Page 14 of Best Kept Secret

“Have you ever noticed how Jared acts whenever we’re together…me and you…not me and Jared…well, you know…”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “Somehow I was able to follow that, and yes, I’ve noticed.”

“I don’t get it. It’s not like I’m Britney or anything.”

He chuckled again, enjoying her openness.

“Has he ever said anything to you about it?”

She tilted her head, and her long, shiny hair cascaded over her shoulder. He wondered what it felt like, smelled like, looked like when she first woke up in the morning…

“Hudson?”

“Um...well, yes, sort of.”

She furrowed her brow as he tried to explain it. “I think it comes down to the friend code.”

“The friend code? What’s that?”

He leaned against the red brick wall and crossed his arms over his chest, mostly to keep from reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. “There’s a shared understanding that friends don’t mess around with a guy’s sister.”

“I figured it was something like that.”

He thought she sounded disappointed, but he couldn’t be sure.

“At first, I thought it was because you had a girlfriend. In fact, funny story…”

She hesitated like she was trying to decide whether to continue or not.

“C’mon. Don’t leave me hanging.”

“Okay, but don’t laugh.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“I overheard you and Jared talking about Annie, and I thought she was your girlfriend!”

He tried to laugh, but it got caught in the back of his throat. Maybe now was the time to come clean and tell her who Annie really was. Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder, and he caught a whiff of her shampoo. It smelled sweet and intoxicating, and just like that, his common sense drifted away on the breeze.

“How would you like to meet Annie and me at the park tomorrow?”

Her eyes went so big that the whites glowed against the dark sky. “I would love that!” Then she visibly deflated. “But what about the friend code?”

“The way I see it, we’ll have a chaperone, so Jared can’t get too mad.”

“Your niece is our chaperone?”

No, but my daughter will be. “Why not? How much trouble can we get into at a public park with a three-month-old?”

“You’re right. Besides, I’m a grown woman, and Jared doesn’t have to know everything I do.”

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, he thought as he nodded in agreement. Suddenly the public park didn’t sound like such a safe place after all!

Five

Kelsey sat on a bench at Firefighters Park, one of the largest parks in Troy, Michigan, about halfway between her apartment and his. She and Hudson had agreed to meet there before he’d left the bar last night, and she’d been so excited that she’d arrived early. It was a sunny spring day, but there was still a chill in the air, and rain was expected later that afternoon.

I hope Annie’s dressed for the weather, she thought as she glanced at the children climbing on the play structure.