+ Excerpt +

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"I need you to come into the office."

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It was a long day, and all I wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and sit on my back deck with a beer in my hand. "Sure."

I didn't bother to ask what it was about. If Dad said he wanted to see me, then I complied. He was the boss. If I had any hope of taking over for him one day, I needed to show him I was reliable and responsible.

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I hung up, taking a left to go to the office instead of the right that would take me along Gulf Drive to my house.

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At the office, I parked next to my dad's red Kingston Construction truck and got out. I was rarely in the office. I spent most of my time on jobsites, managing various crews.

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Inside, I waved to the new office assistant, Kinsley, who'd taken over for my sister, Luna, when she decided to open an interior-design business.

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"He's waiting for you," Kinsley said with a smile.

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I leaned on the counter, nerves kicking in. "Do you know what it's about?"

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"He's meeting with Elena Perkins. She just moved home and works for the Island Times. I assume it's something related to the magazine."

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"I don't know an Elena Perkins." I rapped my knuckles on the countertop, not liking the reason why Dad would want me here.

"We all went to school together. You don't remember her? She's nice. I'm sure it's not going to be that bad."

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I blew out a breath as I checked the time on the clock on the wall. "Have a good night, Kins."

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"You too," Kinsley said cheerfully, because she was minutes from getting out of here, and I was meeting with a journalist for some unknown reason. I ran the possible scenarios through my head, not liking any of them.

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It wasn't uncommon for the local newspaper or magazine to do a write-up on the business or the status of construction on the island, but I'd never been included in any of those interviews because my dad was the head of the company. Maybe things were finally changing. I didn't relish the marketing or publicity side of the business, but I was looking forward to taking over for my father someday.

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I hesitated at the doorway.

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A woman with long blond hair sat in the chair across from my dad. She wore a floral dress and silver sandals on her feet. I wasn't sure why I noticed, but her nails were painted pink.

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Dad looked at me. "Hudson, glad you could make it."

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The woman stood and turned to face me. She had a notebook in her hand.

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Dad held out a hand in my direction. "Elena Perkins, this is my eldest son, Hudson. I think he'll be the best to help you with your project."

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I shook her outstretched hand, trying not to notice how her dress accentuated her breasts or brought out the blue in her eyes. "And what project is that?"

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When we were seated across from him, Dad continued, "Ms. Perkins works for the Sanibel Island magazine and is writing an article on the most eligible bachelors on the island. Apparently, you and your brothers are on the top of that list," Dad said, an odd sense of pride in his voice.

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I groaned. "You can't be serious."

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Elena's smile faded. "Your father said you would allow me to shadow you and interview you for the story."

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"It will be good publicity for the business." Dad slapped his hands on the desk as he stood. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about. I'll be heading out."

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Dad rounded the desk to shake Elena's hand and then said his goodbyes. He was out the door before I could respond.

Slightly panicked, I said, "I'll be right back." Then I hurried to the now-vacant front counter. "Dad, why would we want to be involved in something like this? It sounds like a fluff piece."

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Dad turned to face me, a stern expression on his face. "They're going to write the story with or without us. I'd rather we be portrayed in a positive light. And it'll be good for the business."

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"Why can't Shepard or Cooper handle it? They'd eat something like this up." My middle brothers were twins and loved the limelight. Or at least Shepard did, and Cooper went along for the ride.

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Dad chuckled. "I need my level-headed, responsible son to take the lead on this one.”

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"Fuck," I said before I could stop myself.

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Dad raised a brow.

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He got on us all the time about swearing. He instilled in us that Kingston Construction had a certain reputation to uphold. We were clean-cut, respectful, didn't leave a mess, and didn't swear. Most of the time. "You know I don't have time for this."

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"She'll be following you around while you work. It won't be an imposition." Dad's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, brow furrowed. "Where did I leave my glasses?" He patted his empty front pocket, and I reached for the cell.

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"Mom wants to know why you're not home yet."

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Dad plucked the phone out of my hands. "I'm not getting in trouble. I trust you to handle this. One day, all of this will be yours."

"You can count on me." I ran a hand through my hair in frustration as he walked out. Then I trudged down the hall to his office where Elena had resumed her seat. I sat in the chair next to her, not feeling like it was appropriate for me to take my dad's chair.

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"Miss—" I began, not remembering her last name.

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She smiled tightly. "Perkins."

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"Miss Perkins, I'm not interested in doing any interviews, and I don't think it's safe for you to shadow me."

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Her forehead wrinkled. "Your father assured me that you would cooperate with my story and participate in the photo shoot."

I raised a brow. "Photo shoot?"

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She sighed. "Yes, a photo shoot. My boss seems to think that you and your brothers are the most eligible bachelors on the island, but I'm starting to think it's not because of your charming demeanor. The photo might be the only thing that saves this article."

I was so thrown by her sassiness; I was momentarily speechless. Was she admitting that she found me attractive, or was she saying I didn't deserve the moniker?

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"Your father assured me that you would cooperate. He provided me with your phone number and email—"

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I didn't like the sound of that.

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"I'll forward my information to you, including the timeline for the article and photo shoot. I'll need you to provide your schedule so that I can shadow you."

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My jaw tightened to the point of pain. "I work in construction. How do you expect to do that? Are you going to be on jobsites?"

"I'd like to see what you do." Her expression was serious.

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I stood, running a hand through my hair. "This is completely unnecessary. I can sit for an interview and a photo shoot, but I can't have beauty queens following me around on construction sites. It's dangerous."

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"I want to get a full picture of Kingston Construction. Does your family merely manage the company, or are you more hands-on?"

I stepped closer. "I can assure you; I'm very hands-on."

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She lifted her chin in haughty defiance. "That remains to be seen. So far, my impression is that you're acting like a toddler who's not getting his way."

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My hands curled into fists. "I'm not acting like a toddler."

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Her gaze lowered to my hands, and she raised a brow. "Are you sure about that?"

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I forced myself to relax my muscles. Surely, I could handle a woman following me around for a few days. She'd get bored, and I could send her on her way. "Listen, beauty queen."

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Her eyes flashed with irritation.

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"You do anything that endangers me or my employees, you're gone."

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She grinned. "I would never do that. You won't even notice I'm there."

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"Somehow, I doubt that." The other problem was that she was gorgeous and enticing, and if I thought so, my crew would too. She was a distraction I didn't need or want.