No wonder the Bakers were considered one of Walker Beach’s most prominent families. Not only had the community park and beach been named after Ashley’s great-grandfather, but the Bakers themselves would probably take up an entire downtown street block if lined up one after the other.
The air smelled of her Aunt Kiki’s manicotti, and the tile floors amplified the din of chatter and scraping forks. Despite the crowd, her mother’s modern farmhouse style made for an inviting yet elegant space, and the massive wall of windows facing the backyard made the room appear much larger than it really was.
Normally, Ashley would be hanging out in the kitchen with her mom and aunts, maybe a cousin or two. But she’d chosen this particular spot because the teenage cousin sitting next to Ashley found her phone far more interesting than anything else. Today there was simply too much taking up space in Ashley’s brain to put forth the energy to hear what was going on in anyone else’s life.
Any small amount of energy she did have was focused on watching for Shannon. Thanks to a corporate brunch she’d overseen this morning, Ashley hadn’t had a chance to tell her cousin about any of yesterday’s happenings.
Not about Kyle’s offer—and definitely not about having Derek as a client.
She polished off her last bite of breadstick, set her plate on the coffee table in front of her, and sank lower into the couch cushions.
“Ashley. There you are.” Aunt Jules floated across the room and sat on the arm of the couch next to Ashley. Her long red hair hung in waves down her back, and copper-twisted turquoise bangles swung on her wrists. The scent of her signature lavender perfume wrapped around Ashley, bringing a sense of peace and contentment she couldn’t explain. “Are you hiding out over here for any particular reason?”
“What do you mean?”
Jules clucked her tongue. “You’re normally the life of the party. What’s got you down, Sunshine?” She leaned in closer. “Did you finally get tired of all these biddies asking when you’re bringing home a man? Because I hate to inform you—they’ll never stop.”
Aunt Jules would know. At forty-two, she was the youngest of the five Baker siblings and the only one who remained unmarried. But she never seemed to let it bother her. Besides, as the owner of Serene Art, a hippie art gallery in downtown Walker Beach, she had too much going on to allow her lack of companionship to ruffle her feathers—and Ashley admired her for it. In fact, watching Jules achieve her dreams of owning a business had fueled Ashley’s own ambitions. That and the fact her own parents, her brother Ben, and several other family members were also business owners.
Ashley elbowed her aunt’s leg. “I’m fine.”
Her cousin Sophie’s two boys sped through the room wearing capes and eye masks. They ran past Tyler—Shannon’s older brother and Quinn’s twin—who was chatting with Gabrielle, his wife of seven months, and stuck out their tongues playfully.
“You can’t catch us!” the seven-year-old called.
Using his former pro football reflexes, Tyler snapped them both up in his strong arms and growled before unleashing the tickle monster within. After the kids ran off giggling, he turned back to Gabrielle and they shared an intimate grin as he placed a hand on her ever-so-slightly rounded stomach.
What a blessing was coming for them this September. And now that their joint nonprofit work at the Amazing Kids Foundation had brought them back permanently to Walker Beach, Ashley would have a chance to witness it up close.
A tiny twinge of longing wound up and gripped her heart.
She’d like to be a mom someday. If only the right guy would come along. Once upon a time, after a few years of flirting and close friendship, she’d thought maybe she and Derek would eventually get together, but he’d run away to France before declaring any sort of feelings for her. As far as Ashley knew, her love was every bit as unrequited as that of Julia Roberts’s character in My Best Friend’s Wedding.
A sigh escaped her lips, but not without Jules’s notice.
Her aunt raised an eyebrow. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.” Well, she did. With Shannon. Aunt Jules had always been so strong and independent. Ashley wouldn’t want her aunt to think less of her for the way she had absolutely crumbled inside yesterday when she’d seen Derek again for the first time in over a year. But maybe her aunt could provide the swift kick in the pants she needed. “I—”
“Derek!” Ashley’s mom called from the foyer. “Come on in, come on in.”
Ashley sank down in her seat when Mom entered the room, Derek shuffling behind her, Claire’s hand in his.
Aunt Jules glanced from Derek to Ashley, her eyes full of sympathy.
Great. Just what Ashley needed.
She squeezed Ashley’s shoulder. “Sorry, kiddo.”
“It’s fine.” Why was he here?
But that was answered in two seconds flat when her brother, Ben, came jogging around the corner and pulled Derek into a hug. “Dude, you made it.”
“Thanks for the invite.” Funny how two guys who’d been best friends their whole lives could go without speaking for a year and be totally okay with picking back up where they’d left off.
And yet, yesterday Derek had acted like Ashley was the last person in the world he’d wanted to see. Why? What had she done to deserve that kind of treatment? He was the one who hadn’t returned her
