Chapter 3: Lena

Whenever I went into town with my brother, people tended to stare. Not at me. I was around town a lot, but Enzo rarely got involved in town affairs. A year younger than me, he was also more emotionally invested in the orchard. One day, I hoped he’d be able to take over the running of it while I had my own business. 

A business that had brought me to town. 

But his aloofness wasn’t the only reason the people we’d known all our lives stared. My brother was beautiful, at least according to the little old ladies who fueled the gossip magazine in town, the Weekly Wine. Gag me at the name. Did everything in this town have to be about the Ashfords and their perfect wine?

The magazine had a section called “sightings” where they chronicled where they saw all the town’s golden boys. This included Enzo, Conner Ashford—ugh—a few cops, firefighters, the mayor, and several others. 

The old ladies lusted after them. It was kind of funny, actually. 

With his tanned skin, cerulean eyes, and broad muscles built through hard work rather than working out, I’d had to put up with a lot of swooning no sister should ever have to see. 

I yelped as Enzo grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the alcove in front of the door to Hugga Mugga, the one and only coffee shop in town. 

“Ow, let go. What’s wrong with you?” 

Enzo looked behind us and sighed. “Mrs. Peterson was coming our way.” 

One corner of my mouth curled up. “Your girlfriend?” 

He groaned. Mrs. Mary Peterson was about seventy and had a habit of saying inappropriate things. I kind of loved her. 

“If you’re going to make me hide, the least you can do is buy me a coffee.” I pushed open the glass door that showcased the bright and bubbly Hugga Mugga logo. The name was as cheesy as our town. 

Inside, the place was packed with morning patrons getting their injections of caffeine. I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but this place made killer scones. 

“I’m getting breakfast too.” 

Enzo rolled his eyes. “And I guess I’m paying for that as well?”

I linked my arm with his. “You’re such a good brother.” 

We’d always been close, closer than close. As this town was one to take sides in any dispute as though it was the local sport, it was usually the Contreras kids against the world. 

Inside, the coffee shop was warm, with dark wooden floors and sky blue walls. I’d always loved it here. Shelby Yin stood behind the counter, looking bored. Her inky black hair was piled high on her head, and pink glasses perched on her nose. I almost asked why she was here and not in school, but then I remembered they had the day off for some teacher training thing. I’d read about it in the Weekly Wine that annoyed me so much. Sue me, I was a customer. 

I really needed to get out more. 

“What can I get you?” she asked in a monotone voice. 

Enzo and I ordered iced mochas and cranberry-orange scones. He paid, and we ducked out into the early morning sun. I checked the time on my phone and realized I’d be a bit early to my meeting with the lawyer. 

My brother didn’t know why I wanted to come to town, but he’d been dying to get out. He had a few errands to run while I had my meeting, and he hadn’t asked questions. He was good like that. 

We headed across the street toward the town square and didn’t see them until it was too late. Sitting in a row of chairs near the small gazebo was the gossip posse. That was what Carter and I called them. We’d avoided Mrs. Peterson before, but here she was again, and they’d already seen us. 

“Selena!” Mrs. Jeffries called. “Selena, come here and bring that brother of yours with you.” 

I tugged him with me, not wanting to be rude. 

Along with Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Jeffries was Mrs. Chapman, my favorite of the bunch. Carter and I had spent a lot of time at her house when her granddaughter Harper Chapman visited in the summers.

Mrs. Chapman gave us a warm smile. “It’s been a while since I saw one Contreras, let alone two. How are you, dears?” 

I returned her smile. “Good, thank you.” I elbowed Enzo.

He cleared his throat. “Fine, fine.”

“Yes, you are.” Mrs. Peterson’s gaze slid up the length of him, and he fidgeted beside me. 

Feeling bad for him, I tried to shift the attention to me. “Have you heard from Harper recently, Mrs. Chapman?”

She smiled at the mention of her successful granddaughter. “She called me just last night. She’s married, you know.” I did know that. We were still friends on social media. “And a reporter for the Boston Globe! I’m so proud of that girl.” 

I was proud of my old friend too. She achieved the dreams she used to talk about. I just wish she hadn’t had to leave me and Carter behind to do it. Stifling those thoughts, I kept my smile bright. It was all I could do. 

Mrs. Jeffries met my gaze. “What about you, Selena? Any prospective husbands on the horizon?” 

Enzo coughed out a laugh, and I “accidentally” stepped on his foot, my smile never wavering. “I’m just focused on my family’s business.”

“You won’t be young forever, dear. Eventually, those Contreras good looks you both have will turn into this.” She gestured to the three of them. 

I shook my head. “I would be lucky to age like you beauties.”

That made her laugh. “You two were always charmers. Tell you what, I have a grandson who lives about an hour from here. That’s not too far, is it?”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard about this grandson. 

Mrs. Peterson scoffed. “She doesn’t want to marry Hank, Anita. He only graduated high school last year.” 

Mrs. Jeffries looked offended, but it was the truth. I wasn’t going to date an eighteen-year-old kid. 

“Plus,” Mrs. Peterson continued, “Glen is more her type.” 

I wasn’t sure what they thought my type was, but it definitely wasn’t a man ten years my senior who lived with his parents and worked part time, spending the rest of his time playing video games. 

“Oh, hey,” Enzo said suddenly. “There’s Harrison. I need to have a word with him.” I lifted my eyes to where Harrison Ashford walked down the brick path crisscrossing the wide-open green spaces that made up the square. 

I wanted to murder my brother as he jogged toward the only Ashford he put up with. Harrison was the mayor of Superiore Bay, so we didn’t really have a choice but to deal with him, but he was also different from his Ashford Estate cousins. 

I turned my attention back to the ladies in front of me, my eyes catching on the paper in Mrs. Chapman’s hands. “Is that a new issue of the Weekly Wine?” 

“Sure is, honey. I’m done with it if you’d like to see it.” 

“Thank you.” I took it from her. “I must be on my way. I have a meeting this morning.” 

After waving goodbye, I headed toward the row of shops along the Boulevard, which was what we called the main drag around the square. 

I didn’t have time to read much of the gossip before stepping into Bath Babes, my favorite shop. It was owned by an elderly woman named Candice Fletcher. I didn’t know her well, but the store sold my favorite candles. 

The bell above the bright yellow door chimed as I stepped inside, and I was immediately assaulted with a tantalizing combination of scents from the section of candles to my right. This place sold everything homemade. Candles, soaps, environmentally friendly cleaners. 

I knew after my meeting with the lawyer I was going to need my favorite calming scent. It was a candle they simply called “Relax,” a mix of vanilla, chamomile flowers, and mint. 

I didn’t talk to the other patrons. Other than the gossip posse, most of them didn’t speak to me. That would require betraying their Ashford overlords. 

Mrs. Fletcher smiled at me as I walked toward the counter with the candle, but then, she smiled at everyone. I wasn’t sure I’d ever met anyone else who was quite as nice as her. 

“You do love these, don’t you?” She laughed. 

I went through a lot of candles. “Nothing else can calm me down quite so quickly.” 

“You’re wound a little tight, Lena.” She reached for a basket of bath bombs on the counter. “I’m going to throw one of these in. Try it. I promise, it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself. A little self-care.”

I wasn’t really one for self-care, or bubble baths, but I smiled in thanks. 

Looping my bag over one arm, I left the shop. As I walked, I opened up the copy of the Weekly Wine Mrs. Chapman had given me. 

It was mostly the usual gossip. Old Mr. Franklin, who manned the lighthouse at Superiore Point, was apparently dating a woman from Hidden Cove—a treasonous betrayal to most of Superiore Bay. My eyes scanned the gossip, some of it making me chuckle. Had Matt Davidson really streaked through the town square two nights ago? 

It was probably a celebration for one of the high school sports teams busy wrapping up their season. 

When I got to the sightings section, I nearly stopped breathing. 

Sighted: Carter Ashford, motoring across the inlet to meet with Selena Contreras. Will we have a joining of the two rival families?

Oh no. I was lucky my parents didn’t read this stuff, but someone in Carter’s family likely did, and the news would get to his father, a man who terrified me. 

I looked up just in time to see Conner Ashford walking toward me and ducked into the nearest doorway. Maybe he hadn’t seen me. But now, I had a problem. I couldn’t go back out there and walk to the lawyer’s office. Not without running into Conner. 

I glanced at the door I stood in front of. The Rusty Spoon. Perfect. Pulling out my phone, I dialed the lawyer’s personal cell. I’d known him most of my life and rarely called his office. He was an old friend of my brother’s but also another Ashford cousin. 

“Lena, aren’t you supposed to be in my office right about now?”

“Hey, Eli.” I leaned back against the brick next to the door. “Change of plans. Think you can meet me at the diner?” 

Most people would say no during the work day, but Eli only laughed. “Which of my cousins are you avoiding?”

Eli knew my family too well. “Conner.”

“Well, you’re lucky I’m hungry. You’re buying me breakfast.”

“Yeah, sure. I’m already here. See you soon.” I hung up and slid my phone into my purse, taking my eyes off the sidewalk just long enough to miss someone walking up to me. 

I sensed him as one sensed a predator and lifted my eyes slowly, my breath catching in my throat. 

There, standing in front of me was my least favorite person in this tiny little town. Conner Ashford was powerful, dangerous, but no matter how much his eyes hardened when he looked at me, I refused to be scared of him. 

I refused to bow down and kiss his feet like everyone else did. 

And I was sure he hated me for it.