“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 andpointed 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.”
