Page 50 of Summer Heat
I sent the first few edited versions over to the group chat for the girls to see what everyone thought. I continued scouring the film for other moments that viewers would connect with, whether it was Shep describing the design choices, instructions on how to do something, or cute interactions with Maya. There were a lot of those.
When I finally checked my phone, I had dozens of texts responding to the clips, ranging from these are amazing to I had no idea Shep was so good with kids. The thing was, he'd bonded with Maya in the office long before I softened toward him.
It was Elena's message that made me pause. She'd said, You have to post these! These are so adorable. Even if we only use them for social-media clips to generate interest in the business, I think you should keep filming. You're onto something.
What was I onto? An attractive man who was good with my kid? A contractor who struggled with organization skills and the respect of his family, but desperately wanted their acceptance? I felt like I'd learned more about Shep during this process than anyone else.
The sun was starting to dip when I finally stretched my neck and checked the time.
The sliding door opened, and Hudson stepped through. "I'm going to head out."
I placed my laptop on the table. "Thanks for coming over to help."
He pointed toward the computer. "What's that?"
"That's the clip I edited. Want to see it?" At Hudson's nod, I hit Play.
He braced his hands on the back of the iron chair, and we fell silent as we watched it play. It was the scene where Shep was showing the design for the princess bathroom to Maya. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flush with excitement as Shep patiently described the layout.
The clip ended when she proclaimed excitement about her new princess bathroom. By the time the clip was over, Shep had joined us.
He gestured at the screen. "Are you posting that somewhere?"
I glanced at my phone. "Elena recommended that we post it on social media first, since these are short clips, and see what response we get. It might not get any views."
Hudson lifted his hands from the chair. "You're good with Maya."
"Yeah, he's so good with her," I said softly.
Shep nodded toward the screen where he and Maya were frozen. "Are you sure it's a good idea to post that?"
I shrugged, not knowing what to expect. "There's a possibility that no one will see or those who do won't care."
"But there's a chance that it goes viral or whatever, right?" Shep asked tightly.
"I doubt it will go viral. The business has social-media sites, but we're followed by past, current, and potential clients. We don't have that kind of reach yet. This is to show clients that you're more than a business or a logo on a wall. You're a family."
"I don't like it."
I knew he was nervous about people watching and scrutinizing him. "People are going to like it."
Hudson nodded. "The camera loves you, and you're good in front of it."
Shep straightened as if Hudson's praise meant something to him. "I wasn't awkward?"
"I noticed that you relax and forget about the camera when Maya's around ," I said.
"Dad thinks we need to be more active on social media, and this will satisfy him. The purpose of the article we did with the Island Times was to get more eyes on the business and to endear us to the community," Hudson explained.
"All it did was to get more girls asking us out. Do you know how many calls for estimates I was sent on when it was just a woman interested in getting my number?" Shep grumbled, and I raised my brows.
I hadn't heard him complain about it at the time.
At Hudson's blank look, Shep shook his head. "You were too busy with Elena while I was fending off the single women."
"That must have been so hard for you," Hudson drawled.
"I'll start posting these, and we'll see what kind of reception they get."
