Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
ELENA
W e spent Sunday working on Grams's porch to make up for taking off on Saturday. She spoiled us with cookies and lemonade and hung around at times to remark on our progress. It felt good to tear the old one down and then rebuild it. It was a renewal of sorts for Grams. A new beginning.
I liked knowing that I'd done something to help Grams.
We spent the day ripping up the floorboards, and his brothers showed up in the afternoon. That's when our progress improved. I finally stepped back and let them do their job. They were efficient. They must have worked together often because they each had their role to play, and they worked seamlessly together.
Satisfied that they were fine without my assistance, I went inside to find Grams sitting in her chair watching the guys. "They work fast."
I sat on the edge of the couch. "They sure do."
"Hudson seems so serious, and his brothers are more easygoing."
I nodded. "He's like that with others. I think he's relaxed with me."
Grams gave me a knowing look. "You like each other."
"I wouldn't be involved with someone I didn't like and respect. But he's also different from the men in Boston. Everyone I dated there was in the corporate world. They'd look down on Hudson and his brothers for working with their hands, but they are running a successful business."
Grams chuckled. "You don't have to convince me."
I sighed, curling my legs underneath me. "Are we moving too fast? Should we slow down and take our time?"
"There's no right or wrong answer to your questions. You have to do what feels right."
I watched Hudson pull out one of the boards, Dalton easily throwing it into the pile, and then Brady stacked them and carried them around to the front. "How can I trust my intuition?"
"That's the million-dollar question. You have to slow down enough to hear it through the noise. Then you have to trust yourself."
"That's hard." There was my job to consider, Grams, and even my parents. They thought there were more opportunities off the island, and they were right about that. But if I was lucky enough to secure an island job, I could stay. I wanted that more than anything.
"What do you want?" Grams asked.
I smiled softly. "I want to stay on the island. I want to see you every day."
"And?"
My heart rate picked up. "I want this thing with Hudson to be real."
"You can't wish something into existence. You can just follow your intuition and trust you're on the right path. The one that's meant for you."
"I'm not sure it's made things clearer yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday."
Grams nodded. "I'm confident that you'll find your way. There was a reason you came back."
"That was for you."
She arched a brow. "Are you sure about that? Maybe I was just the excuse you needed, and the universe had other plans."
Before I could formulate a response, Grams stood up and went into the kitchen, presumably to make tea. I watched the men work, how easily they worked together, talking and joking. Someone had turned on a radio, and rock music blared.
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my center. How did I know where my intuition was? Was it the feeling in my gut? A knowing in my head?
I took a deep breath, grounding myself in the moment. The feeling of the couch underneath my body, the warmth of the air, and the rush of air from the ceiling fan.
What did I want?
I wanted to stay. I wanted this thing with Hudson to continue growing and thriving. I couldn't force anything, but I knew that I wanted to stay for now. That was a good start.
I'd trust in the process. I was here for a reason.
After spending some time with Grams, drinking tea and eating a snack, I helped her take a snack out to the guys.
"You boys look like you could use a break. I have more of my famous lemonade and cookies for you."
Shep snatched a cookie off the plate and put his arm around her. "Grams, you might be my favorite person."
Her cheeks actually turned pink. "Always charming me."
He nodded, chewing, and then said, "I'm good at that."
"Then why are you always getting into spats with Kinsley?" Cooper asked.
"Those aren't spats. That's foreplay. She can't get enough of me."
Brady rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fairly sure that's not true. But keep telling yourself that."
"Don't scare off our newest office staff. She's made my life so much easier. I don't have to chase down paperwork, and the customers adore her," Hudson added.
Shepard placed his hand over his heart. "I'm shocked you would say that. Kinsley loves me."
I laughed because I wasn't so sure that was true. She'd spent a lot of time complaining about him now that she worked for the family.
We sat on various boards and boxes strewn around the yard, drinking lemonade and eating the cookies. They were gone in no time.
"Thanks for the cookies, Grams. We really appreciate it," Hudson said.
"You're doing me a favor, and I won't forget it. Norm and I had a lot of good memories out here. We raised our kids in this house, and if I'm lucky, I'll probably die in this house."
I didn't like when Grams talked about dying, so I said, "Grams, you know you're going to live to be a hundred."
"How can I not? I'll be inside. Don't work too hard. It's a hot one out here." Grams made her way around the side of the house to go back inside since the back door was blocked off for now.
"Your Grams is the best," Cooper said to me.
I nodded in acknowledgement. "She is."
"I love her cookies," Shep said, brushing off his hands on his jeans and getting back to work.
I stood, and Hudson approached me. "I think we're good for the afternoon if you wanted to work on something else."
"I should probably work on the article." I was reluctant to do it, because I was worried it wouldn't be sexy enough for Valerie.
He kissed me softly. "I'll let you know when we're getting ready to leave."
When I went to walk away, he smacked my ass. When I turned to glare at him, he laughed.
Shep threw a rag at him. "Stop mooning after your girlfriend, and get to work."
Upstairs, I settled at my desk that was situated away from the view of the beach so I could focus. I opened the outline and the blank document that would be my article.
I loved a good human-interest story, and my angle was the Kingston family's philanthropy and their family bond. But I was fairly sure Valerie was more interested in their exploits outside of work. But there was no way I was sharing any information about what Dalton was going through. That was private, even if the whole island was buzzing with the news.
You couldn't keep a secret here, but I wasn't going to exploit his situation to publish a story that Valerie thought would sell more copies. I kept trying to think of ways to make it sexier. The photographs would help, and maybe I could make the guys look mysterious instead of releasing all their secrets. Surely, Valerie would be on board for a bit of a tease.
Satisfied that I had a plan, I started with my first impression of Hudson as someone reluctant to let someone shadow him. How concerned he was about his crew's safety.
It was only when I agreed to pitch in that he opened up to me. The paragraphs on how important philanthropy was to the Kingstons was easy to write. It was impressive that the brothers had done their own thing without any prodding. Their big hearts were the most interesting things about them as far as I was concerned.
It was something I doubted anyone knew about them, and I didn't think they wanted anyone to know.
They still went out to the bars and had fun. But I hadn't observed any of them picking up women. Each time I was with them, they hung out with my friends. There was no flirting or come-ons that I saw. No one disappeared to go home with a woman for the night. Not to say that it didn't happen. But I wasn't seeing it.
So their playboy reputation might not be entirely deserved. Or they kept it quiet. I wondered if I was supposed to explore that a little further. And if so, how?
I got back to drafting what I had so far, making a note for anything I should research. I loved this part of the process, writing down my impressions and putting my spin on the subject of my interviews.
I wanted the person to come alive on the page. I wanted everyone to know Hudson Kingston and his brothers. Not as the hot construction guys, but as individuals.
Maybe that was what I needed to do. Give each brother a photo of themselves and a little section just for them. If so, I'd need to do interviews with each one of them.
It was daunting, and I wasn't sure I had enough time before my deadline to get it done. But I hoped I would.
What about their parents? Should I ask them some questions? Maybe there was a romance that could be worth exploring. No, the story was about the brothers. Then my heart stuttered. Would Valerie be upset when she found out I snagged Hudson for myself before the story could run? Should we keep it quiet for a few weeks until the story came out?
I didn't like the idea, but it might be our best option. Right now, I could right off the time we spent together as necessary for the story.
I rolled back my shoulders to ease the tension between them.
Hudson knocked lightly on the door frame. "Still working?"
I turned on my swivel chair. "I'm about ready for a break."
"Me too. Want to grab dinner?" At my hesitation, he said, "Or we could make something."
"I'll have to see what Grams has planned. Sometimes she likes to cook. If not, I usually figure out something."
He came over to the desk, his hands landing on my shoulders, kneading the tight muscles. "Did you get a lot of work done?"
"Actually, I did. I drafted what I have so far. I'm not finished though. It will need a lot of edits."
He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's a process."
I looked up at him. "Yes, it is."
I saved and closed out the document, not quite ready for him to read it. Then I stood, wrapping my arms around his middle. "I was thinking of doing a little section on each of your brothers, maybe with a few facts, so everyone can get to know them a bit."
He looked down at me. "That's a good idea."
I dropped my gaze to his T-shirt that was covered in a fine coating of dust. "I'll need to ask them questions, but I could do it at the photo shoot while they're getting hair and makeup done."
His nose scrunched. "There're going to be hair and makeup for this thing?"
I grinned. "It's a photo shoot."
Hudson groaned. "It sounds like torture. Is there any way we could avoid doing the photo shoot?"
I laughed. "Not for a magazine article. But it will be over soon enough, and you can get back to your solitary ways."
His gaze turned thoughtful. "I'm going to miss having an assistant at work."
I patted his chest with one hand. "I'm fairly sure I'm holding you back. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can work when you're by yourself again."
His expression was dubious. "I'm not so sure about that."
"Remember my incessant chatter and music playlist," I recited the things that he'd complained about when we started working together.
He pulled me more tightly to him with a hand on my ass. "I'm going to miss this."
"Uh-huh."
"And this." He dipped his mouth to mine, kissing me slow and deep. It was too intimate, considering that my grandmother was somewhere downstairs.
I pulled back, my lips slightly swollen. "We should check on Grams and see about dinner."
"We should." He looked around my room. "Why don't you pack a bag for tonight?"
"You want me to spend the night?" I asked.
"I like having you in my bed."
A smile curved my lips. "I can do that."
He grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door. "Let's make dinner for Grams."
I loved that he put Grams first and didn't get annoyed that I wanted to make sure she was taken care of.
I needed to talk to him about keeping our relationship quiet until after the magazine article was published. But I couldn't bring myself to mention it now.
Things between us were so new. I had plenty of time to discuss it with him. Right now, I didn't like the idea of broaching it.