Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“I rarely hear Kyle talk about those guys going out anymore. I mean, when Aiden first came back to town, I think they went to Brew’s Place a few times. But I don’t think they’ve been there in while. I think that’s all it is, Arabella—just gossip.”
There was suddenly a sadness in her eyes, and I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze from hers. Arabella was the first to look away. “I’d better go; Hudson will be here soon. Are we still on for lunch on Monday? I’ll be dying to hear how things went.”
Softly sighing, I gave up for now and drew her in for a hug. “Yes, we’re still on. Enjoy your weekend.”
After ending our embrace, Arabella headed to the door and opened it. “You, too, and I’m glad to see you taking the weekend off. I hope this is a new thing and not just because Hudson is back in town tonight.”
“I think it’s going to be the new normal.”
She grinned. “Good. I’m glad to see you learning to take some time for yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. “This coming from the woman who works seven days a week.”
Arabella shrugged. “People need honey.”
Playfully pushing her, I replied, “Whatever. See you Monday, Arabella.”
She waved and started down the steps. “Take the bread out in two minutes! See ya later.”
The door opened at the bottom of the steps just as Arabella reached for it.
“Oh gosh, excuse me,” she said, taking a step back and then staring up at Hudson.
Yes. He really was so handsome that he stopped women in their tracks.
Arabella placed her hand on her chest. “Goodness, Hudson, you scared me.”
He smiled at her and stepped back so she could move past him. “Sorry about that, Arabella. It’s good seeing you again.”
“You, as well.”
“Bye, Arabella!” I called out once more before she moved out of sight. Hudson said something else to her that I couldn’t hear, and then he quickly made his way up the steps to where I was standing.
Once he got to the top, I stepped back into my place, and he kicked the door shut a second before I threw my body against his.
“I missed you so much!” I cried out as he wrapped his arms around me.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop by earlier,” he said into my hair. “Jill had scheduled three showings, and the first one started at ten this morning. As soon as we got Mom and Dad settled into the bed and breakfast, it was time to go see houses.”
I pressed my mouth to his to make him stop talking. All I wanted was for him to kiss me.
The kiss quickly deepened, and then Hudson pulled his mouth from mine, leaving us both panting for more.
“If we don’t stop,” he whispered against my lips, “I’m going to take you right here.”
“And I would totally be okay with that.”
He laughed and rubbed his nose against mine. “God, it feels so good to have you back in my arms.” He lifted his head and took in a deep smell. “What smells so good?”
I gasped. “That would be the rosemary bread that Arabella made—and I need to get it out of the oven!”
I spun on my heels and headed into the kitchen with Hudson right behind me. “God, my mouth is watering.”
“You actually have perfect timing. Dinner is ready—just need to get the pasta out. I made steamed veggies with angel hair pasta and a mango pesto sauce.”
“Should I be expecting this sort of cooking the entire time I’m staying here?”
Laughing, I nodded as I took the bread out and set it to the side. I turned off the boiling water the pasta was in and moved it to the sink to drain it. “I told you I like to cook, and now I have someone to cook for. It’s a win-win!”
Hudson’s rumbling laugh filled the kitchen. “I like the sound of this plan.”
I tossed the veggies into the pasta and mixed them with a bit of olive oil. “When will you hear back from the publisher about your manuscript?”
He shrugged. “Depends. Once the acquiring editor reads it, it’ll go off for editing. The process is lengthy, with different rounds of editing and all that.”
“I saw that the preorder date for the book was nearly a year out. I didn’t realize it was such a long process.”
“If I end up self-publishing, the process should be a lot faster. If you ever let me read your book, we could easily self-publish it, unless you want to try and go the traditional route.”
I put the pasta and veggies in a giant bowl while Hudson found a knife and started to slice into the fresh bread. “That’s not even something I’m thinking about right now,” I said.
“Well, when you are, I’m here to help.”
Stopping what I was doing, I smiled at him. “Thank you, but honestly, I want to focus on only two things: Turning Pages and us.”