Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kinsley
I walked back to our table, feeling unsettled. I didn't like those women coming onto Shep, but it wasn't anything unusual. He attracted women wherever he went. The videos just increased interest in him.
When I returned, Elena asked, "Is everything okay?"
"I ran into Shep outside the bathroom. The women sure love him in those videos."
Elena smiled. "I'm sure he doesn't mind the attention."
After seeing all these women come onto him, why would he stay with me? How could I ever be enough?
Maybe I wasn't cut out for this. I needed a guy who didn't attract women like bees to honey. I wanted to be first in someone's life. And right now, this didn't feel good.
Did he even want to be with me when he could literally have anyone?
I tried to focus on the conversation which had veered to more serious topics, like the out-of-town developers who'd been seen around town with a Realtor.
Daria, who owned a seashell shop, was the most concerned about it.
"I think they're serious about buying the building," Ivy said to Daria, her voice apologetic.
She was located in a smaller strip mall that was raised and didn't suffer as much damage whenever storms rolled in. It was prime real estate, even if it wasn't as visually attractive as some of the others that were on ground level and had playgrounds and water fountains for guests to enjoy.
Daria shrugged. "It was a good run while it lasted."
"Even if he buys your building, it doesn't mean that you'll have to close," Elena said reassuringly
Daria winced. "He'll probably raise the rent. I'm sure he has a vision for that shopping center that doesn't include me."
"They're looking into buying the South Seas Resort and several restaurants too," Ivy said, her voice low.
"Are they planning island domination?" I asked, feeling irritated because yet another woman was running her fake nails across Shep's chest.
Ivy winced. "I'm afraid they are, and there's nothing we can do about it. I did some research, and the Archer family has money to invest, and they've set their sights on our island."
"So it's not just one person. It's a family?" Daria asked.
"It looks like the father started the company, and the brothers have taken it over, using their individual strengths to grow the business," Ivy said, pulling up the Archer website. She scrolled through the picture of the brothers, each one more attractive than the last.
"At least they're young and attractive," Nora said. "We could use more bachelors around here now that the Kingstons are almost all taken."
Elena looked over at Shep. "It looks like he won't be single for much longer either."
My stomach rolled. "I'm not feeling so good. I think I'm going to head home early." I threw cash in the middle of the table to take care of the drink I hadn't touched.
There were murmurings about whether I was okay and could I make it home, but I assured them I'd be fine with a car service. I certainly wasn't going to pull Shep away from the newest woman who'd caught his attention.
Either he really was that popular, or he was terrible about telling women no. I didn't want to stick around and find out which one it was.
I hurried through the crowd, hoping Shep hadn't spotted me. He was probably wrapped up in an admirer.
Why I thought I could capture Shep's attention and keep it was beyond me.
No one even knew we were dating, so a clean break would be easy. I wouldn't have to worry about being pitied, and Shep could return to the lifestyle he was accustomed to, where women approached him, felt comfortable enough to touch him, and slip him their number.
I was just a single mother with a little girl. I had to think about her needs, not whether I caught and held the attention of the island's hottest bachelor.
I ducked into the waiting car, looking around to see if Shep had followed me. Tomorrow, I'd set up a bunch of appointments to see available apartments with Ivy.
Jon didn't want me living in Shep's house. I'd gone back to the office on Friday night to get my phone, which I'd forgotten, and overheard his father tell him that I needed to be out of the house before the wedding. It had hurt, but I'd understood his concern about what people would say.
I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my job at Kingston Construction. It was the one constant in my life. Maya needed stability, and I'd give it to her.
I kept replaying the visions of those women approaching him, touching him.
I wasn't in any of the videos. I must have known on some level that the videos wouldn't be successful if I was in them. Women wanted to be attracted to the hot contractor.
They didn't want to speculate about whether we were seeing each other or not. I knew that on some level. So I shouldn't be surprised by their reactions. Of course they wanted him.
What I didn't understand was why he didn't shut them down more quickly. He'd come after me in the hallway to the bathroom, but I couldn't get the vision of that blond woman draped all over him out of my head.
There wasn't room for me in this scenario. The driver dropped me off in front of the gate, and I waited for him to leave before entering the code and walking through.
I gazed up at the house. I wouldn't live here much longer. Neither Shep nor this beautiful home were mine. We'd enjoyed ourselves while we were here, and now it was time to go, to lick my wounds and preserve some semblance of pride.
Shep could come home at any minute, and I wanted to be asleep when he did. I didn't want him to ask why I left. The pain was too much.
I wanted to feel sorry for myself. To remind myself why I never should have gotten involved with Shep.
I couldn't handle the attention he got whenever he went out. It brought back all my insecurities, which was the reason I'd resisted him for so long.
He'd only dated me in the safety of the house where no one knew we were together. He could move on from our relationship as soon as I moved out. It would be easy for him to disengage.
I'd preserve my job and my heart. It was the right thing to do. I texted Ivy, asking if she could take me around tomorrow to a few apartments. Then I turned off my phone and got under the sheets.
It would only be a few more nights in this beautiful room, in this amazing house. Then we'd be living in a small one- or two-bedroom apartment, saving whatever money I could and dreaming of a single-family home.
It would be nothing like this. Captiva homes were inherited, not bought by someone like me.
I didn't know why I thought I could have Shep. He was turning into an internet sensation, and I wouldn't block his success. He needed to be single for the videos to be successful.
I listened for Shep to come home, but I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, it was daylight.
I checked the messages from Ivy. She'd scheduled early showings, so I jumped in the shower and rushed downstairs, relieved to see that Shep was gone. He was probably on his run on the beach.
I left a note.
Meeting with Ivy to look at a few places. Love, K.
It was the easy way to inform him that I was moving out. I'd mentioned it at lunch the other day in front of Hudson and Elena. I'd meant it as a cover, but there'd been some truth to it. I knew I should have been looking.
I shouldn't have assumed this home was mine, even temporarily. The Kingston lifestyle wasn't mine. I was a single mom who struggled to find a nice place to live and worried about the cost of groceries and utilities.
I wasn't the woman for Shep, and I didn't know why I thought I could fit into his life.
I hurried through the gate and toward the first apartment where I was meeting Ivy. When I pulled into the condo complex, Ivy stood next to her SUV with a coffee in hand. I got out and grabbed the second one from her, sipping it. "Thank you."
She raised a brow. "No time for coffee?"
I didn't want to stick around and run into Shep. "I overslept."
Ivy walked toward the complex. "Are you feeling better after last night?"
It took me a minute to realize I'd used that as an excuse to duck out. "I think I was tired. We had a long day of renovations."
"Are you excited about seeing a few new places?" Ivy asked with her usual enthusiasm.
Nothing inside me was excited about what I had to do. "Yes."
She unlocked the door. "This condo is on the first floor—"
I'd always been told to avoid first-floor apartments for safety reasons, but I'd never been able to afford anything higher. I tried not to feel despair that I was failing my child again.
Ivy pushed open the door. "It's fully furnished."
That was perfect because most of our furniture had to be discarded after the flood. I didn't have anything especially nice, but I didn't want to have to replace it.
It was bright, everything painted white. The tile in the bathroom, the kitchen, and the countertops, cupboards. "Well, at least it's not too dark."
Ivy smiled. "It's definitely not that."
There was a small bedroom as soon as we walked in, then a bathroom, a kitchen, the living room, and the main bedroom was off the living space. It was marginally larger than the first bedroom with its own bathroom. "This is nice."
"You don't sound excited."
We moved toward the slider that exited out to the grounds. The view was grass and then more condos. "It'll work."
It just didn't feel like a home. I was tired of living in rentals.
"How is the landlord?"
"He should be better than your current one."
"That's good news. I can't take any more flooding."
"This is a newer complex, not a house, so you shouldn't have that issue."
"Good."
She locked up. "I have a few more places to show you."
I was fairly set on this one even if it didn't excite me at all. But I was curious about what she found and didn't want to be alone with Shep. When Maya was home, she'd act as a buffer.
Ivy drove me to another apartment complex which was older and needed updates.
The third one was a house, which I would have loved, but it was way out of my budget. We sat at the coffee shop, sipping our drinks. "I think it will be the first place."
"Do you want to think about it more?"
"I need a place to stay before the wedding, and it's furnished.
" It was perfect for us. But I had a feeling that Maya wasn't going to like the move.
She'd grown close to Shep and loved his house.
How do you go from living in a mansion with a pool on the beach to a rental property?
The complex didn't have a fitness center or a pool. That was what made it affordable.
Ivy cradled the mug in both hands. "I want you to be happy, and I'm not getting good vibes from you."
I grimaced. "It's a big change from where we're living."
Ivy smiled. "You mean Shep's mansion on the beach? That would spoil anyone. It's a Realtor's dream."
"We're going to miss it." I was going to miss him.
"Did Shep say you needed to move now? Maybe we could take our time and find something that would be better. I know you want furnished, but if you bided your time, something could come on the market."
"I overheard Jon talking to Shep. He wants me to move out before the wedding so no one talks about his employee living with his son."
Ivy winced. "I'm sorry. That must have been rough to hear."
"It's fine. But to answer your question, I have to move now." There was a voice in my head reminding me that Shep was amazing with me and Maya. That he said he wanted more and that he wanted me.
He was fairly adamant about that on Friday night. I felt wanted. Loved even. But he hadn't said the words. He hadn't mentioned taking our relationship to the next level.
He hadn't been in a long-term relationship before. Why would I think he'd want to be in one now?
I shoved any thoughts that he made me feel different and special out of my head. I had to do what was right for me and Maya. I needed to preserve my job and my pride.
It had hurt too much to watch Shep with other women last night. I never wanted to go through that again.
"You have to do what's right for you," Ivy said, solidifying my decision.
What was right was moving out of Shep's home and standing on my own two feet. "I want the first apartment."
The life of glitz and glam was over for me. I had to be realistic about what to expect. The longer we lived in this fantasy world with the Kingstons, the more I'd want it, and it wasn't fair to my heart or to Maya's.