"I don't know her!"
Hudson answered in a rush.
"This woman who calls herself Viola. During the day she said she was Alberta Henson, and now she's saying she's Viola. I have no idea what she's playing at, so I figured I'd ask you directly."
"She's your cousin. Should I accept the request or not?"
I let out a soft laugh.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Of course it has to do with you. You saved me again today."
He said it in complete earnest, but it left me confused.
If I remembered right, today was the first time we'd ever met. Where did "again" come from?
I didn't ask. I just left him with one line and hung up.
"Sort out your own business. You and I are nothing to each other."
Back in the bedroom, the Lucky Coin clicked its tongue.
"Kissed him hard enough during the day, and now you're saying you two are nothing. Ooh, ooh, ooh..."
Burning with embarrassment, I yanked the Lucky Coin off and pelted it like mad.
"That'll teach you to talk. That'll teach you to talk..."
"Hahaha! Doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt one bit..."
I hadn't figured on the little thing having such a sharp tongue. In the end I only bruised my own hand on it.
Before dawn the next day, I woke to frantic pounding on the door.
Still in my pajamas, I brought the Lucky Coin along to answer it.
"Who is it? This early, is a person not allowed to sleep?"
I ignored the Lucky Coin's griping. After last night, I'd had plenty of its running mouth.
When I opened the door, I was a little startled.
Hudson was standing outside, a laptop clutched to his chest.
"What's this about?"
Honestly, I didn't feel much of anything toward him yet.
Yesterday had only been about saving someone. Nothing more.
"I had some ideas yesterday and built them out overnight. Please, take a look for me."
He said he wanted my help, but the excitement all over his face gave him away, like a kid who'd rushed over to show off.
I let him in without a word. He sat down on the couch, and his face went red.
I took the laptop, not paying his expression any mind.
The moment I saw the program running on the screen, I was pulled straight in.
When I started hammering away at the keyboard, Hudson didn't think much of it at first, but the longer he watched, the wider his mouth fell open.
Half an hour later, I stopped and handed the laptop back.
"See if I fixed it right?"
Hudson tapped out a few keystrokes, then snapped his head up to look at me.
"Are you some kind of god, or a demon? No, wait... I mean, how are you this good?"
He set the laptop on the table, eyes shining.
"The people in the group know their stuff, but at most they're at the level of engineers at a big firm. You're on another level entirely!"
"I'm formally inviting you to join my studio. Name your terms. Whatever you ask for, I can cover it."
The words had barely left him when there was another knock at the door.
Hudson frowned and got up to answer it himself.
Watching him do it, I didn't know what to say.
"Hudson?"
Viola gazed at him, delighted, and nearly threw herself into his arms.
Hudson caught her by the forehead with one hand, holding her off, and asked coldly.
"Who are you?"
Viola's body went stiff for a second, then broke into a radiant smile.
"Hudson, do you really not remember me? When we were little, in that cellar on Chestnut Lane, I saved your life!"
