Shep clasped his hands together. "Let's eat and talk shop."
We went downstairs where Shep put a charcuterie board together along with deli-meat sandwiches for the girls.
He set a juice box, sandwich, and a bowl of grapes in front of Maya. Then he sat next to her while the rest of us filled out plates.
Shep didn't seem like the domestic sort, but he was a good host and catered to Maya.
Hayden sat at the table along with Kinsley. Since the kitchen table was small, I sat with Marshall at the counter.
When Maya was finished eating, Shep pulled out a coloring book and crayons from a drawer. Maya immediately returned to her seat and opened the book. "Will you color with me?"
"I love coloring," Shep said with enthusiasm.
Kinsley's lips twitched. "I wondered why you had a coloring book in your drawer."
"It's mine." Shep turned to a page in the middle of the book where he'd already colored it.
Maya raised her brow. "You colored this?
"Yeah, coloring is cool and relaxing. This book is great because it tells you which color to use." He pointed out the key, and then the corresponding crayon. "Each one says what color it is."
"I can see the color, silly," Maya said, kneeling on the kitchen chair.
"I have trouble seeing colors," Shep said softly.
Maya lifted her head, gripping the blue crayon between her fingers. "You do?"
He nodded. "I can't always see what color it is."
"I didn't realize that," Kinsley said.
"That's why I need your help," he said with a wink, and Kinsley shook her head. "I already said I'd do what I can."
We finished eating and cleaned up while Shep continued to color with Maya.
"I'll show you around," Marshall said to Hayden, and I tagged along. The scene between Shep, Kinsley, and her little girl felt a little too cozy. I didn't want to intrude.
Marshall walked us through the formal dining room, telling the story of each set of china in the room. "I think each one was a wedding gift. This one was my grandmother's, this one my great-grandmother's."
"That's actually really cool."
Marshall exchanged a look with me, as if he was surprised that anything impressed Hayden at her age, and I smiled.
"The table has been in our family for a long time. I can remember having formal dinners here when we were little. Mom would make us dress up in white, short-sleeve button-downs and khaki shorts. The island version of formal. We were expected to eat with the adults and be respectful. It was hard for us."
"I can't imagine growing up with so many siblings close in age. My brothers are so much younger than me, we don’t have much in common,” Hayden said.
"We preferred to build forts on the beach, and wrestle on the ground. As long as we did it out of my mother's sight, we were usually fine. And we learned early on not to involve Luna. Mom was always worried we'd corrupt her."
"That's actually kind of sweet."
"You don’t have older brothers but have me and all your uncles looking out for you," Marshall said.
"I hadn't thought about it like that," Hayden said.
"Let's go see the bedrooms. Each one is grander than the last. You'll love them."
Hayden gushed over each one, attempting to choose which one she'd prefer if she lived here. "This place is like a dream. I can't imagine actually living here. Why did Uncle Shepard inherit the house and not you?"
