Norma and Boyd had dated secretly for nearly two years now. Only Alayna, Ben, and I knew about them, and we’d each been sworn never to utter a word to Hudson. Otherwise, Boyd might be transferred. Or fired. He was her assistant at Pierce Industries—the best assistant she’d ever had, she claimed—and the company had a strict policy of no fraternization between managers and their subordinates.
Obviously, their relationship hadn’t been planned. Neither would have chosen to fall in love with someone they had to stay quiet about, though I was pretty sure that having to keep things under wraps had only added to their initial attraction. Planned or not, it had happened, it had evolved. Now they wanted to take things to the next level—going public.
“Hudson doesn’t know.” Norma was adamant. “I’d know if he knew, and he doesn’t.”
I kicked my feet against the brick of the balcony wall where I sat. “How would you know?”
“Because I know Hudson.” Norma, who was leaning against the ledge next to me, glanced over then covered her eyes with her hand. “You’re making me crazy sitting up there. What if you fell?”
I looked behind me. My butt was nowhere near the outer edge. “I won’t.”
Laynie cleared her throat, drawing our attention. “I know Hudson.” Her tone hinted annoyance, though I was sure my sister didn’t notice. “And I’m telling you, he knows. Also, Hudson would be equally crazy with you sitting there.”
I was a bit annoyed myself. Sure, we were fifty or so stories off the ground, but I wasn’t a ten-year-old. It was bad enough when Norma mothered me. I tilted my head at my friend. “Do you think he knows because you told him?”
“No!”
“Then why do you think that?”
“Because—”
I cut her off. “And don’t say, ‘I just do.’”
She shot me a scathing look. “I was going to say, because he makes these little comments sometimes about Norma having other things on her agenda or how she has Boyd right where she wants him. And I swear there’s innuendo.”
Norma scoffed. “That’s your imagination. You’re still a newlywed. Your libido is on overdrive. You hear innuendo in everything he says.”
Even though Alayna was married to Hudson and Norma had Boyd, they still often had an underlying current of tension between them because Norma had once been madly in love with Hudson. That she still worked with him as one of his right-hand employees was sometimes a source of conflict neither of them wanted to admit to.
Lucky me, I got to be the peacemaker. “Okay, guess what. It doesn’t matter if he knows or he doesn’t know. The point is that Laynie doesn’t think he’s going to make a big deal about you and Boyd being together and neither do I.”
Norma tsked. “He can’t not do anything. I mean, maybe at first he could, as long as I keep it secret, but that’s not what we want.”
“I know. You want to be able to go to the fireworks together.” God, I was sick of her moaning about it. At least she had someone. So what if no one could know.
But she was my sister, and I loved her. “You should just tell Hudson.”
Laynie tapped her finger on the arm of her deck chair. “You know, it could be kind of hot to meet up there and secretly do naughty things. There will be a lot of people on the boat and they will all be watching the fireworks show.” She said it as if she had specific experience in doing secret naughty things during the Pierce annual fireworks harbor ride.
Which was adorable. And not at all what I wanted to think about my sister doing. “I’m not hearing this.” I put my hands over my ears. I’d already witnessed more than I’d wanted to when I walked in on Norma and Boyd in her office getting, well, kinky.
Norma considered. “Boyd doesn’t have an invite.”
“He can go as Gwen’s date.”
Fucking Laynie. Traitor.
Then Norma raised a brow. “That’s an idea…”
“No, it’s not an idea. No way. I’m not going to be your beard.” I ran a hand through my dark blonde hair. “How about this—don’t say anything. Just show up with Boyd and see if Hudson ever approaches you about it.”
“That might work, too,” Norma said.
Laynie did not agree. “God, no. Don’t do that. That’s a terrible plan. Hudson would much rather you be upfront.”
“Upfront about what?” Hudson asked from the doorway, startling us into silence. He looked questioningly from Alayna to Norma to me, his eyes widening when he took in my seating place.