"That's strange. Who is this person, then?"
Hudson asked me, genuinely puzzled, so I found a way to turn the question back on him.
"How many people did you set up dates with today?"
"Just you!"
Hudson looked a little indignant, and a little bit adorable.
"You're the only girl I've talked to in years. Everyone else in that group is an idiot. I've got nothing in common with them."
I had nothing to say to that. The tech-geek energy on this man was overwhelming.
"I'll ask her right now who she is and what she's up to."
And with that, Hudson moved to reply to my cousin.
I wanted to stop him, but there was no time, because the next moment Hudson passed out cold.
"Give him mouth-to-mouth! Hurry! Come on, hurry!"
Seeing me hesitate, the Lucky Coin kept pressing me.
"Come on, his claustrophobia can actually kill him!"
Left with no choice, I bent down and gave Hudson mouth-to-mouth.
I couldn't say whether it was seconds or minutes later, but the instant Hudson opened his eyes, every light in the villa blazed back on.
His eyes went wide, and I froze right where I was.
"Heh heh… heh heh…"
The Lucky Coin kept snickering.
I cursed it in my head.
"What are you snickering about…"
Before I could finish, Hudson kissed me, then pulled back just as fast.
"Alberta, thank you. You saved me again."
His voice was so low I didn't catch it.
I scrambled to my feet in a panic and fled his villa.
By the time the cab dropped me home, my heart was still pounding.
I walked into the living room, and a flicker of anger rose in me.
My aunt Eva Whitney and my uncle Ivor Pruitt were sitting in the living room watching TV, and Viola was curled up on the couch bingeing a show on a livestream.
This wasn't the first time they'd let themselves into my home without asking.
I used to think of us as one family, so I never paid it any mind.
"You're back, Alberta. Where'd you go?"
Viola gave me a sweet little smile.
I swallowed my anger and smiled back.
"I went and hung out at the corner coffee shop for a while."
"Aunt Eva, Uncle Ivor, how do you two have time to come over today? Isn't the company keeping you busy?"
When my parents died when I was seven, Eva and Ivor became the only elders I had.
I'd always believed they were good to me.
After all, they hadn't seized the house my parents left behind, they'd paid for my schooling, and I'd never gone without food or anything else.
"So it was coffee. Here I was thinking you'd ignored what we said and run off to some blind date."
Eva looked at me kindly and spoke with the weight of good intentions.
"Hurry up and quit that group of yours. Your uncle looked into it thoroughly, and it's full of playboys who do nothing but freeload and waste their lives."
I nodded without saying anything, and Ivor gave a dry cough before he spoke.
"Alberta, sweetheart, how has your uncle treated you?"
"You've been very good to me. So has Aunt Eva, and Viola too. Aren't we one family?"
Something unnatural flickered across Ivor's face, but it smoothed over quickly.
"Your uncle's company has a loan with the bank, and now it needs a guarantor."
"But don't you worry, paying it back won't be a problem, so could you help your uncle out and sign for it?"
Then he added one more thing at the end.
"Your uncle promises you, it's purely a formality. I've already taken care of every step."
The Lucky Coin started throwing out frantic warnings.
"Here it comes! It's happening! Whatever you do, do not agree!"
