Her Maine Catch (When in Maine)

Chapter One

Aspen

Even though my beat-up sedan is heavily protesting against the rocky terrain of road leading to our rental cabin, I can’t stop grinning like an idiot. It’s August and that only means one thing: our annual family vacation in Maine is finally happening. About time.

I’ve been counting down the days to this moment for what feels like forever. More so than other years to be honest. After the train wreck that was Christmas and the disasters of Valentine’s Day and Fourth of July combined, I’ve decided that this year’s lake-side getaway is going to be nothing short of epic. I deserve a big, juicy slice of happiness after a year of bad luck. So yeah, my expectations are sky-high for this vacation. Why shouldn’t they be? Our cabin has direct lake access, the weather is cooperating for once, my family members have promised to be on their best behavior, and let’s not forget the cherry on top of this blissful getaway: the coffee shop at the pier sells the most divine muffins I’ve ever tasted in my thirty-two years of living on this planet.

The familiar scent of pine trees and fresh lake water fills my nostrils as I pull into the gravel driveway of our cozy cabin nestled amidst the trees. We’ve been renting this place since I was a kid, and the rustic charm of it fills me with joy. I never miss a year, even if coming here means playing endless rounds of charades with Uncle William and avoiding Aunt Annie’s relentless attempts at playing matchmaker.

I cut the engine and get my oversized duffel bag out of the trunk, my stomach flipflopping at the thought of the next two weeks. I can’t wait for a fortnight of doing absolutely nothing but relaxing and sipping cocktails by the lake while catching up with my cousins over lobsters at Pier’s Edge Seafood Shack. Not to mention the motto I created for myself this summer: No Men, No Drama . That should be easy enough, right? The way I see it, this is the start of two weeks of pure bliss. Who needs yoga or meditation when you can vacation in Maine?

The door of the cabin swings open and my cousin Lexie comes running toward me, her blonde curls bouncing over her shoulders.

“Welcome to paradise, Aspen,” she exclaims as she hugs me.

I grin. “Paradise, huh? Is that what we’re calling this? Don’t get me wrong, I love Fog Harbor, but it’s not exactly The Bahamas.”

“That’s right, this is way better than some white sandy beach,” she says with a grin, pushing her oversized sunglasses up her nose. “Did you have a nice trip?”

I nod and follow her to the cabin. “I did. I’m exhausted from driving for ten hours, though.”

She clucks her tongue. “I still don’t get why you did that. You could’ve saved yourself the trouble and booked a flight out of Pittsburgh.”

I shrug. “I know, but it’s how I do it every year. It’s tradition.”

I’m not telling her that I didn’t want to fork over five hundred dollars for a plane ticket when I’m saving up to buy an apartment. Besides, I like having my car here. The freedom that comes with it is worth the ten-hour drive.

“Fair enough. Come on, let’s get you settled in and start this awesome vacation.”

“Great.” I throw my duffel bag on the hallway floor and stretch my arms over my head. It feels good to do so after that long drive. “I’m going to freshen up first. Our room is the same one as always, right?”

“Not exactly.” She gives me an apologetic smile. “I should’ve given you a heads-up, sorry.”

“Don’t tell me my brother snatched the room from under us.”

“No, that’s not it,” she says with a shake of the head. “I got here first, as I do every year. The room is secured.”

I frown. “Then what’s the problem?”

“I brought someone. A guy. And he’s sleeping on the couch in my room,” she says with a twinkle in her eyes. “It would be weird to have you there also, don’t you think?”

“You have a boyfriend? When did that happen?”

She grins. “I do! It’s all gone super-fast, but we’re madly in love.”

“Congratulations, Lexie,” I say.

I muster up a smile, even though a pinch of jealousy hits me right in the heart. My love life is nothing short of a dumpster fire. My boyfriend broke up with me last Christmas, and then on Valentine’s Day, I had a blind date with a friend of a friend, but he never showed up. At least, that’s what I prefer to believe. The alternative is too much to bear. What if the guy did show up, saw me, and left?

Lexie puts her hand on my arm. “There’s still a free bed, you know. You won’t have to sleep on the couch.”

“Great. Is it the one in Indigo’s room? Doesn’t she want to room with her brother this year?”

“Actually, it’s the room at the end of the hall.”

“But that’s Grandma’s room,” I say with a frown.

Lexie nods. “At least Grandma doesn’t snore like I do after drinking a few too many margaritas.” She laughs as if that’s a good thing. “Anyway, go unpack, and then you can meet my beau.”

I lift my duffel bag from the floor and head up the stairs, the excitement I felt minutes ago already dwindling. I love Grandma, but I was expecting to room with Lexie like we always do. Every year, we stay up late and talk until we fall asleep, but I guess that won’t be an option now. Grandma is in bed by nine every day, so I’m pretty sure I can’t count on her for a late-night chat.

I knock on Grandma’s door and push the door open. The room is empty, save for Grandma’s suitcase in the corner and her crocheted blanket draped over the bed. She must be at the pier. I know how much Grandma loves the muffins from Lighthouse Muffin Magic. I can’t blame her. I would eat a shoe if it meant I could get my hands on those muffins back home.

I put my duffel bag by the closet and sigh. I sincerely hope my grandmother won’t object to me being her roommate this summer and send me to go sleep on the couch. In all of the years we’ve come down here since Grandpa died, she hasn’t shared her room with anyone.

I quickly freshen up in one of the bathrooms down the hall before throwing on a clean summer dress and heading downstairs.

Outside, the cabin boasts a huge backyard, stretching out to a winding path leading to the gorgeous artificial beach by the lake. My brother Travis and my cousin Wes are tossing a football around, which isn’t a surprise since Travis is an NFL player.

Taking in the familiar surroundings, I draw in a content breath, only to nearly choke on it when I spot him . At first, I think it’s some sort of trick of the light or a bizarre illusion, but I quickly come to my senses. It’s not hot enough for a heatstroke and I’m not losing my mind. It’s him alright. Devon Jonesy, the guy who broke my heart and then stomped on it last Christmas. What is he doing here?

“Hey, sis!” Wes’s voice snaps me back to reality. I tear my eyes away from Devon just in time to see my cousin lift his arm. “Catch!

The ball is in the air and smacking me in the face before I have time to register what’s happening. I collapse onto the grass and clutch my throbbing nose.

“Oh my gosh, Aspen, I’m so sorry,” Wes says while rushing to my side.

“Are you okay?” Travis asks, kneeling beside me.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m totally fine,” I manage to say, even though I’m far from fine.

I might sound a lot like Ross Geller, but I refuse to give Devon the satisfaction of seeing me like this. He already witnessed enough of my pain when he publicly dumped me on a podcast.

That’s right, publicly, for the entire world to hear and replay online. The whole debacle even generated an unstoppable slew of memes that people still won’t stop sharing.

Devon and I were buying last-minute Christmas presents when a podcaster shoved a microphone under our noses, wanting to know what gifts we were getting each other when Devon blurted out that he would be giving himself the gift of being single again.

He then muttered something about wanting to focus on his career and not love before abruptly walking away, leaving me standing there utterly humiliated and heartbroken in front of the microphone. We had only been dating since September, but that didn’t soften the blow one bit.

“Devon, can you get some ice out of the freezer?” Lexie asks him.

“Uhm, okay,” he says.

He’s looking at me with the same confused expression I am sporting right now.

“Thanks, honey,” Lexie says with a syrupy-sweet smile as Devon disappears into the kitchen.

Honey?

Then the coin drops. Devon must be the guy Lexie wanted me to meet. Why else would he be here? Devon’s my cousin’s… boyfriend.

I swallow. How could she do this to me? How could he do this?

“Lexie, what are you doing?” I ask between gritted teeth. “This isn’t funny.”

She gives me a bewildered look. “What do you mean?”

“Of all the guys in the world, you had to go out with Devon?”

She frowns. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with my boyfriend?”

“He’s the guy who dumped me on a podcast,” I say, anger pushing at the edge of my voice.

Her brows knit together. “He is? I mean, I thought he sounded familiar, but I didn’t realize Devon was the infamous podcaster dumper . You never brought him to any family gathering, so how could I have recognized him? I honestly didn’t have a clue.” When she sees me shooting daggers at her with my eyes, she quickly adds: “I’m so sorry, Aspen. I’m sure it’ll be okay. We’re all adults here.”

“Should we rough him up?” my brother asks. “Anyone who hurts my little sister should expect some consequences.”

“It’s okay, I’ll deal with him myself,” I say, not wanting to make a scene. If word would get out that Travis picked a fight with his cousin’s boyfriend, that could negatively impact his NFL career. Devon has ruined enough already.

I lift my hand from my face to check if there’s any blood. Only a little, thank goodness. The throbbing pain in my nose only grows bigger while I wait for Devon to reappear outside with a pack of ice. Ugh. So much for my No Men, No Drama motto. I managed to live up to the no drama part for what? Half an hour? Then again, I guess half an hour is better than nothing.