Hudson and Jethro walked her into the same room she’d been in with Hudson earlier, and Hudson picked up some boxes from a low-slung couch and tossed them on the ground, making space for her. He also looked at the clock on the far wall.
“You can go,” she told him. “I’m really okay, I just need a minute before I drive home. And I know it’s busy tonight. You guys throw a good party.”
“You sure?”
“Would I lie to you?” she asked, batting her lashes at him.
The side of his mouth kicked up. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Okay,” he said, clapping his hands together, “I’ll get your present and then head back out to keep an eye on these hooligans.”
Hudson ducked behind some other boxes and came out with a good-sized sparkly white gift bag that he handed to her. She didn’t play it cool but tugged the tissue paper out and found a plush snow leopard inside.
Sable wasn’t usually a stuffed animal kind of girl, but the blue eyes and the soft cream fur with the spray of black and brown spots was just too cute not to love.
“She’s so pretty, I love her. Thank you.”
She crooked a finger to get Hudson to lean down and when he did, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Hudson smiled at her as she held the leopard to her chest—she’d decided to name her Tundra—and gave her other braid a tug. “I’m glad you like it, she reminded me of you. Cute, but she’ll scratch your eyes out.”
Sable pursed her lips to keep from sticking out her tongue. She didn’t want to earn any more strokes for next time, although who was she kidding? Hudson would give her as many as he felt like unless she safed out.
“Make sure you let me know when you’re leaving. I’ll come check on you in a bit.”
She knew better than to argue with that even though it was going overboard.
“Okay.”
And then it was just her and Jethro.