Chapter Five
Me: Where am I going?
Aubs: The inn. Just come in the main entrance and you’ll go right through to the kitchen. Violet is pulling cookies out now.
Me: I feel weird just walking in.
Aubs: It’s not. I promise. You’ll live here soon enough and you have to get used to the open door policy.
Me: I live in a closed door policy world.
Aubs: Not anymore, babes. Get used to it >
Ugh. New social settings aren’t my favorite. Probably why I haven’t branched out to find a hobby or a job, instead choosing to stay home or spend time with Lily. Not like I was a big socialite back home, despite my father urging me to be friends with the right groups and people.
James was the right people. Look how well that worked for me. Although, I suppose my father doesn’t care about that. As long as I got him the business connections, he doesn’t give a shit.
I wish I could be a fly on the wall in his office right now. Having a dead daughter and her missing fiancé could go either way for him. He could be the grieving father or the number one suspect. Depends which cop he’s dealing with and how well his guys did placing evidence.
Parking my car at the inn next to an array of ATVs, I take a deep breath, readying myself to go into this girls’ night.
Aubs: I see you parked out there. Don’t even think about turning around.
Me: What if they see through my lie?
Aubs: I mean, they probably will. > But they won’t tell anyone what they suspect. Our backstory is flimsy at best for people who really know me like the Keatons.
Me: That’s terrifying.
Aubs: They’ll fold you into the family in no time. They protect what’s theirs. Promise. It’ll be okay. >
Me: Fine. I’m coming.
Shutting off my car, I push the door open and find Aubrey waiting for me on the front porch.
“I still gave you a twenty percent chance that you’d run.” She crosses her arms as she takes me in. “I like the outfit.”
I look down at my casual outfit. Jeans, a tee, and Converse. “What’s wrong with how I look?”
“Just not used to the laidback version of you. You don’t even have makeup on.”
I touch my cheek where the bruise was. It spanned from my chin up to my eye. According to the doctor, my jaw was dislocated and she had to reset it. It still clicks now.
“Don’t need it anymore.” I give her a weak smile. “And no need to dress up. Hugh doesn’t need me to look presentable.”
“I like this version of you. You already look happier. Even if you hate me for making you socialize.”
I roll my eyes. “I still love you.”
“You better. You’re stuck with me.”
The door behind her opens, and my girl runs through. “Aunty Soph!” Lily jumps into my arms.
“Hey, pretty girl. I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Are we going to… plllllay Barbies?” She drags the L sound out, trying to pronounce it correctly. Her school is working with her on her speech, and she’s come a long way.
“Of course, we can.” I place an exaggerated kiss on her forehead with a loud smacking sound from my lips.
“Yay!” She hops from my arms and runs back inside.
“Come on. Time for you to meet the rest of the Keaton women. Except Willow. She and Gunnar are in LA right now. They won’t be back until the Fourth of July.”
“Oh good, I’m spared one out of seven?” I ask her sarcastically.
“Stop it. It’s just four.” She swats at me. “And I promise you’ll like them.”
“I don’t like anyone, Aubs.” I follow behind her.
“You like me.”
“Only because that little girl pulled me in.” I laugh.
Walking through the door, I can already hear the raucous from the kitchen. Loud laughter, clanging dishes, followed by louder voices.
When Aubrey keeps walking toward the noise, I inwardly cringe, already feeling the headache coming on.
She pushes the door open, and all four women immediately stop what they’re doing and look at me.
“Girls, this is Sophia! Wyatt’s new tenant,” Aubrey announces.
“Shit. Has my brother already hit on you? Because I can punch him for you,” a brunette with a toddler says.
“You know he has. Look at her. She’s fucking gorgeous,” an equally gorgeous woman who could be a freaking model says.
“Oooh, Wyatt is having a field day with pick up lines I bet,” yet another woman pulling cookies out of an oven says.
“Ladies, really? Can we let her in the kitchen before assaulting her?” an older woman says through laughter.
“Okay, going in order,”—Aubrey points to the one with a toddler first—“this is Emma, Wyatt’s sister, then Evelyn and Violet, his sisters-in-law, and then finally, Anna, the matriarch of the Keatons.”
Anna scrunches her nose. “Really, Aubrey? The matriarch? You make it sound like I’m eighty!”
She barely looks a day over fifty, but given how many children she has, I know she must be.
“Mom, you’re about to turn sixty-two, and you still look better than me. I think you’re fine if she calls you the matriarch.” Emma laughs.
“Only sixty-two?” I let my inside thought slip out.
They all laugh. “Yup. Met my Nathan the summer I turned nineteen.”
“Wow. How did you guys meet?” I take a stool at the large steel table.
“Sophia loves a good love story.” Aubrey laughs.
I join her this time. “Only because my taste in men means I’ll never get my own. One-night-stands really are the only safe option for me.”
“Oh God, she’s Wyatt’s perfect match,” Evelyn says.
Violet thrusts a margarita in my hand.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “So you and Nathan, was it a Hallmark love story?”
“I’m not sure about Hallmark. Oh, was he a grump!
” She chuckles and settles into her own seat with a margarita in hand.
“He had run away to Avonbury, Massachusetts because his father was forcing him to take over the inn. He didn’t want to and needed some time to clear his head.
I was there, visiting with my family for the summer, and when I found out he was staying at The Storyteller’s Cottage, I had to go see it.
You see the cottage holds lore in Avonbury.
And in all the years my family had been visiting, we never had been there, but as a hopeless romantic, I wanted nothing more.
Nathan, well he just had no idea what I was talking about. He still offered to take me there.”
“Please keep this PG, Mom.” Emma crosses her fingers in front of her.
“Please don’t! Give me all the details. Papa Keaton is a silver fox,” I say much to Emma’s disgust.
“There was nothing nefarious happening… yet.” She winks at me.
“When we got there, I found the notorious guest book and pointed out the lore to him. The cottage was built by a man in love as a gift for his wife. And now anyone who stays there finds their true love. He scoffed at me, and told me how ridiculous it was. But I knew in my heart that he was meant to be mine. If you think he’s handsome now, boy you should have seen him when he was twenty-one.
He was the best looking guy in town, and I had all of his attention. ”
“Then what? Don’t tell me that he didn’t feel the same after the week.” I lean forward, listening closer and sipping my drink.
“Of course he did, dear. I was a catch myself, you know. But it was more than that. I could be myself with him. He didn’t judge me for my bad humor or my family.
He didn’t even know who they were!” She holds her glass out for Evelyn to pour another drink.
“You see, my parents were high society. And my husband had been picked out for me since the day I was born. But when I met Nathan, I told my parents I wasn’t going to marry the man they picked.
We were set to be engaged later that summer at a gala that our parents hosted together.
And they didn’t approve of my Nathan. But, I didn’t care.
His Daddy showed up after a week, demanding an answer.
He let me decide, and escaping my parents sounded like everything I wanted.
I wanted the life he was offering here on this quiet land that we filled with kids and love.
So after another week, I moved up here and that was that.
Haven’t been separated since.” Her smile is so big, I just know she loves retelling that story.
“I love that so much. Maybe I should go stay there,” I say with a dreamy smile. “I wouldn’t even know how to meet a man here.”
“The pool is pretty limited,” Emma says. “You’re better off joining a dating app.”
“Oh, I don’t actually want to date.” I shake my head. “A girl just needs some company every so often.”
“We love a girl dedicated to her orgasms.” Evelyn laughs.
“Sometimes it is nice to not have to give yourself one,” Anna says, and everyone’s head snaps to hers.
“Mom!” Emma laughs hardest. “I think it’s time for her to be cut off.”
“Oh! Let’s set up your account! We can connect your phone to the TV in the office, and we can help you swipe!” Violet claps her hands together.
Before I can disagree, everyone shuffles into the office, including the kids.
“Hand me your phone,” Aubrey demands with her hand held out.
“You’re turning against me?” I clutch my phone against my chest.
“I’m helping you. This will be so fun.”
I lean into her, whispering, “I can’t put my face out there, Aubs.”
Her mouth falls open; clearly, that’s not something she thought about. But if I go along with this, how will I explain not being able to put photos up?
“If you don’t give us your phone, then I’ll just use mine,” Emma calls out.
“Aubs,” I plead with her.
“It’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out. Then you can just delete it when you leave,” she assures me, and I finally hand over my phone after hesitating for a minute.
Aubrey doesn’t hand over my phone, instead she takes the cord from Emma to plug it into the TV. Going to the App Store, she downloads one of the dating apps.
“Girl. Seriously? You’ve never downloaded any of these? The pool of men in North Dakota must be shockingly good.” Evelyn nudges me with her elbow when I sit next to her on the couch.
“Yeah, wasn’t bad. I had a serious boyfriend though,” I lie quickly, trying to stick as close to the truth as I can.