Crap. Way to go, Erica. Now he knows you’ve been stalking his videos for the past five years.
“I was doing internet research about visiting Europe on vacation,” I lied, “and YouTube recommended one of your videos to me. It was really cool that you got to go down to the crew areas and talk to the drivers. You’ve really made it big.”
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Regardless, I managed to reroute my flight home for your dad’s funeral. I’m glad I was there.”
“I’m glad you were too. I just wish you had said hi to me and Brad!”
“Like I said, you two looked busy mingling with everyone. And it was just a quick pop-in on my way back from Europe. But I was glad I could be there, even for just an hour.” He furrowed his brow at me. “How’s Brad handling everything?”
“Not great,” I admitted. “He was dating this girl, Roberta, for three years. Then she was transferred to San Diego for her job. They tried to do the long-distance thing, but it didn’t work and they broke up. That was about a month before Mom and Dad died. Since then… He puts on a strong face for me, but I can tell he’s struggling with it. He’slonely, Hunter, and I don’t know how to help him. I’m the only family he has left.”
Hunter grimaced at the news. “What about you? How areyouholding up, Erica?”
I’d been asked that question a lot in the past month. My default answer was that I wasdoing okay, orhanging in there. It was what people expected to hear when your parents were gone, and the words started to form on my lips automatically.
But I was buzzed from the beers, and old wounds were opening up in my heart, and Hunter Freaking Cade was sitting in my living room, looking at me like he wanted to make all my problems go away.
“Bad,” I admitted. My throat tightened. “I’m a mess in every way. And I meaneveryway. Emotionally, physically, financially. My first student loan payment was last month, and it was twice as much as I expected. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve spent the last month going through my parents’ finances. Dad had to take out a second mortgage to help pay for Mom’s medical bills. There’s almost no equity in the house, and Brad and I are struggling to cover the monthly payments because they got sucked into an adjustable-rate mortgage. I’m working double-shifts at the brewery almost every day, but I can still barely scratch together enough money to handle all these financial responsibilities, let alone personal purchases for myself. Brad says we’re going to have to sell the house, which isn’t the end of the world—notreally—but it means I have to go through all their things, including Dad’s old Mustang in the garage, and I just can’t bear the thought of getting rid of it or anything else.”
It came out in a rush, and when I was done I was out of breath. My hand holding the beer glass trembled, and a wave of embarrassment washed over me for revealing all of this to a guy I hadn’t seen in five years.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly said. “I didn’t mean to unload on you like that.” Tears were in my eyes, and I tried to wipe them away but that just made more fall.
Hunter put his beer down on the coffee table and then sat next to me on the couch. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re overwhelmed. It’s natural to feel that way after losing your parents. If anyone knows, it’s me.”
He folded me into his chest in a comforting hug, hand caressing my back gently. His body was warm and soothing, and I felt my body immediately relax within his embrace. I took a shuddering breath, inhaling Hunter’s scent in the process. Musky and spicy, just like he had smelled five years ago, but somehow more too.
He’s definitely a man now,I thought while he comforted me.That’s for sure.
“I knew you were going through some stuff,” he whispered.
I pulled away. “Really?”
He retrieved his beer and took a long pull. “The guy at the expo said so. Remember? He interrupted our conversation to mention your financial issues, and then you practically sprinted out of the place.”
I let out a wry chuckle. “Yeah, he just had to blurt it out like that.” I frowned as I recalled the scene at the expo. “Hey, right before he interrupted us, you said you were back in town to ask me something.”
“Oh, yeah,” Hunter said.
“What was it?” I asked softly. “What did you want to ask me? Is it about the Mustang in the garage?”
“No, it’s not about the Mustang. It has to do with the reason I’m back in town. I…”
He hesitated before continuing, gazing into his beer like it held the answer.
Is it me?I wondered with hope.Are you back in town to see me?
Then Hunter’s eyes brightened like he’d just thought of a good idea. “I told you I’m filming a series of videos about where I grew up. My old stomping grounds and stuff. Well, I’m staying at the Hyatt over on Lancaster. I got in last night. The walls are thin, and it’s not conducive to recording YouTube videos. There’s too much noise from the highway, and my microphone picks up everything.”
“Okay…” I said. “So what did you want to ask me?”
“What if I stayed here, in my old room, instead?”
I gave a start. “Here? Really?”
“I only lived here a few months,” he admitted, “but that was right after my parents died. I threw myself into my YouTube videos then. Upstairs in that bedroom is where Ireallygot started. It would be a cool throwback to film in the same place as my first videos, and it would be much quieter than my current hotel.”
I hesitated.Hunter, back here again? Next door to my room?