Chapter 24—Aspen
One week.
One long, miserable week since Aspen had heard from or spoken with Connor.
Aspen must have picked up her phone a hundred times to call or text Connor, but stopped short before allowing the message or call to go through.
She said such horrible and hurtful things to him.While his penchant for avoiding using a person’s first name and his need for control were correct, the fact his sister died along with the fractured relationship with his father had a profound impact on the development of his life.Who was she to judge?
Before she cocked her arm to toss a stone, Aspen should have taken a hard look at her own glass house.
How could she be hypocritical about doing things on her own but turn away from programs and grants like the ones Connor suggested.Yet another area in which Aspen fell short.Instead of constantly complaining about the mess her parents left her in, she should have been finding unique ways to better serve herself and her business.
So, taking Connor’s advice, she did.
In the last week when her tummy twisted and turned at the lack of resolution with Connor, Aspen applied for a handful of grants.Grants specifically for businesswomen, grants for Colorado natives, and the list went on.She also had an appointment with the Small Business Administration to examine her loan and potentially shift to one with almost zero interest.
None of that would have been possible without Connor’s suggestions.Let’s not forget about his direct offers of help.
At the root of it, Connor’s kindness and generosity covered in his thick, don’t-mess-with-me-shell, touched Aspen at her base level.There was no way she could walk away from him and the possibilities of what they may become.
He could slam the door in her face after their horrible fight in her shop.He may even say their relationship was strictly sex, but Aspen couldn’t let this moment in her life pass without her options being exhausted.
A smile curled Aspen’s lips, a feeling that was foreign to her in the last week of angst, as a lightbulb moment struck.She instantly knew how to engage her Viking.She set to work to find her small, square baking pans.Round simply wouldn’t do.
Two hours later, baking complete, Aspen drove to Connor’s house.She saw his truck parked along the curb and his SUV in the driveway, so she knew he should be home.
She’d leave her peace offering behind and hope it didn’t suffer a similar fate to the giant carrot-shaped cake that theBridesmaidsmovie fictional baker made for her cop in her own olive branch moment.
Nevertheless, Aspen looked around for raccoons.
“It’s daytime, you idiot.Those critters don’t come out until nighttime.”
I think.
Aspen continued her slow-roll by Connor’s house like a lovesick teenager looking to spy her crush, except she was a grown-ass adult.
Although she didn’t want Mia to see her display of desperation and completely freak out at her ‘grand gesture’ attempt, Aspen wished Mia was here for support, to tell her to go for it.
After she confessed to Mia about her relationship with Connor over the past few weeks, Mia launched herself at Aspen and gave her a hearty hug, even crying at her excitement about Aspen’s connection with heruncle.
In a twist of irony, Mia offered the same bit of hope that all would work out, just as Aspen stated to her friend last week.
Aspen wished she had the confidence Mia displayed.
Once in Connor’s west Denver neighborhood, Aspen parked her car a few houses down and slipped out of her Rav4 to grab the box containing Connor’s gift.
It was obvious Aspen wasn’t meant for stealth operations.She squealed as she tripped on a piece of buckled concrete, slightly juggling the boxed goodies until she righted herself.She nearly wore the cake when a runner guiding three dogs on leashes got tangled with Aspen on the sidewalk.
The bead of sweat trekking its way down Aspen’s back reminded her that her nerves were fried, not the fact that it was a hot, Colorado summer day.
“It’s now or never,” Aspen whispered, tiptoeing her way up the sidewalk leading to Connor’s front door, the rubber soles of her tennis shoes cooperating in the effort to avoid disclosing her presence.
Aspen carefully set the cake on the porch by the door.Taking two steps back, she pressed the doorbell, then ran like hell.
She sprinted down the block a short way and ducked behind a massive ash tree growing next to the sidewalk.
