"Are you two a thing again?"Hudson asked carefully.
I huffed a laugh."We're just working together."
Mom wiped her hands on a dish towel."Did you invite Natasha over for dinner like I asked?"
I was happy to report that I'd followed Mom's wishes."She said she can come next week.She and her sister are hosting a town hall tonight."
Snagging a cracker and a cheese slice from the serving platter on the counter, Aspen said, "I wanted to go to that.I'll have to leave early tonight to catch some of it."
"I thought you worked the front counter," I said to her.
"I help out with whatever they need.And right now, they're trying to get the shop and restaurant owners on board with plans for the parade," Aspen said.
"You think that will be a problem?"Mom asked.
Aspen chewed and swallowed before answering, "I've heard some talk about Eve and Natasha running the town like a theme park.But they just want to bring more people to shop and enjoy the area.It will help everyone, but you know how it is.Some people like to hold onto the way things have always been, rather than try something new."
Cooper nodded."Change is scary."
Aspen paused to look at him."What new thing have you tried?"
Cooper gestured around at my brothers."We opened a business."
Aspen shook her head."With your family in your hometown.Hardly a risk."
"You're just jealous because you have a boss and don't work for yourself," Cooper said to her.
We all bickered like siblings, but the animosity between Aspen and Cooper was more intense.I wasn't sure if she resented having another male hanging around, acting like yet another big brother, or if something had happened between the two of them.
Aspen made a face."I like to work and keep busy."
I wasn't sure what was going on with Aspen, but I knew Mom and Dad were worried about her not having direction.She worked these odd jobs but didn't have a career.She didn't seem interested in pursuing one either.She was the flightiest of my siblings.I'd always chalked it up to her being the youngest and the only girl.
"Leave your sister alone," Mom said.
My brothers all exchanged looks at Mom's familiar refrain, intended to protect the baby of the family.
I wondered what it would be like when Natasha was here next week and sitting at the table.It would be different from when we were teens.Back then, we'd disappear into my room to talk and make out for hours.
I could tell Natasha was just as attractive to me as she'd always been.She was more mature, with defined goals she was determined to meet.I could see myself settling down with her and living a life like my parents, hosting family dinners and enjoying each other's company.
It was the right decision to come home, but I wasn't prepared for these feelings about Natasha to surface.
We carried everything to the dining room table to eat, where Mom had lit a row of ivory pillar candles.
When we were seated and passing around dishes, Dad asked, "How's the renovation coming at the inn?"
"We're ripping out the bathrooms.The remaining guests on the top floor should all be checking out this weekend, and then we can get to work on the plumbing."
Hudson nodded in agreement."I can't wait to get in there and see what the situation is."
I was grateful to be working side by side with my brother.It was something I thought about a lot when I was deployed.As much as I enjoyed the closeness between soldiers, my relationships with my brothers were different.
"How are you breaking it up?Natasha's still taking guests, isn't she?"Mom asked.
"We're going floor by floor, trying to keep the noise and mess to a minimum."
Mom buttered her bread."What needs to be updated besides the bathrooms?"
