Absolutely Not in Love (Sweater Weather, #7; Appies, #2)

by Jenny Proctor

Once we’re far enough away that I can stop worrying about whether my neighbor will spot me with two of his biggest fans, I’m able to relax and actually enjoy wandering around the farmer’s market, especially now that Maddox is with us. He’s a funny kid—the funniest, really—and I genuinely love hanging out with him. He takes to Summer right away, who answers his questions with the same level of dedication she gave to the civil procedures class that was nearly her undoing her first year of law school. She listens intently, then answers like Maddox truly matters—like his reasons for asking are as important as anything else. My heart stretches the tiniest bit. My parents did a lot of things right, but they didn’t always talk to me like my thoughts were important, especially since they were so frequently different from their own. Josh got lucky. He loves hockey as much as they do, so his opinions always mattered. But mine? Not so much. When I have kids—if I ever have kids—I want to talk to them just like Summer is talking to Maddox. Like they matter. Like whatever they love is the most important thing. Whether it’s music or horseback riding or swimming or drawing. Or hockey, I think, a weight settling into my stomach. I’m a Mitchell, after all. If my own family is any indication, where seventy-five percent of us are diehard fans, the odds are pretty good I might have at least one kid who loves the sport. Especially if I live in Harvest Hollow. Hockey isn’t really big in North Ca...