Chapter Two
Aspen
“Oh dear, what happened to your face?” Grandma asks in horror when she enters the kitchen one hour after the football incident.
I’m hiding inside while the rest of my family is enjoying the sun in the backyard. Everyone has arrived by now, and judging by the laughter floating inside through the sliding doors, I’m the only one of fourteen people who’s not having a good time.
“I got hit in the face with a football,” I say.
Grandma puts a big bag with the logo of Lighthouse Muffin Magic on the counter. “Let me see.”
“Can I please get a muffin first?” I ask, eyeing the bag like Pavlov’s dog.
She frowns as she slides the bag over. “Did something else happen besides you getting smacked by a football? You look too shaken up for that to be all that’s bothering you.”
I eagerly fish a blueberry muffin out of the bag and shrug. “Do you remember the guy who dumped me last Christmas? Devon?”
“I never got the chance to meet him,” she reminds me.
Grandma hates that I didn’t ever bring Devon to a family gathering. I wanted to take it slow and see where the relationship went before introducing him to my family—as opposed to Lexie. She’s all too keen to flaunt him around like a prize.
“I know, Grandma, but you do know he exists, right? Anyway, he’s here. He’s dating Lexie now and he’s as insufferable as ever.”
“Are you serious?”
I nod. “I wish I were kidding. Can you believe it? He dumped me because he claimed he wanted to focus on his career, and six months later, he’s already involved with someone else. I came here needing a break from everything, not to be reminded of my past mistakes. He’s going to ruin everything.”
Grandma shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Aspen, but what did you expect with a name like that? Devon .” She scrunches up her nose. “It sounds like devil . That doesn’t bode well, now does it?”
I snort, muffin crumbs ungraciously escaping my mouth. “Thanks for the laugh, Grandma. I needed that.”
“Should I tell Lexie that the boy is bad news?” she offers. “What if he pulls the same lame trick on her?”
“She knows he’s the podcast dumper . It’s up to her what to do with that information.”
Grandma pats me on the arm. “That’s very noble of you, Aspen. And don’t worry, that Devon guy is not worth your tears. There’s someone out there for you that won’t make you cry. You just…”
“…haven’t found him yet,” I finish the sentence for her.
“It’s true, though.”
I sigh. Everyone keeps beating me over the head with that expression, yet I still haven’t found proof of it being true. Every relationship I’ve ever had led to nothing but heartbreak. Not that I’ve had a lot of boyfriends. I’m thirty-two and can count them on one hand with room to spare to solve another equation.
I take another bite of my blueberry muffin. It’s delicious and it fills me with joy. At least I can always count on Lighthouse Muffin Magic to bake the best treats I’ve ever tasted. Not a lot of people can bring me this much joy.
Gah. Even I realize how pathetic I sound by claiming a muffin is the only thing that makes me truly happy. I won’t ever find love with an attitude like that, right? At least, that’s what it says in the book a colleague of mine recommended. According to Finding Your Lover By Finding Your Bliss , I should always talk positively, even though I’m not really sure it truly works like that. It can’t hurt trying, though. All the negativity and gloomy thoughts only make matters worse anyway.
“Are you going to stay cooped up inside all day or are you joining us in the backyard?” Grandma asks.
I finish the last of my muffin and jump off the kitchen island barstool. “You’re right, the weather is far too good to stay in here. I haven’t even said hello to Mom and Dad and the others yet.”
She smiles. “That’s the granddaughter I know and helped raise.”
“Oh, before I forget, we’re sharing a room,” I tell her.
“We are?” she asks in surprise.
I nod. “Yeah, since Lexie basically kicked me out of my room. You don’t mind, do you?”
“As long as you don’t snore.”
“I don’t.”
“Or watch those TikTok videos late at night. Or YouTube shorts with teenagers screaming about some hack or video game. They tend to get on my nerves. It’s not good for my blood pressure.”
It’s amazing how up to date with modern technology Grandma is. “I promise I’ll stay clear of those too.”
She lets out a relieved sigh. “Great. Welcome to my room then.”
I follow her outside and go say hi to the rest of my family. Aunt Annie, Uncle William, my parents, Uncle James, and Aunt Claire are all seated around the table under a giant umbrella while my brother and my cousins Wes, Indigo, Nathan, Lexie, Ryan, and yes, Devon the devil, are tossing a football around.
I decide to stay away from sports for the time being. One injury and a bandage is more than enough for the day. Or the entire vacation for that matter.
I grab the lemonade pitcher on the table and pour myself a glass before taking the empty seat next to Aunt Annie.
“Your mother tells me you’re still single,” she remarks before my butt hits the chair.
She sure has a way of getting straight to the point.
I nod. “I am.”
“It’s okay,” she says with a pitying look. “You will find your knight in shining armor. He’s out there. I keep telling Indigo the same thing. Don’t give up.”
Aunt Annie went through a new age phase when she was pregnant and decided to call her daughter Indigo. I glance at my cousin who’s trying to snatch the ball from her brother, Wes. She’s four years younger than I am but seems to have a better grip on life than me. Sure, we’re both single, but that’s not all that matters in the world.
When she sees me looking at her, she smiles and motions for me to come over. I reluctantly get up and join my cousins on the grass.
“Aspen, it’s so good to see you,” Indigo says as she hugs me. “We were just about to stop playing football and head out to the lake with Uncle James’s boat. Are you joining us or are you going to let Mom try and set you up with the son of a friend of a friend of some woman she met once at the hairdresser?”
I laugh. “You’re right, she would do something like that in a heartbeat. Sure, I’ll come with you.”
Devon snorts. “Nice, but don’t count on Aspen to lead the party. She doesn’t know starboard from port. A dinghy is probably more her thing.”
I roll my eyes. “We went boating together once , Devon. And the water was so rough that I mixed up the two for one split second. It’s not as if you’re such a genius on the water,” I bite back.
He shrugs. “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, Aspen. I’m just saying it like it is. You better polish off your fishing skills too, because I believe there’s a fishing contest this weekend that I’d love to take part in.”
Travis steps between us. “Back off, Devon. Sure, my sister might not reel in the biggest catch and she’s not exactly a sailing pro, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat her like this. Let’s keep this outing enjoyable for everyone, okay?”
Devon’s gaze lands on my brother’s broad shoulders and he swallows before holding his hands up in surrender. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
“Good. Keep it that way or I’ll make sure you’re sorry,” Travis says with a gaze of steel.
With a reluctant nod, Devon retreats to his room to pack some stuff for the boating trip.
I mouth a silent thank you to my brother. It’s nice that he still sticks up for me like he did when we were teenagers. Not that I needed him to a lot, but I could always count on him to be the protective big brother.
I head upstairs as well and shove a clean towel, a bottle of sunscreen, my bathing suit, and a lightweight sailing jacket into my beach bag. Let’s hope Devon stays true to his word. The last thing I need is him reminding me how awful of a person he truly is.