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Is that a smooth way of finding out if I’m with someone? Because, fuck me, that was smooth. “My parents,” I tell him, feeling suddenly embarrassed.
“Oh, you live with your parents?”
“No… Well, yeah, I do, but I used to not live with them, so it’s not like I’ve never done all the adulting.” Done all the adulting? I’m turning into a complete idiot in front of this man. “I lived with a roommate for years. Well, Gwen. You know her.”
“Ah, right, Gwen—astrobiologist who spends a lot of time texting her billionaire boyfriend.”
“That’s the one,” I say with a little grin. “She’s the best. Anyway, my dad had a stroke a few years ago so I moved back home to help them out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he says, and by God, he does seem sincere. “How’s he doing now?”
“Great. Pretty much one-hundred-percent. In fact, he’s been fully recovered for a couple of years now so I suppose I should move out again. That probably sounds pathetic to you. Living with my parents, in my old bedroom with my tiny twin bed.”
Shaking his head, Hudson says, “Not at all. I think it’s nice that you’re close to your family. I live with my brother. Some people think it’s weird.”
“It’s not weird,” I tell him, leaning forward in my chair a little. “What’s weird is how separate we all are from our families here in America. Most cultures are a lot closer to their extended family than we are. They live together and cook together and help each other raise the children.”
Hudson’s eyes light up. “Exactly. I love that idea. A few years ago, I was filming in the Philippines, and a lot of the local crew members lived in multigenerational households. There was a key grip that invited me for dinner a few times and I really loved hanging out there. It was kind of chaotic, but in a good way, you know?”
“That sounds like my house every Sunday.”
“Big crowd?”
Nodding, I say, “Everybody shows up, and everyone has to help, no matter what, which means there are way too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s so freaking loud.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“It can be unless you need to be someplace else. Like this Sunday is a holiday my family made up called Landing Day. It’s to celebrate the day they arrived in the US. It’s a huge deal, and I’ll be stuck cooking all day when I should be working.”
“Well, surely they’ll let you off the hook this time.”
Shaking my head, I say, “Not a chance. It’s the fortieth anniversary this year so they’re pulling out all the stops. I mean, it’s wonderful and I’m happy we do it, but the timing for me…”
“Gotcha.”
“In the big scheme of things, I know it’s a good problem to have. I’m lucky. My dad made a full recovery and I have a close-knit family which is more than a lot of people get, but I could also use a little more independence,” I say. “Or a time machine so I could pause time for the rest of the world and finish this project.”
“Maybe you should be working on that,” he says with a grin. After a second, he glances down and says, “Hey! I’m back to normal!”
I look at his midsection and see that indeed, his sheet tent is gone. Huh, and all it took was a conversation with me. “Well, that’s got to be a relief.”
Hudson lets out a big sigh. “It sure is. I was really worried.”
“I bet. Now the trick will be to make sure it’ll go back the other way when you want it to.”
Oh shit, I should not have said that. Based on the shocked look on his face, that was something he hadn’t considered. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, so I add, “Not that it should be a problem. I’m sure everything’s fine. It just might be … fatigued for a day or two.”
He nods, that easy-going look returning to his face. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.”
“Definitely,” I answer, clicking my teeth while I give him the ‘okay’ sign for some reason. “Everything is going to be right as rain before you know it.”
Right as rain? Am I suddenly British now? Oh my God, stop talking.
Tala, the nurse, walks back into the room, carrying a tray of food. The smell hits my nostrils and my stomach growls immediately. She sets the tray on the overbed table. “Here you go, Mr. Finch.”
“Thanks, Tala,” he says. “You’re the best.”
God, that smells good. I am so freaking hungry right now.
