Page 67 of After You Returned
He laughs. “Maybe we shouldn’t discuss murdering journalists. It’s frowned upon.”
“Okay. Let’s discuss the physical therapist.”
“The person who doesn’t exist.”
“But she does.”
His brow wrinkles. “She does?”
“Hazel Harris.”
I hold my breath as Hudson considers. “Hazel wants the job? What about the whole ‘I work for myself. No one else’?”
I never heard Hazel say those words, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. She is the most stubborn woman I know.
“She’s considering a job at a VA hospital.”
“VA hospital? There isn’t one close. She’d have to…” Hudson frowns at me. “You don’t want her to move.”
“It’s stupid of her to move when the perfect job is right here. Assuming you would hire her.”
He scoffs. “Of course, I’d hire Hazel. She did an awesome job getting Caleb back into shape. But she hasn’t applied for the position.”
“Could you offer her the job anyway?”
He leans forward on his elbows and meets my gaze. “What’s happening here?”
“I don’t want Hazel to move away. She’s finally given me a second chance and I don’t want to lose her.”
“She’s given you a second chance?”
I blow out a breath. “Don’t act as if you don’t know. You’re not the hermit you once were. Nova is a proud member of the gossip brigade.”
“Fine. I’ll skip over the teasing and get to the heart of the matter. You want me to give your girlfriend a job?”
My nose wrinkles. “Why do you sound disgusted by the idea?”
“Because it’s stupid.”
“Stupid? This is a grand gesture to show her how much I love her. How much I’ll miss her if she leaves the island.”
“You forgot how much you want to control her.”
“I don’t want to control Hazel.”
He snorts. “No? You aren’t controlling where she’ll live and where she’ll work?”
I blow out a breath. This conversation is not going the way I expected it to.
“I don’t understand what the problem is. You need a physical therapist. You would love to hire Hazel. What’s the problem?”
“No problem for me. I’ll speak to Hazel and offer her the job. You may want to hide for a few days, though.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“And you don’t understand relationships.”
“Hudson!” Roger bustles toward us. “I’m sorry to interrupt.” He smiles at me as if he is actually apologetic. “But there’s an emergency with one of the rooms.”
