Page 10 of No Summer Hotter than You

“Hm, sounds like someone’s jealous of their older brother,” my dad stated, still chuckling.

“I’m not,” I countered. “I’m happy for them. It’s about time they’re together, to be honest.”

“Maybe it’s about time you get back into dating too, Anthony.” My dad laughed.

“Date who? Evelyn?” I snorted as I crossed my arms across my chest.

My dad let out another laugh, shaking his head. “C’mon, son, let’s head inside for dinner. Your mom’s making stuffed bell peppers.”

I followed my dad into the house, the familiar scent of my mom’s cooking wafting through the air. As we entered the kitchen, I saw my mom bustling around while Aunt Sue was out of sight, but her voice could still clearly be heard. They were deep in conversation, speaking loudly in Hmong with their laughter echoing between the kitchen and dining room.

“Anthony!” Aunt Sue exclaimed as she quickly walked into the kitchen. Her eyes were practically twinkling as she headed straight toward me. I handed her the flowers. “Thank you so much for the lovely flowers. Goodness, you look even bulkier than last year! Have you been spending too much time at the gym?”

I beamed my brightest smile and gave her petite, tiny frame a hug. “Good to see you too, Aunt Sue,” I said with a laugh. “Well, I need to bulk up to beat Andy in our brotherly competitions, you know?”

My parents laughed. “Some brotherly competitions. You broke your leg one year because Andy forced you to jump off the roof because of your stupid little games,” my mom said, shaking her head.

“That was back in high school! And they’re not stupid little games. It’s just fun competitions we like to do to see who’s the better twin.”

“Usually until someone bleeds,” my dad chuckled.

Aunt Sue laughed as she raised a curious brow at me. “So, who’s the better twin lately?”

“Me, of course.”

Everyone laughed. As we settled around the dining table, the conversation flowed effortlessly, with Aunt Sue entertaining us all with her hilarious anecdotes of being a college professor and contagious laughter. My mom served us hefty portions of stuffed bell peppers as well and it was all good. My stomach couldn’t help but churn at the thought of Aunt Sue playing matchmaker for her daughter. Again.

“Evelyn’s doing great! Her PhD program has been ramping up since she’s in her second year,” Aunt Sue said. I couldn’t help but notice the way she gave me a glance. “By the way, Anthony, I have great news. I asked your parents not to spoil it for you because I wanted to tell you in person.”

I chuckled nervously. “What is it?”

“Evelyn will be joining me here by this upcoming weekend. She mentioned how she really wanted to spend summer here and come with me again. But her dad insisted she spend a few weeks with him in Wisconsin. No worries, though. She’ll be here soon.” The corner of her smile tipped a little into a tiny smirk. “And my nephew Kelvin will also be coming with her.”

I tried not to let my jaw drop but failed miserably. Why the hell is going to be Kelvin doing here?

Both Evelyn Vu and her cousin Kelvin Vang were going to be here this summer? My mind started reeling at the horror of it. As if dealing with just Evelyn wasn’t enough for us.

Shoua and Julie have had their own fair share of dealing with Aunt Sue’s horrible matchmaking. She talked nonstop about her nephew last summer and even forced them to talk to Kelvin via a video call. He seemed nice, but neither of them liked him. Unsurprisingly, Aunt Sue couldn’t seem to take the hint and kept insisting one of them to start dating him.

“O-Oh, Kelvin?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I thought that I would invite Kelvin to come here and spend time in California too. He’s such a homebody, so I thought it’d be great for him to go out of his comfort zone a little bit and explore the world. I think you, Andy, and him would be great friends. Maybe Shoua and him could also get along,” she said with a laugh.

Aunt Sue was smiling sweetly as if she delivered the greatest news I could ever possibly want. When, in fact, that was the worst. I had nothing against Evelyn at all. But it was just that she demanded to be the center of attention all the time. Maybe it was because she grew up as the only child? She could be quite disingenuous at times as well with fake flattery and overly enthusiastic smiles.

If we knew each other better and were closer without Aunt Sue’s constant plotting to make me fall in love with Evelyn, I’d tell her she didn’t have to force herself so much.

When it came to Kelvin, I have nothing against him being here since I didn’t really know him. If he had never been to California and had just wanted to visit and explore, then all was good. But this was all too much of a coincidence. Aunt Sue clearly had something cooking up in that mind of hers and I didn’t like it.

“That’s . . . great,” I responded through a tight smile and gritted teeth.

“I’m sure you kids will have a great time,” my mom said, trying not to laugh.

I shot my mom a withering look as my dad laughed out loud. As much as I wasn’t a fan of Evelyn, neither were my parents. She left a lasting impression on people and not in a good way. I think they were lukewarm with her at most.

“Now, now, Anthony. No need to be so excited,” my dad said.

Before I could retort, Aunt Sue spoke up. “So, Anthony,” she began, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Any special someone in your life?”

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