Page 102 of Summer Love

It had merely become a piece about how hot the guys were and which one was more attractive. It was a shallow story, and I knew Jonathan and the rest of the Kingstons would hate it. I needed to apologize to them. But I wasn't sure how to go about it.

When I got out of my car and walked up the sidewalk, the sky opened, and the rain came down in torrents. My hair was plastered to my head, but I paused and lifted my face to the sky. When the first rumble sounded, I snapped into motion and ran for the door.

Grams was already in bed, so I ran up the stairs to take off my wet clothes. I dried off and dressed in my comfiest loungewear. Then I sat on my chair to watch the storm.

Lightening zigzagged across the sky. Rain pounded overhead on the roof, and thunder rumbled loudly. I usually enjoyed storms, but my heart was torn in two. I felt betrayed and responsible for the fallout at the same time.

I'd wanted to write an article that showed who the Kingstons were, and Valerie took that and cheapened it. There was almost nothing in the final article about their volunteer work or their work ethic.

My head ached, and my eyes burned with exhaustion. But I needed to do something.

What if I published the original article with a short note about what happened? What if I used Valerie's social-media game against her? I didn't have much of a social-media presence, but I might still have access to the magazine's social media platforms even though I never did anything with them.

I grabbed my laptop and pulled up the original article. Then I signed into theIsland Timessocial-media platforms. I wanted to post on all the apps at once. But I needed to get the words on the post just right.

I took a deep breath and typed.

It's important for everyone to see the original article before the editor-in-chief, Valerie Simmons altered it and made the Kingston brothers into something they aren't. When I began my research, I wondered who were the Kingstons who run the only contracting business on the island. What I found far exceeded my expectations. These men are serious about their work and loyal to a fault. Each one is involved volunteer work that is meaningful to them outside the business. These are hardworking men who want their business and the community to thrive.

At the beginning of this assignment, I was tasked with shadowing the eldest brother, Hudson. He was the responsible one, destined to take over the business. At first, he wanted nothing to do with me. But as I worked by his side, willing to do whatever he did that day, he opened up to me. A relationship formed between us, and I was powerless to resist him.

I knew this development could affect my article and my reputation, but I did it anyway. That was my fault. I can't regret falling in love with him. He was the one thing I never counted on. But I betrayed his trust. I didn't do my due diligence, and I allowed the article to become something it was never supposed to be. So here's the real story. I hope after you're finished reading it, you love the Kingstons as much as I do.

And Hudson, if you're reading this, I hope you can forgive me. I never meant for any of this to happen.

When the post was written, my finger hovered over the Post button. Once I hit publish, I would only be adding to the media frenzy. But the most important thing was that Hudson understood that I never intended for any of this to happen.

I'd hit Publish and hope it fixed some of the damage Valerie caused. I knew I needed to find Hudson, but I wasn't sure where he was. And I knew he didn't want to talk to me. I should let him calm down and wait until he was thinking clearly.

The man I knew wouldn't think the worst of me. He'd trust that I had our best interests at heart. I couldn't pretend that his accusations hadn't hurt.

I closed the laptop and turned off the notifications on my phone. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to see what people were commenting on my post. I couldn't handle it. Not now, when I felt splayed open.

I rested my head on the pillow, listening to the slowing patter of the rain against the window. It used to bring me comfort, and maybe it would now. It reminded me of all the good times I spent with Hudson in the rain. The time we ran from the ocean to beat the storm, not quite making it. Our first kiss.

Something struck the window, and I started. Was it a branch from the wind? The thing was, there weren't any branches near this window. The rain was lighter now, and the lightning strikes were farther away, so I opened the door to the deck.

I walked over to the edge, placing my hands on the railing, and leaned over.

Hudson stood there, looking up at me. He was wet as if he'd been in the rain for a while.

"What are you doing here?" I couldn't believe he was actually here, that he wanted to talk. He'd been so angry earlier.

"I saw your post."

I let out a breath. "I wasn't sure if you would since you're not on social media."

"Shep showed it to me."

My shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Hudson. I never intended for any of this to happen."

He raised a brow. "Have you seen the comments on your post?"

I frowned. "I posted it and then closed my laptop."

"It's getting a lot of views."

"What are people saying?" My heart rate started to pick up.

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