He hesitated, said, “Just a second,” and walked over to me. He took one of Stetson’s hands in his and whispered, “See you in a while, kid.” Then Hudson smiled at me. “I’ll call you later.” 343/356
Mrs. Gardner had strolled over to us. “Speaking of calling girls”—she took his arm again and they turned toward the door—“your girlfriend texted me twice last night and once this morning asking about you. You’d better call her.”
Over his shoulder, Hudson shot me an alarmed look.
I shrugged. What else could I do? Everything had changed for him, and now he had to figure out what was going on in his new life. I just hoped there was room for me.
Chapter 25
One of Sandra’s friends brought over clothes for us. They were guys’
shorts and T-shirts, but it felt great to take showers and change into something clean. My parents got rental cars and went shopping. It took several trips to get the basics: food, clothes, mattresses, bedding, baby things. I got a short nap, but spent most of the day cleaning up the house and taking care of Stetson.
I picked up the scattered books and stacked most of them against the family room wall. The rest I took to my bedroom. It was about time I got caught up on my reading.
Nick looked up information on the Internet about Robin Hood—he was still a folklore hero. Then he looked up King John—he married a thirteen-year-old girl not long after we left. Which was utterly creepy.
Reading out loud, Nick said, “ ‘In 1216, while retreating from a French invasion, the baggage train that carried King John’s treasures, including the crown jewels, was lost in a marshy area by an unexpected incoming tide. This dealt John a terrible blow, which affected his health and state of mind.’ ”
“His state of mind?” I repeated. “The only state in his mind se-ceded from that union a long time ago.”
“ ‘King John died soon after that. His reign has traditionally been characterized as one of the most disastrous in English history.’ ” Well, historians got some things right.
Nick nodded thoughtfully. “His treasure sank, and he died a broken man. There’s a moral in that.” 345/356
“Yep,” I said. “Keep your wealth in lighter stuff like stocks and bonds.”
I spent a lot of time walking Stetson around or giving him objects that he would gum for a few minutes and then toss across the room.
Chrissy still hadn’t come to get him. I knew what that meant. Or at least thought I did. It was possible that Chrissy was out getting another pedicure. She’d never been a punctual fairy godmother.
By the time we finished dinner that night, I was convinced she wasn’t coming. Not only did Hudson and I have no future, but now I had to be a teenage mother. How was I going to explain that to people—especially to oh, say, my mother and sister?
I was so discouraged that I went to my room, put Stetson on a baby blanket on the floor, and lay down beside him. I stroked his forehead, willing him to sleep so I could too. If I slept, I wouldn’t cry.
I heard the doorbell ring, but didn’t think much of it. Some of Sandra and Dad’s friends had been dropping things off—old dressers, extra chairs—all day.
I waited to hear Dad’s voice greeting whoever had come. Instead I heard Hudson’s voice in my doorway. “I wonder why Chrissy hasn’t sent Stetson home yet.”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to tell Hudson about that part of my bargain.
He walked into the room. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders. His hair was clean and shiny. I had forgotten how good he looked in this century. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“I brought you something.” Hudson held out a jar of water containing the Gilead. It was suspended in the water by a framework of popsicle sticks over the opening. He walked past me and set it on my 346/356
windowsill. “I cut off the end of the stem and put root starter on it. I don’t know if it will work, but if it does we can plant it.”
“Do you think it will be magical here too?” He shrugged. “I hope so. It would be nice to have something that could fix things. Illness, broken bones—I wonder if it works on computers.”
I only wanted to fix one thing right now.
Stetson gurgled in a very unsleepy way when he saw Hudson, and then flung his teething ring across the blanket. I picked up another toy and handed it to him. “So how are things at home now that your mom is back?”
Hudson turned and leaned against my windowsill. “You say that so casually, like she was gone on a business trip.” He tilted his head, examining me. “What did you give to Chrissy in exchange for changing my past?”