Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Maxinne
I’m not sure how I found myself, on this Thursday evening, at a total stranger’s house for a get-together, but here we are. Zane said his brother’s farmhouse was newly remodeled, but it’s even more beautiful than he’d described.
My hand hovers for half a second before I finally knock, my knuckles rapping softly against the door. My nerves hum under my skin, making my fingers unsteady as I draw my hand back. I glance down at the porch beneath my shoes, counting the weathered boards one by one to keep my thoughts busy.
A few months ago, I never would have done something like this.
I’d be worried about being too awkward or if I’d be taking up space somewhere I didn’t really belong.
Somewhere between leaving Westbridge and arriving to Covewood, I’ve realized how tired I am of living like that. I’m done with shrinking myself.
The door swings open, and standing before me is a woman with long, dark-blonde hair, her pretty face lighting up with recognition. Before I can say hello, she pulls me into an embrace like we’re life-long friends.
“Maxinne,” she says in my ear before pulling back and getting a better look at me. “We’re so happy to have you here.”
“Thanks for having me,” I reply, smiling tightly as I smooth my hands down the front of my shorts. I’m still adjusting to the fact that people in Covewood apparently hug first and introduce themselves later. It’s oddly charming.
“I’m Raine, by the way. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
She waves me inside, and I follow behind her, taking in the brightness of her living room. My mouth drops as my eyes roam over the space before I adjust myself and attempt a more natural expression. This place is gorgeous.
“This is Annabelle.”
Behind her is a little girl with braided blonde pigtails, poking her head out to watch us. She gives me a small smile and returns my wave. “You’re Ashy’s sister?”
Okay, how cute is it that she calls Ashton ’Ashy’? I try not to melt into a puddle. Bending down to be at her level, I reply, “Yes. My name is Maxinne. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Do you like brownies as much as Ashy?”
I shrug my shoulders. “They’re okay, but I’m more of a cookie kind of girl.”
She looks relieved at my confession, her smile growing, revealing a few missing teeth. I can’t wait to see the hold she has on Zane and Ashton as the night goes on.
“More brownies for me!” She jumps up into the air before rushing off through the house.
“I’m sorry. She’s going through a huge sweet-tooth phase. I have to hide any candy or chocolate that’s brought into this house,” Raine proclaims before suggesting I follow her.
“I guess it’s a good thing Zane told me to only bring a pack of Ale-8-Ones, then.”
Raine chuckles. “Thankfully Annabelle doesn’t like those.”
“I’ve never had one before,” I admit as we make our way into the kitchen. The home is an open concept, but I couldn’t see the kitchen table from the front door—or the extra people who are already here.
I wave timidly toward the two strangers and introduce myself.
“Did you say you’ve never had an Ale-8-One?” a woman with long red hair flowing down her back says before standing up from the table. She takes a step toward me, her face scrunching in confusion as I shake my head. “Well, that’s unacceptable. We’ll have to change that.”
“You can only find the drink in Kentucky, so it makes sense that you haven’t had it before,” a dark-haired man dressed in a police uniform adds before he extends a large hand toward me. “I’m Luke.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“And this rude woman is my girlfriend, Olivia.”
“I’m not rude!” Olivia swats Luke’s shoulder playfully. “Sorry if I came off that way. We’ve all been really excited to meet you, especially with how much Ashton and Zane have talked about you.”
Zane’s been talking about me? My stomach flutters at that, equal parts nerves and something I don’t quite want to name.
“Speaking of, where are they?” Olivia asks over her shoulder.
Raine calls from the kitchen, “Ryland said they’re staying a little later today, but will be here as soon as they can.”
“Can I help?”
I reach for a bowl before I can second-guess myself. I’m not used to stepping in like this or having to find my place instead of waiting to be told where I fit. But the new-and-improved Maxinne isn’t pretending anymore.
“Yes, thank you. That’d be nice.” Raine hands her salad duties over to me. “I’m going to check on this pot roast.”
In crowded rooms like this, full of people I don’t know, I used to slip away when it all became too much, hiding somewhere quiet until I could catch my breath.
I became so good at pretending that eventually I forgot there was another way to be.
But being here with them feels different.
Nobody’s watching to see if I’m performing the right amount of charm, and somehow, that makes it easier to be more present.
“I’d help, but I brought all of the desserts, and I’ve already been in my kitchen all day long,” Olivia says from beside me as she opens a large white box.
“Wow, those look amazing.”
“These are two of my fan favorites. The fudgy-chocolate brownies and, of course, caramel-oatmeal cookies.”
“Your cookies are to die for, by the way. Thank you for sending some with Zane the other day for me.”
She beams. “You’re welcome. I knew you’d appreciate the lavender. It’s one of my favorite flavors to bake with.”
A small hand shoots up and snatches a brownie straight out of the box. Olivia’s green eyes go wide as Annabelle squeals with laughter and bolts through the kitchen. Luke lunges after her, scooping her up before she can make her escape.
“If you give me a bite,” he says in a serious tone, “I’ll threaten anyone who tries to take it from you with jail time.”
“Luke,” Raine warns.
He shrugs, unbothered by the stern look she’s giving him, right before Annabelle smushes a brownie chunk into his mouth.
“Run!” he mumbles around the bite, and the two of them rush down the hallway.
Raine takes off after them, shouting, “Don’t run with food in your mouth!”
Olivia and I burst into laughter. She shakes her head at her friends, and I watch the three of them disappearing around the corner. This group seems to move around each other easily, like the chaos and closeness is second nature to them.
I hover on the edge of it, unsure of where I fit, or if I do. But as Olivia nudges my shoulder with a grin, the leftover laughter still sparkling between us, I wonder if maybe I already am.
“And then she panicked and told my Nonni that we were dating.”
I’m on the edge of my seat, listening to Luke tell the story of how he and Olivia started dating.
They were friends for years before a fake-dating situation made Olivia realize she had real feelings for him.
Of course, Luke had feelings for her the entire time.
A laugh escapes me as Olivia nudges him playfully, blushing and smiling at the same time.
“So did you pretend you were actually dating the entire weekend?” I ask before taking a bite of a cookie.
Olivia leans into Luke. “Yes. Eventually, the pretending shifted into something real.”
“She’s not kept her hands off me since,” Luke adds, chuckling as Olivia swats his shoulder.
It’s obvious the love Luke and Olivia have is special. Being around them and hearing their story has me wondering if Derek ever looked at me with such longing in his eyes. If we’d ever shared a funny inside joke between the two of us. Were we even truly in love with each other?
I shake those thoughts away because I can’t allow myself to stay so hung up on the what-ifs that I forget how to make the most of where I am now.
“Maxinne?” Raine says my name. I look up to see the three of them staring at me. I must have zoned out there for a moment.
“Yeah?”
“I was saying that Ashton decided to skip out tonight, and Ryland and Zane are almost here.”
I nod and glance down at our empty plates, a wave of guilt tugging at me because we tried to hold off as long as we could, but we caved and already ate.
“Are summers always like this for them?”
Raine shrugs. “It’s not always this busy, but within the last several years, the business has picked up substantially, which is a blessing. But I know it’s been hard on them all. Ryland is going to be hiring some extra hands soon so they can hopefully go back to a normal schedule.”
“Will that be this summer?” I ask quickly.
A strange flutter of panic moves through me at the thought of Ashton not needing my help anymore. The plan was for me to be here to support him during his busiest season and to help with Dad while he recovered. And somehow, we’ve settled into something that feels almost normal.
Dad no longer needs help getting around the homestead every minute of the day.
Most evenings, after dinner, he waves me off and insists he can manage the rest of the night on his own.
We’ve fallen into an easy routine of morning coffee on the porch and working side by side in the garden, and most days, that’s enough.
But there are still mornings when I’ll ask the wrong question that brushes too close to the years we lost—and he’ll go quiet.
He’ll find something urgent to do with the garden, and I let it go because I don’t know yet if it’s his speech issues making the words hard to find, or if it’s him deciding I haven’t earned them yet.
It could be both. I’m trying to be patient either way, and I hope things will get better over time.
He’s becoming himself again, and maybe, in some ways, so am I, which means the reasons I used to have for staying here are slowly disappearing.
Somewhere along the way, something has shifted, and whatever it is, it’s new and too unsteady for me to hold onto.
All I know is that I’m not ready to walk away from this place yet.
Raine shrugs her shoulders. “I think so, but all of that takes some time. I guess we should get used to these late nights for a while longer.”