Page 24 of Summer Love

"That's where she's wrong. You make yourself happy."

"Exactly. But she's old-fashioned. She wants me to have a relationship like she did with Grandpa. I think she worries about me being alone in this house when she dies."

"Well, that's not happening any time soon. She's healthy and strong."

"I think so too."

Hudson opened his truck door for me, and I climbed inside, careful to hold my skirt down so I wouldn't flash him. Inside, it smelled like him, a combination of sawdust and man. He set the radio to play softly in the background before he pulled out onto the road.

"Where are we meeting at?"

"That restaurant on the beach. We can eat and drink, and it doesn't feel like a bar."

"Whenever I go there, I feel like I'm on vacation. It's hard to believe I live here now. A place most people only visit for a week or two a year."

He glanced over at me. "We live in paradise. That's what my mom always says."

"We're so lucky."

"You think you have enough for your story yet?"

"I need to see you interact with your family of course."

"You should come to family dinner this Sunday. That'll tell you all you need to know."

"Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to intrude. I know we said I needed to shadow you but not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"We should do everything you need. Then we'll be done with this shadowing stuff sooner rather than later."

I smiled to cover my discomfort. "I appreciate you being so cooperative, especially after our initial meeting."

"We always do good work on time. That's how we got the reputation we do. We're not the most sought after just because we're the only contractor in town."

"I can see that."

He pulled up to the beachside restaurant and got out. We met at the hood, and he didn't take my hand, but it felt like it was a date. I hoped his brothers didn't think it was anything more than business.

I smoothed my hands over my skirt, nervous about hanging out with them tonight.

We walked around back to where there were tables situated in the sand and Adirondack chairs arranged around bonfires.

There were people talking and laughing with drinks in their hands, and a band playing off to the side.

"There they are," Hudson said as he took my hand and led me through the crowd of people.

I tried not to think about the fact that he was holding my hand now. But it felt nice, his palm resting against mine, confident and sure.

When we reached the table with his brothers, he released his grip on me, and I hoped no one saw the connection. I wasn't ready to deal with his brother's questions or teasing. I didn't want them to know that I'd harbored a crush on him for years, and this arrangement was making it worse.

We stood at the end of the table.

"Elena, if you don't already know, these are the youngest, Dalton and Brady, then the twins, Shepard and Cooper."

Each brother inclined his head when his name was mentioned. Shepard and Cooper sat on one side, Dalton and Brady on the other.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm hoping to get to know what it's like being a part of the Kingston family."

"Crazy obviously." Shepard exchanged a look with his brothers.

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