I pulled back to meet his eyes, my brow raised. “Letting me?”
“Please, indulge me a little.”
“How about this—” I shifted so I was straddling him. “How about we cease conversation altogether and indulge in an activity where we can both win?”
“Can we both win twice?”
“Honey, we can win three times if you’re up for it.”
The growing bulge beneath me told me what he thought about that before he even spoke. “Now that sounds like a plan.”
Mira tapped her pursed lips with a French-manicured finger. “I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t tell you what he’s planning. It makes no sense.”
When I joined Mira for lunch the next day, I hadn’t meant to tell her about Celia’s stalking, but the words poured out the moment I’d seen her. If Jack had been there, I knew I wouldn’t have shared as much, but his tardiness had me spilling everything, including Hudson’s deflection when I’d asked him his ideas for dealing with the bitch. He’d had a valid reason for not giving me more information, but it continued to nag at me.
Perhaps I was being unfair. “Maybe he really didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He just seemed more elusive than that.” I opened a packet of pink stuff and stirred it into my iced tea.
Mira frowned. “You’re afraid he’s keeping something from you on purpose?”
“No.” Though, I wasn’t quite sure. “I don’t know.”
She shook her head, her hair bobbing against her shoulders with the movement. “I don’t know either. I’m sorry.”
Her apology took me by surprise. “Why are you sorry? You have no reason to be sorry.”
“He’s my brother.” When she realized that didn’t exactly explain anything, she went on. “I feel like I should understand him better, and I don’t.”
“No one does.” Would anyone, ever? Sometimes I thought maybe I would, but really, could I?
“Are you ladies ready to order?” The waiter’s question drew my eyes back to the menu I’d tossed aside. I still hadn’t decided on a meal, having been too preoccupied with chatting.
The waiter saw my hesitancy. “Or would you prefer to wait for your other guest?”
Mira glanced at me. She already knew what she wanted to order. “We’ll wait.”
“Very good.” The waiter left us to attend to his other tables.
I picked up my menu and scanned the lunch items. But my mind was still on the conversation at hand. I lowered the menu and leaned toward Mira. “Here’s the thing—I’m afraid the real reason he won’t tell me what he has planned is that he doesn’t have anything planned.”
“Wouldn’t he just admit that?”
“No.” There was no way Hudson would let me believe he didn’t have complete control over the situation. “He wants me to feel safe.”
Mira beamed. “Of course he does.” There was never any doubt that the girl had faith in her brother. “Laynie, he’ll come up with something. I know it. And whatever it is, he’ll do a good job. He’ll be committed and he’ll go to great lengths. This is probably a horrible comparison, but look how devoted he was to keeping Celia’s secret. All to protect her.”
“He wasn’t protecting Celia.” Jack sat down in the chair between me and Mira. “Sorry, I’m late. Traffic. I didn’t realize you were joining us, Laynie. What a nice surprise!”
Mira spoke before I could give my own greeting. “Are you suggesting Hudson was protecting you? Because that makes me sick.” She roughly handed him her menu.
“Oh, I know what I want,” he said, setting the menu to the side without acknowledging Mira’s hostility. “He was protecting your mother. He didn’t want her to get hurt from my infidelity.”
Mira looked to me. “Still a valid comparison—Hudson will do far more for you than he’d do for Mom.” Again, before I had a chance to speak, she turned back to her father. “And you say that as if it were unreasonable that she would be hurt.”
“It’s unreasonable that he cares.” Jack circled his shoulders, probably trying to release the building tension.
Mira’s jaw tightened—the same way her brother’s tightened when he was upset. “Thank god he didn’t inherit heartlessness from you.”
“No, he inherited that from Sophia.”
Her eyes widened. Leaning forward, she whispered harshly, “Would you just stop?”
My eyes danced from one to the other as they volleyed their attacks. So much for me being a buffer at the meal. Hudson was right—Mira definitely didn’t need one.