As for her insistent voice of reason, the one that whispered, ‘What about Hudson? He’s in Melbourne,’ she ignored it. Besides, Hudson wouldn’t be speaking to her ever again once he learned she’d undermined his deal, even if the alternative was legit.
‘Pop, this is what I want. One hundred percent.’
‘Then I’m happy for you.’ He stood and opened his arms to her and she relished his hug as much now as she had as a little girl wondering why her parents had abandoned her.
However, when Pop released her, she could see something was still bothering him. ‘Everything okay?’
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding. ‘I guess once we get the transfer of ownership happening and I get my money, I can leave.’
‘Any idea how long you’ll be gone?’
‘Not sure, love. I want to travel around Australia first, without the constraints of a timeframe. So could be a few months, could be a year.’
The thought of not seeing Pop for that long brought a lump to her throat, but he deserved this. He’d stood by her for thirty years, giving up so much of his life to raise her then stick around for her. He should embrace his freedom. Besides, she’d have enough going on with running the agency to keep her occupied and not pining for the only family she had.
‘I’ll miss you, but it’s time you followed your dreams.’
He smiled, but he couldn’t hide the flicker of sadness in his eyes. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’
Why didn’t she believe him?
CHAPTER
39
Being back in Melbourne centred Hudson, as he’d expected. He’d spent Friday at the office catching up on work and had been absorbed in the usual Saturday morning rush with several auctions that got top dollar.
Now, as he sat behind his desk awaiting Karly’s arrival, he wondered what she’d say. Would she call him out on fobbing her off on Thursday night? Would she ask why he’d left Acacia Haven so suddenly on Friday? And if she did, how would he respond?
He couldn’t tell her the truth: that he liked her so much he’d allowed himself to be distracted from his end game and, ultimately, that could result in work at the new youth housing centres being pushed back. He never showed weakness, yet he’d been a pushover when she’d asked for the weekend before handing over the agency. It didn’t sit well with him, so he’d done the only thing possible: remove himself from the situation.
Not that it helped. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.
And it looked like the feeling was mutual, considering she was driving to Melbourne today and wanted to meet up. He’d suggested his office because he knew if she came to his house she’d barely make it in the front door before they were naked, and he wanted to set a few boundaries. Namely, he needed Jeremiah to sign on the dotted line first thing Monday morning.
No more delays. He’d teed up meetings with the investors for Monday afternoon so he could get cracking with the funding for the refurbishment works and had reached out to new investors in eastern Victoria so he could hit the ground running once he acquired the agency. He didn’t like how anxious Stella had appeared during their video conference call. For as long as he’d known her, the social worker had presented as unflappable, a necessary quality when working with volatile teens. For her to show the slightest hint of worry … it meant stalling on the building repairs for the centres was a big deal.
Not that he thought for one minute he could solve the youth housing crisis in Melbourne, or the rest of Victoria for that matter. More young people than ever were ending up homeless and living on the streets. He may not be able to fix the problem but he’d do whatever it took to ensure he could help those who wanted to be helped.
Rick, one of the new agents, stuck his head around the door. ‘Boss, I’m heading out. Want me to lock up?’
‘Yes, thanks. I’m expecting someone but she’ll call me when she gets here.’
‘No worries. Have a great weekend.’
‘You’ve got three showings and an open house tomorrow?’
Rick nodded, enthusiasm evident in the way he fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. ‘Yeah. There’s been lots of preliminary interest in that Camberwell refurb so I’m expecting an offer.’
‘Sounds good. Make it happen.’
‘Shall do.’ With a grin and a salute, Rick headed back to the front office area, leaving Hudson to ponder when he’d lost that initial spark.
Sure, he loved being his own boss and was proud of all he’d accomplished, taking Isaac’s one agency and building it into a conglomerate, but seeing the way Rick reacted to a possible sale had him feeling jaded.
Interesting—he was more invested emotionally in his youth housing projects than his agencies these days. His competitors would have a field day if they knew. While they were hellbent on buying out smaller agencies and building their city portfolios, he was obsessing over acquiring one more country agency so he could woo investors for his pet project.
Since when had he turned into this guy? Ruled by sentimentality and not dollars?