Summer Heat (The Kingston Brothers #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Shep

"She almost never calls. I should take this." I inclined my phone screen with Kinsley's name toward Dalton.

Dalton nodded from where he sat at the wrought-iron table.

I paced the patio, my heart rate picking up. "Kins, what's going on?"

"I wasn't sure who to call. I just got home, and my house is flooded. I bet it was that leaking pipe."

I paused. "You're kidding me. He never fixed it?"

"I called several times, asking him to come by as soon as possible. Now there's water everywhere. Most of our stuff is ruined." Her voice broke off as if she was near tears. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You can live here. In my house. I haven't touched the bedrooms. You can share the bathroom until the guest bathrooms are finished. I can take you shopping for clothes." I had five bedrooms sitting empty. There was no reason why she couldn't come live with me.

Kinsley sighed heavily. "Okay."

She must have felt like she was stuck to give in that easily. I didn't have time to wonder why she'd called me. "You sit tight. I'm on my way."

Dalton raised a brow. "You gotta go?"

I patted my jeans, finding my truck keys in the front pocket. "I need to lock up."

"I'll put your tools away and lock up. You go get Kinsley."

I shot him a grateful look. "I appreciate it."

I threw my truck into gear and drove toward Kinsley's house. I'd seen her address on documents at work, but I'd never been there in person. I didn't have a reason to be.

I wasn't the kind of guy you depended on or called when you were in trouble. So why had Kinsley called me when her apartment flooded?

I pulled up to the address, a small one-story home. She stood outside, holding her daughter Maya's hand and clutching a binder against her chest.

I threw the truck in Park and got out. "Do you need me to grab anything?"

Her eyes were shiny. "I didn't want to go in with Maya. Would you be able to grab our clothes?"

"Of course." My throat felt tight as I headed back to my truck to grab some garbage bags I always kept there and then headed inside. There were a few inches of standing water on the floor. I carefully picked my way through the floating debris, going into what looked like Maya's room first.

Her stuffed animals and books were waterlogged.

I grabbed clothes from her closet and dresser, stuffing them into the bag.

When her closet and dresser were cleared, I headed into Kinsley's room to do the same.

My jaw tightened as I balled up tiny scraps of black lace from her lingerie drawer.

Did she realize what she was asking when she sent me in here?

I let out a breath, reminding myself that I shouldn't care what she wore under her clothes.

In no time, I was back outside with the bags. I threw them into the bed of my truck. "Where's your landlord? He needs to get someone in here to mitigate the damage."

A crease appeared between her eyebrows. "I told him what was going on. He said he'd send someone out."

I ground my teeth together. "I think most of your stuff is ruined. Do you have renter's insurance?"

She blew out a breath. "I do."

"You can make a claim, and then you're giving him your notice.

There's no way he can hold you to a lease with that kind of damage.

You won't be able to move back in for months.

" From what I'd heard over the last several months, the landlord didn't fix things promptly, so I wasn't holding out hope that he'd handle this situation expeditiously either.

Kinsley blinked away tears.

Sensing she was overwhelmed, I touched her shoulder and guided her toward my truck. "I'll grab Maya's car seat from your vehicle."

Kinsley fumbled for the keys in her purse, handing them to me. I unlocked her door and grabbed the car seat from the back. I was familiar with how these things worked because of my niece and nephew.

Once it was secured, I stepped back while Kinsley helped Maya into her seat and secured the belt.

Once the door was closed, I asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

She looked one last time at the place that had been her home. "That's everything."

I opened the passenger side door for her and shut it behind her.

I wanted to get her out of here. I didn't want her upset about the state of her home when nothing could be salvaged.

Everything was waterlogged, and it would be months before she could think of moving back in.

And that was if her landlord remediated the place properly.

I threw the truck into Drive and pulled away from the curb. "You can stay at my place for as long as you need to."

Her lips pursed. "I don't want to intrude."

My jaw worked. "You're helping me with the renovation of my house. If you're living there, it will be easier for you to help."

"Are you sure?"

I glanced over at her, seeing the crease between her eyebrows and the way she played with the strap of her purse. "I'm positive."

"Can I pick my bedroom?" Maya asked from the back seat, her slightly babyish voice never failing to make my heart clench.

"Of course you can," I said at the same time her mother said, "You can sleep with me."

I waved my hand. "I have plenty of empty bedrooms. If she's used to her own room, she can have one."

I'd inherited my grandmother's house, which was a mansion on Captiva, the island just off Sanibel. I was renovating it in my spare time. I wanted to do it justice, preserving the old with the new.

I didn't have any design experience, so I'd asked Kinsley to help with the renovation. She'd been so busy with her daughter and the issues at her rental that we hadn't made as much progress as I would have liked.

I hated that she was dealing with this issue, but maybe this would be better for my focus on the house, and she and Maya would be in a better living situation.

I crossed over the bridge between the islands. Then I pulled into the driveway to my house, waiting for the gate to open. I turned off the engine. "Let's get you settled."

Kinsley helped Maya out of her seat, setting her on the ground before she ran for the door. I followed, unlocking it, then pushed it open. Maya ran upstairs, presumably to pick out her bedroom.

I left Kinsley in the foyer. I felt better now that they were in my house and not staying in some hotel somewhere. I pulled her bags out of the bed of the truck and set them on the ground.

"I appreciate you letting us stay here for a few days. I can talk to the insurance company and see if they can set us up in a hotel room somewhere."

I had a feeling that option was only available to a homeowner, not a renter. "Don't worry about it. You can stay here as long as you need."

There was only one school for both islands, so it wouldn't make a difference for Maya.

Kinsley chewed on her lip. "I don't want to impose."

I raised a brow. "I live here alone, and it's a huge house. Besides, I need to get this house renovated. Maybe now that you're living here, you can help."

Her face fell. "I haven't been helping out as much as I should have been. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You're a single mother who has a dick for a landlord."

Kinsley's eyes widened in surprise, and then she shook her head, her lips curving into a smile.

At least I'd succeeded in taking her mind off the horrible reality that most of her things had been destroyed.

"Mommy, Mommy," Maya chanted as she ran down the stairs, then grabbed Kinsley's hand, tugging her back up the stairs.

Kinsley gave me a sheepish grin over her shoulder.

I picked up the bags and followed them at a slower pace. I was relieved that Maya was happy to be here, and she wasn't dwelling on everything they'd lost.

I paused in the doorway to the guest room where Maya was jumping on the bed.

"Stop jumping on the bed," Kinsley implored her.

Maya's eyes widened when she saw me, and she dropped to her butt.

"I don't want you to fall off and get hurt," I said, following Kinsley's lead.

My brothers and I had routinely jumped on these beds when adults weren't paying attention.

But I knew enough to respect Kinsley's parenting decisions, and I didn't want to see Maya's arm in a cast. Just the thought had my chest tightening with anxiety.

Maya tilted her head, her hair falling across her face. "Can this be my room?"

"You can choose any room you want. Except for mine, the one at the end of the hall."

She nodded seriously. "I want this one."

Kinsley appeared in the doorway. "No matter how many times I see this place, it’s still impressive.”

I looked forward to not being alone in the house anymore. The pressure of renovating it like my grandmother would have wanted was overwhelming at times.

Dad complained that I'd get started on a project, then forget about it, moving onto something else. I worried that he was right in this case.

I wanted to be like my brothers, but no matter how hard I tried, focus and organization weren't my strong suits.

"We'll try to be quiet."

I paused, leaning a hip against the counter. "I'm renovating the place. I can assure you; I won't be quiet."

Her lips tipped into a smile, and warmth spread through my chest.

"I want you to feel at home here. Can I get you anything? Food? Clothes?"

Kinsley's forehead creased, the reality of her situation coming back to her. "We need everything. Then I need to deal with the insurance company."

"Why don't you call them now, and I'll help get Maya settled into her room?

She shot me a grateful look. "If you're sure you can handle Maya."

I squeezed her shoulder as I edged past her into the bedroom. "Trust me. I've got this." Then to Maya, I clapped my hands. "Let's get your things unpacked so that we can get you some toys."

"Toys!" Maya cried as she launched herself at me. Her arms and legs wrapped around my neck and waist, stunning me for a second.

I met Kinsley's gaze over Maya's shoulder. "Go do your thing."

"I'm going to make a phone call about the water damage. You can hang out with Mr. Shep."

I winced at the formal designation. "Let's go with Shep."

"Shep, Shep, Shep," Maya chanted as I lowered her to the floor. I waved a hand at Kinsley.

She sighed, then turned and walked out of the room. I couldn't believe that Kinsley and Maya were living in my house, even if it was only temporary.

I was used to being a bachelor. I didn't have a set schedule, other than at work. That was going to change. Because kids demanded things at certain times.

I bowed deeply in front of Maya. "Where should we put your things, my lady?"

She giggled. "In the wardrobe, silly."

"In the wardrobe. But of course." I went through the bags, pulling out her clothes. I folded some and placed them in the drawers, and others I hung in the closet. Maya was a good helper, directing me as I went.

When we were almost finished, Kinsley appeared.

"You get everything taken care of?" I asked her.

"They want to assess the damage. I called and left a message about that."

I hated that she needed to rely on her landlord to get what she needed from the insurance company. "When I pick up your car, I'll take pictures. You've got the emails about the requests to fix the pipe?"

Kinsley nodded. "I always followed up my calls with an email message."

"We can build a case without him. He shouldn't hold this up for you."

Her shoulders lowered. "Thank you for your help. You didn't have to do any of this."

I smiled. It was one of my charming ones women loved. "Sure I did. Now what do my ladies want for dinner?"

Maya rushed toward the door. "Can we have drummies?"

I looked at Kinsley in confusion.

Kinsley's lips twitched. "She wants chicken drumsticks."

"I might need to run to the store for those."

"You shouldn't have to go out of your way."

"I've been playing the part of butler, and we haven't stopped playing yet. Isn't that right, my lady?" I said to Maya."

Maya nodded. "Shep's my butler."

"Maya—" Kinsley began.

"I'll get your car, take pictures, and get food while you make yourself at home." They'd been through enough today.

"Mommy, you didn't pick a room yet." Maya ran into the room next to hers.

I stepped closer to Kinsley. "I have a feeling she's going to do that for you."

She smiled. "Every room is beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale."

"I'm glad that Maya's enjoying this new adventure and not dwelling on our flooded house."

"Me too."

"I meant what I said. Make yourself at home." I slipped past her, trying not to think about what it would be like to have these two in my home for the indefinite future.

In the truck, I contemplated calling Hudson, knowing he would come if I asked. But he'd have questions I wasn't ready to answer.

Why was I moving an employee into my house? Could I handle living with a five-year-old?

I didn't want to hear the concern in his voice, so I called one of the guys on my crew. I knew Jimmy wouldn't ask any questions. At the end of the day, I was his boss.

I got there before him and took a ton of pictures, depicting the damage in every room.

I also grabbed anything that was salvageable and stuffed it into another garbage bag.

I hated that Kinsley and Maya's life had been reduced to a few plastic bags.

It wasn't fair, and it was all because her landlord didn't do his job.

But for now, she was safe with me. I'd make sure they were taken care of. And maybe, if I was lucky, she'd finally see that I was more than what people said about me.