Annika’s pulse thumped in her throat and her wrists while her heart did a tap dance in her chest. He was saying what she thought he was saying, wasn’t he? He didn’t want to be at the helm of Break Up anymore. He hated it as much as she hated it. It was just a matter of time before he walked away.

“Don’t be sorry. Thank you for sharing that with me,” she said, her voice steady in spite of the tumultuous emotion she was feeling. He was going to give up Break Up—she was almost sure that’s what he was saying, without actually saying it. He’d said it felt untenable. He’d said the whole thing chilled him to the core. He was still going to compete against her at EPIC, but … this was a shift, wasn’t it? An important one, even.

Hudson laughed and set his drink down on a nearby table with a glassy clink. “It sounds like I’m having a quarter-life crisis. Jesus.”

Annika managed a weak smile. “It’s not just you, believe me. A lot of us are completely confused about our lives.” She drained her port in one gulp and set her glass down, too.

“Really?”

She looked at him, chewing her lower lip, her fingers tracing the curved metal edge of the table near them. “Really.” She paused. “I—I got a letter from the Bank of California. They’re evicting us. We’re so far overleveraged that we can’t keep up with rent. And we’re ridiculously behind on payments on our business loan, too.”

“Shit.” Hudson looked genuinely devastated. As he spoke, the firelight caught the tips of his golden hair, threading it with glimmers of red. “That fucking sucks.”

Annika managed a smile. “Yeah. It does. But we’re not going down without a fight.” She put her hands on the railing, looking out onto the night-darkened hills in the distance. A few lights dotted the vista, like jewels set against black velvet. “EPIC is my chance to bring Make Up back. And I have every intention of winning.” She glanced at Hudson. “Did I just make it awkward?”

Chuckling, he joined her at the railing. “Maybe a little. But you know what? I’d expect nothing less of you.” He paused, rubbing his thumb along the edge of the railing. For some reason, the movement made Annika’s face warm. “And anyway, I can’t imagine a world where I don’t get to annoy you with my gong. So, you know. I feel like it’ll all work out one way or another.”

Annika laughed and pretended to punch his arm. His muscle didn’t even move; it was like hitting a wall. “Thanks—I think.”

They stood in silence for a moment, just staring at each other, their smiles slowly fading into something serious.

“Hey,” Hudson said softly. “There’s something I want to ask you.”