Page 13 of Make Me Swoon

“Hope you like red,” he says and I laugh.

“I like alcohol,” I joke and he laughs, grabbing a wine opener out of his pocket and opening the bottle with a flourish.

I go to grab some wine glasses and silverware for us while he opens the wine and he smiles at me as he pours us each a glass.

“This looks delicious,” I tell him and he smiles.

“Thanks. I’ve been playing with some new spices and recipes so I hope that you don’t mind testing them out.”

“Not at all. Are you going to be changing the menu at Prim + Proper?”

“Maybe, but I’m actually thinking about opening up a new restaurant over in Lilac Harbor or maybe Maple Bend.”

“Really? Is Upper Peninsula Michigan going to be some new culinary hotspot?” I ask as I take a bite of the sliced steak.

“No, I just—”

I cut him off with a moan.

“Oh my god. This is so good,” I say, taking another bite of steak.

“I’m glad that you like it,” Hudson says with a laugh.

He watches me chew, his eyes darkening so that the blue looks almost black and I swallow, giving him a small smile as I pick up my wineglass and take a sip.

“It’s so good, but I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“I just like this place. It’s not as competitive or stressful as the big cities,” he says as he takes a bite of his own food.

“Will it be a second Prim + Proper?”

“No, I’ll have a different name and I need to research what those towns already have and what type of food and atmosphere that I think would do well there.”

We talk about food as we eat. I tell him about this greasy spoon diner that my dad and I ate breakfast at every Sunday back in New York. I’m not surprised that he had never heard of it. They made the best eggs benedict but Hudson promises that his is better. I believe him. He asks me where else I liked to eat and I tell him about my favorite pizza place and this fancy burger place on Coney Island that we went to once.

He tells me all about culinary school and the places where he’s cooked, and I practically lick my plate clean. He went to culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park in New York. He tells me about how he took a year off and cooked his way across Europe and part of Asia before he came back to the United States and worked under a chef in New Orleans.

He’s been all over, cooked in some of the best kitchens in the world and it shows. His food is delicious.

Hudson seems pleased that I loved his food so much and I let him clean up the dishes while I finish off my glass of wine.

“I’ll leave this for you,” he says, putting the cork back in the wine bottle and putting it in my fridge.

I can tell that he’s frustrated to see my fridge mostly empty except for the milk and eggs. I don’t want him to worry about me. Maybe that’s why I say what I say next.

“I’ll have to stop by Prim + Proper more often,” I say casually and I see Hudson smile as he closes the fridge door and turns to face me.

“Anytime you want. I’ll reserve a table for you every night.”

I try to ignore the way that my stomach flutters at that.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask and he nods, grabbing the dirty plates as we head for the door.

I wait on the sidewalk while he runs inside and hands off the dishes, and then he’s escorting me over to his car. I already texted Iris to let her know that I had a ride with Hudson. She was still getting ready, so I have a feeling that we’ll be beating everyone up there.

“How are you liking Destiny Falls? It’s quite the change from New York,” he says as we start to make our way up to Honey Peak.

“I like it. New York isn’t the same without my dad there. Besides, who can afford it.”

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