Make Up Break Up

by Lily Menon

  Annika very pointedly kept her eyes on her dad and not on Hudson. She wasn’t sure what the expression on his face would be, or how she might respond. “Right—but don’t you give your cell number to all your patients?”

  Her dad chuckled. “Aha! So you’re trying to say I brought this on myself. Fair point, fair point.”

  Annika walked over to him and slung an arm around his waist. “You can’t help that you care about your patients so much. It’s what makes you a great doctor.”

  Her dad kissed the side of her head. “Hey, not that I want to break up this party, but it’s getting late. Do you want to stay the night? You’re welcome to as well, Hudson.”

  Annika swallowed. “Um … no. I think we’ll head back, Dad. But thanks.” She nodded to Hudson. “You ready to go?”

  His gaze never leaving hers, he answered, “I’m ready.”

  A soft shiver went through Annika’s body at his words; they held a promise for things to come. Things were changing with Hudson … but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—hold back at EPIC.

  Napa was going to be a very interesting experience.

  chapter seventeen

  Annika arrived in Napa on a perfect Friday afternoon. The skies were an exquisite crystal blue, with just a few picturesque clouds scudding across the surface. Her dad and June would fly in tomorrow, and EPIC would be on Sunday morning, which gave her all of today and tomorrow to rehearse and re-rehearse her pitch. She’d done it dozens of times already, but it paid—literally—to be perfect. Better than perfect, even.

  Thoughts of the bank letter darted into Annika’s brain as her Lyft pulled into the large circular driveway of the hotel, but she pushed them out again. This weekend was about positivity and confidence. She was determined not to let anything mar her mental state between now and Sunday.

  She glanced up at the hotel as her Lyft driver helped her unload her suitcase. The Hotel Monte Vista looked like a medieval castle, with flags waving from its roof. Somewhere inside, Hudson would be settling into his room. They were back in a hotel again, just like in Vegas.

  Annika blinked the thought away. This time, she was here to kick his ass, truce or no truce.

  * * *

  She stood in the check-in line of the grand hotel lobby, looking around as a harpist in a floaty white gown played a gentle melody in the corner. A monstrous crystal chandelier was suspended from the vaulted ceiling—threateningly, Annika thought, though none of the other guests seemed too concerned. Like every five-star hotel, the air was softly scented with money, as if to lull guests into feeling right at home. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be,” the hotel seemed to murmur soothingly. “You’re among friends. You’re—”

  “Daydreaming?”

  Annika spun around to see that she wasn’t the last person in line anymore. Hudson smiled down at her, one side of his mouth higher than the other, his trademark look. He was dressed in a button-down linen shirt that emphasized his broad chest and shorts with palm trees embroidered on them. Very preppy. Very I’m-on-a-working-vacation-in-beautiful-Napa.

  Annika felt the tips of her ears heat. “Oh, hi.” She was not ready for this. Yes, they’d called a truce, and she did feel like she’d gotten to know him a lot better at her dad’s, but … he was still Hudson. How was she supposed to be around him if she wasn’t actively sabotaging his every move? She tucked a lock of airplane-flattened hair behind her ear and smoothed down her pink floral jumpsuit, just now noticing how rumpled it had gotten on the flight. “How—um, did you just get in?”

  “An hour or so ago. I was waiting in the restaurant while they got a room ready for me.”

  Annika nodded, trying desperately to think of something to say that wasn’t snarky. “Um, so … where are the others? Blaire and Ziggy?”

  “They’ll fly in tomorrow. I wanted a day to unwind and get my bearings. Plus, this is a gorgeous hotel, might as well enjoy it a bit.” He gestured at the big glass windows overlooking rolling hills in the distance.

  “Right, yeah—me too. I mean, June’s flying in tomorrow. With my dad.”

  Oh, god. This was too weird. They were making awkward conversation like two acquaintances or boring colleagues. Was this how she wanted the whole weekend to be? Annika glanced at him from underneath her eyelashes and quickly looked away when she saw he was watching her.

  “I have a question for you.”

  Annika stepped forward as the line moved up, her hand clasped around the handle of her rolling suitcase. A businessman in a suit lined up behind Hudson, tapping away at his phone. “Okay.” If he asked to see her pitch, she was going to laugh in his face. Truce or no truce, Hudson was still on the opposing team—the losing team.

  He scooted his duffle bag forward with the side of his shoe. “Will you go to dinner with me?”

  “Oh.” Her hand jerked up, hitting the handle of her suitcase. It fell to the floor with a clatter, causing everyone in line to turn around and look at her. Her cheeks burning, Annika knelt to pick it up.

  Hudson smiled, a touch of mischief dancing in his eyes. “Is that such a scary thought?”

  Annika barked a laugh. “I’m not scared of you.”

  He continued to smile, as if he could see her nerves shimmering around her like an opalescent wall. “So? What do you say, then?”

  Dinner with him? Was he … asking her on a date?

  As if reading her mind, he said, “I mean, neither of our teams are here yet.” It was nice of him to call June her team. “You’ll have hours until then to rehearse your pitch, and if you feel like a break…” He shrugged.

  Annika thought about it. “Well … I mean, we are both going to be in the hotel. It seems silly not to—uh—take some time to unwind.”

  His eyes twinkled as they moved forward another step. “Exactly. Plus, you don’t want to be over-rehearsed.”

  Annika shook her head solemnly, even though Hudson was the last person she’d take tips from on this topic. “No, definitely not that.” Her heart thumped as she looked up into his eyes. “So … dinner. Tonight. You and me.”

  He bowed his head. “Dinner tonight. You and me. Say, seven-ish? We can meet here in the lobby.”

  “Okay.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment, not saying anything else. Annika’s heart thumped again. He made it sound like a casual thing—just something to do, since they were both here and would otherwise be bored.

  The man behind Hudson cleared his throat, which made Annika jump. “Excuse me,” he said, looking a little irritated. “They’re ready for you.”

  Her face warm, Annika walked up to the counter, pretending she couldn’t hear Hudson chuckling at her obvious blunder.

  “See you tonight,” he called after her. She swallowed hard.

  Yep. Tonight. The CEO of Make Up having dinner with the sexy CEO of Break Up. No big deal.

  * * *

  Her room was beautiful. Gorgeous gold curtains framed a large window, which looked out onto a garden. Annika kicked off her sandals and turned on the glowing lamplights, the cool, air-conditioned air whispering over her skin. Then she sank into the crisply made sleigh bed and, falling backward, closed her eyes.

  She hadn’t said anything further to Hudson, except to wave as she walked off to the elevators. Dinner with him—she still wasn’t convinced it was a good idea. She needed to focus on EPIC. And yet … after all he’d told her at her dad’s, there was a part of her that was curious to learn more about him. She wanted more of that other Hudson, the one who’d said Break Up chilled him.

  Annika sat up and walked to her suitcase. There was no time for all that right now. She had a few hours today to practice for her pitch on Sunday morning—plus whatever she’d do tomorrow—and she intended to make good use of them.

  Eventually, the fading light outside her window alerted her to the fact that she’d been working longer than she’d realized. A quick peek at her phone told her she was right; it was already six-thirty. Time to get dressed. Ann
ika’s stomach lurched like she was on a roller coaster. Stop it, she told herself sternly as she walked to the bathroom, peeling off her clothes as she went. It’s only Hudson Craft. The thought didn’t help as much as she wanted it to.

  After a quick shower and a change of fresh clothes (a pair of linen shorts and a floaty cami top—cute but not “I think this is a date” cute), Annika FaceTimed June.

  “I’m going to dinner with Hudson,” she said in a rush, as soon as June answered. “That’s a bad idea, right? I mean, I need to focus on defeating Break Up on Sunday, not gallivanting with the enemy.”

  June shrugged. Behind her, there were rows and rows of colorful book spines, and a teen in glasses and a Yoda T-shirt brushed past her. “So why are you going?”

  Annika chewed on her lip for a moment. “I think it’s because of what he said on my dad’s deck. You know, about his involvement with Break Up being untenable?”

  June nodded; they’d already dissected that night in detail. “Right, but you know he might not bring that up again tonight.”

  “Oh, I know.” Annika leaned back on her bed on one elbow, letting herself sink into the plush mattress. “It’s probably best not to push him on that. He’ll get there when he gets there.” She adjusted the phone in her hand. “But I guess the fact that he even said that, that the writing’s pretty much on the wall … he’s basically ready to give up Break Up. It’s a matter of when, not if.”

  A group of loud teens passed behind her. June turned, trying to find a quieter spot. “And that makes you … want to get to know him better?”

  Feeling restless, Annika hopped off the bed and perched on the blush-pink accent chair by the window, watching the trees sway in the breeze in the garden. “Exactly.” She screwed up her nose. “Is that a bad idea, though? I mean, we’re competing in two days.”

  “You should still go. Have fun.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” June adjusted her grip on the phone, the video tilting as she did. “Annika, Sunday’s a big day, and you’re already really well prepared. Plus, you have all of tomorrow to rehearse, too. It’s more important that you’re relaxed. It’s just dinner, right?”

  “But this is the last big push to save Make Up.” Annika pulled her legs up on the chair. “It feels kind of … I don’t know, irresponsible, to just go off and do this.”

  “Do you know the pitch forward and backward?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Right. How much more can you do right now? Don’t overthink this. Just go out, give yourself a night off,” June said, as a very pale man in a Darth Vader hat walked by.

  “That makes sense.” Annika sagged back against the chair and let out a breath. “I did already go over everything for the last few hours.”

  June smiled. “There you g—” The sound of deafening cheers suddenly drowned her out.

  Annika squinted and sat up straighter. “Where are you?”

  “Oh, Ziggy and I are at a book signing for Timothy Zahn.” She grinned and panned the phone so Annika could see Ziggy, who waved. He was wearing what looked like a vintage Star Wars T-shirt. “I’m gonna get all fourteen of his Star Wars books signed.”

  Annika laughed. “Okay, well, it sounds like the crowd’s really riled up, so I’m gonna let you go. Love ya.”

  “You too! Remember: Just relax. Your dad and I will see you tomorrow.” June blew her a kiss and they ended the call.

  Annika looked at herself in the mirror across from the chair, feeling pinpricks of doubt now that June’s reasonable voice was gone. “Just a casual dinner. You can handle this, Dev.”

  Her pep talk almost worked.

  * * *

  She stepped off the elevators and into the marble-tiled lobby, which smelled of citrus water and expensive bouquets of lilac. She wiped her palms on her shorts. The gilded ceiling seemed miles above her. There was another harpist in the corner, nearly indistinguishable from the one who’d been there earlier. The music tinkling in the air should’ve calmed her nerves, but it didn’t. As she walked toward the seating area, Annika had a feeling that nothing would.

  When she came closer, she caught sight of Hudson sitting in an overstuffed paisley armchair by a potted palm tree, his head bent over his phone screen. He looked far too big for the chair, his legs and arms and shoulders jutting out past its boundaries, as if he couldn’t be contained. He hadn’t seen her yet, so Annika took a few seconds to take him in and observe the way he seemed to command the space without even seeming to try, the way he looked utterly at ease in his surroundings, no matter where he was.

  She began to walk again after a moment, clearing her throat. Hudson looked up, and as his face creased into a smile, she found herself feeling just a bit giddy. Her nerves softened and reshaped into something a little more fun, just for a moment, before snapping back into their old, tense shape.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice soft and smooth as velvet as he stood to greet her. He’d changed into a dark-green button-down, paired with dark-rinse jeans that hung just right on his slim hips and long legs. “You look … really nice.”

  Annika glanced down at herself, her hands fiddling with the drawstring on her shorts. “Oh—thanks. Um—so do you.” In fact, it was kind of hard to look directly at him. No one man should hoard so much beauty like that. It was immoral.

  “Rose? Rose for the lady?”

  They turned to see an old man in a tweed suit who’d wandered over to the sitting area, holding a basket full of pale pink roses. He smiled at them, his teeth too straight and even to be anything but dentures. “Beautiful couple. Rose for your lady, sir?”

  Annika jerked her head to look at Hudson, her eyes wide, her cheeks warm. Turning back to the old man, she began to say, “We’re not a—”

  “I’d love to,” Hudson interjected, reaching smoothly for his wallet.

  Annika couldn’t breathe. She wanted to laugh and tell Hudson to stop being silly, but that part of her was very small and … quiet. After all, they’d called a truce, he was rethinking running Break Up, and June had told her to relax. And maybe because of those things, a bigger part of her wanted him to buy her a rose.

  The man took the money, stuck it into his pocket, and handed the rose to Annika. She took it with trembling fingers, the stem firm and cool under her skin.

  “Wish you both a happy life!” The old man waved and walked away with his basket, his eyes set on another couple across the lobby.

  Annika turned to Hudson, swallowing. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

  He grazed his fingers over the rose petals and Annika’s body responded as if he’d touched her instead; her skin tingled like a hundred butterflies had fluttered their wings against her. Ridiculous, hopeless idiot. “I wanted to,” he said.

  Annika attempted to distract herself from her traitorous body by looking around them at the busy lobby. “So—where are we going? The hotel restaurant?”

  Hudson cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. “Actually, uh—I took the liberty of getting us two tickets to the Napa wine train, if you’d like to go? It’s the moonlight tour of the vineyards in the area; I heard it’s supposed to be really good. Plus, it still counts as dinner. They serve a meal on the train.”

  She didn’t laugh at his attempt at a joke. There was a heavy moment between them; his eyes looking for answers in hers. If she didn’t want to, this was the time to say so. A moonlight tour on a train wasn’t the casual dinner she’d been expecting. It would be perfectly fine to tell him she’d prefer to eat an avocado sandwich at the hotel restaurant. She took a breath, fiddling with the stem of the rose, preparing to say no.

  “Um, sure. That sounds cool.”

  “Yeah?” He was still searching her face, wanting to be sure he wasn’t forcing her into it.

  Annika smiled a little, trying to invoke June’s carefree spirit. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

  * * *

  The wine train was a vintage locomotive sitting on the tracks in the las
t of the dusky sunlight like a big, eager caterpillar, ready to take them all on a wonderful journey.

  Annika and Hudson were the first two to climb aboard. She looked around her with a fizzy sense of anticipation, distracted from EPIC and Hudson and everything else on her mind—for the moment, at least.

  “This is amazing.” They climbed the stairs into the dome car, which was 90 percent curved, clear roof and enormous windows. After taking a seat in a private booth, Annika carefully set her rose on the seat next to her. There was a small crackled-glass vase of flowers on the table, next to a flickering Moroccan-style lantern. Golden light filtered over everything, suspending them in a gilded soap bubble, a dream.

  Annika’s stomach flipped as Hudson took a seat across from her and folded his big hands on the table. He’d picked the moonlight tour instead of, say, a more casual restaurant—like Subway—for a reason. This wasn’t the kind of dinner you had with a colleague at a conference, especially a colleague who might obliterate you in a competition two days away. Hudson clearly had a specific agenda in mind. The thought made her gulp.

  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” He looked around. A few more couples were climbing aboard; all of them looked deeply in love.

  “Really nice,” Annika replied, her fingertips grazing the flowers in the vase. Her mind was elsewhere; she needed to tell him what she was thinking. It might ruin everything—it might totally kill the vibe—but she had to be honest. Looking back up at him, she said, “Hudson. I’m playing to win at EPIC.”

  He leaned back against the booth, his expression unbothered. More people walked in and drifted past them. “As am I.”

  “Only one of us can win,” Annika pressed, as if he didn’t already know that. “No matter how many train rides we go on, or how many roses you buy me. That changes nothing. I’m going to be ruthless.”

  He put his elbows on the table and smiled at her, the lantern light reflecting in his eyes. “This isn’t a bribe, Dev. Besides, that’s one of the things I like best about you.”