Chapter 6
Chapter Six
ELENA
P utting up drywall should have been tedious and boring, but it wasn't, not when I shared the task with Hudson. Sometimes we worked in silence, and other times I peppered him with questions about his childhood, college years, and what it was like to work with his family.
We'd fallen into a nice rhythm, and I felt more confident each time he handed me the screwgun. But I noticed that his dirty innuendos had faded away. Maybe he felt the need to be professional since he was the boss, but I missed the flirty exchanges.
I wondered if I was distracting him or slowing him down from his timeline. Maybe I should offer to watch from the sidelines, but I was having too much fun. I could see what it would be like to work on a house with someone. To make it your dream home. Putting the sweat and muscle into something you could enjoy together forever.
On Friday night, he got a slew of text messages at the end of the workday. I sat on a nearby toolbox, drinking water. "Is everything okay?"
"My brothers want to go out tonight."
"You can. You don't have to worry about me. I know I said I'd shadow you everywhere, but it's not necessary." Especially if he didn't go out with his brothers because of me.
He looked up at me, his forehead creased. "They want you to come."
I nodded. "I am supposed to be shadowing you, and I haven't seen you much outside of work."
"I measured your Grams's porch the other day."
"True." But that was different. He'd moved around the porch, using his measuring tape with such efficiency; he had my heart thumping. It was different than when we worked together on this house because he was doing something for someone who was important to me. It had nothing to do with how he was helping me too, or that I thought it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.
"Come out with us. Obviously, you'll need a shower first. You stink."
I grabbed a rag that was laying around and snapped it at him. "Take it back."
He sidestepped me with a grin. "Definitely not."
I chased him around the room, snapping the towel, and when it finally made contact with his hip, he pulled me into his body, his arms banding around me like he was hugging me. It felt nice. My ass was nestled against his crotch, and my body heated all over.
When footsteps sounded on the steps, his arms loosened, and I pulled away from him.
"We're heading out, boss," Ralph said.
I'd gathered he was the second-in-command, taking care of things if Hudson couldn't be on site.
"Thanks. I'll do the final walk-through and lock up."
"Have a good weekend."
"You too."
Then he was gone, and we were alone.
"Let's get out of here, shower, and grab a drink. I could use one."
I'd been going to bed early all week, but tonight, I was looking forward to an evening out even if I was sore. I was tired of being dusty and dirty all the time. I wanted to dress up and style my hair in something other than a braid.
I helped him clean up, knowing the drill at this point, and waited for him to lock up.
"I can pick you up in an hour?"
"That's not necessary."
"I'm picking you up. Besides, I want to say hi to Grams. Talking to Grams is the highlight of my day," he said as we walked toward our vehicles.
I raised a brow, not sure he was being genuine. "Are you serious?"
A smile spread over his face. "She's one of a kind."
"I'll see you soon," I said as I slipped into my car and drove toward Grams cottage. I wasn't sure what to think because he'd been more distant over the week, but then he'd touched me before Ralph interrupted.
But he'd never noticed me before. Why would it be any different now?
At home, I whipped up dinner for Grams, then jumped in the shower. When I came downstairs in a summery dress and sandals with my hair curled, Grams said, "Do you have a date?"
"I'm going out with Hudson and his brothers for the article."
Grams nodded. "Right."
I tipped my head to the side. "You don't believe me?"
Before she could answer, there was a knock at the front door. "That must be Hudson."
"He's picking you up for your nondate?" Grams asked pointedly.
"Yes." I moved toward the door, my heart rate picking up with each step. I opened the door to find him on my porch in jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Come on in. Grams wants to say hi."
Grams struggled to get up, but Hudson said, "Don't get up. I'll come to you." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "How was your day?"
"It just got a lot better. I heard you're taking my girl out tonight." Grams beamed up at him.
"That's right. My brothers will be there too." Then he glanced at me. "I hope you didn't eat. I thought we could grab dinner and drinks."
"That sounds good."
Grams shooed us away. "Go. This girl hasn't been out much since she's been home. Show her a good time."
"I most definitely will. Maybe I can take you out sometime."
She waved a hand at us. "Oh, I'd love that. Now go. I have shows I want to watch before I fall asleep in my chair."
"Don't stay up too late," I said as I kissed her cheek.
"You're welcome to stay out all night."
"Grams." I rolled my eyes as I joined Hudson by the door.
"You can stay out all night, huh?"
"Stop." Outside, I said, "She wants me to be happy, and she thinks a good man can do that."
"That's where she's wrong. You make yourself happy."
"Exactly. But she's old-fashioned. She wants me to have a relationship like she did with Grandpa. I think she worries about me being alone in this house when she dies."
"Well, that's not happening any time soon. She's healthy and strong."
"I think so too."
Hudson opened his truck door for me, and I climbed inside, careful to hold my skirt down so I wouldn't flash him. Inside, it smelled like him, a combination of sawdust and man. He set the radio to play softly in the background before he pulled out onto the road.
"Where are we meeting at?"
"That restaurant on the beach. We can eat and drink, and it doesn't feel like a bar."
"Whenever I go there, I feel like I'm on vacation. It's hard to believe I live here now. A place most people only visit for a week or two a year."
He glanced over at me. "We live in paradise. That's what my mom always says."
"We're so lucky."
"You think you have enough for your story yet?"
"I need to see you interact with your family of course."
"You should come to family dinner this Sunday. That'll tell you all you need to know."
"Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to intrude. I know we said I needed to shadow you but not if it makes you uncomfortable."
"We should do everything you need. Then we'll be done with this shadowing stuff sooner rather than later."
I smiled to cover my discomfort. "I appreciate you being so cooperative, especially after our initial meeting."
"We always do good work on time. That's how we got the reputation we do. We're not the most sought after just because we're the only contractor in town."
"I can see that."
He pulled up to the beachside restaurant and got out. We met at the hood, and he didn't take my hand, but it felt like it was a date. I hoped his brothers didn't think it was anything more than business.
I smoothed my hands over my skirt, nervous about hanging out with them tonight.
We walked around back to where there were tables situated in the sand and Adirondack chairs arranged around bonfires.
There were people talking and laughing with drinks in their hands, and a band playing off to the side.
"There they are," Hudson said as he took my hand and led me through the crowd of people.
I tried not to think about the fact that he was holding my hand now. But it felt nice, his palm resting against mine, confident and sure.
When we reached the table with his brothers, he released his grip on me, and I hoped no one saw the connection. I wasn't ready to deal with his brother's questions or teasing. I didn't want them to know that I'd harbored a crush on him for years, and this arrangement was making it worse.
We stood at the end of the table.
"Elena, if you don't already know, these are the youngest, Dalton and Brady, then the twins, Shepard and Cooper."
Each brother inclined his head when his name was mentioned. Shepard and Cooper sat on one side, Dalton and Brady on the other.
"It's nice to meet you all. I'm hoping to get to know what it's like being a part of the Kingston family."
"Crazy obviously." Shepard exchanged a look with his brothers.
I grinned, relaxing at their jovial tone.
Cooper moved over and motioned for me to sit next to him. When I did, Hudson sat next to me. There wasn't a lot of room, so his thigh rested against mine. I tried to draw in a deep breath when Shepard asked, "Where have you been hiding all my life?"
"She was in my grade in school," Hudson said.
"I grew up in the new development." I didn't live close to them, but it was a small island.
"I can't believe this guy didn't date you back then, or did he?" Shepard gave Hudson a pointed look.
"Definitely not," I was quick to say.
"I didn't even know her in high school," Hudson added.
Shepard raised his eyebrows as if he didn't believe him. "I knew all the beautiful women in my grade."
"Shep. Behave," Hudson said firmly, and I wondered if he was used to keeping his brothers in line.
Cooper bumped shoulders with Shep. "Yeah, behave."
Hudson inclined his head toward me and lowered his voice, "They still act like children."
I giggled.
"Hey, stop keeping her to yourself. We're supposed to be getting to know her better," Cooper said.
"What do you want to know?" I asked them.
"Have you lived here all your life?" Dalton asked.
He seemed quieter than the others, more introspective. "I went away for college and just returned to spend more time with my grandmother."
Dalton's brow furrowed. "Is she doing okay?"
"My parents were worried about her living on the island alone. So far, she seems to be doing okay. I think she enjoys the company," I said.
"I bet," Brady said.
"I'm going to rebuild her porch, and I might need your help," Hudson said.
"You know you can count on us," Shep said.
"Are you guys always there for each other?" I asked.
Cooper shrugged. "We're all we got. Our sister is here and there, but we always have our brothers."
Shep leaned forward. "Tell us more about this story you're writing."
"I'm following the hottest bachelor on the island around to get to know him better."
His brow furrowed. "I can't believe Hudson was named the hottest bachelor on the island. I think I'm going to need to see the polling results."
I laughed. "There wasn’t a poll. My boss seems to think that the Kingston brothers are the hottest bachelors on the island.”
Shep raised a brow at Hudson. "See? I knew you couldn't be the most eligible bachelor."
"Your dad insisted I shadow Hudson." I glanced over at him.
"Because he's the most responsible?" Cooper asked.
I frowned. "He didn't say. I assumed it was because he's the oldest."
Shep rolled his eyes. "Hudson always gets everything."
"You sound like a kid when you say that, you know?" Hudson told him.
"Dad's going to give you everything. Everyone knows that," Shep continued, but he didn't sound jealous or bitter, just matter-of-fact.
"What do you want?" I couldn't help but ask him.
"A little more responsibility, a stake in the business."
"I don't have to know how your business is run. Just how you interact, what makes you happy, what do you like to do in your spare time, that kind of thing. I don't think readers are interested in who's taking over the business," I said with a hand on Hudson's thigh to reassure him. When he tensed, I quickly moved my hand.
Shep wiggled his brows. "I heard there's a photo shoot."
I nodded. "That's for everyone."
"There should be a way to vote on the hottest Kingston brother," Cooper said.
"That sounds like it could cause trouble," I teased.
"Everyone knows I'd win hands down," Shep said, and the brothers argued with each other over who was the best looking. It seemed to be based on what various women had said about them over the years.
It was fun.
The waitress arrived with pitchers of beer and nachos to share.
The conversation turned away from my assignment, and I could just observe the men interact. They teased and joked with each other, but were serious when it came to their business. They clearly cared for each other and were there for each other when necessary. But the childhood camaraderie was strong.
As the night went on, the music got louder, the crowd bigger. Kinsley appeared at the table. "I'm here with the girls. Want to come out with us and dance?"
"I'm supposed to be working," I said, nodding toward the guys.
"We can all dance. Come on." Shep stood up and led the way to the dance floor.
"Are you going to dance?" I asked Hudson, not wanting to leave him alone when we'd come together.
"I'll come with you. Not making any promises about dancing."
Kinsley grabbed my hand and pulled me to where the girls were already dancing. Cooper followed us.
It was fun to let go and let my body sway to the music. The island was so much more relaxed than the scene in Boston where I would have been dressed in a tight dress and heels wherever we went.
Hudson stood with Dalton off to the side.
I gestured for him to join us.
He shook his head, and I waved him over again. When he didn't move, I danced over to him. "Come on."
"Fine." He let me lead him onto the floor where I swayed my hips to the beat, and his hands rested on my waist.
I liked having him at my back. He was big and solid, and I didn't mind everyone knowing he was with me.
Ivy grabbed Dalton and Brady, insisting that they join us.
It was nice to see everyone relax and just have fun. After a few songs, I moved off to the side with Hudson to grab another drink.
He leaned down so only I could hear. "Are you having a good time?"
"Actually, I am. I haven't been out much since I've been home. Just girls' nights here and there." I looked at the dance floor where everyone was still jiving to the music.
"You should get out more. Relaxing looks good on you."
"I could say the same to you." His shoulders were looser, his expression relaxed for the first time since I met him. He was always worried about someone, whether it was the job, me, or my grandmother.
He handed me the glass from the bartender, and I sipped the sweet drink.
"You feel like you know us yet?"
"I'm getting a clearer picture, but there are so many of you, and I haven't had an opportunity to talk to everyone. And I'd like to see you at your house with your parents." I think that was the key to knowing the Kingstons, spending appreciable time with the family, including their mom and dad.
Hudson nodded. "This Sunday then."
"I'll be there."
"I can pick you up," he offered.
"That's not necessary." I didn't think it was a good idea for us to spend so much time together. It was messing with my head to have him pick me up and take me places. I didn't want to get the wrong idea. This arrangement was purely professional.
"I'm going to work on Grams's porch this weekend."
"She said the wood was delivered today." Grams called as soon as they left, excited to have her porch back once again. "Are you going to need help?"
"I wouldn't say no to extra hands."
"I'm learning so many things working with you."
"You'll feel more confident about home repairs when you purchase a house."
"I don't have any plans to do that anytime soon. But maybe there will be more things to tackle in Grams's house. She should have a nice space."
"Absolutely. I can walk around and take a look when I'm there for the porch. I'll let you know if there are any immediate concerns."
"You don't have to do that." The music played around us, couples paired off on the dance floor, and the breeze cooled my overheated skin.
"But I want to."
Hudson was a genuinely good guy. He didn't have time for much beyond work and family, but his focus and dedication to people important to him was admirable.
I wished he'd be more of a jerk, like the guy I met in his dad's office. That guy was easier to resist.