Page 36 of Summer Love

We got in our cars, and I followed Hudson's truck to a local grocery store where there were various other shops in the development and an ice cream shop.

It was a two-story building with lots of foliage, water features, and large cages housing parrots. We went to the ice cream store first and ordered our cones. Once we had our ice cream, we went outside to check out the birds.

"Hello. Hello," Shane prompted, trying to get the bird named Winston to parrot his words back to him, but he remained stubbornly aloof.

Winston turned his head away, and I swear his beak was tilted slightly upwards.

"He's a snob, isn't he?" Hudson asked me quietly, and I nodded.

"He knows what Shane wants, but he's ignoring him."

"I bet five hundred people a day want him to repeat the wordhelloand he's had enough."

"He's a smart bird."

"Have you ever been over to the trailer park?" Hudson asked Shane. "They have more animals over there: parrots, lemurs, and monkeys."

"No, I haven't," Shane said as he moved over to another cage.

The atmosphere was tropical with the foliage, palm trees, and birds. Some were talking, and others were chirping. The sound of a water feature was soothing.

"Are you happy with your progress on the porch, or should we be further along by now?" I didn't want to hold him back.

"The thing about home renovations for friends is that it's the process that matters. The help you get from the owners, the shared meals, drinks and cookies, and the conversation. It's not about hitting a deadline."

"Wow. What a soundbite. I wish I had my notebook with me."

Hudson nudged my shoulder. "I thought part of being a journalist was getting a feel for the story, not reciting everything word for word."

"That's true. But it was so good." My fingers were itching to write it down somewhere. "Maybe I could put it in my phone." I reached for it, but Hudson stopped me with a hand on my wrist.

"Let's not worry about work tonight."

"I can do that." His expression was intense, and I understood why. Shane was important to him. This wasn't work. He wanted to share this with me, but it had nothing to do with the story. He didn't care if the public ever knew about his volunteer work. But I was positive my boss would love it. It made him even more desirable. The problem was that it worked on all females, not just me.

Was I prepared for the kind of attention my article would bring to the Kingston family? Were they?

"Hudson, come over here."

Hudson moved over to join Shane at the other cage, and I stayed where I was, enjoying my ice cream cone. Tonight was another glimpse inside Hudson's psyche. The problem was, the more I got to know him, the more I liked him.

ChapterNine

HUDSON

Idropped Shane off, then drove home. I'd invited Elena to meet me so I could answer any questions she had.

I was more than a little surprised that she played basketball with us. I expected her to show up in one of her summer dresses and sit on the bench to watch. Instead, she'd dressed in athletic clothes and delighted Shane by participating.

I got out and met her at the porch. "I have a nice view on my deck."

I grabbed a bottle of wine and glasses from the kitchen and led the way to the deck. I opened the slider and let her step out ahead of me.

"Did you build this?" Elena asked as she stepped outside.

The deck ran the entire length of the house and went out a generous distance. "If I'm going to have a view like this, then I want the space to enjoy it. You can't see the beach from the lower level."

We sat on the cushioned chairs, and I set the glasses and bottle on the table in front of us. I'd left the lights off to ward off the bugs. At this time of night, we could only hear the waves and breathe in the salt air.

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