. Maple is so goddamn right. All I can think about is Everly. I look forward to seeing her, hearing from her, talking to her. Those shirts I was looking at in the store—I was thinking about which one she would fucking like, what size and color she would prefer. I could picture her in the croissant shirt, I could see her bright smile, loving it so much. I feel like I know this woman, down to my very core, and that freaks me the fuck out.”
“Why does that freak you out?” he asks. “That should only spur you on to want so much more with her. It sounds like you might have found your person, so I would lean into that. That’s what I did with Maggie.”
“You and Maggie are different,” I say.
“How so?” he asks. “I was crushing on her when I first met her but never made a move because she’s my best friend’s sister. I had a momentary lapse in judgment when I made out with her at her brother’s wedding but put an end to it. I didn’t think I had a chance to be with her, but when we broke that barrier in Bora Bora, everything changed, and I fell hard. I was all in. How is this different?”
“You weren’t friends before. You hated each other.”
“Ehh, there’s a very thin line between love and hate,” he says. “But I get what you’re saying—you’re afraid to lose her as a friend.”
“Exactly, it feels so weird to say, because it’s been such a short time since we’ve been hanging out and talking, but I really rely on her. She’s my go-to person right now. And if I make a move, I’m going to lose all of that.”
“True,” he says. “But, she might feel the same way and you might have a whole lot to gain.”
“At what risk, though?”
He shrugs. “That’s something you’re going to have to figure out on your own.”
“How did it go?”Hudson asks as he takes a seat at the conference table across from me.
“Good,” I answer as I adjust my suit jacket. I fucking hate these things. You would think since we now own our owncompany that we could relax on the dress code, but Hudson likes to maintain a sense of professionalism. I want to know who came up with the rules that wearing a suit screams professionalism. Shouldn’t it be about how you carry yourself and not about what you wear?
“Care to elaborate?” he asks as he leans back in his chair and crosses one leg over the other. “Did you set up the account with Hattie and Aubree?”
I nod. “I did, and we spoke about the possibility of expanding their almond extract into a nationwide brand. They’re on board with the idea, which means we need to start looking into cost of production. I told them we want to keep the recipe and leave the process to them, that we just want to back them and also, partner with them so they use our almonds.”
“That’s great,” Hudson says with a smile.
“What’s the smile for?” I ask.
“Just interesting that we’ve branched off from our dad and now we have our hands in all sorts of businesses. Almond extract wasn’t on my list, but I can see the potential, especially given the numbers they turned in. With some financial backing, they can really take off, more than they already have.”
“Yeah, it should be great,” I say, my voice flat. And, of course, Hudson notices the lack of enthusiasm.
“What’s going on with you? I thought you’d be excited about this. You love your almonds.”
“I do,” I say. “Just…some personal things going on.”
“Does this have to do with Dad?” he asks. “Because we still haven’t heard anything. Don’t let him intimidate you with the frivolous threat of a lawsuit. He has nothing on us, and you bought the almond branch outright from him. He had no problem letting it go. And now that we’re capitalizing on it, that doesn’t mean we need to be worried.”
I get the feeling he wouldn’t be overly pleased about my feelings for Everly, and there is no way in hell I want to talk to him about them until I actually figure out what I plan on doing.
Therefore, I go with his line of thought and leave it at that. “Yeah, his loss, right?”
“His loss,” Hudson reiterates. “Now, I have to talk to you about your schedule. I know being in the office isn’t your favorite thing, but I need you here more. We’re taking on more projects and it’s more streamlined if you’re here to go over them. I’m starting to get overwhelmed, and you know the farm is doing fine on its own. They don’t need you there once a week.”
I grit my teeth because this is the last thing I wanted to hear right now. Sure, I know I need to be in the office more. I need to be there for Hudson, and I don’t mind these new projects—they’re invigorating, especially when you get to see them grow into what you planned—but fuck, the farm is my safe place.
Where I like to go to think.
