Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Shep
I went for a run in the morning, amped up about everything that had happened the day before. I'd been attracted to Kinsley as soon as I met her. The fact that she didn't like me didn't deter me in the slightest. When I discovered she had a daughter, I realized that nothing could ever come of it.
I knew enough not to mess with a single mom. I was known as the guy you went out with to have a good time. I wasn't reliable. My family had made enough comments over the years for me to hold that as a core belief.
By inviting her to live with me, I'd done exactly what my family expected of me. It was impulsive, irrational, and a little crazy. But I wanted to take care of Kinsley and Maya. Where else would they have gone?
The hotels were designed for tourists, not locals whose houses were flooded. It would have been expensive and difficult to find anything suitable for her and Maya when I had a perfectly good house with empty bedrooms.
When I returned, I found Maya curled up on the couch in a blanket, her hair mussed and her cheeks red from sleep.
"Can I have pancakes?"
She had no idea that she could literally ask me for anything and I'd give it to her. Pancakes were quick and easy, and I was hungry. The best part was that Maya loved them as long as I added tons of chocolate chips and whipped cream.
By the time she was done eating, she had chocolate smeared across her cheeks and a dollop of whipped cream on the tip of her nose.
Kinsley appeared in the doorway, looking a little bewildered. "You weren't in your room."
"I was eating pancakes," Maya said with an eye roll as if it should have been obvious.
"I can see that." Kinsley's gaze shifted from Maya to me.
I shrugged. "She asked for pancakes, and I was hungry."
"I'm sorry that I wasn't down here to take care of her."
I tipped my head slightly. "I get up early to go for a run anyway."
"You were up early too," Kinsley said to Maya.
Maya shrugged. "I wanted to see Mr. Shep."
I leaned toward Maya. "There's no mister anywhere in my name."
Maya giggled, and I wished I could always hear that sound in my kitchen. Normally, I went for a run by myself and returned to an empty house where I made a breakfast for one. This was much more enjoyable.
"We should probably take a look at some apartments today. I'll call Ivy after breakfast."
I waved a hand. "First, you need clothes and toiletries. I'll take you shopping."
Her brow furrowed. "I don't want to intrude more than necessary."
"I already told you that you could stay here as long as you like." I highly doubted she'd be able to find anything suitable.
"We could use some things. But my car is here now. You don't need to come along."
"I need to get some socks, and I'll never buy them unless someone goes with me." I winked at Maya.
Kinsley laughed, which was my intention. "Are you serious?"
I nodded. "I'm always serious about socks."
"I'll help you find socks," Maya said as she twirled on her stool.
I walked around the counter and lifted her down. "Why don't you wash up and get dressed? Then we can go to the store."
Maya took off at a run, her feet pounding up the stairs. This house hadn't had kids in it in a long time. I had visions of fixing the place up and inviting the family over for dinner, but it was a long way from being done.
I tried not to think about what my family would say. I wasn't organized. I couldn't focus, and I never finished anything.
Sometimes, I thought they didn't realize that I could hear them talking about me or, if they did, didn't think I had feelings about it one way or another. But it got to me. Even if I brushed it off in front of them.
I couldn't help but feel different from my brothers. They were all able to manage a crew and direct a renovation to completion. But it had always been a challenge for me.
I stacked pancakes on a plate. "You need to eat some pancakes to have energy to go shopping with me."
Kinsley slipped onto the stool and asked, "Do I now?"
I nodded seriously, handing her the plate. Then I placed the syrup next to her. "If you're anything like your daughter, you love syrup."
"Maya does love her syrup."
"She made me pour it into a bowl so she could dip it. It was basically the entire bottle," I said.
Kinsley groaned. "I'm sorry. Maya can be a lot to handle."
"Eh. She was a lot of fun. It's usually so quiet around here."
"It's not with Maya. That's why I think we should look for an alternative place to stay. You can't possibly want a child underfoot while you're renovating the place."
"Kinsley, you're motivating me to actually renovate the bathrooms. I haven't been able to finish one yet. With you here, I'll finally get something done."
Kinsley cut into her stack of pancakes.
I was impressed that she hadn't refused the pancakes, claiming that she was watching her figure or some other thing that various women had said to me over the years.
I tended to date women who ate salads in front of me.
I liked a woman who wasn't afraid to eat in front of a man.
Not that this was a date, because it wasn't.
Kinsley moaned as she took a bite of the pancakes.
I raised a brow. "That good, huh?"
Her eyes fluttered closed. "Delicious. I haven't eaten a meal that I haven't cooked myself in a long time."
"While you're here, I can cook. I enjoy it." I poured coffee into a mug, offering it to her.
She accepted the mug. "And as much as I appreciate the shower and use of your toiletries, I don't want to smell like you."
Every muscle in my body tightened at the thought of her covering her naked body with my body wash. "We can't have that."
I was being nice, allowing her to stay with me. So why did it feel like a special kind of torture? I was teasing myself with someone I couldn't have. No matter how much I liked them, they weren't for me.
I had a reputation, and women like her didn't go for guys like me. I picked up women at bars who thought construction workers were hot.
Lately, I preferred a quieter life, hanging around my grandmother's home that reminded me of her. "My grandmother would have wanted you to stay here."
A smile spread over her face.
I wasn't sure why I admitted that out loud. But Grams was the one who believed in me. She called me a sweet boy and defended me in front of my brothers and dad. It was why we had such a close relationship.
She didn't criticize me or say I was different. She just accepted me for who I was and seemed to see things that no one else could. She said I had a huge heart, and maybe that was on display now.
I wondered if Kinsley could see something inside me too. Or if she was like everyone else, assuming I couldn't do things because my brain was so scattered.
"You must have been close with your grandmother."
My chest tightened. "She was the best."
"You like living here with her things?"
"I want to continue her legacy. I want to bring this place back to life while modernizing it at the same time."
"You can do both. Maintain your family history while renovating the space."
"I think so too. And now that you're living here, you can help me."
Kinsley shook her head, laughing. "I can do that."
I raised a brow. "You're really going to help me?"
"It's about time I followed through on my end of the deal."
I let out a breath. "I'd appreciate anything you could do."
"Should we record our discussions and your progress? I can edit the videos and put them on social media." At my sharp look, she shrugged. "It's my job, after all."
I was against the idea of videotaping myself. If people had criticized me my entire life, why would showcasing my faults on TV be a good idea? "I'll have to think about it. I'm going to get ready to go and check on the munchkin."
I headed upstairs, and down the hallway.
Maya's door opened, and she ran out of the room at full speed into me.
"Whoa," I said as I attempted to catch her.
"Are we leaving yet?"
I placed my hands on my hips. "That depends. Did you brush your teeth?"
She blew out a breath. "No."
"Let's get some toothpaste on your brush. Then we'll talk." She'd borrowed one of my spare brushes last night.
I squeezed the paste on the brush and held it out to her.
"I can do it."
"You can do it next time."
She lifted her brush to her teeth, then dropped it. "Why do I have to brush my teeth?"
Here was my first test. "So your teeth won't rot and fall out."
Her eyes widened, and I realized I should have tempered my response. "Really?"
I nodded, thinking I was already in it, so I might as well keep going with it. "Yep."
"Ugh. Fine." She lifted her brush and started brushing.
I started singing, "Brush-a-brush, brush-a-brush, brush, brush, brush."
When she paused, I stopped.
Her forehead wrinkled. "What are you doing?"
"Singing the toothbrush song."
Holding her brush suspended in midair, she narrowed her eyes on me. "There isn't a toothbrush song."
I scoffed. "There obviously is because I was just singing it."
She kept her gaze locked on me and slowly started to brush her teeth again.
"Brush-a-brush—" I began until she paused again.
She moved her brush to the side, and I sang, "Brush to the right. Brush to the left. Brush-a-brush-a-brush-a-brush-brush."
When she was done, she rinsed her toothbrush and sang along with me. It was a catchy song, one my mother had sung to me when we were kids and didn't want to brush our teeth. I started to dance along with the song, moving my hips and shaking my butt.
Maya erupted into giggles, and I stopped long enough to smile at her. "That was fun."
"It was," Maya said as we walked into the hallway where her mother was waiting, a crease between her brows.
"Were you dancing?" Kinsley asked.
"Oh, yeah. You can't help but dance to the toothbrush song." I broke into song again, dancing next to Maya in the hallway.
Kinsley shook her head, a smile on her face. "You two are ridiculous."