The Fixed Trilogy: Forever With You(21)

Hudson put a hand at my back and gestured toward his guest. “Alayna, you remember Norma.”

“Yeah, I do. Norma Anders. We met at the Botanic Gardens event.” The same knot of jealousy I’d felt at meeting her formed now. Or rather, her presence tightened the knot that had been in my belly for the past half hour.

Norma had an obvious interest in Hudson. It bothered me. She worked with him daily, touched him casually, used his first name—he rarely let people use his first name, particularly not his employees. And here she was alone with him in his office midday. And he had ignored my texts.

“We did meet then.” Norma looked me over, sizing me up. When we’d met before, she’d barely given me a second glance. She’d been too focused on my man. “It’s good to see you again, Alayna.” Her terse tone said otherwise.

She delivered her next line to Hudson. “If you two need to talk alone, we can step out.”

We? My eyes traveled the room and I noticed another woman sitting in the other armchair facing Hudson’s desk.

Ah, he wasn’t alone with Norma. A wave of relief ran through me, followed by a wave of guilt. I was being ridiculous and paranoid. The events of the day had me off balance. Hudson was simply meeting with two of his employees. No midday trysts. Nothing inappropriate at all.

Still, the knot persisted. I was eager to talk to Hudson about Celia, but it would have to wait. I stuffed my phone back in my bra. “No, no. I apologize for bursting in. It’s not like me to interrupt.”

Hudson scooted past me toward his desk. “Actually, Alayna, this is perfect timing.” He nodded to the woman still sitting and she stood. “This is Norma’s sister, Gwen. She’s one of the managers at Eighty-Eighth Floor.”

“Oh.” Not an employee after all. The Eighty-Eighth Floor was a popular nightclub in The Village owned by a rival businessman.

It took a second longer than it should have for me to click things into place. “Oh!”


I kicked myself into gear and approached Gwen, my hand extended toward her. “Alayna Withers,” I offered as she shook my hand.

Her grasp was firm. A good first sign for a possible co-manager.

“Nice to meet you.”

She had a good smile too. Nice teeth, not too flirty. Her features were very similar to Norma’s, except lighter. Her skin tone was pale, her hair either dark blonde or light brown depending on the lighting. Her eyes were gray-blue. She was pretty like Scarlett Johansson—the type of pretty that some people might overlook and other people would over-acknowledge.

I wondered which kind of people Hudson was in this instance.

I quickly chided myself for the thought. What was wrong with me? It had been typical for me to be unnecessarily jealous with past boyfriends, but I’d never been that way with Hudson.

Hudson stepped nearer to introduce me more properly. “Alayna’s currently the Promotions Manager at The Sky Launch, but, as I told you, she’ll become the General Manager once the current manager leaves.”

“Hudson told me you’re looking for an Operations Manager.” Gwen addressed me confidently and completely. It was refreshing considering her sister’s knack for forgetting I existed.

I nodded. “Is that something you might be interested in?”

“Definitely.”

A co-manager who worked at Eighty-Eighth. With all the insider information she’d have, plus the experience…I had to admit, Hudson had done good.

And he knew it. Though his face remained businesslike, his eyes twinkled with the pride of a job well done. “She has all the qualifications I believe that you’re looking for, Alayna. Perhaps you want to set up an interview for yourself?”

“Yes. Definitely.” I pulled my phone from my bra. When I unlocked it, Celia’s picture was there, ready to show Hudson. I froze at the sight and another chill ran through me.

“Alayna?” Hudson prompted softly.

“Sorry. Rough day. I’m a bit flustered.” I flipped through my schedule for the next day. I had lunch planned with Mira and Jack, but my evening was free. “Would you be able to come into The Sky Launch tomorrow? I think calling it an interview is a little too formal. I could show you around and we could talk then.”

“Sounds perfect. I’m off tomorrow so I’m wide open.”

It crossed my mind that I should ask why she wanted to leave Eighty-Eighth Floor, but it could wait until we met again. My earlier anxiety was overtaking me and all I cared about was finishing the conversation and getting Hudson to myself. And not for the reasons I usually wanted him alone.

“Great. Then you can come by at eight.” I entered the info into my calendar. “You can see the club when it’s open.”

“I’ll be there.”

“See, Norma?” Hudson winked at his employee. “The kids didn’t need us after all. They worked everything out on their own.”

Hudson’s playful jab at Norma fueled my angst. Why had she been invited to this meeting anyway? Just because Gwen was her sister, Norma didn’t have to be included. And how had Hudson even known that Norma had a sister that managed a club? Were Norma and Hudson closer than he’d led me to believe?

At the height of my obsessive disorder, I suffered greatly from paranoia. Sure, it returned from time to time, but not to any significant extent since I’d met Hudson. Was I being paranoid now or were my questions valid? And if it was just paranoia, why was it returning now?