The Right Moment

by Heatherly Bell

  Those words hit her in unexpected quiet and private places she didn’t often explore anymore. Now it felt like a thread had been pulled. She was no longer able to ignore that there was still a pull between them. A connection. But there was a good reason they weren’t together. Make that a few good reasons.

  “No. He isn’t. And he might be the total package, but he’s never been serious about anyone. That tells me he’s still not ready to settle down with one woman. Maybe not even capable of it. At least, that’s what I suggested to him when he brought it up.”

  “When he brought what up?”

  “Oh, I guess I forgot that part. Did I mention I’d been drinking on an empty stomach? Hud started in on me on how I pick the wrong men. I reminded him of my reasonable wish list. He told me he fits every item on it.” She took a breath. “And he does.”

  Nora smiled, wider this time. “In-te-res-ting.”

  “That’s when I told him that he’s excluded because he’s my best friend and he likes women. Too many of them. He took great offense to that.”

  “Look, it sounds like you two need to talk.”

  “We’re avoiding each other, I think. I miss my best friend. But now I have a problem because I just noticed he’s superhot.”

  “Seriously? You just noticed this?”

  “It’s kind of like I wore blinders for years when it came to Hud. I tried not to think about him...sexually.”

  But ever since those sinewy muscles bunched under her fingertips... Maybe it had been the alcohol, the beach re-creation, or the way he looked in those board shorts.

  “He takes care of me,” Joanne said. “And it would be too easy to get sucked into thinking that it’s more than a friendship. I can’t do that to myself. I’ve been through enough. What I need now is security. Safety. So, I’m going to forget about relationships for a while and focus on business.”

  “I say go for it!” Nora said. “Whatever it turns into, a fling or forever, you two will get through it. Nothing will ever destroy your friendship.”

  Joanne wished that were true. But even if this wasn’t the “bad luck boutique” it wasn’t the “good luck boutique,” either.

  She’d have to continue to make her own luck.

  * * *

  Hud was in the meeting from hell. Seated across from him in his office was Chief Fire Inspector Richard Ferguson, Battalion Chief Kevin Murphy and Sheriff Ryan Davis. They had just entered the height of wildfire season with brush fires in remote forest areas that were spreading due to high winds and had reason to be concerned. California wildfire season didn’t peak in the summertime. It peaked in September and October, following the dry season and before the start of their rainy one.

  Wildfire Ridge was known for wildfires, hence the name, but they’d been controlled for years. A few months ago, one of the deputies had caught a kid throwing a lit rag into a Dumpster and they’d arrested their teenage firebug. Since then, it could be said they were all a little skittish. A house fire, even an accidental car fire could be disastrous, but more often than not, all that was required was high winds, hellish heat, open land and dry tinder.

  On top of all that, due to budget cuts they had a huge shortage of federal firefighters. So, they were all doing what they could with state and county Cal Fire. Hud was already shorthanded due to a few of his men traveling to volunteer at the latest forest fire outside of Yosemite. To compound matters, the inspector wanted to discuss the latest place not fit to pass his airtight inspection, a local restaurant.

  It was not a good day to be Hudson Decker.

  A message flashed across his phone and he glanced at it in the middle of Ferguson’s diatribe.

  Jo: Movie tonight after your shift? I’ll let you pick what we watch but I’m picking up fish tacos for dinner.

  Yeah, so eventually he’d learned to appreciate fish tacos. Jo said fish was good for his heart. The irony wasn’t lost on him, since she’s the one who had broken it in the first place. But that was years ago. They were both kids.

  He hadn’t gone to her house in a few days, giving her space. But she’d officially gone back to work full-time, a good sign. She was moving on from “two-buck” Chuck. Now the question was whether or not she would be ready to move on with Hud into brand-new territory. Jo and Hud, the reboot. It wasn’t that crazy an idea. He wouldn’t screw it up again this time.

  Because the night of the beach recreation, something had shifted between them. And he’d made a surprising decision. This time he wasn’t putting his best friend back together so some other man could have her. This was his moment.

  After the tense meeting, which gave him a thousand action items, Hud got back to his crew and made them go through drills. J.P. needed them more than anyone else, but they could all benefit from the practice.

  Later, done with his forty-eight-hour shift, Hud showered and changed at the station. By the time he got to Jo’s, the sun had started to ebb. He found her sitting on one of the steps leading to her porch, dressed in a short blue dress, her mood seeming to match the color.

  He took a seat on the step next to her. “What’s wrong?”

  She turned to him and the absolute look of despair in her eyes drop-kicked his stomach. “I think my shop is going to be known as the bad luck boutique.”

  “That’s ridiculous. What does that even mean?”

  “It means I’m bad luck to prospective brides. The Taylors didn’t show up, and people are calling to ask if I’m okay and still open for business.”

  “Maybe they thought you’d gone on the honeymoon without him.”

  She seemed to consider it. “No. It’s just in the way they talk to me. The pity. Today at the fish taco place, the waitress hugged me and cried. Cried! I don’t want to be known as the jilted bride, owner of the bad luck boutique.”

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “And you won’t be. It may take people a little time. Why would they think one has anything to do with the other? I don’t get that.”

  “That’s because you’re a man and you don’t know how superstitious brides are about their wedding day.”

  “How superstitious are we talking?”

  “Some down to the date they pick to get married. A lucky number.” She sighed. “How am I supposed to convince everyone that I’ve got good luck again?”

  “Start dating someone new.” Even though that was in his best interest, he didn’t see how it could hurt the situation. “Be happy and show it.”

  “Who should I date?”

  “Me.”

  She pulled back, searching his eyes. “You’re not teasing me.”

  “No. I mean this. I’m putting myself in the running.”

  “You...and me?”

  “Besides the fact that I do make every one of your list requirements, I also know how you take your coffee. Exactly three tablespoons of soy milk. I know that you prefer that your vanilla ice cream and chocolate brownie cake never touch each other, lest they contaminate each other.”

  “If I’m going to splurge on cake and ice cream, which I only do with you, I need to take my time and enjoy them—”

  “Individually.”

  She laughed, and he didn’t miss the fact that she shifted closer to him, so that they now sat hip to hip. “I’m sorry for what I said the other night.”

  “I get it. I’m sure I don’t seem like the most stable guy when it comes to relationships.”

  “Not with your recent past. But could you... I mean, do you think you can be exclusive? With someone?” She set her hand on his thigh.

  Jo’s signature move. He recognized it, and his skin hadn’t felt this tight in over a decade. Working out as much as he did, his heart never spiked anymore the way it did now.

  He swallowed. “With you? Yeah, I could. Definitely.”

  Exclusivity would not be difficult with Jo. Not when he’d watched her
date other men over the years, realizing that she might be with him if only their timing hadn’t been so off.

  She smiled. Then she leaned toward him, closer, till she was nearly in his lap. He would have taken the lead, but he wanted, he needed this to be her idea. She had to be sure because they weren’t going back. Not if he had anything to do with it. He’d make this work. This time he was ready for them. For her. It would be his mission to prove it. One hand in his hair, she tugged his lips to hers and kissed him. Letting her take the lead, he then responded with the fierceness his body felt at having her so close. She opened to him and their tongues tangled in a blazing heat.

  She broke the kiss and they simply stared at each other for several seconds.

  “Well, that’s still there, isn’t it?” Jo finally said.

  “I didn’t have any doubts.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “You asked me if I could be exclusive and I gave you the truth. Now let me ask you something. Are you ready to try this again, you and me? Because I won’t be your rebound guy.”

  “I understand how you feel,” she whispered. “But you won’t be the rebound guy because you were the first guy.”

  “And I screwed that up. It won’t happen again.”

  “Hud, if you felt this way, why didn’t you say something sooner?” She pulled back to meet his gaze.

  He wasn’t sure even he knew the answer to that question. Jo had seemed happy enough without him, focused primarily on her son for years. Easier not to rock the boat, and yeah, fear, large and gripping, that he’d hurt her again or she’d hurt him. That maybe deep down he didn’t know how to love her.

  “Maybe it had to be the right moment.” But he wasn’t letting her off easy. “What about you?”

  “I don’t know. It didn’t seem possible for so long. We didn’t want the same things. You never seemed interested in slowing down...with all of your dating. And family is important to me. I always have to put my son first.”

  “Family is important to me, too.”

  Hud’s parents had moved to Florida, but he still visited them every chance he could. He was a late-in-life child with no siblings and had been somewhat spoiled. But he didn’t blame his parents for any of that. It had taken Hud a while to grow up and realize how much his actions affected others. That decisions he’d made in the heat of the moment would affect the rest of his life.

  Jo had felt like family because she’d been a part of his life for so many years. Hunter felt like his family, too.

  Hud loved Jo’s son, but he was still sensitive about Matt Conner. Hud understood he was a good guy and had never shirked from his responsibilities toward Jo and their son. But it was still difficult to be around him at times because he’d been the one to permanently alter Jo’s life. She’d changed because of him, as their child grew inside her.

  And Matt didn’t even love Joanne. Never had.

  “I loved the way you took care of Hunter like he was the only thing that mattered in your world. You gave everything up for him.”

  “Maybe I gave up too much. When it was finally time for my own life to begin again, I had an emotional disconnection in my brain. I told myself who I should want. Who was safe. Not necessarily who I really wanted.”

  She met his gaze, squeezed his thigh.

  He kissed her then, to seal it. To set in stone this was their second chance. Neither one of them came to this relationship as a blank slate. Not the way they’d been the first time. To his mind, this would only make them richer. Fuller. As long as they could shut the rest of the world out.

  The kiss grew passionate, wild and hot. He tugged her closer, not able to get her close enough. Hud got hard, and he wanted in the house before they became someone’s adult entertainment.

  “Inside,” he said, as he pulled her to her feet.

  “Yes.”

  “Mom?”

  They both froze on the top step and turned to the sidewalk.

  The annoyed-sounding word had come out of Hunter, who now stood at the bottom of the first step, glaring at Hud. “What’s going on?”

  Jo pulled out of his arms. “Hud came by to...to...”

  “Kiss your mother,” Hud finished, not letting go of her hand.

  “Gross!”

  “Honey, what are you doing here?” Jo asked.

  “Forgot my History textbook,” he said, storming past them. He slammed the screen door shut.

  Jo sagged into Hud’s open arms. “Oh my God. He’s been at his father’s all this time and he just now comes to get his textbook?”

  He chuckled. “I think we have a bigger problem.”

  “Yes, but I’m trying to ignore that.”

  “He’ll get over it.” His hand slid down her back, not wanting to give up contact just yet. But he’d have to leave her alone to deal with Hunter. He knew her well enough to know that she’d want it that way.

  “I know, I know. Kids are resilient and all that.” She met his gaze. “What do I tell him?”

  “Tell him he’s not scaring me away. No matter how hard he tries. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Oh, Hud.” She clung to him and he crushed her against his chest. “Is this really happening?”

  “Yeah, and it’s about time. Now go inside, talk to your son, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  And with that he gave her one last kiss, then watched her walk inside before he headed home, happier than he could recall feeling in a decade.

  Chapter Seven

  “Hunter Matthew Conner!”

  Now that Joanne was out of Hud’s arms, she could think straight again. Her son had been incredibly rude to a man who’d been like a second father to him. Yes, sure, it had to have been a bit of a surprise to see her and Hud in a passionate embrace. She was a little embarrassed by that, because it had all gone out of control so quickly. But that’s how it had once been between them and nothing had changed.

  Hunter appeared in the doorway to his bedroom, holding a textbook. “Did he leave?”

  “Yes, and did you have to be so rude to him? He’s always been good to you. Taught you how to ride a bicycle, all the things your father didn’t do because he wasn’t around. Hud deserves a little more respect from you.”

  “Why? Is he going to be your guy now that Chuck’s finally gone?”

  Joanne crossed her arms. “I’m sorry you caught us like that, but I’m not going to discuss my love life with my teenage son. It’s none of your business.”

  “Okay, great. Then it’s none of your business that I’m going to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps as soon as I graduate. I talked to Sam about it and he’s going to give me some advice.”

  Hunter had brought out the heavy ammunition. His unrelenting desire to drive her to an early grave with worry. She’d thought it was just a stage but now she was concerned there was far more to her son’s fascination with the military than a few video games. And no wonder. Their small town was filled with returning servicemen, including their sheriff, a Medal of Honor recipient.

  “You should talk to Hud. He was a soldier, too.” Hud would talk some sense into him. He’d do it for Joanne.

  “And my dad was an Airman. But I’m still going to be a Marine.”

  “No need to rush into anything.” Refusing to be intimidated, Joanne held her ground. “You’ll apologize to Hud next time you see him.”

  “Fine!” Hunter threw his textbook on the couch. “But I don’t get why you need anyone. It’s always been you and me and we did fine. Then Chuck the Douche came along and ruined everything. Now, you’re going to date Hud? He’s like my uncle, so that means he’s...like your brother or something.”

  Joanne ignored that. Hud was nothing like a brother to Joanne and never had been. But she couldn’t fault her son for operating in the dark with the little information he had. He’d been spared from the family drama of their past. The child who turne
d their three lives upside down didn’t have to know the deep and complicated history she’d had with Hud. With Matt. He didn’t have to know that in an alternate reality, she would have preferred for Hud to be his father and not Matt.

  The words as to why she needed someone special in her life were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them.

  You’re leaving me soon. Whether it’s the Marines or college, you’re no longer a child. Pretty soon you won’t need me at all. I need to have my own life. I want to be happy and in love again. Now I finally have a second chance with Hud.

  “Let me drive you back to your dad’s house.” Joanne got her purse and keys.

  “Maybe I could drive,” Hunter said.

  It was a calculated move on his part, made at a time when he thought he might have some leverage with her. He’d gotten his driver’s permit, but the driving hours had been limited to rides with his father. Joanne was terrified of being in the car with Hunter at the wheel. She had to get over this fear but letting go was difficult. Her son was nearly a man now, as tall as his father. She’d lost an argument that Hunter shouldn’t get his driver’s license until he was seventeen, when teenage fatality rates dropped significantly. She’d done the research. But Hunter didn’t want to hear about it, and he’d gotten Matt to side with him.

  “Um...” Never let it be said that she wasn’t any good at stalling.

  “I’ve driven with everybody but you. I even drove with Sarah the other day. Really, Mom, I’m a good driver.”

  “I’m sure you are.” She gnawed at her lower lip, chewing the rest of the lipstick off. Even Hud agreed that Joanne should let her son drive her a few places around town. Said it would ease her fears to see that he knew what he was doing.

  Or reinforce her fears.

  Still, she was surrounded on all sides by men who wanted her to let Hunter grow up. And she supposed that if she wanted him to respect the choices she made, she would have to start trusting him a little, too.