Page 42 of Summer Nights

Hudson's forehead wrinkled. "Mom said something to me about that."

I raised a brow. "She did?"

Hudson nodded. "She wants us to put in a good word for him with Dad."

"You know how he is. I should be managing my own projects. Instead, I'm always with Shep in order to keep an eye on him."

"Mom's always had a soft spot for Shep," Hudson said matter-of-factly.

I wouldn't share my thoughts about Shep with Elena and Hudson. I felt like the lesser twin. Not as charming. I was diminished in his shadow. "Shep said he's going to prove us wrong about him."

Hudson shrugged. "We'll see if he makes any changes at work."

"We're thinking that this could be ideal for Shepard. He could play to the camera and bring positive publicity to the business."

"When we participated with the magazine article, it had some negative blowback," I pointed out. It was Elena's job with the island magazine that led to her shadowing my brother and them developing a personal relationship. But it wasn't without some issues when the article went viral.

"Then there was some noise when Brady donated money to Hazel's library's after school program," Hudson added.

Elena frowned. "You're not wrong. But I'd say overall the publicity has been good for you."

I leaned back in my chair. "Dad won't see it that way."

"I think it's something we should consider," Hudson said carefully.

I sighed, knowing what he was getting at. "You want me to talk to Shepard about this?"

"You're closest to him," Elena said hopefully.

"He's just started to do some demo on the house and mentioned something about Kinsley helping with the design."

Hudson frowned. "Why not get Luna to help?"

"She's in Colorado, working on a project there," I said.

"That's perfect then. You can ask what he thinks about filming it. We don't have to make long videos. We could start with short ones for our social media pages and see what the response is."

"I'll talk to him." I had a feeling Shepard would love to do it, and like most things he did, he'd probably excel in front of a camera. Even if he wandered off task, the video could be edited.

Hudson was quiet for a few seconds, and then he added, "And maybe you should stop covering for Shep. Let him pull his own weight."

I played with the edge of my napkin. "I've worked hard my whole life to keep him on task."

"It won't be easy, but it would be healthier for both of you."

It would be a necessity if I was going to have a baby soon. I'd need to be more present with the baby, and early morning start times might be difficult. I wouldn't have time to look out for Shepard too. "I think you're right."

Hudson grinned. "I usually am."

I was grateful for my family. They'd support me. I wasn't so sure about Ivy. Would she continue to push me away, or could I convince her I was here to stay?

Chapter Eleven

Ivy

I had the sudden urge to make a push to earn more money. I needed to stockpile funds for the months where I might not be able to work. I decided to advertise more aggressively for new clients in the coming months. I couldn't wrap my mind around juggling a baby and work.

Would I put a baby in daycare? I hated the idea. But I wanted to work. It was so much a part of who I was. I enjoyed it, and I craved the security that came with it.

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