Page 13 of Reforming Hunt
“Mom,” Noah said, staring at his mother in horror.
She glanced at her son as though conflicted, resting her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey. I know you like it here, but I need you to be safe.” She turned to Hunt. “I paid the exorbitant fees for Club Kids because I thought it was the best for Noah. But if he’s getting bullied—”
“Itisthe best,” Noah argued. “I learn lots of stuff. Hunt teaches me about boats, and I get to help him work on them.”
Hunt cleared his throat. “Noah helps me buff the sides of the boats. Always within my view. And he’s a big help.” Hunt made sure to send an approving nod to Noah.
“That’s…nice,” she said. “I’m sure it’s been fun for him. But I can’t take a chance on anything else happening to my son.”
“I agree,” Hunt said.
“I—You do?” Abby looked flustered, as though she hadn’t expected those words.
“I don’t want anything to happen to Noah or any of the children, which is why we’re hiring more attendants to keep an eye on each child.” Okay, so that had been Kaylee’s idea, but she’d been right. Club Kids had boomed and they needed more help. “I can assure you that your son is in the best hands while here.”
For some reason, the idea of Noah leaving Club Kids brought a sour taste to Hunt’s mouth. He didn’t want to see the boy go. He just needed to convince Noah’s mother that he’d be safe.
“And I believe you’re sincere,” she said, “but the program is expensive. I can find the same ratio of workers to children somewhere else. Someplace where my son won’t be in danger of drowning.”
First Abby turned him down when he hit on her the other night at the bar. Then his powerhouse smile hadn’t worked today when he tried to reassure her, and his smile was foolproof. He ignored the blip with Kaylee earlier because she married Wes, and clearly his brother had taught Kaylee to be skeptical. Now, Abby was rejecting Hunt’s smooth-talking assurances? What the hell?
Hunt was the smooth brother. Okay, fine, that was his opinion. But obviously he had a way with ladies even his brothers couldn’t deny. Only today was proving to be particularly harsh. Or maybe it was Abby. She’d been the one constant these last few days.
There was nothing higher on Hunt’s priority list than making a woman feel safe. Had the world turned upside down? Was Mercury in retrograde? What was happening this week?
Women didn’t reject him. Not once he put his mind on winning them over.
Wait,hadhe planned to win Abby over? He hadn’t when they met at the club. But now that he knew she was Noah’s mother, he wanted…something. Maybe it was simply more time to convince her that Noah was safe at Club Kids. Noah was a part of the gang. There had to be a way to make things right.
Hunt and his brothers had been taught water safety early on. Their father had hired a damned ex-Navy SEAL to teach them boating, and the man had hammered safety into their thick skulls. He could keep the kids safe. Abby just needed to give him a chance.
Noah pressed his face into his mother’s stomach and appeared to be crying.
“Abby,” Hunt said. He wasn’t trying to woo her this time. He wanted to make things right. So he spoke from the heart, something he wasn’t used to. “I understand your concern, but kids aren’t perfect. They get into fights and they make mistakes. It’s our job at the club to not only show them a good time and introduce them to new experiences, but also to socialize them and be a guiding hand.” Jesus, he really needed to stop hanging around Kaylee. He sounded like a kindergarten teacher. “Why don’t I walk you to the Club Kids playroom? We can talk about it some more there.”
She paused, then shook her head.
“I’m sorry, I just can’t risk it. Today is Noah’s last day.”
Chapter 6
No one understood the pressure Abby was under with Trevor’s parents. It would take hours to explain what had happened since her boyfriend died, so she didn’t bother trying.
Hunt waved over a woman in a Club Kids polo shirt. “Brin, can you take Noah to the diner for a root beer float?”
“Mom?” Noah said hopefully.
Hunt knew her son. Noah was crazy for root beer floats. He’d be bouncing off the walls afterward, but he’d had a rough day and she couldn’t deny him. She stroked the top of his head. “Sure, honey.”
This was clearly Hunt’s way of getting her alone. She didn’t mind, because she had a few choice words to get off her chest as well. Namely, why someone hadn’t stopped the child today from picking on her son. She didn’t believe for one moment that it was an isolated incident, as Hunt had suggested.
As soon as Noah was out of earshot, Abby spoke first, before Hunt had a chance to convince her to keep Noah in the program. “Putting aside the fact that you have a bullying situation here, I can’t afford the Club Kids cost any longer.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “It’s too expensive, and now Noah has beenphysically harmed. He said the kids pick on him. How could you let this happen?”
Hunt’s jaw clenched. “As I said, sometimes kids get rough, but we don’t condone that behavior. The incident today was addressed with the child right after it occurred. In the future, we’ll take every measure necessary to make sure situations like this don’t happen again. I can’t promise that children will always be nice to one another, but I can promise to address it whenever it occurs.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Noah won’t be here.”
More tightening of the jaw. “Because of the cost?” he asked.
