Page 12 of Summer Love

Her head tipped to the side. "What was it like growing up with so many siblings?"

I reached for bottles of water from the cooler I'd brought and handed her one. "It was chaotic at times, but my parents kept us in line. I think it helped that we went with Dad on his jobs frequently, got us out of Mom's hair."

"What about your sister? Did she tag along with your dad?"

"She's the youngest, and by the time she came along, Dad had his hands full with us." I lifted my shirt and wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"Was Luna okay with that?"

I sat on the windowsill. "We thought she was, until recently. That's why she went out on her own, flipping houses and doing interior design work on the side."

"Is your dad okay with her not working in the family business?"

I didn't want to say anything that would portray my family in a bad light. "I think he wishes she would have stayed, but he understands that he screwed up. When she first asked about expanding the business with interior design options, Dad shut her down. He couldn't see that it was a great idea. Now we send our clients to her, and she's operating on her own. That's better for her. She can create her own schedule since she lives here part-time.

"Oh, that's right. I think Kinsley said she's dating someone from Maryland."

"She went there on vacation, rented the cabin next to Axel's, and they fell in love. His family owns a Christmas tree farm there, so they travel back and forth."

"Is it weird that your little sister is in a serious relationship, but the rest of you aren't?" Elena asked carefully, probably worried about hurting my feelings.

I chuckled. "Not at all. She's way more mature than me and my brothers. Always has been."

Her gaze met mine. "You love your family."

I nodded. "Of course. No different than you."

She looked away from me. "I've interviewed a lot of people who have trauma left over from their childhoods, but it almost sounds like yours was idyllic."

"I don't know about that." The idea that our childhood was perfect made me feel uncomfortable, but I knew that's what a lot of people thought. We were most people's version of an ideal family unit, working a family business and getting along together.

"I don't think I'm going to find any skeletons in the Kingstons' closet."

I chuckled to cover my discomfort. "There aren't any."

"So everyone's content to work in the family business?" she asked carefully.

I stood and dropped my water bottle in a bag I always brought for trash and recycling. "Marshall joined the military after college."

"Was your father upset about that?"

"Not at all. He always wanted us to pursue our dreams. There are more than enough of us to run the business. Now let's get back to work. The walls won't go up by themselves." I grabbed another board, hoping she'd give me a break from the questions.

"Is this what you'd be doing if I wasn't here?"

My forehead creased. "We have an order of how we do things, and right now, it's drywall."

"Would you be the guy screwing in the boards?" she asked, moving into position, holding the board steady.

"I like getting my hands dirty as much as I like directing the project. I wouldn't do anything I wouldn't expect my coworkers to do."

"In Boston, I worked with a lot of men who didn't want to get their hands dirty, literally or figuratively."

I scoffed. "Who were these guys you were around?"

A smile curved over her face. "They preferred suits and corner offices."

"You won't get any of that here. I believe in hard work. It comes with a lot of callouses." Then I winked at her. "But the ladies haven't complained."

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