Hudson nodded, but he knew Ben was wrong. He was making excuses, afraid to talk about what Caddie had said and choosing instead to treat the fact that she’d said it as the problem. Now Hudson had to decide whether he was going to be complicit in the deceit or whether he would force Ben to acknowledge what lay between them.

“I don’t think her mother and I gave her a very good idea of what relationships are supposed to be like,” Ben continued. “It’s no wonder, really, that she’s doing what she is. Maybe if—”

“Ben,” Hudson interrupted, making up his mind. He waited for Ben to look at him. When he did, he saw in the pained expression that Ben was begging him not to continue. For a moment, he nearly acquiesced. He didn’t want to cause this man any more pain than he already had. But then resolve rose in him like the sun coming up, and he said, “Caddie isn’t the problem right now.”

Ben, silent, nodded. He drained his wineglass and reached for the bottle. Hudson, stepping forward, stopped him by placing his hand on Ben’s. He felt Ben freeze, and then his hand trembled beneath Hudson’s like a trapped animal.

“It’s not going to help,” Hudson said. He set his own half-finished glass on the counter and released Ben’s hand. Ben drew it back and shoved both hands into his pockets.

If they were going to talk, Hudson realized, he was the one who would need to begin. Ben clearly couldn’t, or wouldn’t, without some kind of encouragement. Not knowing what else to say, Hudson began to talk about Paul.

“I told you that Paul was married,” he began. “I’d like to say that I didn’t know it at first. But I did.” Emily’s face appeared in his mind, fine-boned and pale, beautiful in its frailty, all blue eyes and hair the color of corn silk. He might have fallen in love with her, too, if things had been different.

“Paul claimed not to love her,” he continued. “That was a lie. He did. But that wasn’t enough, at least not for him. I don’t know if she was satisfied with him or not. I never spoke to her, not once in the two years Paul and I were lovers.”

Ben was watching him as he spoke. He’d leaned himself against the counter, and his hands were still thrust into his pockets. Hudson saw that they were balled into fists, as if Ben were trying to contain his fear by blocking its outlets.