I shift slightly and my finger brushes against Bree’s. I inhale sharply, intensely aware of how close she is right now. She’s making it tough to focus on Delia’s announcements.
As soon as Delia finishes, I’m scrambling trying to think of something to say to Bree. The memory of having her wrapped in my arms refuses to leave. I can still smell her hair, feel the curve of her spine, see her blue-eyed shock.
But more than that, I’m trying to stifle the wall of memories that threatens to fall over me. Memories of my childhood, our friendship, Mom… It’s too much. I want to speak to Bree, to say something. But what?
I open my mouth and take a deep breath, not sure what words will come out. And then Bree jogs away, greeting Jonathan, and I exhale, defeated. Of course Bree wants to chat with Jonathan Wright, the star midfielder. They might even be dating.
But that’s not any of my business.
I head over to the kitchen, intending to sneak back in now that the announcements are over. Fernando has banned me, but there’s no way I’m leaving him alone.
The kitchen is full of noise; water bubbling on the stove, the deep fryer sputtering, the stir-fried veggies sizzling. Not to mention Fernando’s bellowing along with an Italian pop song.
“Impressive!” I shout when he finishes a particularly high and wailing note.
“ARGH!” He shrieks, jumping around to face me. His abrupt movement causes a chunk of ground beef to drop to the floor. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
I burst out laughing, then I grab a cloth, ready to clean up the mess.
“Leave it, amico! What was our deal?” Fernando holds up his own dish cloth.
Not breaking eye contact, I wrap my cloth around my fingers. I know what comes next. Fernando takes a swipe at me, laughing, and I leap out of the way. We spend a couple of minutes circling the kitchen, trying to swat at each other.
Finally, Fernando corners me near the door. He swings the dishcloth menacingly and I take a step back. I brace myself for the coming swing, holding my arms in front of myself—
And we’re interrupted by Delia fluttering into the kitchen. She grumbles a “hi” and then teeters a box off of a high shelf. She sticks her hand inside and whips out a chocolate bar, barely removing the wrapper before she dives in.
Fernando and I are frozen, the kitchen quiet. Something is clearly wrong. Our chocolate stash is for emergencies only.
“Delia, what’s wrong?” Fernando asks after a beat.
Delia takes another bite and leans against the fridge. The happy, smiling, confident lady from moments ago has disappeared — replaced with this gloomy and troubled person. “Nothing we can’t handle, I hope.”
Fernando immediately drops his cloth. “Dee?”
She stands her ground for a moment, staring back at Fernando. And then, like a popped balloon, she deflates. “It’s great news, really. I did the math. This will be our busiest summer for weddings and events.”
My stomach drops.
Fernando swallows audibly. “Busier than last year?”
Delia nods.
Last summer was out of control, but the Inn hasn’t been able to hire anyone new. If this summer is busier, we’ll need to have all hands on deck… and more. I can already feel the weight settle on my shoulders.
Always the optimist, Fernando manages a smile. When he speaks, his tone is warm and soothing. “Don’t worry about it, Dee. We have lots of help this year. You have a helper on reception. Carrie will be back soon. We’ll make it work. We always do.”
Delia smiles tentatively at Fernando’s encouraging words. Whether he believes what he’s saying or not, Fernando is convincing. Delia nods again and leaves the kitchen, clutching her chocolate bar to her chest.
Then, Fernando turns his sights on me. “What did I say, Noah? It’s time for you to go.”
Before I can say or do anything, Fernando leaps forward. He grabs my cloth straight out of my hands and starts swiping at me, effectively kicking me out of the kitchen. “Stay out!”
“I’m going!” I scramble away from the whipping cloth.. “Let me know if you need—””
He flicks his dish cloth at me again. “I shall not!”
I roll my eyes but exit the kitchen. I try to hold onto the ray of positivity, but the stress eventually breaks through. My shoulders slump. This summer will be anything but relaxing.
10
Bree
Operation: Bree’s a Liability is firmly under way as I wander to the table with a plate of food. I have a theory that if Delia sees that I’m alone and miserable, she’ll send me back to Edendale. She seems like the type that wants people to enjoy themselves and have a good time.
I just hope I get a chance to talk to Noah before she gives me the boot.
I take a seat at an empty table and make it my business to look miserable and bored.
Delia glances at me and frowns before she’s distracted by something else.
Good, I’m making the right kind of wrong impression.
But, my solo seating doesn’t last long. Kiara, another Edendale student, eventually comes to sit at my table. I’ve always been curious about her and her intense love of photography. She’s one of those go-getter, driven people with tunnel vision. I can’t imagine knowing what I want to eat for breakfast, let alone what I want to do with the rest of my life. I’ve never wanted anything that badly.
“So, you’re the photographer?” I ask after we exchange a couple of pleasantries. I’m focusing on looking over the room indignantly.
“One of them,” she responds with a note of bitterness in her voice. “You?”
“Reception.” My bitterness matches hers.
She stops devouring her food and we exchange smiles. I think we’ll get along.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I see Delia watching us. I cut our conversation short and return to gazing over the room with annoyance, hoping Delia didn’t see my smile. I force a bored and unhappy expression, staring dejectedly at everyone around us.
The door to the kitchen swings open and Noah almost falls into the event room. He wanders over to speak with Nath and her husband, and I smile despite myself.
No. Stop with the smiling, Bree.
I stand up and make for the balcony. I need time away from Delia’s eagle-eye watching.
11
Noah
In the event room, the DJ blasts music, and the staffers chat. Everyone is having a good time. I wave at a few old friends before joining Vin and Nath. I’m trying not to think about how swamped Fernando and I will be when the sun rises tomorrow. Stress, for once, can wait.
“Noah!” Nath smiles warmly and kisses me on the cheek. “You clean up well.”
“Don’t look so surprised.” I grin. Nath was one of Mom’s closest friends and worked housekeeping with her before becoming the Inn’s landscape architect.
“Looks strong, just like his old man,” Vin says, slapping my arm good-naturedly. I almost keel over from the blow. Vin used to be in maintenance, but he now acts as assistant manager to Delia. “How’s the family, Noah?”
“The twin tornadoes are out of control, as usual.”
They laugh. Though they didn’t experience the terrible thirteens first-hand, my stories were more than enough for them.
“And your dad?” Nath asks quietly.
“He’s… my dad.” I answer, shrugging. Luckily, Vin and Nath seem to know exactly what that means.
When I was growing up, Dad used to be incredibly busy with his carpentry business in Edendale. During the summer, Mom would bring me and the twins up to Legacy with her and, despite his workload, Dad always made time to come and visit. After Mom got sick, Vin and Nath dropped by the house a few times to give Dad a hand. Over the years, they tried to stay in touch, but with Dad losing his business and working various jobs around town, it’s been tough.
Nath squeezes my hand, a flash of sympathy passing through her gaze. She knows that I don’t like to talk about Mom.
Vi
n changes the subject. “Still writing? I keep telling everyone you’re going to be a big bestseller one day. And, if I remember correctly, before leaving last summer, you said you’d have something to show us this year. So, how did it go?”
I said a lot of things last summer. I wonder how many more are going to come back and bite me in the butt? The floor sinks beneath me. I shrug, forcing a smile. “Working on it.”
“It’ll come,” Nath says confidently. Her motherly gaze is comforting, but I look away.
“There’s Bree.” She pokes Vin in the side. Across the room, Bree walks around the tables. “Can you believe she’s back?”
Vin and Nath chatter as I follow Bree’s movements. She’s changed out of her jean shorts and into a sundress. She moves gracefully, like a dancer or gymnast. When we were kids, it surprised me how quick and strong she was — she always caught me when we were playing tag. And when we tried to balance on rafts in the lake? She was always the last one standing.
Nath brings me back to the present. “I still think you two will end up together.”
“You’ll never give this up, will you??” I shake my head. Ever since we were kids, Nath has insisted that we were going to have this magic fairytale romance that culminated with a wedding at — where else? — Legacy Inn.
“You two had… something. Something special, like a language no one else understood. Sometimes, it seemed like you could read each other’s minds. Bree was an excitable child, but she was calm with you, and I’ve never seen you smile as much as when you were with her.”
Another flash from the past: Bree and I paddling along the lake shore in a plastic tub we turned into a “boat.” She talked in a pirate accent the whole time, accusing anyone who wasn’t in the water of being a “landlubber.” I laughed so hard my stomach ached.
“Fruit roll-ups will do that to you,” I say. “We were always just friends. And then nothing.”
Even if I did feel something more, I was never going to be good enough for her. It was best that I got a reality check early so I could move on with my life. Not that there was much to move on to... I’ve dated a few girls and they were all wonderful people, but they never quite fit. Maybe it was the chemistry, or the timing, or something else entirely. I was happy for them to find someone who could give them more than what I had.
“I’ll see you guys around.” Lost in thought, I head towards the balcony. From the first time Bree and I played hide and go seek, we were never apart. After Mom died, she was the person I most wanted to turn to for support. But it’s been years since we had a proper conversation.
I step onto the balcony and take a deep breath of mountain air as the memories threaten to overwhelm me — whispers and snippets of wonderful summer days. I remember her trying to put sunscreen on and squeezing the bottle so hard that the cap shot off, drenching her leg in white goop. She smelled like coconut for the next week.
It doesn’t take long to realize I’m not alone.
“Hey Noah,” Bree says with a warm smile.
I almost go back inside, but something urges me to stay. For some reason, my heart beats loudly and my mouth dries. The moonlight illuminates her from behind and I’m aware, once again, of how strikingly beautiful she is. I hope that whoever she’s dating — whether it’s Jonathan or someone else — lets her know it.
“Hey Bree.”
My eyes meet hers and the world feels quiet.
12
Bree
Noah joins me at the balcony railing and my heart thumps in my chest. We look out over Legacy Lake and our arms almost touch. The moon is bright over the far peaks and the stars are coming out. It’s a calm evening, quiet.
“Too much of a party for you in there?” Noah asks.
“Obviously.” The sarcasm almost sounds sincere. In truth, I’d love to go back inside and mingle with everyone, but I need to stick with my plan.
Noah knocks his arm against mine and I feel an electric shock — the same I felt when his pinky brushed mine earlier. I hold my breath and I could swear he freezes too. But then, he moves away and it’s like nothing happened.
If the girls back at Edendale knew that I was on a balcony, on a moonlit night, next to Noah, they’d practically kill me with their jealous glares. Isabella Hall, in particular. She’s a well-known mean girl around Edendale High and, given Noah’s hot-but-unattainable status, she’s been after him for a while. Too bad he’s rejected her every time.
It’s weird. Every girl goes crazy over Noah, and yet he used to be my best friend. I don’t know anything about him now, but I still know him.
A blast of music reaches us on the balcony, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Noah glances at the party going on behind us. “Delia goes pretty over the top with these Welcome Bashes.”
“She seems like the type, judging by her collection of cowboy hats.”
“Collection of cowboy hats?”
“Haven’t you seen The Wall? It’s impressive.”
“I’m definitely impressed if she has enough to cover a wall.”
Our laughter fills the darkness. It’s still so easy to talk to him.
“I’ll have to sneak you into the reception so you can see.”
Noah smirks. “Sounds like a dangerous mission.”
“No more dangerous than Operation Fort Legacy.”
He nods. “Our greatest success.”
A comfortable silence falls between us briefly, only to be interrupted by delighted shouts from the Welcome Bash. It sounds like quite a party. “I remember your mom came up with the idea of the Welcome Bashes so everyone could get to know each other.”
I immediately regret my words. Noah and I stopped hanging out shortly before his mom got sick. We’ve never really talked about it. I hope I didn’t overstep.
His mom was the kindest person I’ve ever known. She was the perfect mom, she embodied home. She supplied us with an endless amount of fruit roll-ups and cheesy chips, followed by copious amounts of carrot sticks and celery.
But, my favorite thing was watching her eyes light up whenever Noah’s dad arrived at the Inn.
She would run and jump into his arms and they would share a kiss that made Noah pretend to gag but melted my heart. In the summer, they were only apart for a couple of weeks at a time, but it seemed that they missed each other every day. They were, in short, the polar opposite of my parents.
They had the real kind of love — the kind from those romantic movies that I’d never dare admit I enjoy watching. The kind I’ll never experience myself because I’m too irresponsible and reckless. Or so my mom says.
How does a person plan a life that she knows she’ll spend alone? Answer: make fast, brief friendships. Noah was the exception. We spent every summer day together as kids, playing in the trees, swimming in the lake, sleeping in the loft. Until… something? Why was he so ready to move on?
I don’t think I’ll ever know and maybe that’s for the best.
Noah’s been quiet since I mentioned his mom.
Finally, he breaks the silence. “She liked putting them on. She liked getting everyone together, getting them dancing. She used to tell me that you don’t really know someone until you’ve danced with them.” He chuckles. “I still don’t know what that means.”
“Wish I could help you out,” I say. “But I’m literally the worst person in the world at understanding parents. Or anything, really.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re very intelligent.” Noah looks at me seriously. “For a raccoon.”
I snort. It’s decidedly unladylike, but the sound makes Noah laugh.
“Well, as a raccoon, I think we should have a race. To the food table.”
“Is that a challenge?” He asks, his eyes glinting.
I wink. “Beating you was never a challenge for me.”
13
Bree
I splay myself across the reception desk, feeling bored and aimless. I stayed up too late last night watching scary movies in th
e loft and now I’m paying the price. To make matters worse, the silence in the office feels louder than any of the rock concerts I’ve been to. But, I’m making do without a radio.
I click my mouse a couple of times and glance over the rooming lists once again, hoping, somehow, that I might’ve missed something interesting. But, I can’t see any names I recognize. There’s just the double booking next week, but that should get dealt with in the coming days.
Then, a welcome sound punctures the air — the ping from my phone. Oh. The text is from Mom. Greaaat.
Hi Aubrey. I trust you’re doing well at Legacy Inn and aren’t causing too much trouble for Delia. I wanted to let you know that we’ve arrived safely, and to touch base about Andrew Stewart. He will be back from Saint Tropez at the end of August and is excited for your little coffee date.
Remember, the Stewart Aviation Company are big players in Edendale, so please do me a favor and try to behave acceptably. I’ll get in touch as the date approaches so we can prepare you.
Love, Mom.
I refrain from throwing my phone across the room. No “miss you” or “love you” or “hope Legacy is treating you well.” My mom texts me like she texts all of her employees — cold, uninviting, biting.
Speaking of unappealing, Andrew Stewart has to be the toad-iest of the Stewart family children. Just like they’ve done with a number of “suitable bachelors,” my parents have been trying to set me up with Andrew for months. Many of the “important events” I skipped over the year involved him, but it took a two-minute conversation — and him placing his hand on my butt — to ascertain that Andrew was not going to be a good fit.
I fully intend to skip that date in August, no matter what it takes. But I can’t be bothered telling my mom about that now.
“Tacos, napkins, grilled cheese sandwiches…” Delia mumbles as she wanders into reception.
The Complete Legacy Inn Collection: Four Sweet YA Romances Page 4