Chasing Sunrise: A Sweet YA Enemies-to Lovers Romance (Inn for the Summer)

by Sara Jane Woodley

  Wait. But…

  What?

  The next photo appears.

  This one is of Kiara gazing towards the sunset, her expression perfectly betraying her thoughts.

  Another one of mine?

  Kiara’s confused, too.

  Obviously, there’s been a mistake.

  We both turn towards Delia and she’s beaming at us like she’s just told the world’s funniest joke.

  I clear my throat to try and explain. “Delia, those photos—”

  “We’ve decided to hire both of you!”

  WHAT?

  She clicks her remote.

  A page with two photos appears — a candid shot of Kiara laughing, and the sunrise from the Legacy summit. One of mine, one of hers.

  “The universe saw fit to bless us with two talented photographers this summer. Jonathan, this shot of Kiara pulled my heart strings and perfectly captured the romanticism and magic of the Inn. And Kiara, your photo of the sunrise shows the life of the world around the Inn.”

  My heart stops. Kiara’s hand is limp in mine.

  “Both of these photos will be featured as part of the ad campaign. And you both will be working with us to headline the campaign internationally. If you’re okay working as a team, that is.”

  Kiara laughs and gazes into my eyes. “I’d be delighted. He still has a thing or two to learn, after all.”

  “Likewise,” I say. “Someone’s got to be there to catch her camera when she drops it.”

  Kiara playfully swats me on the shoulder, then leans in and gives me a quick kiss.

  We’re showered with applause and congratulations.

  My heart thumps and a happy excitement overwhelms me. This year, Kiara and I will not only study together at Edendale High, we’ll also work together for Legacy Inn.

  Imagine. Doing what we love the most in the place where we fell for each other.

  58

  Jonathan

  “Come on, golden boy. How are you so disorganized?”

  Kiara sits on my bed wearing one of my favorite hoodies. It looks great on her, and I wonder whether I’ll ever get it back. Probably not.

  “We didn’t all get a ridiculously early head start and pack last night,” I say.

  “Hmm, this is true.” She flops back onto the bed dramatically. “I almost hopped on a bus and got out of here first thing this morning. It’s lucky for you that I waited.”

  She says this with a note of humor in her voice, but my heart hurts a little at the thought. I give her a kiss before I return to packing my suitcase.

  “Sure is.”

  We talk about everything and nothing as I finish packing. But we mostly talk about what the next few months will look like working for the Inn on top of our senior classes. Kiara has some wonderful ideas and I can’t wait to help her capture the images she’s dreaming of.

  “It’ll be interesting too, once we’re back in Edendale,” she says carefully as our talk turns to school. “Are you sure you won’t mind being seen with the Edendale High outcast? The ‘Queen’ of school?” She says this theatrically, making quotation marks with her fingers.

  “I’ve never been surer of anything.”

  Kiara gives me her half-smile and I feel excited for what the next few months, and years, will bring us.

  I turn back to my dresser and check every drawer. It’s only then that I realize I forgot some precious cargo in the bottom drawer. I hesitantly take out my shin guards and cleats, the gear that I’d stashed away months ago.

  “It’s been ages since I thought about soccer.” I look at my jerseys. “I kind of miss it.”

  Kiara comes over to me, giving me a hug. “Makes sense, you have been playing it for years.”

  I pack my soccer gear on top, feeling oddly sad. I don’t miss all the stuff surrounding soccer. I don’t miss my stressed family, my nagging coach, my intense teammates. But I miss the sport, I miss the game. Soccer is a part of me and I don’t know that it will ever go away, even if I choose another path for my future.

  Suddenly, Kiara gives a little squeak and bounds out of the cabin. I zip up my suitcase and place it by the door, hurrying after her.

  When I get onto my balcony, she’s disappeared. I stare around the property, trying to see her, but all I can see are staffers tying up loose ends and packing everything away. The student cabins next to us are surprisingly quiet and I wonder where the other Edendale High kids have gone.

  Kiara pops out from underneath her cabin. She shakes herself off and then drops a very familiar object onto the green grass.

  “Ready for me to kick your butt again, Jonathan Wright?” She kicks the ball around the green space near our cabins.

  I grin, hop down from my balcony, and race towards her. I steal the ball, dart around her, and make her chase me a bit, laughing.

  That’s when she full-on body-checks me and steals the ball back.

  “Red card! Red card!”

  "No ref to save you here, golden boy!” She darts towards a pretend goal.

  I chase after her, but before I can stop her, she makes a final kick and sends the ball flying through the air towards the hammocks.

  “Gooooooaaaaaaaaal!” She falls to her knees, her arms up in the sky.

  I fall beside her, laughing, take her in my arms, and kiss her.

  59

  Jonathan

  “Jonathan Wright!”

  A very familiar, very deep voice stops me cold. I get off the ground and help Kiara up. Holding her hand, I turn to face my parents.

  “Mom. Dad.” My voice is a croak. “What are you doing here?”

  My dad’s mouth twitches and the blood vessel along his temple looks like it’ll burst.

  Mom doesn’t look much happier. “We should ask you the same thing.”

  “What have you been doing?” Dad shouts. “How long have you been here?”

  Mom steps in front of dad, her arms crossed, her voice shrill. “We suspected something was wrong when we didn’t hear from you for a few days and we reached out to Troy. After a few phone calls, he finally admitted that you were here and not at Momentum. He said you spent the summer here? Tell me it’s not true.”

  I stare at the ground, feeling lost. The resolution and certainty I felt just a few minutes ago has dissipated. The disappointment in my parents’ voices stings like a cut from the sharpest knife.

  Then, Kiara squeezes my hand and I know that she’s here with me. It gives me strength.

  “It’s true,” I say, my voice firmer than I feel. “I lied to you about going to Momentum. I know that I should be sorry… but I’m not.”

  “You’re. Not. Sorry?” Dad’s nostrils flare.

  “I didn’t want things to go this way.” I keep my voice level. “But I knew I had to do this, and I didn’t think you’d understand. Remember when Grandpa Wright gave me that camera a year ago? The same camera that you made me hide in my closet last fall?”

  My parents nod curtly, their rage still evident.

  I continue. “He gave me the camera because I told him I liked photography. He was the only one who listened.”

  My mom’s face softens almost imperceptibly. We all loved Grandpa Wright, our entire family was devastated when he passed away this spring. I take a deep breath as I push on, finally getting the truth off my chest.

  “My love for soccer died a long time ago. I don’t want to pursue it anymore. I don’t want the stupid scholarship. I want to play soccer because I enjoy it and it’s fun, not because it’s my ‘life’s purpose’.”

  I squeeze Kiara’s hand and my mom registers the movement. Her face softens even more.

  “So I skipped out on Momentum. I came to the Legacy Inn at the last minute to work as a photographer. That’s where I want my future to be.” I take a deep breath, ready to deal the final blow. “When I graduate, I’ll be going to photography school.”

  My voice is firm, and the world feels silent as my parents process my decision. I look over at Kiara and her eyes
are encouraging. No matter what, I’ll be okay.

  “We’ve only ever wanted the best for you,” Dad says. His voice isn’t hard, isn’t on edge. “We thought soccer was the best thing. It would get you into a great school, a full-ride. A better school than we could afford.”

  My mom takes my dad’s hand, her voice gentle. “We’re sorry that we placed so much on you. We thought you wanted it as much as we did. But if you don’t, that’s okay.”

  A heavy weight lifts from my chest, and I can breathe again.

  “But lying to us all summer?” Dad’s voice is firm, betrayed.

  “That,” I say, “I am sorry for. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

  My parents are silent.

  Will they forgive me? Our relationship has become really complicated over the last few years, but I want to believe that the happy parents from my childhood are still there.

  “Next time, can you at least talk to us before you go gallivanting off to the middle of nowhere?” Mom’s voice carries a smile, and when I look up, my parents look… happy. Like how they used to be.

  My face breaks into a wide, hesitant smile. “I promise.”

  60

  Kiara

  “I’m home!” I call out automatically to the empty house. I place my keys in the bowl by the front door and drop my bag.

  Jonathan and his parents gave me a ride back to town so I didn’t have to take the bus. His parents are intense, but lovely. They were overjoyed to hear that we both got positions as photographers for the Inn. That should help take the stress off the finances for Jonathan’s college education. He held my hand the entire way home, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

  Sebastian rounds the corner. There’s a bit of pudge to him, like someone strapped an extra stick of butter to his belly.

  “Hello, sir. Looks like mom kept you well-fed, hey?”

  “You better believe it!” A voice calls from the kitchen.

  Mom?

  She’s actually home for once?

  I hurry to the kitchen.

  Mom is wearing an apron and standing over the stove. She comes over to me and gives me a big hug. “I’m so glad to see you!”

  I hug her back. “What are you doing here?”

  She laughs, releases me, and heads back to the stove, her hair loose down her back. She’s wearing casual pants and a bright t-shirt — a major change from her creased work pants and blouses. “I wanted to make our favorite dinner for your first night back.”

  I stare at her, skeptical.

  She turns off the stove and drains the water from the pot into the sink. “Oh, fine. Echo completed a project today, so I took the evening off. But I did want to see you.”

  Her voice is sincere. She ladles mac and cheese onto two plates, along with a side salad dripping with balsamic vinaigrette.

  “It’s nice to see you,” I say, heading to the dining table. And it is — it’s a pleasant surprise.

  She brings our plates over, humming softly.

  I smile — I owe my incessant mumbling and humming to her.

  She sits. “Tell me everything!”

  We dig into the mac and cheese and I start telling her about my summer at Legacy Inn. I’m in the middle of describing Delia — and there’s so much to describe — when I catch sight of a thick manila envelope on the counter. The logo?

  Glacier Journal.

  I leap from the table. “What’s this?”

  “It came in the mail yesterday,” Mom says.

  My heart races. The envelope, it’s thicker than the one they use for a rejection letter. Could it be?

  I rip it open and skim the piece of paper inside.

  My heart drops.

  Dear Kiara,

  Thank you for your recent submission. We’d love to publish your photo in the next issue of Glacier Journal! Our magazine is built around this style of photography and if you have any similar shots, we’d enjoy collaborating with you.

  “No way.”

  “What?” Mom rushes over and peeks at the paper over my shoulder. “Did you—”

  “I’M GETTING PUBLISHED!” My voice is so loud I’m sure Delia can hear it all the way back at Legacy Inn.

  Mom wraps her arms around me, and I almost collapse.

  My heart beats so fast I think I might faint.

  I did it.

  I actually did it.

  I pull out a second piece of paper from the envelope. It’s a printed copy of the photo I submitted — the sunrise from Legacy summit. I remember every detail of that morning. It was the first time I realized I loved Jonathan.

  Mom’s jaw drops. “That’s breathtaking. How did you…”

  Grinning, I return to my place at the table. “Mom, let me tell you all about Legacy Inn, and the boy who changed everything.”

  61

  Kiara

  “Hey Ki!” A voice calls out as I walk down the hallway. It’s my first day of senior year, a year I’m sure I’ll never forget.

  Ava runs towards me, lugging her violin case.

  I give her a big hug. “I missed you!”

  “Really?” She raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t miss you at all — wait.”

  Ava steps back and sizes me up. “WAIT. Ki, are you wearing… mascara?”

  I burst out laughing and take one of her bags. “The mountains have changed me.”

  Ava links her arm in mine, and we walk down the hallway. Ava fills me in on her summer at band camp. When she’s finished, she turns to me expectantly. “Now your turn.”

  I take a deep breath and launch into a shortened version of my summer at Legacy Inn. Ava’s eyes grow wider and wider as I speak, her mouth dropping open.

  “Jonathan Wright? Into photography?” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Those mountains must be made of magic.”

  I open my phone and show her the photo he took of me laughing. He took it the day I helped the elderly lady move her chair on the dock. It’s the same photo the Inn wants to use for the ad campaign.

  “Okay, wow, that’s actually pretty good,” Ava says. “Not as good as you, of course.”

  I laugh. “It’s okay. We’re a team.”

  She gives my arm a light slap. “Pretty sure you’re more than a team.”

  “Maybe.”

  There’s a familiar burst of laughter from down the hall. Jonathan and Troy turn the corner and Jonathan’s eyes light up when he sees me. He nudges Troy and they walk over to us.

  I called Jonathan right after dinner when I got the news from Glacier Journal. He came over immediately to congratulate me and, in doing so, met my mom. He stayed for a little while and we recounted the events from the summer.

  After he left, Mom wrapped me in a hug, and told me she approved.

  Now, my legs are turning to jelly as he gets closer, my heart beating fast. He takes me in his arms and kisses me in front of everyone. I’m happy to see that he’s wearing a hoodie today instead of his usual polo shirt. I wonder how long it’ll be before I can steal it.

  “How’s the Queen?”

  I put on my best formal voice. “She is most pleased by your attendance.”

  We both burst out laughing, and our laughter is interrupted by none other than Isabella, strutting down the hallway. Lucas follows her like he’s being pulled on a leash.

  “Wow,” Isabella says. “Edendale’s golden boy is making a move for the throne. How depressingly predictable. But I suppose you were out in the mountains, and no one else was around, so…”

  Jonathan shrugs. “Is that why you were making moves on that college boy at your cousin’s wedding? Because no one else was around?”

  Isabella’s jaw drops.

  Lucas freezes.

  Jonathan’s voice carries through the hallway, and everyone has stopped to stare.

  Lucas looks to Jonathan, to Isabella, then to Jonathan again. “What?”

  Isabella puts her hand on her hip and flips her hair. “Well, if we’re trading secrets—”

  Jonathan laughs. “
And what secret do you think you have on me? That I skipped Momentum? That I’m a photographer for Legacy Inn? It’s not much of a secret — I’m listed on their website, and I’ve already handed in my kit to Coach.”

  I wrap my arm around his waist. “Your move, Izzy.”

  Isabella lets out a frustrated bleat and stomps away, Lucas following close behind her. The argument escalates. Someone says something nasty, then a new argument starts — it sounds like they’re arguing over who’s breaking up with whom.

  Jonathan grabs my hand and the four of us walk to our first class.

  We pass Bree as she puts her books away in her locker. She turns around and gives us a wave, smiling brightly. I wave back, hoping to catch up with her later. She missed the last day at the Inn and I wondered whether she was okay. She looks happy now… I wonder what happened with her and Noah this summer, anyway?

  I rub my thumb along Jonathan’s as I tune back into the conversation. He’s telling Troy and Ava about the ad campaign we got with the Inn. I pipe in to say that we start working next week and the two of them give us big hugs.

  “You’re going to have to step up your game this year, bro. I won’t be around to bail you out.” Jonathan jokes, punching Troy lightly on the arm.

  “Were you even on the team last year?” Troy asks. “I don’t remember you playing in any of the games.”

  Jonathan and Troy banter.

  Ava links her arm in mine. “I don’t want to alarm you, Ki, but you’re smiling like an idiot.”

  “You’re probably right,” I say, “only an idiot would fall in love with Jonathan Wright.”

  We laugh and I begin to think about the years ahead. Jonathan and I have made a plan. Together. He’ll apply for photography schools in the countries I most want to visit. Wherever he gets in is where we’ll live.

  With Jonathan by my side, the world is open and exciting. I can’t wait for the future, wherever it takes us.