Page 33 of Summer Heat
"I do want a tub with feet," Maya said, and I tried not to laugh.
Shep managed to keep his composure. "One tub with feet. Brass—I mean, gold fixtures." He went through the rest of the rendering with Maya nodding and interjecting something here and there. But it was all Shep.
He was engaging and interesting. I didn't know why he was so nervous to do this. I loved watching the two of them interact, and the rest of the island would too.
He finally lowered the page and said, "Are you ready to rip out this bathroom?"
Maya nodded.
Shep handed her goggles, gloves, and a hammer.
I hit End on the video and said, "Are we really doing this?"
"We're going to rip out the fixtures. We're getting all new. Nothing but the best for this princess."
"Save the cute stuff for the camera. You really want Maya to help you demo?"
"I think she can swing a hammer once or twice. And then I can do the rest."
"I can help. I'll be real careful. I promise."
I met Shep's gaze over her head.
"I'll take care of her."
And I knew he would. "Okay."
Shep closed his fingers into a fist that he raised over his head and said, "Yes."
"Can I swing the hammer now?" Maya asked, drawing our attention to the fact that she still held the heavy tool.
"Yes, but let's go over a few rules first."
I placed the phone on the stand, and hit Record, standing back to watch how sweet and careful Shep was with my daughter. Would everyone be as enamored with these two as I was? Or was it just me and my overactive libido that saw something there?
This man would make a great dad one day. Provided that he wanted that role. So far, I couldn't tell what he wanted. He lived the proverbial bachelor life in his grandmother's mansion. He was renovating it for family and filming his progress for business. But what did he do for himself? Everything was in furtherance of proving himself to his family.
I had a feeling this scene would be gold for Kingston Construction's social-media pages. I wasn't sure I knew how to get people to watch it. But when they did, it would be popular. How could anyone watch this and not think these two were adorable?
Then I had an awful thought. Would it be just like when the Island Times article came out about the brothers being the hottest bachelors on the island? Now Shep was the lone single brother. All the women were going to be flocking to him.
Once these videos were released, he'd remember what he missed about the single life, and we would be a memory. Filming the renovation was part of my job though.
I was supposed to be helping him with the renovation design and filming our progress. It wasn't my responsibility to worry about his dating life.
"We always wear protective gear because debris can fly and hit our skin."
"What's debris?" Maya asked seriously.
Shep nodded. "Good question. When you hit the bathtub, the porcelain will break, and there might be shards flying through the air. The goggles and gloves protect you from getting injured."
Maya looked a little unsure.
"If you're wearing your protective gear, you can feel confident that you won't get hurt. Swinging a hammer can feel good. You get out any anger that you have or frustration. It’s satisfying to build something new out of the old," Shep said.
I liked the idea of building something new out of the old. The only difference in my life was that the house was destroyed, and I wouldn't be there to see it rebuilt. Instead, I was starting over again. The same way I did after it was clear that me and Derek would never work.
"Are you ready to try a swing?" Shep asked, and at Maya's nod, he demonstrated how she should hold the hammer. "Now you try."
