Page 76 of Summer Love

"Your Grams is the best," Cooper said to me.

I nodded in acknowledgement. "She is."

"I love her cookies," Shep said, brushing off his hands on his jeans and getting back to work.

I stood, and Hudson approached me. "I think we're good for the afternoon if you wanted to work on something else."

"I should probably work on the article." I was reluctant to do it, because I was worried it wouldn't be sexy enough for Valerie.

He kissed me softly. "I'll let you know when we're getting ready to leave."

When I went to walk away, he smacked my ass. When I turned to glare at him, he laughed.

Shep threw a rag at him. "Stop mooning after your girlfriend, and get to work."

Upstairs, I settled at my desk that was situated away from the view of the beach so I could focus. I opened the outline and the blank document that would be my article.

I loved a good human-interest story, and my angle was the Kingston family's philanthropy and their family bond. But I was fairly sure Valerie was more interested in their exploits outside of work. But there was no way I was sharing any information about what Dalton was going through. That was private, even if the whole island was buzzing with the news.

You couldn't keep a secret here, but I wasn't going to exploit his situation to publish a story that Valerie thought would sell more copies. I kept trying to think of ways to make it sexier. The photographs would help, and maybe I could make the guys look mysterious instead of releasing all their secrets. Surely, Valerie would be on board for a bit of a tease.

Satisfied that I had a plan, I started with my first impression of Hudson as someone reluctant to let someone shadow him. How concerned he was about his crew's safety.

It was only when I agreed to pitch in that he opened up to me. The paragraphs on how important philanthropy was to the Kingstons was easy to write. It was impressive that the brothers had done their own thing without any prodding. Their big hearts were the most interesting things about them as far as I was concerned.

It was something I doubted anyone knew about them, and I didn't think they wanted anyone to know.

They still went out to the bars and had fun. But I hadn't observed any of them picking up women. Each time I was with them, they hung out with my friends. There was no flirting or come-ons that I saw. No one disappeared to go home with a woman for the night. Not to say that it didn't happen. But I wasn't seeing it.

So their playboy reputation might not be entirely deserved. Or they kept it quiet. I wondered if I was supposed to explore that a little further. And if so, how?

I got back to drafting what I had so far, making a note for anything I should research. I loved this part of the process, writing down my impressions and putting my spin on the subject of my interviews.

I wanted the person to come alive on the page. I wanted everyone to know Hudson Kingston and his brothers. Not as the hot construction guys, but as individuals.

Maybe that was what I needed to do. Give each brother a photo of themselves and a little section just for them. If so, I'd need to do interviews with each one of them.

It was daunting, and I wasn't sure I had enough time before my deadline to get it done. But I hoped I would.

What about their parents? Should I ask them some questions? Maybe there was a romance that could be worth exploring. No, the story was about the brothers. Then my heart stuttered. Would Valerie be upset when she found out I snagged Hudson for myself before the story could run? Should we keep it quiet for a few weeks until the story came out?

I didn't like the idea, but it might be our best option. Right now, I could right off the time we spent together as necessary for the story.

I rolled back my shoulders to ease the tension between them.

Hudson knocked lightly on the door frame. "Still working?"

I turned on my swivel chair. "I'm about ready for a break."

"Me too. Want to grab dinner?" At my hesitation, he said, "Or we could make something."

"I'll have to see what Grams has planned. Sometimes she likes to cook. If not, I usually figure out something."

He came over to the desk, his hands landing on my shoulders, kneading the tight muscles. "Did you get a lot of work done?"

"Actually, I did. I drafted what I have so far. I'm not finished though. It will need a lot of edits."

He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's a process."

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