Family Bonds- Ava and Seth (Amore Island Book 5), Natalie Ann [world of reading TXT] 📗

“Never a bad time for my girlfriend’s family,” he said, throwing it out there. Might as well go on the offense since he was pretty sure that was the reason for the visit.

Hudson laughed and sat down. “I said you were a great guy to her.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I seem to be winning over Ava myself.”

“It sounds it. She seems happy and that’s great. That is all we care about.”

“Which family should do,” he said. “Are you here to ask what we’ve got? That might be a question for your sister.”

Hudson smiled at him. “She wouldn’t tell me much if I did ask her.”

“You don’t think I’m going to give you specifics, do you?”

“I don’t want specifics. I guess a bigger picture is all.”

“There isn’t much I can tell you. We are taking it a day at a time. I’ve long since given up trying to plan my whole life out.”

Those days were out the window like papers during a hurricane. The best he could hope for in life was that he made as many right decisions as possible and raised his daughter the best he could. He’d like to think he was doing a good job of it so far.

“Been there and done that,” Hudson said. “I do want to thank you for all your help with Ava’s situation and keeping it discreet. I know she’s embarrassed over it, but it’s not anything she should be. Shit happens, as we all know, and Hailey gave her a lecture to keep an eye on things.”

“Hailey is one tough cookie so maybe that is what embarrassed Ava more,” Seth said, grinning.

Hudson laughed. “You’re probably right. Anyway, hopefully it all gets worked out in time.”

“It should,” he said. “But it will take time. Until then it seems like she has a lot of support and will be fine.”

“She’s prideful more than anything, but I might have felt the same way if it were me.”

“Pride can put you in a lonely place,” he said, knowing he’d felt that some in the past.

Hudson stood up. “I won’t keep you. My mother would like to meet you so be prepared that she is having a little Fourth of July cookout with immediate family. Nothing major that might put you on display.”

“A forewarning?” he asked, smirking.

“Something like that,” Hudson said. “I don’t know if you need time to process before you’d accept or not.”

“No,” he said quickly. “We don’t have any plans that I’m aware of. If Ava wants to go we will make it happen.”

“Oh, I’m not sure she wants to, but she will be pressured to. It will be next weekend and I believe she isn’t on call or doesn’t start again until the Monday after. The party will be Sunday, as both Carson and I are off.”

“We will most likely be there. Thanks for stopping in. Should I expect to see more of your family this week?”

Hudson laughed. “Who knows?”

He watched Ava’s older brother walk out the door and then went back to work. It wasn’t even fifteen minutes later that there was another knock at his door, but this time it was Carolyn, the loan officer that had worked on Ava’s application months ago. “Yes, Carolyn.”

“I saw Hudson Mills leaving. Was he up here with you?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”

“No, I guess not. It reminded me about Ava Mills’s loan and how everything got locked up. I went to check her account and saw it’s still locked but then her personal accounts are all on hold too. Is everything okay?”

He should have figured this would come up and was surprised it hadn’t before. “That was her choice to put holds on her accounts,” he said. “There is nothing to be worried about.”

“People only do that when they think someone will take their funds,” Carolyn said.

“Again, it’s nothing to be concerned about. I will tell you that there is no legal reason for anyone to take her funds and you shouldn’t be worried or even be talking about it, especially not outside of this building.”

“Yeah,” Carolyn said. “Bet she got hacked by someone.”

He wanted to tell her to drop it again, but everyone seemed too nosy about it all. The interest in the Bonds on this island with their family still baffled him, though he supposed it shouldn’t. “Again, this is all her choice.”

Carolyn nodded her head and left after that. He returned to his work but sensed a presence in his doorway and saw his secretary standing there now. It was the day to get nothing done it seemed. “Yes, Brenda.”

“Everyone knows you are dating Ava,” Brenda said.

“Really? I didn’t know my life was that important to the employees of this bank.”

“It gives people something to talk about,” Brenda said, grinning. “You’re young, you’re not bad looking.”

He laughed. Brenda had been around for over thirty years and was probably older than his mother. “Gee, thanks.”

“You’ve got that cutie pie at home too. You’re a great catch for someone if they wanted to try and many would have liked to that work here.”

That was news to him, but he wouldn’t voice it. “It’s frowned upon to date someone you supervise.”

“Of course,” Brenda said. “You’ve always been a rule follower.”

“That makes me sound boring.”

“It’s the truth and you know it. Anyway, no one wants to really say they know you are dating, but that is Carolyn’s way to get some gossip.”

“It’s no one’s business why Ava put a hold on her accounts. Her brother was just here having a friendly chat.”

“As you said, it’s no one’s business,” Brenda said. “And if anyone asks me again for information, I’m going to tell them to get back to work.”

“Thanks for that. But it’s not a secret I’m dating Ava and I’m not sure why everyone is whispering. If someone asks you about it, it’s fine to say I’ve talked about her and admitted it. Maybe that will shut people up. Ava and I are