Chapter Ten
Aspen
I’ve been walking on air for the past couple of days. This morning, after our last lesson, Maddox asked me to head into town with him and grab something to eat at a sandwich shop inside a laundromat. Apparently, it’s a secret spot for locals. Unfortunately,, I couldn’t say yes. I’ve been skipping so much family time this week that I’m starting to feel guilty. We’re here to spend two weeks together, and I’ve been missing all the fun. It pained me to turn Maddox down, but at least I’ll see him at the fishing competition tomorrow. Right now, the Steelbird family has got another afternoon on the lake planned. Mom made me promise not to bail this time, so here I am, watching Travis untie the mooring lines of the sailboat we rented.
I roll my eyes at Devon who insists on helping my brother lower the centerboard. Last year, when we were still together, he told me he’d gone sailing once. Once! And now he acts like he’s the King of Sailing?
Travis pushes us away from the dock. “And off we go!”
I grab a bottle of sunscreen while Aunt Annie uncorks a bottle of champagne.
“Do we have something to celebrate?” I ask.
She laughs. “Oh, honey, that’s cute.”
“What do you mean?” I ask with a frown.
“We don’t need a special occasion to have a glass of champagne on vacation. All fourteen of us being here is more than reason enough to celebrate.”
“Don’t you mean fifteen?” Devon asks.
Aunt Annie frowns as she counts, ticking everyone off on her fingers. “You’re right. I forgot about you. Sorry.” Without another word to Devon, she turns around and holds the bottle of champagne in the air. “Who wants a glass of this sparkling delicacy?”
“I do,” Grandma says from her seat near the stern.
Devon wedges himself between Lexie and me, handing her a bottle of sunscreen. “Lexie, be a dear and apply sunscreen on my back.”
Lexie’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. “Excuse me? This is the twenty-first century.”
“Huh?” he asks with a confused look on his face.
“ Be a dear? Apply sunscreen on your back? Don’t tell me what to do, Devon. Maybe if you’d asked nicely, I would’ve helped, but I don’t take orders. And you practically shoved Aspen out of the way.”
She grabs her towel and pulls me with her to a seat further up the deck.
“Next thing you know, he’ll be telling me to fan him with palm leaves,” she mutters.
I snort. “Is he still getting on your nerves?”
She scrunches up her nose. “Have you ever realized how much someone annoys you after you’ve decided you’re not a match? That’s me with Devon right now, except that he doesn’t understand I need some space.”
“Have you tried telling him?”
“Of course, but he’s not able to take a hint. I think he might be in love with himself.”
Travis plops down beside us and grins. “How’s it going with your fishing lessons, sis? Reeled in a big one already? Maybe a certain broad-shouldered instructor?”
That last sentence makes Aunt Annie turn around as fast as she can on a moving boat. She hands me a glass of champagne. “Do tell, Aspen. Have you and Maddox kissed yet?”
“What?” I shriek. “We’re just friends, that’s all.”
She shakes her head and laughs. “Yeah right. I saw you two the other day. Or should I say, the other evening?”
“What’s she talking about?” Lexie asks.
“I don’t know.”
Aunt Annie grins. “You do know. It was quite late, and you and Maddox were standing so close together that I thought he was going to kiss you.”
“You were spying on us?” I ask, creeped out by the idea—and utterly humiliated.
“Of course not. I was getting ready for bed. I was closing the curtains when I saw you two on the driveway. I even waved at you, but you were too busy staring dreamily into your beau’s eyes.”
I groan. “He’s not my beau, Aunt Annie.”
“Fair enough, but I’m sure he will be soon.”
Devon rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t count on it. This is the girl that couldn’t keep me on her arm. Am I right, guys?”
Grandma jumps from her seat, shooting daggers at Devon with her eyes while she walks up to us.
“Listen carefully, young man. If I hear one more snide remark about any member of this family, you’ll be sorry you ever set foot in Maine. My granddaughters are great women. The only mistake these two ever made was falling for you.”
Devon’s mouth falls open like a fish on dry land.
“Here’s a question for you. Why do you feel the need to treat my Aspen so horribly?” Grandma asks, jabbing a wrinkled finger into his chest.
Devon stammers. “I—uh, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just joking around.”
“Joking around?” Grandma’s eyes narrow. “There’s a fine line between making a joke and being plain rude, Devon. And you’ve crossed it.”
He looks down, shuffling his feet. “I didn’t realize none of you thought it was funny.”
“Realize now,” she says firmly, turning on her heel and returning to her seat.
Travis claps his big, NFL-playing hand on Devon’s shoulder. “Better listen to Grandma, Dev. She doesn’t play.”
“Fine, but I still can’t stand the fact that Aspen always one-ups me!”
“Excuse me?” I honestly don’t know what he’s talking about.
He shakes his head. “You were always the brave one and the smart one and the sensible one. It’s not okay for a guy to be worse at everything than his girlfriend, okay? At least you don’t know how to fish.”
“Stop it, Devon. I mean it,” Travis says through gritted teeth.
Devon flinches and makes the smart move of turning his back to us. Indigo takes his place, and she and Lexie start discussing some television show I haven’t seen yet.
I had no idea Devon felt that way, but he could’ve said something instead of stewing in his insecurity. His relationship with Lexie falling apart is sad, but it’s also karma, right? And a sign that he should work on himself before getting involved with someone else again.
I sigh, realizing there’s no use fretting over how he treated me. It was all him, not me. My eyes fall shut and I take a deep breath, the warm sun and the soft movements of the water surrounding the boat soothing me.
I could get used to this kind of weather and life. To living in a town like Fog Harbor. Not just because Maddox lives here too, but because the town is so cozy and the people are so friendly.
I can’t help but smile as I think about tomorrow’s fishing contest. I know I should be in the moment and enjoy this time with my family, but all I can do is count down the hours until I get to see Maddox again.
Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough.