She held out her hand to Marshall. "It's nice to meet you."
"This is my daughter, Hayden, and my roommate for the summer, Saylor."
Hayden gave Kinsley a little wave, and I smiled.
When the introductions were complete, Marshall asked Kinsley, "You're helping Shep with the design?"
"He asked me to take a look. I don't know how much help I'll be." Kinsley looked around with wide eyes. "This seems like a huge project."
Shep grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and twisted off the cap. "You're good at what you do."
She gave him a look. "I'm an administrative assistant."
Shep shook his head. "You're always pouring over design choices. You can do a better job than I'd be able to. Cooper suggested that we film the renovations and add it to our social media pages."
"That would be really cool," Hayden said.
Shep exchanged a look with Kinsley. "I told you it was a good idea."
"I don't know if I want to be involved in that, especially since I'm not a professional," Kinsley said hesitantly.
Maya sidled next to her mother, peering around her to see Shep.
Shep squatted down to her level. "You want a juice?"
The girl looked to her mother who nodded. "Yes, please."
Shep stood to his full height, grabbing a juice box from his fridge.
"You keep juice boxes in your fridge?" Marshall asked.
Shep shrugged. "I knew Maya was coming over, and she likes juice."
Shep slid the straw into the slot and handed Maya the box. "You want to see the pool?"
"You have a pool?" Maya asked, her eyes wide.
"I sure do." Shep took her hand, guiding her to the French doors that led outside. "It's a little too big for me. Maybe you could bring your suit next time and swim in it."
"Oh, yeah," she said.
Hayden followed them outside, closing the French door behind her.
"Maya loves Shep," Kinsley said. "He's like a big kid."
"I didn't realize he was good with kids," Marshall said, as if he was trying to figure something out.
"He's good with her," Kinsley said softly.
Marshall raised a brow. "Do you know what you're getting into with this place?'
"Shep's been talking about renovating for a while, and he asked for my help, but I didn't think he was serious."
"He seems serious about it now."
"I don't know if I can do this place justice. Shouldn't he talk to someone who has experience with older homes like this?" Kinsley asked.
"He must value your opinion," I said to her.
