Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Shep
I was on edge, waiting for my dad to say something negative about me moving Kinsley into my house. Elena whisked Kinsley outside for a girl conversation, and I had a sense that they were talking about the living arrangements.
At Mom's request, I grabbed a cooler from the garage and filled it with ice, juice boxes, water, and soda. Mom must have been thinking we'd have a bonfire tonight.
I was almost done when the door opened, and Dad came outside. "I've got this covered."
Dad waved a hand at me. "I wanted to talk to you about Kinsley."
I stretched to ease the tension between my shoulders. "What about Kins?"
Dad raised a brow as he leaned against a work bench. "Do you think it's a good idea to move an employee into your house?"
I resisted the urge to grab my neck and squeeze it. "She needed a place to live, and I have a ton of space."
"She didn't have anywhere else to go?"
"She called me. What do you think?" Who in their right mind would call me first if they had parents, a boyfriend, or a friend that could offer them help? Dad's negative attitude tended to rub off on me when I was around him.
"You don't think it will be a conflict of interest to have an employee living in your house?"
I wasn't sure if he was worried about me, Kinsley, or the business. "She has a safe place to live, and she doesn't have to worry. I thought that would make her more focused on work."
"She's missed a lot of work dealing with issues around that house because her landlord won't do his job," Dad griped.
I picked up the cooler by the handles. "Is that all?"
"How's the house coming?"
"It's getting there." I'd ripped a few things out, but I didn't want him coming over to check up on me. "Kinsley's supposed to be helping me with it, and now that she's living with me, it will be easier. She doesn't have to worry about childcare for Maya."
He held his hands up. "If she's going to help, then I'll stand back. I just want to make sure that nothing bleeds into the workplace. She's a single mom, and she's been great for the business—"
I frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
Dad waved a hand. "You know how you are with women. You treat them as if they're disposable."
"Are you insinuating that I'd hook up with Kinsley?" I asked, more than a little annoyed.
"You've been hanging around her desk for a few years now. Are you going to tell me that you aren't attracted to her?"
"I'm an easygoing guy, and I joke around a lot, but I don't use women." Frankly, I was pissed that he'd even suggested it.
He held up both his hands as if to ward me off or calm me down. "I don't know anything about your dating life other than what people say."
"I'd appreciate it if you listened to me and not island gossip."
"Your brothers have said things over the years too."
"You shouldn't listen to them either." Dad always thought less of me. And maybe I played into that by meeting his expectations, whether that was with school or work. But I was tired of it. And even if I was the last single Kingston brother, that didn't mean I wasn't a good guy.
"I don't want this thing with Kinsley to blow up in your face."
"I know better than to get involved with a single mother anyway.
Besides, she wants nothing to do with me.
Like you, she believes the rumors." It was the story of my life.
People had a vision of who I should be, and I'd given into it over the years.
I'd turned over a new leaf the last few years, but no one had noticed.
Not my brothers or even my twin. They were so wrapped up in their lives; they couldn't see me anymore.
"I promised Mom I'd carry this out to the pool."
Dad stepped back. "That was it."
I hefted the cooler and moved past him. I was still pissed when I dropped it onto the patio. I was pleased to see that Elena and Kinsley had been joined by the other women: Hazel, Ivy, Saylor, and Luna.
They were chatting animatedly about something.
The kids were playing at a water table, so I checked in on Maya. "You having fun?"
She looked up at me and lifted her hands for me to pick her up.
I didn't hesitate to lift her into my arms, even though she was soaked. "I'm starving."
"Let's see if we can find you some food." I looked around for a towel, recognizing the one that Kinsley had brought. I wrapped it around Maya. Then I grabbed a paper plate at the food table and asked her what she wanted.
Kinsley appeared at my side. "You didn't have to get her food."
"You were talking to your friends, and she asked me to help. It's not a big deal." I was starting to feel like no one expected me to do anything, and maybe, no one wanted me to do anything.
"I'm sorry. I'm not used to having any help." Her voice was softer now, contrite.
I shifted Maya in my arms. "Let me."
She nodded slowly, her expression softening. "Okay."
"Why don't you get some food too?" I nodded toward where Hudson was carrying the hamburger patties from the grill.
"I think I will."
I filled Maya's plate, successfully convincing her to wait on dessert for our next round. Then I set Maya's plate next to Kinsley at the girls' table and moved to sit at the guys' table.
Hudson sat next to me, inclining his head toward Kinsley and Maya. "You know what you're doing there?"
I sighed. "I'm really tired of everyone assuming I'm a screwup."
Hudson looked taken aback by my comment.
I shook my head. "Sorry. Dad already got to me. Warned me not to fuck things up with our trusted employee."
"It blurs the lines to invite an employee to live with you. What if the arrangement affects her job?" Hudson asked reasonably.
"If she doesn't have a safe place to live, that will affect her ability to show up for work, so I'm actually helping her," I said, more than a little annoyed that I had to keep justifying my actions. "I'm trying to be a nice guy here, and everyone assumes that I'm the villain."
"That's not what I'm doing," Hudson insisted.
I arched a brow. "Are you sure about that? You assume that I'm going to screw things up with Kinsley. That's not my intention."
"Just be careful, okay? She's a single mother. Not one of your usual conquests."
Irritation burned in my chest. "You assume I treat women a certain way, and I've let it go for years, but I'm a little tired of it. You don't know me, not really." I waved a hand at my brothers. "You're too busy with your own lives to know what's going on in mine."
Hudson considered me. "You're right. I'm making assumptions."
"I haven't dated anyone in a long time. I'm focused on renovating the house."
He raised a brow. "If that were true, wouldn't you be further along on the renovation?"
"I'm doing my best in my spare time. It isn't a full-time project. It can't be because I have a job, remember? Renovating other people's houses." I was done with this family get-together and unsure if I would return for another one.
"It would be nice if we could host family events there again. Take some of the pressure off Mom and Dad."
"I had the same idea." But it was a lot of people and required planning and organization. Not my strong suits.
"When do you think it will be done?" Cooper asked.
"Let me talk to Kinsley. She's my project manager."
"Is that right?" Hudson asked.
"She's going to get me on track and help me with the design," I said, happy to get the pressure off me.
I wanted to please my family, but the thought of meeting a deadline freaked me out.
I wasn't good at those unless someone else provided a project timeline, which Kinsley had been doing for me for years at work.
It was why I'd asked her to help with the house. She quietly stepped in to order supplies and keep me on track. I never mentioned it to my brothers. If they knew she was helping me, it would only feed their distrust.
I only admitted that she'd help me in this context because it would give him peace of mind and hopefully keep him off my back.
I wanted to go back to my sanctuary, my huge house on Captiva, and hide from my family. I didn't want or need their opinions on my life choices.
I had to grin and bear it for a few more hours. Then I could make my escape.
"Let us know if you need any help. We can chip in," Hudson finally said.
"Appreciate that." I'd do what I could without them.
Hudson dipped his head toward Maya and Kinsley. "And for what it's worth, I think it's a nice thing you did, giving them a place to stay. You have the biggest place and all those empty bedrooms."
"Logistically, it made sense. Besides, it's lonely now that everyone's got a significant other."
"You don't have anyone to go to the bars with?" Cooper asked.
He used to be my wingman but had pulled away over the last year.
It had only gotten more pronounced when he hooked up with Ivy and got her pregnant.
He was wrapped up in her and Henry. It sucked that I'd lost my twin's support along with the rest of my brother's.
"Nah. I don't do that much anymore anyway. The house keeps me busy."
The renovation was clutter that took up space in my head. I couldn't clear it away to see what I should be doing. It was the story of my life. The bigger the project, the harder it was to see a starting or end point.
We threw out our plates, then helped Mom carry the leftovers inside. Then we drifted down to the beach. I carried out the cooler while the other guys lit the torches and the bonfire. It would be a nice night for it.
The breeze kept things cooler, and I knew the night was drawing to a close. I could leave sooner rather than later.
Kinsley appeared at my side and curled her hand around my arm. "Are you okay?"
It was a possessive move, but I knew she didn't mean it like that. She just wanted a moment to speak with me. "You were supposed to protect me from my family."
A smile spread over her face, and she laughed. "I neglected my duties by sitting with the girls."
My nose wrinkled. "Something like that."
"Was it that awful?"
I nodded. "It was brutal. Everyone thinks I'm going to mess things up at work by moving you into my house."
She frowned. "I'm going to look for a new place, starting tomorrow. I'll talk to Ivy—"
I covered her hand with mine. "You don't have to move out. I said you'd be helping me with the renovation, and it will be easier with you staying on the premises." It wouldn't be intimate even if we'd be sharing a bathroom for the foreseeable future.
"Okay. But if at any time it becomes too much, just let me know."
I didn't want her to worry about finding a place. "If something comes up, then fine. But there's no rush."
Her face relaxed. "Elena mentioned wanting to get married at the house in June."
"So soon?" I was hoping to have more time with Kinsley in my home, working on the house. The thought of racing to get things done had panic setting in.
"It will be fine. They just need the downstairs and the bathrooms completed to host the wedding. The ceremony and reception will take place on the beach and the patio."
"Grams would love that they're getting married in her house."
"Were you holding out hope that your wedding would be there too?"
Her comment threw me off. "I've never thought about getting married. I kind of assumed it wasn't in the cards for me. Not the way women tend to look at me."
Kinsley's hand rested on my arm, a comforting gesture. "As a handsome man who's talented with his hands."
I smirked, a throwback to my usual flirty behavior. "I am talented with my hands. You want to find out?"
She grinned. "You're incorrigible."
"It used to make you mad when I said stuff like that. Why doesn't it now?" I was genuinely curious about that. I'd noticed our interactions had changed over the last few months.
"I guess because I know you better, and I don't think you're the guy I originally thought you were."
Before I could ask what kind of guy she thought I was, Elena appeared at her side. "We're doing s'mores, and Maya needs your help."
We broke apart then. I helped Mom gather the fixings for s'mores, and Kinsley assisted Maya with roasting her marshmallows.
I wanted to be the one who showed Maya how to roast a marshmallow. But she wasn't mine, and neither was Kinsley. This was a temporary arrangement to help me get the renovation project completed. It wasn't a love affair. I wasn't the kind of guy that had those anyway.