A Walk in Wildflower Park

by Bella Osborne

  ‘Yep, all sent. I’m finishing off the actions from the last session and I’m ready to go. Where are we going tonight?’ She knew she looked as keen as a puppy.

  Hudson’s expression changed. ‘Actually, I was thinking of heading out of town on my own tonight.’

  Anna couldn’t hide her disappointment. She needed to pull herself together. Of course he could go off on his own. He didn’t have to babysit her every night. She forced a smile. ‘Sounds like an excellent idea. You have a good time.’

  Hudson had his head lowered. ‘It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. I kinda felt I should check in with my father while I’m in town.’

  Anna felt relieved. He wasn’t ditching her because he was fed up with her; it was a family thing. ‘Goodness, I’d forgotten about Thanksgiving. The hotel did push a leaflet under my door about it and I know nobody will be in the office but I figured we could still come in and finish off our overall report.’ Thanksgiving didn’t mean anything to her. She’d assumed they would carry on working. The fact it obviously meant something to Hudson had passed her by. ‘Of course, you don’t need to come in. You should celebrate with your family. And then Friday is our last day.’ Unexpected sadness crept over her at the thought of going home.

  ‘No, it’s okay. I’m not expecting an invite to Thanksgiving dinner from my father. I’ll book us in at the hotel restaurant if you like?’

  ‘Great.’ She failed to hide her excitement and then thought she really should have shown more compassion for him not spending an important holiday with his father. Wasn’t Thanksgiving a lot like Christmas to Americans? She couldn’t imagine not being with her mum and dad at that time of year. ‘Would you not rather be with your dad?’

  Hudson gave a dry cough. ‘We don’t get on great. Short meetings work best for us. It’s all a bit awkward.’

  ‘Families can be like that.’

  ‘Yeah, mine certainly is. Look I’m really sorry about tonight. I would have loved to have shown you where I used to live but with things as they are … it’s better if I go alone.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Anna resolutely. ‘I wouldn’t dream of intruding.’

  Hudson rubbed his palm across his chin. She thought he was going to say something else but instead he stood up and started to pack his things away. She had an odd sensation inside. She was on her own in New York. She could go anywhere, do anything she wanted but all she wanted to do was be with Hudson. She needed to give herself a good talking-to. She had poor Connor at home missing her desperately and it was very clear how he felt about her. Hudson on the other hand was much harder to read. He’d never given her any cause to believe their relationship was anything other than friendship.

  ‘Anna?’ Hudson was waving a hand in front of her. She must have looked like a stunned mullet as her mind had wandered off.

  ‘Sorry? Yes.’

  He smiled warmly at her. ‘I’ll see you at breakfast. Okay?’

  ‘Yes. Fine. Lovely. See you at breakfast.’ She tried to sound positive. ‘I’m going to paint the town red. Go exploring on my own.’ She straightened her back. She could do this; she could find her way around New York. She needed to buy a guidebook first then she’d be fine. She almost convinced herself.

  Concern appeared on Hudson’s face. ‘Where are you going exploring?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’ll see where the wind takes me.’

  Hudson almost winced. ‘You can’t really do that in New York. There’s places you shouldn’t wander around at night.’

  ‘Then I’ll do the Empire State Building and the hotel restaurant. I’ll be fine.’ She could see he was worried about her.

  ‘I was kind of hoping to show you the Empire State Building tomorrow. But it’s fine, you go ahead.’

  This was awkward. ‘I’ll do the Statue of Liberty instead.’

  Hudson checked his watch. ‘It’s closed now and you’d need to book.’

  Anna searched her brain for another New York landmark she could visit. ‘Rockefeller Center!’ As it struck her she almost shouted it at him like she were on a game show. She had no idea exactly what the Rockefeller Center was but she’d seen it feature in many a Christmas film, which meant it was probably worth checking out.

  Hudson’s expression lightened. ‘You’ll like it. Top of the Rock is fun.’

  ‘Then that’s what I’ll do.’

  ‘Night,’ he said, slinging his laptop bag across his shoulder.

  Anna turned her attention back to her screen. There were a few emails she needed to answer and as she was in no rush now she could get them sorted. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hudson returning. She paused.

  ‘Look, there’s no reason why you can’t come with me to Port Chester. I will be literally fifteen minutes with my father, tops. If we have a row I’ll be back in two. There’s a coffee shop not far from the house. I can drop you there or you can go for a walk through the town. It’s quite safe. It’s not like the city.’

  ‘If you’re sure?’ She tried hard not to sound too keen although she really wanted to go. The chance to see a little further out and to see where Hudson had grown up was intriguing.

  ‘Yeah, I’m sure. Come on. We’ve got a train to catch.’

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Anna hadn’t been expecting to find herself in Grand Central Station. She was all the more surprised the museum-like building was an actual functioning station. She struggled to walk in a straight line through its vast hall because she was constantly looking up at the high arched ceiling above her. It was utterly beautiful, not like a train station at all.

  Anna was excited to travel by train. It gave her a new perspective of New York as they left the high-rise bedlam of Manhattan behind them and raced through an increasingly green environment. They stopped at a few stations and Anna craned her neck to see the small towns they were passing. In less than an hour they arrived in Port Chester. Hudson had been relatively quiet on the journey choosing to check his phone rather than look out of the window. She could sense his apprehension at seeing his father.

  They left the station and started walking. ‘Has it been long since you last saw your dad?’

  Hudson tilted his head in thought. ‘About two years.’

  Anna knew it was unusual for her parents to still be together and even more unusual that they were happy. It saddened her that Hudson hadn’t experienced the same. She valued the security it gave her to face all life threw her way.

  ‘Still, it’ll be nice to catch up now.’

  Hudson’s raised eyebrow conveyed his misgivings. ‘We’ll see. It’s not far to my old elementary school, then I’ll show you my house and the church and then you’ll be a few strides from town. Okay?’

  ‘Sounds great.’ It was dark but the streets were well lit and lots of people bustled about carrying shopping.

  ‘Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow,’ said Hudson, following her gaze to a man weighed down with bags.

  ‘Of course. This is a bit like Christmas Eve then?’

  ‘Yeah, a bit. No presents and more pumpkin with this holiday. That’s how I used to think of it when I was a kid.’ His lips twitched at the memory but it was fleeting and was soon replaced by a tight knotting of his eyebrows.

  Hudson pointed out his school, an ordinary brick building that invoked a number of amusing stories and the mood briefly lightened. Anna turned up the collar of her coat against the cold. They walked in silence for a while until Hudson’s pace slowed.

  ‘This was my road.’

  Anna wasn’t sure whether to reach out to him. He seemed vulnerable somehow. ‘You okay?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve not been back here for a very long time. We usually meet in the city but he’ll be home for Thanksgiving and I wanted to see how things have changed.’

  ‘And have they changed?’ asked Anna.

  ‘Not much.’

  They both took in their surroundings while they walked along the long wide street. Large wooden-fronted houses stood back fro
m wide sidewalks and big American elms loomed over wide driveways.

  Hudson stopped dead. ‘What the hell?’ He set off again at a much faster pace and Anna had to jog to catch up.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  He didn’t answer but stopped outside a large cream-painted house with a For Sale sign on the front lawn.

  Sophie was looking forward to seeing Dave walk through the door. It had been one of those days. Reuben had been whiny all day, Petal was fully embracing toddler tantrums and ever since she’d picked Arlo up from school he’d not stopped talking about the many things he wanted for Christmas. Trying to do anything of any value was almost impossible as at least one other person was demanding her attention. She could tell Petal had cottoned on to the fact she was no longer the priority with baby Reuben in the fold so every time he cried, she cried louder. Sophie had tried to start dinner but she’d been interrupted so many times she could barely remember what she was trying to cook.

  She was changing Reuben’s nappy and he was expressing his displeasure by wailing. Petal was lying on the floor a few feet away screaming at the top of her voice and at her shoulder she had Arlo shouting to be heard.

  ‘AND I REALLY, REALLY WANT A CAR THAT GOES ON THE CEILING!’

  Sophie thought her eardrums were going to burst. They were definitely buzzing slightly. Was that tinnitus?

  ‘But that’s quite a few things you’ve said you’d like.’

  ‘But I’ve wanted one of those cars ever since I first saw it.’

  ‘That was yesterday, Arlo. You need to write a list to Santa but remember he only delivers to good boys.’

  Arlo’s head flopped to one side. ‘Willoughby Newell isn’t good and he says he always gets everything he wants. And Toby Peterson has loads of uncles and they all buy him stuff. Why don’t I have lots of uncles?’

  There were many things Sophie wanted to say about Toby Peterson and his mother’s loose morals but she held her tongue. ‘Because all families are different and I’m sure it all works out the same in the end. You got a lovely present from Reuben. Toby Peterson doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.’

  ‘He’s lucky,’ said Arlo, giving the still-screaming Petal a sideways glare.

  Sophie picked up the two cuddly rabbits they’d bought when the baby arrived. She gave Petal hers and thankfully it distracted her enough to stop her crying. She handed the other to Arlo.

  ‘Come on, Dildo,’ he said to his rabbit and he left the room with Petal toddling behind him.

  Sophie wondered where he’d got the name from but knew sometimes it was best to ignore it. She drew a deep breath and took a moment to give Reuben a cuddle. He smelled of baby. A sweet powdery scent that propelled her ovaries into overdrive. She snuggled her face into his neck and he burped loudly in her ear. He was most definitely a Butterworth and she loved him dearly.

  The sound of Dave’s key in the door didn’t bring the wave of relief it would have done a few minutes earlier. The storm had passed as she’d learned it always did.

  ‘Hey, gorgeous,’ said Dave, giving Sophie a kiss. ‘Hiya, stinky,’ he said, giving Reuben’s tiny fist a bump. ‘How were the tribe today?’ He paused waiting for her reply.

  ‘Full on, but bearable. How was your day?’

  ‘Supplier has let us down again and the legal team are pulling apart the contract. But the coffee shop had an offer on cereal bars – so bearable.’ He smiled. She loved that smile. It was warm and full of love for the family they’d created. Petal came in swinging her rabbit round her head and Dave picked her up and blew raspberries on her neck.

  ‘Daddy. Help!’ yelled Arlo. ‘There’s a rainbow in my willy!’

  Dave put Petal down and disappeared into the downstairs loo. Sophie followed him to the hallway still cradling Reuben. There was a moment’s silence before he popped his round the door. ‘It’s okay, it’s just a vein.’

  Sophie smiled to herself, wondered briefly if the Beckhams or the Kardashians had similar crises, and went to have another attempt at making dinner.

  Hudson’s reaction had been very controlled. He had stared at the house for a few moments before declaring it was time to leave and now they were walking back to the train station in silence. Anna’s mobile rang. She answered it quickly, the chirpy ringtone somehow inappropriate for the current mood.

  ‘Hi, Connor.’

  ‘Is everything okay?’ he asked, forgoing any preamble. He sounded concerned, alarmed even.

  ‘Yes, everything’s fine. Why?’

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘I’m still in New York.’ She pulled a puzzled face but Hudson was staring at the pavement.

  ‘You are?’ He went silent.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Right. It’s just …’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ She could tell from his tone he was anxious about something.

  ‘Nothing. I had this horrible sensation something was wrong. Are you alone?’

  ‘No, I’m with Hudson.’ Although she felt a little guilty, Connor should be expecting them to be spending time together. She couldn’t feel too bad about that. Hell, she’d done nothing wrong.

  ‘Where are you exactly? At the hotel?’ He sounded tentative.

  ‘No, we went out. Hudson was showing me where he used to live.’ The line was silent. ‘And I wanted to see something other than the inside of an office.’ It was stretching the truth a little. Hudson had been excellent at showing her some of the sights of New York.

  ‘Be careful, Anna,’ said Connor. But what he said and how he said it had Anna wondering exactly what he meant.

  ‘I’m quite safe.’

  Connor seemed to recover. ‘Great. That’s all I’m worried about. I love you, Anna.’

  The statement hung between them. Anna was aware of how close Hudson was to her. It was something she had often longed to hear but now was not the time and she wasn’t sure if she was hearing it from the right person either.

  ‘Connor? Are still you there? Hello?’ It most likely wasn’t the response he’d been hoping for.

  ‘Hello, Anna. Can you hear me?’

  ‘Hello?’ She ended the call. ‘Must have lost signal,’ she said, turning to Hudson who barely grunted in response. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to talk to your father about him selling the house? These things are usually better face to face.’

  Hudson stopped suddenly. ‘I appreciate you trying to help but I know he’ll say it’s none of my business and he’d be right. It’s his house. I’d lose my temper and … he’d continue to maintain his low opinion of me for getting emotional.’

  ‘You clearly have an attachment to the property. I think we all do to our first home; it’s only natural. It was thoughtless of him not to tell you.’

  ‘He was probably waiting until after it was sold. It’s not like I’m going to want to buy it.’

  ‘No, but still.’ Anna struggled to understand how his own father could be so heartless, to sell up without even letting Hudson know, but once again she was reminded not all families were like hers and certainly all dads were not as thoughtful and devoted as hers. A pang of homesickness jolted her. She would call her parents the minute she got back to the hotel.

  Anna wandered down to breakfast the next morning and was greeted by the usual attentive staff who were wishing her a ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ like they were on repeat. There was no sign of Hudson so she chose a table near the restaurant entrance, ordered tea and took the opportunity to write a postcard to Bert.

  Anna was engrossed in her writing when she tuned in to Hudson’s voice approaching. She was surprised by the sharpness of his tone. She felt awkward for listening in to the one-sided conversation but it was hard not to given the volume and timbre of his voice.

  ‘No, you listen. When were you planning on telling me? Don’t you think I have a right to know about something like that? … I know it’s Thanksgiving … That’s baloney! Since when have we ever been a family? … What’s it matter to you? I’m spending it with a frie
nd.’ After a brief pause Hudson strode purposefully into the restaurant. His tense expression lightened when he saw Anna, who tried hard not to look like she’d been listening.

  ‘I take it you heard that?’ He gave a little wince.

  ‘Yes, I’m sorry. It was hard not to. Things not great with your dad?’

  ‘Err,’ he hesitated. ‘No. No, change there. I kinda hit the minibar last night and sent out a few messages so it was to be expected.’

  ‘Ah, drunk in charge of a mobile is never a good thing.’

  ‘Coffee, please,’ said Hudson, when the waitress neared their table. ‘I’m going to need kick-starting.’

  Anna marvelled at the fact he looked as he always did; if this was Hudson with a hangover he hid it well. He was freshly showered and smelled divine, all soapy and lemony with a hint of something she couldn’t quite identify.

  ‘You okay?’ Hudson was giving her an odd look, which wasn’t surprising given she was staring at him.

  ‘Yes. Sorry. Trying to decide on what to have.’ She tapped the closed menu in front of her and then opened it swiftly.

  ‘It’s a buffet, like it has been all week.’

  ‘Right. I’ll go and choose something.’ Anna was flustered and she bumped the table as she stood up. ‘Whoops. Sorry.’ What was wrong with her?

  ‘Word of warning. You’ll want to leave plenty of room for Thanksgiving dinner.’

  ‘Yes. Good advice. Thank you. I’ll do that.’ She sounded like a 1930s’ broadcaster. She shook her head at her own ineptitude.

  Anna returned with a bowl of fresh fruit salad and busied herself with eating.

  ‘I’ve got a few things planned for today if you wanted to get a feel for what Thanksgiving is like?’ Hudson seemed unsure of himself when he spoke. ‘I know you wanted to get some work done but I figured we’ve still got Friday and we can work on the plane if we have to.’

  ‘I like your plan much better.’ She speared a large strawberry and got ready to embrace Thanksgiving New York style.

  She soon found herself wrapped up in her winter woollies and standing on a very busy street waiting for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Strangers around her were wishing her a happy Thanksgiving and she was now quite naturally returning the wishes to expressions of awe at her “cute British accent”.’ As the noise increased and a giant balloon loomed into view Anna began to get excited. It took an age for all the floats, marching bands and dressed-up walkers to go by and she felt like her arm was going to fall off from all the waving.