Page 14 of Summer Love

He cleared his throat. "I'd gotten used to your questions."

Slightly insulted, I said, "I can be quiet. I'm processing what I learned so far."

"And what's that?" His voice was low.

I moved over to where he stood, holding the slab of drywall in place. "You're quieter and more reserved than your brothers. I'm just wondering why that is."

"I think you have to be when you're the oldest."

"I wouldn't know anything about that. I'm the youngest."

He nodded. "Ah. The baby of the family."

I waited while he drove the screws through the drywall. Then I asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He set the screwgun down. "Did you get whatever you wanted growing up?"

I frowned. "I wouldn't say that. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother though. My parents worked off the island, so we came home to an empty house. When we went to Grams, it was better. We had the run of the beach."

"Some would call your childhood idyllic as well."

"If you love the beach and the water." I let my mind wander as Hudson grabbed another board. "We'd ride our bikes on the paths. We could do the entire island in one run."

"Yeah, the island is small. Sometimes too small."

"That's why it was nice when we moved to school off-island. There were more kids to meet and interact with."

"Why don't I remember you when I first saw you standing in my father's office? I felt like I knew most of the island kids."

I shrugged. "I guess because we never had a reason to talk."

His scrutiny was unnerving.

What was I supposed to say? I was so out of his league it wasn't even funny? It didn't feel good admitting that out loud. "You hung around with a certain crowd I wasn't part of. I had a few good friends, and we stayed out of the drama."

He frowned thoughtfully. "I didn't like drama either."

I snorted. "That's funny, because the group you sat with at lunch loved drama. They talked about everyone."

He turned his head slightly. "What did they say?"

I rolled my eyes. "As if you don't know. I suppose what every popular crowd talks about. How another person's hair isn't nice, or her clothes aren't stylish or the right brand. They don't come from the right family or have the right car."

"I never got involved in that bullshit."

"Yeah, maybe. But my point is that your crowd looked down on everyone who wasn't lucky enough to be included in yours." I shrugged like it was no big deal. "It was the typical high-school social experience."

"I didn't pay attention to that kind of stuff. If you had struck up a conversation, I would have talked to you."

I looked at him as he screwed in the next board. Standing this close to him was intoxicating. He smelled like sawdust and sweat.

He screwed the last one and then lowered his arms before meeting my gaze. "I never thought about whether I was popular or ran in a certain crowd. I kept my head down, studied, and played sports. I wanted to go to school close to home and return as soon as possible so I could help my family. My dad counted on me, especially when Marshall made other plans."

"That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself at eighteen."

"I never thought about that either. I just did what needed to be done. I promise you; I never took part in conversations putting down other kids."

That was probably true. Even in the cafeteria, he had a book open in front of him. He wasn't picked on for being a nerd because he was so good-looking, even in the awkward middle school years. But he was completely oblivious to the attention. "You're an interesting combination."

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