Page 58 of Pinch of Love
Right.
They lived here too, as did my sister, Evie—sort of. She was obtaining her doctorate in nursing at Marquette and would bounce between here and there during the summer. Although I’d noticed this summer, she’d done a lot less bouncing back to Buttercup Lake. But she was even younger than Hunter, so I guess that turned all eyes onto me since my older brother had already declared he’d be a bachelor for life and was currently in Italy living his best life.
Why Italy? No one knew.
I groaned. “Her name is Maya.”
“So, there’s a someone?”
“No someone,” I assured him. “She’s just having a real rough go of things, and I want to ensure that I’m around if she needs me.”
“How very hospitable of you,” Hunter chided. “Do you take it out of her deposit?”
“Seriously. She has no intention of staying in Wisconsin.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
A few seconds of silence sat between my brother and me, so I polished off my sandwich.
“Well, I’m dating a woman named Brielle—”
“As in dating?” I interrupted.
My brother didn’t date.
“I’m seeing her casually, but I thought it would be fun to take her up north. She’s originally from Chicago and hasn’t been to the Northwoods.”
“Well, have at it. Camper is all yours.”
“How about you bring Maya?”
“It’s not like that.”
“What’s it like, then?”
“A distraction for her,” I muttered.
I narrowed my eyes on the lake and noticed two someones just sitting on a paddleboard in front of my house. I craned my neck and strained my eyes to make out who I thought might be Maya’s niece and a boy.
“What the...?”
“Huh?” Hunter asked.
“Nothing. I just... Wait a second. Youknewabout Maya.”
“You mean that you made out with her in the middle of downtown before a breakfast out or that you were getting frisky in the lake waters? Yeah. I know about her.”
I slapped my forehead. “Dear God. It’s not like that.”
“Which part? Were you not trading spit in your Jeep?”
“How old are you?”
“Old enough to know when it’s right... Oh, is it right.”
A thought occurred to me.