Page 84 of Summer Heat
Did he even want to be with me when he could literally have anyone?
I tried to focus on the conversation which had veered to more serious topics, like the out-of-town developers who'd been seen around town with a Realtor.
Daria, who owned a seashell shop, was the most concerned about it.
"I think they're serious about buying the building," Ivy said to Daria, her voice apologetic.
She was located in a smaller strip mall that was raised and didn't suffer as much damage whenever storms rolled in. It was prime real estate, even if it wasn't as visually attractive as some of the others that were on ground level and had playgrounds and water fountains for guests to enjoy.
Daria shrugged. "It was a good run while it lasted."
"Even if he buys your building, it doesn't mean that you'll have to close," Elena said reassuringly
Daria winced. "He'll probably raise the rent. I'm sure he has a vision for that shopping center that doesn't include me."
"They're looking into buying the South Seas Resort and several restaurants too," Ivy said, her voice low.
"Are they planning island domination?" I asked, feeling irritated because yet another woman was running her fake nails across Shep's chest.
Ivy winced. "I'm afraid they are, and there's nothing we can do about it. I did some research, and the Archer family has money to invest, and they've set their sights on our island."
"So it's not just one person. It's a family?" Daria asked.
"It looks like the father started the company, and the brothers have taken it over, using their individual strengths to grow the business," Ivy said, pulling up the Archer website. She scrolled through the picture of the brothers, each one more attractive than the last.
"At least they're young and attractive," Nora said. "We could use more bachelors around here now that the Kingstons are almost all taken."
Elena looked over at Shep. "It looks like he won't be single for much longer either."
My stomach rolled. "I'm not feeling so good. I think I'm going to head home early." I threw cash in the middle of the table to take care of the drink I hadn't touched.
There were murmurings about whether I was okay and could I make it home, but I assured them I'd be fine with a car service. I certainly wasn't going to pull Shep away from the newest woman who'd caught his attention.
Either he really was that popular, or he was terrible about telling women no. I didn't want to stick around and find out which one it was.
I hurried through the crowd, hoping Shep hadn't spotted me. He was probably wrapped up in an admirer.
Why I thought I could capture Shep's attention and keep it was beyond me.
No one even knew we were dating, so a clean break would be easy. I wouldn't have to worry about being pitied, and Shep could return to the lifestyle he was accustomed to, where women approached him, felt comfortable enough to touch him, and slip him their number.
I was just a single mother with a little girl. I had to think about her needs, not whether I caught and held the attention of the island's hottest bachelor.
I ducked into the waiting car, looking around to see if Shep had followed me. Tomorrow, I'd set up a bunch of appointments to see available apartments with Ivy.
Jon didn't want me living in Shep's house. I'd gone back to the office on Friday night to get my phone, which I'd forgotten, and overheard his father tell him that I needed to be out of the house before the wedding. It had hurt, but I'd understood his concern about what people would say.
I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my job at Kingston Construction. It was the one constant in my life. Maya needed stability, and I'd give it to her.
I kept replaying the visions of those women approaching him, touching him.
I wasn't in any of the videos. I must have known on some level that the videos wouldn't be successful if I was in them. Women wanted to be attracted to the hot contractor.
They didn't want to speculate about whether we were seeing each other or not. I knew that on some level. So I shouldn't be surprised by their reactions. Of course they wanted him.
What I didn't understand was why he didn't shut them down more quickly. He'd come after me in the hallway to the bathroom, but I couldn't get the vision of that blond woman draped all over him out of my head.
There wasn't room for me in this scenario. The driver dropped me off in front of the gate, and I waited for him to leave before entering the code and walking through.
