Sometime later, in the early evening, the three of us are lounging around the room. Mom is curled up in the rocking chair with a magazine, Caleb is playing Minecraft on the iPad in one bed, and I’m flipping through the TV channels while lying in the other. Suddenly, a light rapping sound startles us all. Mom glances over at me, silently asking if I’m expecting anyone, and I give a quick shake of my head with an equally puzzled look.

Caleb leaps up and hurries to the door, throwing it open without even bothering to ask who it is. Standing on the other side is an out-of-breath Hudson, grinning cheerfully while she bounces on the balls of her feet.

“Oh good, you’re all here,” she remarks, her brilliant blue eyes scanning the room. “I brought something to show you.”

Mom scrambles to her feet and pads across the floor to greet her as I stay right where I am, a little shocked at her unexpected arrival. After my odd reaction to her last night and then again this morning, I was hoping to keep my distance from her as much as possible for the rest of the week. I’m not sure why, but simply being in her presence makes me feel out of control, and I don’t like it.

“Hudson, honey, come on in out of the cold.” Mom motions for her inside. “Is everything all right?”

Closing the door behind her, Caleb’s gaze travels up and down the length of her backside, narrowing in on her ass, which I assume looks perfect in the dark blue skinny jeans she’s wearing. I want to yell at him to stop eye-fucking her, but I don’t…for obvious reasons. I can’t help but be jealous of his view, and I silently beg her to turn around so I can enjoy it too.

“Yes, ma’am. Everything is fine. I just wanted to show you all what I found online today, and what the Green Halo carries that I think will help.”

Mom crinkles her forehead, even more confused now as her eyes leap back and forth between me and Caleb. “Help with what? What’s the Green Halo?”

Hudson strides over to where the dinette table and chairs are in the far corner of the room and removes a bag from the pocket of her hoodie, placing it on the laminate surface. “The guys didn’t tell you? My dad and uncle own one of the small dispensaries in town, the Green Halo, and after Caleb told me about his epilepsy this morning, I spent the afternoon exploring which strain would be best for treatment.”

“You didn’t need to do that,” I rebuke, my tone sharper than I intended. “We already know what will help; we’ve researched this for months.”

She doesn’t acknowledge my dig, just keeps on talking to my mom. “Apparently, marijuana with a higher ratio of cannabidiol, or CBD, to THC seems to be what works best, though each patient responds differently.”

“Again, all stuff we already know,” I interject.

This time, she shifts her stare over to me, shooting a quick would-you-shut-up-and-let-me-finish look before continuing, “All of the marijuana for the dispensary is grown on location here, in the greenhouse behind our family’s home. Even though it’s now legally sold for recreational purposes, you still have to be twenty-one to buy or possess it, so we don’t make it widely known, but I’m the one who basically runs the growing operation.”

“What?!” the three of us all exclaim in unison.

The edge of her mouth tips up in a bashful smile as she nods her head once. “Yeah, I took after my dad and inherited the green thumb of the family, and now that the resort keeps him busy, I’ve pretty much taken over.”

“Do you smoke it too?” Caleb questions curiously.

She draws her bottom lip in between her teeth, chewing on it nervously, and nods again. God, why can’t I stop looking at her mouth? “Well, yeah, I have to determine how the different types taste and…feel, ya know? Like if it’s more of a heady, lofty effect, or a total body response. For you,” she tips her head at my little brother, “it’s not about getting stoned though; it’s about finding the right strain to minimalize your seizures.”

“And you—your family has a product like this?” Mom inquires, taking a seat at the table next to her, now fully interested in what Hudson has come to say. After all, it is the sole reason we’re moving halfway across the country.

Hudson’s face lights up with pride as she opens up the Ziploc and empties the contents on the surface. “Well, I brought a couple of different kinds we grow for him to try. Once you determine which one seems to be more beneficial, I can tweak that strain and even diffuse an oil of it that can be dropped directly on the tongue.”

“How much does all this cost? It looks like a lot,” Mom remarks.

“This is on the house.” She pushes her long, blond braids back behind her shoulders with a timid expression, as if she’s nervous my mom won’t accept it. “After you find a doctor here, it’ll take a while to submit the medical marijuana application, and even then, if you, Mary, buy it recreationally, you’re limited to a quarter ounce until you can claim your residency. That’s not considering the ridiculous government tax on top of the already outrageous prices the dispensaries charge.”

Mom raises her hand up to her chest, splaying it on top of her heart, obviously overwhelmed. “I, uh, I don’t know what to say except thank you, though I’m hesitant to accept this without your parents knowing, considering this is money out of their pocket.”

“Don’t worry about Doug and Mel. I’ll let them know, but they won’t mind. I’ve got a few plants that are my special projects, where I practice splicing strains and developing new products, and I keep all of the harvest from those until I tweak it. I keep my dad updated on our supply, but I’m the one who handles all of the charts and inventory. I’d recommend starting with this.”

She drops her eyes to the tiny packets of green buds and points to one in particular. “It’s called Orange Krush, and it’s the closest we have to Charlotte’s Web—the one that’s been featured all over the news. They’re all labeled with their names, so keep track of which one he seems to have the best response to. I’ve included enough for you to try it out too, in case you’re curious, but I’d definitely not recommend driving afterwards.”

Caleb walks closer to the table, still gawking at our visitor in a way that pisses me off. “Dude, you’ve gotta be the coolest fucking chick ever. You’re hot as shit, and you grow weed!”

“Language, Caleb,” Mom warns, popping her chin up to look at him, “but I agree with your sentiment. She’s an angel in disguise.”

Hudson’s neck and face turn red, and I wonder how far down her chest the splotches spread. My cock jumps at the thought of finding out, but then I remember I can’t.

I like that she’s uncomfortable. Other than my couple of rude outbursts, I haven’t said a word, which seems rather ungrateful, and she’s obviously spent a good chunk of time today investigating this. Not to mention, she’s offering to give us something that could help my brother.

Unfortunately, I think the reason she unnerves me is because my mom’s right; she’s damn near angelic. Beautiful in the most natural way, she’s genuine, friendly, and approachable, and I noticed yesterday she leaves smiles in her wake.

Except from me.

She makes me want to bend her over and fuck her until I feel in control again.

Wow. Maybe I’m more of a dick than I thought.

“It’s really not a big deal,” Hudson waves a hand in front of her face, “but I better get back home for dinner. If you need anything as you get ready to move, let me or my family know. We’ll do whatever we can to help.”

Mom pushes up from her chair and wraps her arms around Hudson, engulfing her in a huge embrace. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to our family.”

When she releases her, Caleb outstretches his arms and pulls her into a big hug next, tugging playfully on one of her braids. “You rock, hippie chick.”