Free Lakeshore Secrets: The McAdams Sisters - Kate McAdams (By The Lake Series Book 1) by Shannyn Leah Page A

his flashed like staggering lightening through his head. “I probably did a number on it with that screwdriver.”
    A classic Kate move. Maybe not as blunt as the feisty brunette had once been, but none the less it got the point across and he saw exactly where this was going. And he didn’t mind Kate throwing meaning about him around.
    He grabbed his beer and washed the potatoes down before answering a quick yes.
    “You were in the sauna?” Eliza inquired. “With Marc?” she added analyzing why he hadn’t mentioned it yesterday. She shot him a questioning look as Kate sent him a teasing smirk.
    As the stares of the others now returned to Kate, she smiled sincerely. “It was quite the coincidence. When I arrived here yesterday I thought what better way to relax than a steaming hot sauna?” She shrugged. “So I headed down and it was extremely hot in there, it hit me right through the doors and Marc said,” she glanced over at Marc dragging him into her game. “What was it you said I did?” she asked innocently, pretending hard to figure it out.
    This was going to get a rise out of his mother for weeks. “Blatantly ignored,” he filled in the blank.
    Gasps turned to laughter that roared from the table. She’d always been able to make a table laugh. It hadn’t been his family around the table, but instead those long parentless nights with her sisters while they all sulked around and Kate would convert those frowns into smiles full of laughter.
    She clapped her hands together dramatically and nodded agreeing. “That was it!” she pointed at him.
    “Marcus, you did not.” Eliza was only half serious.
    “He did,” Kate insisted. “All because I missed the tiny little ‘out of order’ sign,” She parted her thumb and pointer finger an inch to show how small the sign was. “Which he politely pointed out to me after I locked us in!” Curious eyes arose around the table like kindergarten children being read a story book.
    “You were locked in the sauna?” his six year old nephew called from the other end of the table. “I’m not even allowed in there. How long were you locked in? Were you hot?”
    “It was steaming hot.” Steaming hot bare skin everywhere. “Since the thermostat was broken,” Marc added.
    Kate laughed. “Can you all imagine my surprise, finding Marc in there wearing his expensive slacks dripping sweat and he was holding a screwdriver in his hand from a toolbox sitting on the floor being much more useful holding his shirt,” her gaze locked his eyes for a moment and they were back in that steamy room together, staring at one another with lustful eyes. She turned away. “Because as we all know he’s not really as handy as he thinks he is.” She smiled at him enjoying the story just as much as everyone else. Another round of laughter.
    “Hey,” he interjected. “I am the one who changed the door handle.”
    “I could do that in my sleep.” She dismissed waving her hand at him. “So anyway, I let him at it for a little bit but when I couldn’t stand the heat anymore I bumped him out of the way...” She looked at him with a mischievous grin. “Literally I set him on his,” she glanced down the table at the kids listening, “Rear end.” More laughter and she winked only for him, purposely omitting what had really happened in the steam.
    “And not alone,” he added. “She came tumbling down with me.”
    Kate’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. Melissa coughed and his family gasped. Kate laughed and the rest couldn’t help themselves.
    “And then I fixed the thermostat before popping the door knob open.” That wasn’t exactly the details he remembered.
    “Hey,” Violet interjected. “You told us you’d fixed the thermostat.” Technically he’d said it was fixed and didn’t include the specifics, purposely trying to avoid the cat and mouse run he was sure to have with each pair of those curious eyes over the following days.
    Kate laughed. “If passing me a