Aspen turned back to face her sister, hip cocked and fist resting on the curve. “Yes, dating. Is it so hard to believe that someone might be interested in me? I realize I’m not as pretty as the rest of you, but still.”
“That’s not what I meant. I just…. This is a surprise. That’s all. He’s only been home for two days and was supposed to get married right before.”
“And he stayed with me last night.”
I could feel the tension growing in the room, and it was not something I wanted to be a part of. Sisterly quarrels weren’t necessarily my forte, having been an only child myself.
“I think maybe we need some clarification. Yes, I was supposed to get married. My ex cheating was the best thing that’s probably ever happened to me. Aspen and I have kept in touch since she tried to run me off at Frannie’s wedding. Animosity turned into friendship. And when I came home yesterday, she was there, and we decided to try something new.”
I felt both Alex and Aspen’s eyes on me as I wove the lie. In my head, it seemed probable enough, but as the words left my lips, I second-guessed myself.
“Mommy,” two young voices called out on repeat, bringing all the attention away from me.
Just as the voices stopped, two little girls popped around the corner and collided with Alex’s legs. They looked nothing like Alex, but I’d clearly heard them call her Mommy.
“Aunt Aspen!” they cheered as they darted into the room and ran in our direction.
Alex must have noticed my curiosity, which did not play well into our scheme. After a year, I would’ve surely heard about two nieces at this point.
I tried thinking back to any and all conversations I’d had with my mother over the years, and I only vaguely recalled Alex eloping last year.
Taking a chance, I looked at the little girls and turned on my charm. “These must be your stepdaughters. Hi, I’m Owen.”
They giggled at my outstretched hand, and I crouched down in front of them, bringing me to their eye level.
“I’m Eloise,” the one with cute pink glasses said as she gently shook my hand.
Nearly pushing her sister out of the way, the other girl with haphazard braids falling on either side of her head grabbed my hand and shook it with gusto. “And I’m Molly. Our dad said you play baseball. He doesn’t like your team, but he likes you.”
News of my return had traveled fast, it seemed.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
“What are you doing with our Aunt Aspen?”
Aspen gripped my arm and pulled me toward the opening. “We were just leaving, actually. He’s going to be staying at Aunt Rory’s house for a few months.”
“Yay!” the girls cheered as if I was their new best friend.
There was no fighting my smile as I passed Alex, despite her down-turned mouth. It was clear she didn’t approve of any sort of relationship between me and Aspen. Which left the two of us faking it as hard as we could to convince everyone.
I stayed silent as we trekked back to Aspen’s house, but as we settled into my car—her in the driver seat, since she refused to relinquish my keys she still had—she paused before shifting the gear into drive.
“I’m sorry about that. You did good… covering, I mean. It’s an easy-enough lie to remember.”
“Your sister was kind of…”
“Mean? Yeah, the two of us have never gotten along. Not since I put pink hair dye in her shampoo when I was five. In my defense, I thought she’d like it. I didn’t realize the dye was for marking animals. Her skin was stained for the entire summer.”
“So, I’m not the only one you wreaked havoc on?”
“Clearly not. You were just the only one who gave it right back. I still stand by the fact that you initiated our rivalry.”
She finally started the car as I laughed while rolling down the window. It was another gorgeous day in Ashfield. I’d forgotten how beautiful it was when the end of summer met early fall.
“In my defense, how else was I going to make sure I won the line-leader spot for a month?”
“So you came up with breaking all the crayons and blaming me?”
“Yep, and it worked, didn’t it, cricket?”
“You know, I’ve always wondered why you gave me that nickname. The pranks involving insects didn’t start until later.”
“That’s my secret. Maybe I’ll share it with you one day.”
Her lips pursed as she clenched the steering wheel. I knew this was something that had been on her mind for a long time, and I wasn’t ready to tell her why I’d fallen upon that name. I didn’t think she was ready either.
In town, we picked up her car first, and I was immediately sad she wasn’t here, confined with me anymore, instead of in her little tin can on wheels. Not that my rental was anything to write home about, but it was at least built within the last five years. I’d need to look around at buying one while I was here. I could hand it off to my mom in my absence.
Just thinking about my mom forced my mood to take a nosedive. There were more secrets at play than just the house being condemned and her needing a job because she didn’t want to use any of the money I sent her over the years. Stubborn woman.
Evidently, that was who I got it from.
I followed Aspen to Rory’s house, which was only a short drive from the downtown area and the school. Once we arrived, Aspen explained Rory and her husband—hotel heir, Talon Beckett—had built a new house for themselves on the family property just as Alex had. She’d been thinking of renting out this small craftsman-style home, where she lived before they got married, but hadn’t taken the leap yet. I was her first renter.
Surprisingly, Aspen helped me sort through my few pieces of luggage. The house was the perfect size for one person. I was surprised Aspen hadn’t tried to snag this place for herself.
Rory had given the space a mid-century modern aesthetic. Aspen pointed out that her sister took the pictures on the wall, which showcased her photography skills.
