Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Kinsley
As nice as the evening was on the rooftop deck, I had to get out of there. It was too nice, and if I stayed any longer, I'd do something crazy like kiss Shepard or tell him how I felt.
The longer I sat there watching him move his piece on the board or count out money from the bank, the more I wanted to know how his fingers would feel on my body. Or how he'd sound if he was intimate with a woman. A tingle ran down my spine at the thought.
Shep was my employer. We were working together in the office and in his home. I couldn't afford to embarrass myself by coming onto him and being let down.
I was sure this happened to him all the time. He was a charming guy. Women naturally gravitated toward him.
He hadn't given me any indication that he was interested in me other than helping me with a place to live and wanting my design advice.
I laid there for a long time, wondering if Shep was sleeping on the deck. Or whether he was up there thinking about his life.
I couldn't remember when I'd had a better night. I'd tried to go out on a few dates, but they never panned out. Nothing ever outweighed spending an evening with my daughter. But tonight was something special.
Shep had included Maya in our plans. Because this wasn't a date. I had to remember that. He wasn't going to kiss me at the end of the evening or ask me to stay in his room. I was getting ahead of myself.
I finally drifted off around midnight, still wondering if Shep was on the deck, thinking about me.
In the morning, the smell of bacon woke me. I'd slept longer than I usually did. I suspected it was because Maya sought out Shep to make her breakfast instead of waking me up.
I brushed my teeth and got dressed, making my way down the staircase to the kitchen. Living in this place was a dream. By all descriptions, it was a mansion. One that had been in the family for generations.
Only certain families were fortunate enough to own a home on Captiva. They were passed on to the next generation, rarely going up for sale.
In the kitchen, Maya sat on her stool, coloring with a plate of bacon in front of her.
"You want million-dollar bacon?" Maya asked me without raising her head.
"What's that?" I asked.
"I put maple syrup on the bacon. It's something I saw at a restaurant once."
I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure. Why not?"
He placed the plate in front of me and poured syrup over it. Then he grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee, sliding it across the counter to me.
"You don't have to serve me. I'm used to getting my own breakfast."
"I was up early and went for a run. Then I'm always so hungry; I make way too much food." He winked at Maya, who giggled.
I bit the bacon and almost moaned out loud. "This is amazing. I love the sweetness combined with the bacon."
"Is it million-dollar level?"
"Absolutely." I sipped my coffee, enjoying how easygoing and fun Shep was. "Do you have plans for the day?"
He braced his hands on the counter, towel strung over his shoulder. His chin was lined with the usual layer of scruff, and his expression was boyish. He'd never been more attractive to me. "I think we should get started on the renovation. We need to build a bathroom meant for a princess."
Maya's eyes went round. "My bathroom?"
I wanted to remind Maya that we were only here temporarily, but I didn't have the heart to say that when she was enjoying staying here.
"That's right. What do you think? Should we expand the bathroom so that we can fit a soaker tub in there? Now mine is an older style, but we could fit in something like this." Shep pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded many times and smoothed it onto the counter.
He'd drawn the specs of the bathroom with a shower, a toilet, vanity, and a separate tub. "I know we talked about doing something more modern. But I was thinking you could help me pick out the fixtures, and maybe in this bathroom, we'd go with something more glamorous."
The depiction was well-done, and there were even measurements in the white space.
Maya's eyes were still round as she nodded her head. "It needs lots of bling."
"I was thinking brass fixtures which will look gold and maybe claw feet on the tub."
"You should pick what you want though," I said.
Shep glanced up at me. "This is what I want. This home is historical, and the bathrooms should match the grandness, if that makes sense." He straightened, tucking the paper back into his pocket as if he'd been carrying it around in there. "I might go more modern in my bathroom.”
"That will be nice." Suddenly, my throat was very dry. Was he planning on having more than one woman in there? Was he thinking about how he'd use the space when he thought of the design?
He smiled. "I think so. I can't wait to get started. But I think we need to focus on Maya's bathroom first. Then we'll do the master and the others."
"What about the first floor? Is there anything we can do down here while we're working on the bathrooms?"
"We can refinish the floors and paint the walls. Why don't you two help me pick out the paint?"
"I said I'd help," I said, feeling worried about this project. "But what about filming your progress? Should we start to videotape this conversation?"
Shep grinned. "What do ya think, Princess Maya? Should we discuss your bathroom on video?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Maya exclaimed.
"What do you think? Are you okay with Maya being on there?"
"I don't see why not."
"She'll be the perfect model for our princess bathroom. She's the boss." He high-fived Maya, and my heart squeezed for the millionth time. When would the way he interacted with my daughter get old? I had a bad feeling it wouldn't.
"Let's do it in the bathroom, and you can go over the rendering with her again, and she can tell you what she wants," I said, making sure my phone was sufficiently charged.
"We have to clean up breakfast first and make sure we don't have syrup anywhere," Shep said.
Together, we cleaned up and then got dressed. I found the stand I bought to use for the filming. His brothers had mentioned doing something like this a long time ago, but Shep had always been resistant.
I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling that filming with Maya eased his anxiety. That was the main reason why I agreed to allow her on camera. And it would only be seen by a few islanders.
Who would care about a little renovation video on a local business owner's website? As much as I loved the idea, I didn't think it would catch on beyond local people looking to hire Kingston construction.
I cleaned up the bathroom and set up the phone and stand in the entrance. Then Shep ushered Maya inside, in front of the shower. There wasn't a lot of room to move around in here, which would make filming easier for me. It was why I used the stand.
Shep squatted down in front of Maya. "Are you nervous?"
Maya did a little dance. "I'm so excited. I can't wait to see us on video."
I covered my mouth with my hand.
Shep glared over at me and then said to Maya. "Well, I'm nervous. So don't leave me hanging here all by myself, okay?"
Maya laughed. "Why would I leave?"
Shep stood, brushing off his jeans. "I don't know. But please don't."
I believed him when he said he was nervous. He didn't just say that to alleviate Maya's concerns, because she had none. I didn't think she understood that the video would be shown online, and its reach could be huge. I didn't think it would be, but that didn't mean it wasn't possible.
Maya held his hand. "Don't worry. I won't leave you."
I sighed. I wasn't going to survive these two. They were too sweet together. "I think Shep will be okay. He was made for the camera. Are you ready now?"
Shep stretched his neck from one side to the other, then shook out his limbs. "I'm ready now."
"Mommy, you have to do a countdown."
"Okay," I said, checking the camera to make sure everything was ready to go. "Three, two, one…and action."
We hadn't discussed how to start out the segment, and I realized my mistake when no one said anything at first.
But then Maya put her hands on her hips. "Are you going to make me a princess bathroom?"
Shep made a big show of looking around the space. "A princess bathroom, huh?"
"I want tons of bling," Maya said.
Shep pulled out his piece of paper and smoothed it out. They stood together, so I moved my phone so that I could see what was on the page too.
"I was thinking about lots of gold, so that's good. What do you think about a standalone tub with these elegant feet?"
"I do want a tub with feet," Maya said, and I tried not to laugh.
Shep managed to keep his composure. "One tub with feet. Brass—I mean, gold fixtures." He went through the rest of the rendering with Maya nodding and interjecting something here and there. But it was all Shep.
He was engaging and interesting. I didn't know why he was so nervous to do this. I loved watching the two of them interact, and the rest of the island would too.
He finally lowered the page and said, "Are you ready to rip out this bathroom?"
Maya nodded.
Shep handed her goggles, gloves, and a hammer.
I hit End on the video and said, "Are we really doing this?"
"We're going to rip out the fixtures. We're getting all new. Nothing but the best for this princess."
"Save the cute stuff for the camera. You really want Maya to help you demo?"
"I think she can swing a hammer once or twice. And then I can do the rest."
"I can help. I'll be real careful. I promise."
I met Shep's gaze over her head.
"I'll take care of her."
And I knew he would. "Okay."
Shep closed his fingers into a fist that he raised over his head and said, "Yes."
"Can I swing the hammer now?" Maya asked, drawing our attention to the fact that she still held the heavy tool.
"Yes, but let's go over a few rules first."
I placed the phone on the stand, and hit Record, standing back to watch how sweet and careful Shep was with my daughter. Would everyone be as enamored with these two as I was? Or was it just me and my overactive libido that saw something there?
This man would make a great dad one day.
Provided that he wanted that role. So far, I couldn't tell what he wanted.
He lived the proverbial bachelor life in his grandmother's mansion.
He was renovating it for family and filming his progress for business.
But what did he do for himself? Everything was in furtherance of proving himself to his family.
I had a feeling this scene would be gold for Kingston Construction's social-media pages. I wasn't sure I knew how to get people to watch it. But when they did, it would be popular. How could anyone watch this and not think these two were adorable?
Then I had an awful thought. Would it be just like when the Island Times article came out about the brothers being the hottest bachelors on the island? Now Shep was the lone single brother. All the women were going to be flocking to him.
Once these videos were released, he'd remember what he missed about the single life, and we would be a memory. Filming the renovation was part of my job though.
I was supposed to be helping him with the renovation design and filming our progress. It wasn't my responsibility to worry about his dating life.
"We always wear protective gear because debris can fly and hit our skin."
"What's debris?" Maya asked seriously.
Shep nodded. "Good question. When you hit the bathtub, the porcelain will break, and there might be shards flying through the air. The goggles and gloves protect you from getting injured."
Maya looked a little unsure.
"If you're wearing your protective gear, you can feel confident that you won't get hurt. Swinging a hammer can feel good. You get out any anger that you have or frustration. It’s satisfying to build something new out of the old," Shep said.
I liked the idea of building something new out of the old. The only difference in my life was that the house was destroyed, and I wouldn't be there to see it rebuilt. Instead, I was starting over again. The same way I did after it was clear that me and Derek would never work.
"Are you ready to try a swing?" Shep asked, and at Maya's nod, he demonstrated how she should hold the hammer. "Now you try."
I checked that the phone was still recording, then refocused on Maya. She lifted the hammer, which appeared to be smaller than the one that Shep was holding, and swung it in an arc through the air, striking the tub.
Maya lowered the hammer. "It didn't break."
"Try again. But swing it harder this time. Pretend you're really angry at someone."
This time, Maya swung it harder, and the tub cracked.
"There you go. You're doing it."
Maya's lips were pursed in concentration as she swung a few more times, each strike hitting the tub with more force.
I was mesmerized by her determination and perseverance. I didn't think she'd do it, much less keep doing it. I was proud of her.
On the last swing, Shep lifted her goggles. "You did it."
"Now what?" Maya asked.
"We keep destroying stuff until I can carry it out. Everything in this room will be removed so that we can bring in new things."
"Are we going to get a new house?" Maya asked sweetly, looking up at him. She'd grown to trust him in only a few short days.
"You're going to get a new home. I just don't know what it will look like yet." Shep dropped to his knees in front of her. "But I bet you can pick it out with your mom."
Maya looked over at me. I was off camera. "Can we get a new home, Mommy?"
"That's the plan," I said lightly, not wanting to consider moving out. I'd begun to think of it as our home, which was reckless.
Then I hit End on the video because I was feeling emotional. Who knew demoing a bathroom would bring up so many feelings?
"I'd say this is a good first start. What do you think, Momma?" Shep's gaze flitted to mine.
"Sure is," I said, hoping my voice didn't crack. We needed this reprieve from our life. We needed some time to regroup.
I hadn't even lifted a hammer, and the act of breaking the tub's surface was cathartic, even for me.
"I'm proud of you, Maya. You did such a great job. You're going to be a great contractor one day." Shep furrowed his brow. "I forgot the most important part of your uniform."
He ducked past me into his room and returned with a small hard hat that he fixed to her head. This time, I snapped a picture of her looking up at him while he set the hat on her head. Her gaze was so trusting, and his was filled with affection.
My heart couldn't take any more of these interactions.