Page 15 of Summer Heat
Joy was fine with me being there, but Jonathan didn't seem to be. I wondered if he'd say anything to us about it or wait until he could talk to Shep alone.
Joy bustled into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry you lost all your things. You must be devastated."
"I haven't even had a chance to process everything. I was able to salvage Maya's baby album."
Joy nodded sympathetically. "That's good. Those kinds of things are irreplaceable."
I didn't have family on the island anymore that I could ask for help from. After I graduated from high school, my parents moved to Tallahassee to be closer to my older sister, who had three kids.
I was angry at the landlord who'd upended my independence. If it weren't for him, I'd have a place to live and wouldn't need to ask for help.
My impression of the Kingstons over the years was that Jon was the patriarch of the family and the business. The brothers wanted to impress him in order to take over the business one day, and Shep was the black sheep.
I could see how Shep would want to dispel his family of that belief. I didn't want to cause trouble for him with them.
Elena looped her arm through my elbow. "You must be stressed. Let's get you something to drink."
I let her guide me outside on the deck where there was a table of snacks and glasses of margaritas. She handed me one and then took one for herself.
I sipped it, hoping it would help me relax.
Elena shifted so that she faced me. "Tell me, why did you call Shep first?"
I glanced into the kitchen where Shep was in the middle of a discussion with Hudson and Cooper. Refocusing on Elena, I said, "You all are with significant others now. You're busy., and I didn't want to bother you."
Her eyes narrowed on me. "I thought Shep annoyed you."
"He does, or at least he did. But I knew he would pick up my call, and he'd be there for me. It was just instinct." It did something for my libido that he'd shown up like he had, all growly about the landlord and my situation. He'd rescued me in every sense of the word.
Elena pursed her lips. "Interesting."
"I needed to get our things out of the house, and he had muscles and a truck." I thought that was a good answer, but I worried she'd latch onto my mention of his muscles.
Elena grabbed a tortilla chip and dipped it into the salsa. "Hmm."
Despite his reputation, the way he talked about girls as if they were just for fun, I knew he'd be there for me. Maybe it was the way he'd always treated Maya.
Cooper and Dalton came onto the deck, arguing about a play in a baseball game.
"Let's go down to the pool." Elena carried her glass down the steps to the patio, and I followed her.
We sat in a lounger next to each other.
We could hear the murmur of voices from above, but no one joined us.
Elena set her lemonade on a small table between our chairs. "Was it Shep's idea for you to move in?"
"He was insistent about it," I said, still trying to work out that bit in my head.
She nodded. "He has a big house. All those empty bedrooms."
"He has plenty of space, but I think it was more than that." I thought back to how happy he was this morning, cooking Maya breakfast and helping her brush her teeth.
She tipped her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"I think he might be lonely. All his siblings are with significant others now. A few of you have kids. He's alone."
Elena sighed. "We should invite him over for dinner more."
