Chapter 3
3
SUMMER
I parked outside my parents’ house and groaned at the sight of Asher’s silver sedan pulling up on the opposite side of the road.
After my disastrous date last night, I wanted to avoid him for as long as possible, so I threw open the car door and hurried around the car to grab the platter of cheeses, crackers, and dried fruit that I’d brought for brunch.
The cold air nipped at my skin as I shut the door, clicked the button on my key fob to lock it, and made a beeline for the house.
Too slow. Asher cut me off part way there.
“Hey,” he said, his expression serious. “Are you okay—”
“Fine,” I interrupted, relief thrumming through my veins as Liam and Kennedy’s vehicle turned onto the street and parked beside Asher’s. I raced toward their car, knowing he wouldn’t mention anything where Liam could overhear.
I opened one of the back doors and Daisy spilled out. The golden labrador mix-breed bounced around me excitedly, and I balanced the platter on one hand so I could give her some love.
“Hey, Summer,” Kennedy said as she got out of the passenger side.
“Hi, Kenz.” I circled around and hugged her, then dared to glance at Asher, who was watching me with an eyebrow raised.
Liam got out and locked the car. He had a container tucked under his arm. My best guess was that Kennedy had made brownies. Baking wasn’t her forte, but she could manage brownies and a few other staples safely enough.
“Good date last night?” Kennedy asked, a little too loudly.
I shot her a look. “Not great. Details later.”
Liam seemed to be having the same conversation with Asher, so I took advantage of the opportunity to slip past them both and into the house. Inside, I made my way to the kitchen, where I set my platter down on the island. My mother, Heather, stood in front of the stove, scrambling eggs, frying bacon, and sautéing mushrooms.
“Good morning!” I greeted her and went over to kiss her cheek.
She hugged me with one arm and tended to the eggs with the other hand. “Morning, honey.”
“Do you need help with anything?” I asked.
“There are fresh rolls in the oven that need to be checked,” she said. “And we should start laying out the cold food. Yogurt, cereal, juice—you know the drill.”
“I’m on it.” I washed my hands and got busy, grateful that Asher wasn’t the sort of person to offer assistance in the kitchen. If there was a grill outside, he’d be eager to help, but from what I understood, he was a terrible cook otherwise.
I carried everything out to the long table in the living room. During the warmer months, we ate outside, but it was too cold for that in winter. Mum finished cooking and dished the eggs, mushrooms, and bacon onto separate plates. We were preparing to take them to the table when Bailey breezed into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Heather,” she said, her perfectly straight teeth flashing between bright red lips. “Hey, Summer.”
“Hi, beautiful,” I replied.
She held a glass bowl of salad in her hands. “Superfood salad. Are we about to eat?”
Mum nodded. “Grab the salad tongs. You know where they are.”
Mum took the eggs and mushrooms out of the room, leaving me and Bailey alone.
“How was the date?” she asked quietly, her eyes darting around to check that no one could overhear us.
Years of being around my brothers had taught her the importance of secrecy when it came to dating. If they learned anything, they’d either tease me mercilessly or get insanely overprotective. There didn’t seem to be any middle ground. It didn’t even matter to them that I was a grown woman now. I was still their baby sister.
I grimaced. “Asher was there.”
I quickly explained what had happened.
“Ugh, I’m sorry.” She put the bowl of salad down and hugged me.
I buried my face in her silky black hair and breathed in the familiar scent of her favorite herbal shampoo.
“It’s fine,” I said, pulling back. “Ben wasn’t the right guy for me anyway.”
“He’s out there somewhere,” she said with forced cheer.
We both knew the only man I wanted was Asher. Just like the only man she wanted was Max, who always treated her kindly but still seemed to think she was twelve years old.
Mutual pining wasn’t the only thing that bonded us, but it certainly helped.
We took the bacon and salad out to the table, where the rest of the family were already seated. Since we’d been expanding, we’d had to get a second table, which was positioned end-to-end with the other to fit us all.
Mum and Dad sat at the end closest to the glass sliding doors that opened onto the deck. Nate, his daughter Tess, and Grace were nearby. Grace’s hands rested on her swollen belly. She looked about ready to pop, but there were still a few weeks before the baby was due.
Kennedy and Liam were beside them, with Asher, Toby, Connor, and Max on the other table. Two seats remained free for us. While neither Asher nor Bailey were technically members of the family, they came almost every time my parents hosted a brunch, so Mum made sure there was always room for them.
With a sigh, I sat on the chair closest to Asher, with only Connor between us, allowing Bailey to take the seat beside Max. She beamed and bounced over, practically giddy at the prospect of being close to him.
While I resented my feelings for Asher because he’d rejected me, Bailey had never made a move on Max and seemed reasonably content to enjoy his nearness however she could—although sometimes I caught her watching him wistfully.
As soon as we were seated, people began to reach for the food. I helped myself to some of Grace’s homemade granola, along with a dollop of yogurt and a little honey. I wasn’t much for heavy breakfasts.
“How was your date?” Toby asked Asher across the table.
I stared down at my meal, determined not to look at him. I wouldn’t give away how interested I was in his answer.
“Disappointing,” he said.
My heart lightened, even though I’d deny it until my dying breath.
“Bummer.” Toby pulled a face. “What didn’t you like about her?”
I crammed granola in my mouth, torn between listening and distracting myself.
“There was just no connection.”
I felt Asher’s gaze on the side of my head and continued to ignore him.
“How was your date, Summer?” he asked.
Damn the man.
Slowly, I turned to face him. “He was nice.”
“Nice?” Asher winced. “Ouch. Poor guy.”
Toby snickered. “The kiss of death, right?”
I glared at them both. “Like Asher said, there was no connection, but he was a good guy.”
I was hardly going to admit that I’d been willing to try again but he’d turned me down. After all, it wasn’t like I was upset about it, and I’d never hear the end of it from Toby if he found out I’d been rejected by a guy I’d called “nice.”
“Sometimes it’s like that,” Max said sympathetically.
“What would you know about it?” Toby teased. “Have you even dated this millennium?”
“Leave him alone.” I could see Bailey’s cheeks growing red. If anyone picked on Max too much, she’d have a meltdown, and surely then even my most oblivious brother would see what had been right under his nose for years.
“You’ll find someone when you’re ready.” Liam said, smiling down the table at me. “You’re still young. There’s no rush.”
“At least you’ve grown up enough to start dating the “nice” ones,” Nate muttered, not looking up from his plate. “Some of the guys you’ve brought around…”
I scowled and narrowed my eyes. Okay, so perhaps I’d intentionally brought home a couple of guys I knew were losers purely to wind up my brothers. It wasn’t like I’d been serious about them. I’d just wanted my family to realize how bad it could be, so they’d stop giving me a hard time when I brought home men I really did see the possibility of a future with.
My plan had backfired. They’d just seen it as more proof that I wasn’t capable of making good decisions on my own.
“So, who’s ready for the ski season to begin?” Toby asked, thankfully changing the subject.I shot him a grateful look.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Max said, serving himself some of Bailey’s superfood salad. My friend met my eyes, her smile adoring.
“Calm down,” I mouthed when no one else was looking.
How the hell Max hadn’t noticed her infatuation was beyond me.
“I’m excited to be on the slopes again,” Toby continued, his gaze becoming distant. “Nothing but me, snow, and pretty girls.”
“Pig,” I muttered.
He pretended not to hear me. “I’ve got a good feeling about this year. I think I’ll find The One.”
We all exchanged looks. Toby had met ‘The One’ several times over the course of his seasonal career as a ski instructor at Destiny Peak Ski Field. Year after year, he fell madly in love with tourists only for them to up and leave at the end of the season. He took it well every time, but I had to believe he’d eventually tire of the cycle.
“Of course you will,” Bailey assured him with a gentle smile.
Connor changed the subject to when we could expect our first snowfall, and we finished brunch with lighthearted chatter. When we were done, I helped Mom, Kennedy, and Liam clear the dirty dishes away. Tess and Nate had gone outside and were playing fetch with Daisy and their dog, Duke.
A hand landed on my arm as I passed Asher at one point, but I shook it off.
“Summer,” he said softly.
I chose not to hear him.
Instead, I looped my arm through Bailey’s and made a point to ask her loudly about a hike we had planned for the afternoon. When he followed, I decided it was time to leave.