Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Kinsley
Shep was fun at the store. I kept remembering things that were destroyed, and before I could feel despair at everything I'd lost, he'd joke about something or make up a silly story to entertain us.
By the time we were done, we had two shopping carts full of stuff.
Shep had insisted that we replace everything that was lost. He assured us that the insurance company would cover our personal items. Especially since he'd already sent the required photographs to the insurance company for me.
I couldn't remember anyone ever taking care of something like this for me before.
I'd always been on my own. Or at least since I was an adult.
I bought clothes, toiletries, books, stuffed animals, toys, and sheets and blankets. I had a feeling shopping wasn't Shep's favorite thing to do, but he was a good sport about it. Maya even remembered to buy his socks before we checked out.
I wasn't positive that he needed socks. I suspected that he wanted to spend the day with us, maybe to ensure that we got everything we needed. I'd have bought far less if it had just been us two.
I buckled Maya into her car seat and then helped Shep get everything into the bed of the truck.
"What happened to you isn't right. The landlord should have taken action before it leaked this much. Then you wouldn't have lost all your things," Shep grumbled.
I placed a hand on his forearm, noting the sinewy muscles underneath my palm. "They're just things. We can replace them."
He waved a hand toward where Maya sat in the truck. "Those things had sentimental meaning. The outfit she wore home from the hospital. Her favorite book or toy."
"I'm upset about losing those things too. But we can build a new life somewhere with a better landlord." The thought of finding a new place was daunting. Between work and Maya's activities, I was busy.
His jaw worked as he threw in the last bag and closed the hatch. "You shouldn't have to rent."
I snorted. "There's no way we can afford a house on the island. The prices are crazy high."
"I still don't like it," he grumbled as he pushed the cart over to the corral.
By the time he was back, I was in the passenger-side seat.
On the drive home, he was uncharacteristically quiet. I wondered if he was regretting his decision to let me move in with him.
His phone buzzed in the cupholder, and he inclined his head toward it. "Can you look at that?"
"Sure."
He told me the password, and when I entered it, a message from Mom popped up. "It's your mother."
He groaned. "It's family dinner night. She probably wants me to go."
I nodded with a smile. "She wants to know what time you'll be there."
He shook his head. "She's so happy that everyone's home; she won't take no for an answer."
"You should go. We'll put all this stuff away and have a quiet night."
"Yeah, that won't do. You're coming with me," he said easily as he changed lanes on the highway.
I scoffed. "I'm sorry?"
"Dad is going to find out you're living with me, and if you're there, he'll have to be polite and won't be able to say what he's thinking."
I shifted so that my knee was folded underneath me. "And what would that be?"
He gave me a look. "That I make impulsive decisions that I don't think through."
"Your parents wouldn't approve of me living with you?" I asked.
Shep glanced over at me, his hand gripping the wheel. "Mom will love it. It's Dad that will say I'm being irresponsible. He's always looking for evidence that I'm a screwup."
"I'm sorry." I wasn't sure what to say about that.
"But if you're there, he won't be able to say anything. Besides, Mom adores having more guests over, and she loves you and Maya."
"I like your mom too. We can go if it will be easier for you." I didn't like the idea that his dad wouldn’t like me living here. He was my boss after all. I wondered if me living with Shep was going to be a problem for him.
I hadn't anticipated becoming more immersed with the Kingston family, but it didn't seem like I had a choice. I wanted to make things easy for Shep since he was going out of his way to help us.
At home, we unloaded our things, and I started the laundry while Maya played in her room with her new toys. I'd encouraged her to keep her toys in her room and not scatter them about the house. Shep had been patient with us so far, but I wasn't sure how far his good will would extend.
Once Maya's new bedding was on the bed, and it looked more like hers, we got ready to go to Shep's parents' house. I was friends with some of his brothers' girlfriends and fiancées, but I'd never been invited for dinner.
At the house, I unloaded Maya, feeling nervous about what they would think about our new living situation. Would they assume I was taking advantage of Shep? That I was using him somehow?
These were my employers after all. I probably shouldn't blur the lines. I'd need to rent a hotel room until I could find something with the help of a Realtor. It wouldn't be easy to live in a hotel with a small child.
Shep was doing me a huge favor, and I didn't want to do anything to mess it up.
His parents' home was an adorable Cape Cod style home on stilts backing to the beach. On the porch, Shep opened the door without knocking, and we stepped inside.
We were immediately bombarded with noise. It sounded like it was coming from deep in the house, possibly the kitchen.
He led the way down the hall and into the open kitchen that had floor-to-ceiling windows facing the ocean.
Joy's face brightened when she saw Shep, drawing him in for a hug. When she pulled back, her eyes widened. "I didn't realize you were bringing guests."
"Kinsley's house flooded—" There were a few gasps from the other guests. "And I offered her a place to stay temporarily."
I swallowed hard. How temporary was this living situation? He hadn't said anything to me about a time limit. If his family gave him a hard time, I'd need to move sooner than I anticipated.
Jon appeared next to Joy. "Your landlord never fixed the leaking pipe?"
"No," I said.
Shep tensed next to me. "When she got home, her place had standing water. Since it's only a one-story house, everything was ruined. I helped her pack her clothes, and then we went to the store to buy all new items."
"Good thing you called Shep," Joy said. "He has plenty of bedrooms for you and Maya to stay in until you can get back on your feet.
Let me show you the toys my grandchildren love.
" Joy took Maya's hand and led her to the bin of toys in the adjacent family room where Cooper and Ivy's son, Henry, and Dalton's daughter, Lilliana, were already playing.
I was hoping that Maya could be a buffer between me and his family, but it looked like I was on my own.
"I wasn't expecting him to offer us a place to stay. I just thought he'd be able to help us."
"He is the only one that's single, and has plenty of space for visitors," Hudson said, leaning on the counter.
Shep raised a brow. "Are you saying I don't have a life?"
Joy held up a hand. "All that matters is that you called Shep and he was there for you. You and Maya couldn't have stayed in that house, and what was the alternative? One of the hotels having a vacancy? That's not very likely during the busy season."
The island was the busiest between January through April. Though it had tourists year-round, it tended to slow down in the fall.
Jon's brow furrowed. "Ivy can help you find a new place."
Joy was fine with me being there, but Jonathan didn't seem to be. I wondered if he'd say anything to us about it or wait until he could talk to Shep alone.
Joy bustled into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry you lost all your things. You must be devastated."
"I haven't even had a chance to process everything. I was able to salvage Maya's baby album."
Joy nodded sympathetically. "That's good. Those kinds of things are irreplaceable."
I didn't have family on the island anymore that I could ask for help from. After I graduated from high school, my parents moved to Tallahassee to be closer to my older sister, who had three kids.
I was angry at the landlord who'd upended my independence. If it weren't for him, I'd have a place to live and wouldn't need to ask for help.
My impression of the Kingstons over the years was that Jon was the patriarch of the family and the business. The brothers wanted to impress him in order to take over the business one day, and Shep was the black sheep.
I could see how Shep would want to dispel his family of that belief. I didn't want to cause trouble for him with them.
Elena looped her arm through my elbow. "You must be stressed. Let's get you something to drink."
I let her guide me outside on the deck where there was a table of snacks and glasses of margaritas. She handed me one and then took one for herself.
I sipped it, hoping it would help me relax.
Elena shifted so that she faced me. "Tell me, why did you call Shep first?"
I glanced into the kitchen where Shep was in the middle of a discussion with Hudson and Cooper. Refocusing on Elena, I said, "You all are with significant others now. You're busy., and I didn't want to bother you."
Her eyes narrowed on me. "I thought Shep annoyed you."
"He does, or at least he did. But I knew he would pick up my call, and he'd be there for me. It was just instinct." It did something for my libido that he'd shown up like he had, all growly about the landlord and my situation. He'd rescued me in every sense of the word.
Elena pursed her lips. "Interesting."
"I needed to get our things out of the house, and he had muscles and a truck." I thought that was a good answer, but I worried she'd latch onto my mention of his muscles.
Elena grabbed a tortilla chip and dipped it into the salsa. "Hmm."
Despite his reputation, the way he talked about girls as if they were just for fun, I knew he'd be there for me. Maybe it was the way he'd always treated Maya.
Cooper and Dalton came onto the deck, arguing about a play in a baseball game.
"Let's go down to the pool." Elena carried her glass down the steps to the patio, and I followed her.
We sat in a lounger next to each other.
We could hear the murmur of voices from above, but no one joined us.
Elena set her lemonade on a small table between our chairs. "Was it Shep's idea for you to move in?"
"He was insistent about it," I said, still trying to work out that bit in my head.
She nodded. "He has a big house. All those empty bedrooms."
"He has plenty of space, but I think it was more than that." I thought back to how happy he was this morning, cooking Maya breakfast and helping her brush her teeth.
She tipped her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"I think he might be lonely. All his siblings are with significant others now. A few of you have kids. He's alone."
Elena sighed. "We should invite him over for dinner more."
"I think he wanted some company, and he's so sweet to Maya."
Elena gazed over the crystal blue of the pool water. "He loves kids."
"I'm going to talk to Ivy to see if I can find something. I can't live with Shep forever, even if he says it isn't an issue."
Her brow furrowed. "Is he charging you rent?"
"I haven't even asked him about that. He assured me it wasn't an imposition, and that it would be easier for me to help him with the renovation if I was living with him."
"How's he coming with that?"
"Not great. But that's my fault. I was supposed to help him with design options. I've been so busy between work, Maya, and the issues at my house; I haven't given him the time I promised him."
"I wanted to talk to him about it because we'd like to use the house for the wedding."
I shifted so I could see her face. "You want to get married at Shep's?"
She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "I could walk down those gorgeous steps and get married on the beach. We'd have to rent tables, linens, and a tent, but it's doable."
"That would be gorgeous. What would need to be done inside the house for that to happen?" I asked, my mind running through the layout of the first floor. What would guests need access to?
She ticked the items off her fingers. "The first floor. The bathrooms. It would be a showcase of sorts."
"When are you thinking of doing that?" I asked, feeling anxious to get things started at the house.
"Maybe this spring or early summer? Hudson's been so patient about me taking that next step because of my grandmother. But he's waited long enough, and I want to be his wife." Elena held her hand in front of her, the diamond sparkling in the sunlight.
"You deserve the wedding of your dreams." I found out I was pregnant with Maya when I was dating Derek. We didn't have any plans to marry, and I didn't think that pregnancy would be a good reason to do it then.
Elena smiled, her gaze on me. "I'm excited to plan it. But Hudson's worried that Shep won't be able to get the renovations done."
"I don't know Shep much better than you. But it's possible that with me living there, we can make more progress. Especially if his brothers would be willing to chip in on the bigger projects."
"I think they would, especially with our wedding as the end goal."
"Shep wants to prove himself to his brothers. Especially for something as important as your wedding."
"Hudson has his doubts. And maybe that isn't fair. I don't know."
Shep was helping me out with a place to live, and it was time for me to follow through on my promise to him. I'd get him organized, help him order the materials he needed for the renovation, and motivate him. His brother's wedding and Shep's reputation were on the line.