An hour later, I’m standing in a rustic cabin at the secluded Legacy Inn.
If you can call it a cabin. It’s a small A-frame structure with a bed, a dresser, a desk and two big windows with blackout curtains. It’s so cozy, I took photos of the cabin before moving in. Nothing like minimalistic Montana decor.
It takes me all of 15 minutes to unpack my bags and make myself at home. I change into my jean shorts and an old T-shirt before layering on the bug spray and sunscreen.
I step onto my tiny balcony and assess the small community I’ve joined. Six cabins are set up in a semicircle near the edge of the grounds. Five students are coming this summer, so the sixth cabin is likely an office or storage space. Three of the cabins have their doors open, meaning that three students from Edendale have already moved in.
“Please don’t let them be chatty,” I mutter to myself.
There are about 500 students in my grade at Edendale High School. While I know everyone by their faces, I make a point not to know them on a personal level. Putting down roots in Edendale has never been a part of the plan. In recent years, I have made only one exception — Ava. And she’s the only exception I intend to make.
I skip down the steps leading to my cabin and stroll along the gravel path that leads to the main building. Despite the threat of bugs, it’s a lovely spot. Flowers line the path and little copses of trees create a sense of seclusion. The trickling of a creek in the background adds to the serene ambiance.
A pink wildflower stands through the gravel, the color vibrant compared to the surrounding grey. I kneel to take a photo.
The Inn looms in front of me. It’s a magnificent 2-level structure made entirely of rich redwood and built to resemble a gigantic log cabin. Two wings with guest rooms shoot off from either side of the main building. The main building itself has big, sleek windows and a large open-air balcony. On the lower level, the porch opens onto a beautiful garden with an outdoor bar.
The garden weddings must be wonderful. I walk tentatively through the garden and note the beautiful flowers in pots all around. A lady tending to the flowers waves at me, a friendly smile on her face, and I hesitantly wave back.
The whole place buzzes with energy, fueling my mission to find Delia, the Inn’s manager. She told me to come and find her after unpacking my stuff. I walk over the porch and into the Inn, bypassing the man and woman playfully bickering about a broken panel on the deck.
Inside the Inn, I wander through the games room before finding my way upstairs to the event room. Finally, I spot a slim woman with work jeans, a colorful top, and hair pulled into a tight white bun. She’s speaking to one of the chefs.
“A cheeseburger taco? I LOVE IT! Feature them in the July menu, please and thank you, Fernando.” Delia gestures wildly as she speaks. The chef — Fernando? — ducks under one of her waving hands and disappears towards the kitchen.
“Delia?” My voice is timid. I clear my throat and stand straight, remembering what my mom taught me about appearing confident even when you don’t feel it. I try again. “All unpacked!”
Delia whips around, her hands flying through the air.
I duck. It’s a good thing — if I hadn’t, Delia would’ve accidentally slapped me.
“Ah, yes! Kira.”
“It’s Ki-ara, actually.”
“That’s the one. Come!” Delia abruptly turns, making a beeline for the balcony. “We are in dire need of a strong pair of hands.”
I jog after Delia as she strides across the event room floor. She can’t be younger than 50, but I’m practically out of breath trying to keep up. She maneuvers through the tables with the grace of a swan while I stumble along with the grace of a four-year-old trying to wear their mom’s high heels.
Delia stops abruptly by the far wall, which is made almost entirely of windows.
“Is that a spot?” She peers at one of the panes and rubs her thumb over the glass. I’m not sure if she’s speaking to me. She leans in closer and I almost lean in with her before she pops back up again. “I’ll get Vin on that right away.”
Delia opens the door onto the massive balcony and strides outside with me in tow. “So, Kira-”
“Ki-ara.”
“Do you see that gazebo down there?” She points to a gathering of trees in the distance.
“Not quite?” I squint to see through the trees.
“Ah, it’s down there.” She swats her hand in the general direction of the gazebo. “We need to hang some fairy lights in the gazebo in preparation for tonight’s Welcome Bash.”
Her green eyes sparkle over her half-moon glasses and a smile comes over my face. This lady is chaotic, but in the best way.
“Right, the Welcome Bash.” I’m not looking forward to the event, but I know it will be an opportunity to take photos of everyone milling about and celebrating.
“It’s all hands on deck here, my dear!” Delia casts a glance over the grounds of the Inn. “The fairy lights are just down by the gazebo. All you have to do is hang them up. Okay? Okay. If you have any questions, just pull me or Vin aside. Now Vin… where did he go?”
As dramatically as Delia first appeared, she strides off, back into the event room.
Blindsided by the Inn manager’s energy, I take a moment to gaze out over the grounds. The gathering of trees — where the gazebo should be — is right next to the lake.
Guests must spend their days canoeing or rafting on the lake before coming back to shore and relaxing on the private beach. A pathway snakes along the lakeshore, continuing around the periphery of Legacy Lake. In the distance, white mountain peaks jut elegantly towards the sky.
It must be such a cool place to spend a summer. A bolt of excitement flies through me as I realize that this very spot might hold the key to my future.
4
Kiara
After almost getting lost trying to exit the Inn, I finally emerge onto the porch. I stroll through the garden, smiling at the lady with the flowerpots, and head towards the lake.
By the shore, I spot a girl I recognize from school — I think her name is Anaya. She’s standing next to the dock, looking lost. I give her a little wave and she waves back.
The trees by the lake all look the same to me. After looking back and forth for some clarity, I catch sight of a sign and thank my lucky stars. Goodness knows I have no sense of direction.
I follow the signs all the way to the dainty white gazebo by the lake. The gravel path continues past the gazebo and I realize that this is the path I took to enter the grounds. It will take a lot of work not to get lost here. My head is already spinning.
A cardboard box sits next to the gazebo, with tangled fairy lights inside. There are hooks around the ceiling, and I decide to take some creative liberties with hanging the lights.
I stand on my tiptoes to hang a strand of lights, but I’m too short. I’m comfortable with my height of 5’7”, but it won’t do me any good today.
There’s a step ladder off to the side, and, with its help, I hang the first string of lights. I make my way around the gazebo, carefully stringing the lights and humming. The final string of lights will require some acrobatics — I want to braid it through the others to create a doily shape.
I carefully place my camera on the railing. I’m absolutely not going to risk dropping it.
I climb to the highest level of the stepladder. It wobbles slightly.
“Careful, Kiara, careful,” I say. I stand on my tiptoes. The lights are almost braided through—
And that’s when I lose my balance.
I yelp as my foot rolls, and I slip off the stepladder.
I tumble towards the balcony railing, holding my hands out instinctively as I fall.
I brace for impact, squeezing my eyes shut.
Suddenly, an arm circles my midsection. Shocked, I open my eyes in time to see my hand hit my camera, knocking it off the railing and sending it hurtling towards the ground.
No!
I shriek.
&n
bsp; I scramble towards the railing, falling out the grasp of the person holding me up.
My camera stops in midair.
The person, my mysterious rescuer, has grasped the camera strap. My beloved camera is dangling in the air, whole and unbroken.
I let out a cry of relief. “Thank you!”
This person saved my butt. Breaking my camera would have meant losing this job and derailing my plans for the future. I whip around, leaning in to give the person a hug—
Then I realize who saved me.
5
Kiara
My rescuer is Jonathan Wright.
No. No. Anyone — ANYONE — but him. My face crinkles in anguish. Of all the people to save me, to save my camera, why did it have to be Jonathan fricking Wright?
And why is he even here? Shouldn’t he be prancing around a soccer field and bragging about how good he is at kicking a stupid ball into a useless net?
“Oh,” I say unenthusiastically, meeting his denim blue eyes. “Thanks.”
His sandy blonde hair has that casual bedhead look that I bet he spent hours trying to perfect. He’s holding me tight against his body, steadying me after the fall. Within seconds, his gaze goes from shock to mild irritation.
I step out of his grasp at the same time that he drops his arm. Without a word, he hands me my camera. I wrap the strap tight around my midsection.
Jonathan and I have been in school together for years, and our dislike for one another has grown steadily over time. In fact, I can’t remember a time that I liked Jonathan. Maybe we were friends back in the days of toys and sandboxes. But now? He’s your typical star athlete, getting everything he could ever want in life.
“You know guests aren’t allowed here until tomorrow,” I say curtly, my hand on my hips. Ugh. Why did he have to play hero? It would’ve been better to fall.
“Good thing I’m not a guest.” He brushes a piece of lint off his designer label shirt, an innocent gesture that somehow makes me loathe him even more.
He slings his duffel bag over his shoulder like it weighs nothing. “You might want to be careful with your camera. Those things are expensive.”
Before I can say anything, he turns and skips out of the gazebo.
My blood boils as he walks away. Who is he to tell me to be careful around expensive things? I may not know Jonathan well, but I don’t think anyone else does either. Very few people have seen the side of him that I’ve seen...
The Inn should be staffed up for the summer. So why is he here?
And what did he mean that he’s not a guest?
There’s no way he’s working here… right?
6
Jonathan
I stride down the gravel path towards the Inn, reeling from my encounter with Kiara the Queen.
When I approached her in the gazebo, I had no idea it was her. Sure, now I recognize the wavy brown hair, the tanned skin, the slim figure. But I’ve never seen Kiara in shorts before, and never without her beloved camera slung around her neck.
I got there just in time. I saw her roll her ankle and knew she was about to topple. I grabbed her waist and then went for the camera. Good reflexes are one perk of being an athlete, I guess. Though now, knowing it was her, I’m not sure I would’ve tried so hard to save the camera.
Kiara and I have known each other for a long time and I have good reason to dislike her. She has this infuriating way of acting like she’s better than everyone else, hence the nickname “Kiara the Queen”. The Eagles’ top striker, Lucas, coined it for her last fall.
At Edendale High, she’s alienated almost everyone except for her one friend, Ava. They usually hang out in the artsy side of school, where the photo room is located. In class, I’ve noticed that she’s one of those “intelligent slacker” students. You know the type — they sleep through class and then get an A on the final exam while stifling yawns.
The problem is, Kiara’s so blunt and straightforward that it’s intimidating. I heard she’s even made teachers cry.
I shake myself off as I walk through a garden leading to the Inn. I didn’t do a good job of vetting which students would be here this summer. I never would’ve expected the Queen to climb down from her throne and roll up her sleeves.
Ahead, a lady struggles with a flowerpot. I drop my bag and jog over.
“Here, let me.” I help her lift the flowerpot onto a table.
“Aren’t you sweet?” she says, removing one of her gloves to shake my hand. “I’m Nath, it’s lovely to meet ya.”
Nath looks to be about my mom’s age, but her skin is tanned and she has smile lines around her mouth. My mom got rid of her smile lines a few years ago. Somehow, I found her more beautiful then, but I would never say so.
“Pleasure’s mine. I’m Jonathan.” I smile. “Do you know where I can find Delia?”
Nath points up to the balcony of the Inn. “Last I saw her she was buzzing around upstairs, but you never quite know where that one’s going to end up.”
Thanking Nath, I walk into the Inn, stepping into what appears to be a games room.
I’m momentarily distracted by the pool table. It’s been a while since I played pool — my parents never wanted me to play in case of “injuries”, but I break that rule whenever the opportunity comes up. Lucas has a pool table at his house, and whenever he hosts parties, I always make an appearance. I’m not a big partier, but I do love to play a game or two.
“Hello there!” A loud voice calls to me from across the room. A friendly-looking lady with white hair and blue jeans strides purposefully towards me. “You must be Johnny. John?”
“Jonathan.” I beam back at her, recognizing her voice instantly. “Delia?”
“In the flesh.” Behind her, a slight man with black hair and warm eyes steps forward. “And this is Vin.”
I nod a greeting towards Vin as Delia continues. “It was quite the surprise getting your call just a couple of days ago. We had only just talked about hiring another student when — ding — there you were! You know what I think it was? Fate. And I’ll admit that was part of the reason we hired you. When the universe sends you a message, you gotta listen.”
She winks theatrically. Behind her back, Vin rolls his eyes. Delia senses his reaction and turns to swat him playfully.
I hold back a laugh.
“It’s great to have you here, Jonathan. We’ve set up another cabin for you just outside. We put it together pretty quickly so if something’s missing or something doesn’t quite work, let us know and we can get right on fixing that.”
Delia clutches her clipboard to her chest. “We have lots to do before the Welcome Bash tonight so why don’t you get set up and then come back here to help the chefs in the kitchen? Vin’ll show you the way to your cabin.”
With that, Delia sets off towards the staircase.
“She’s really got everything under control, hey?” I say to Vin as we head out the door.
Vin laughs. “She’s a ball of chaos. She seems to be all over the map, but somehow, everything falls into place. You just have to trust the Delia way.”
When we get to the summer student area on the far side of the grounds, Vin shows me into a cabin on the edge of a semicircle of similar structures. It’s a sparse space, and a part of me misses the computer, phone and tablet I have at home.
I place my bag in the cabin and step out onto the small balcony. A couple of fellow students are milling about, but no one I know well. In the center of the semicircle of cabins, there’s a cement platform with a picnic table and chairs. A couple of hammocks sway in the trees nearby. The chill atmosphere feels unfamiliar but comfortable.
I have a feeling I’ll enjoy my time here at the Inn — as long as I tiptoe around Kiara the Queen.
7
Kiara
My blood is still boiling as I make my way out of the Inn later that afternoon. I can’t stop thinking about him. What on earth is Jonathan Wright doing here? Why is he working here? Shouldn’t the golden boy be off playi
ng soccer or whatever?
“I just wanted a couple of months away from all of that.” I look to the sky, frustrated.
While the opportunity to take awesome photos drew me to Legacy Inn, I also came to escape the drudgery of life in Edendale, where the high school cliques and clichés run wild. And now, to have to spend the entire summer with the very person who sits at the core of the entitled elite! Ugh.
I resolve to stay as far away from him as possible over the next few months. Jonathan’s likely just doing maintenance work or something, if he is working here. He shouldn’t be hard to avoid.
Besides, I have more important things to think about — my dreams, my future, my career. This summer, I need to focus on improving my photography. Legacy Inn is teeming with chances to take beautiful nature and lifestyle images.
Jonathan is a today problem, but in a year, when I’m far away from here, he’ll be a speck in the rearview mirror as I barrel towards my exciting life.
I stroll to the lakeshore and follow the gravel path circling the water. After stringing up the last of the fairy lights in the gazebo, I helped with a few more tasks around the Inn, including dusting the pool table in the games room and helping decorate the event room.
Now, everyone’s inside, getting ready for the Welcome Bash. But I want to take advantage of the peace and quiet around the lake.
I aim the camera, adjust focus, and capture the scenery. I take photos of a group of ducks swimming out from the shore with their ducklings, the lime green of the leaves as the sun shines through them, the clear reflection of the mountain peaks in the lake. It’s easy to see why people visit the Inn in the summer.
The path turns a corner, and the Inn drops out of sight as a small mountain rises next to me. There must be some fantastic viewpoints for photos up there.
Chasing Sunrise: A Sweet YA Enemies-to Lovers Romance (Inn for the Summer) Page 2
