She pulls away, a smile on her face. She takes my camera from its bag and holds it out in front of us.
“Say Legacy!”
She smiles, and right before the shutter clicks, I kiss her on the cheek. She scrunches her face and laughs.
No matter where life takes us, I know that the world is better when Kiara is by my side.
56
Kiara
“Jump!” I squeal and take a deep breath.
I run towards the ledge and then, at the last moment, hold back. Jonathan flies through the air ahead of me, plunging into the freezing water below. He surfaces and I’m almost falling over laughing.
He laughs when he sees that I’ve tricked him. “Think you’re so funny? I’m going to get you.”
We’ve been playing around in the canyon for a long while, trying to take advantage of our final few hours at the Inn. It’s a warm August day, thankfully, but the water is chilly.
I stick my tongue out at him and do a little dance on the perch, my eyes glancing on cardboard Kade, staring at us intensely from behind a bush.
Never one to admit defeat, Jonathan squeezed in one last prank. This morning, after watching the sunrise on Legacy summit, he took my hand and led me back to the canyon, just as we used to do earlier in the summer. My entire being felt warm, happy, at peace.
Until I saw it.
He led me onto the perch and I was getting ready to lean in for a kiss when I noticed a pair of dark eyes staring at us.
I jerked away from him as I processed the shocking scene.
“What the?!”
Kade Monroe was staring at us from behind a bush. Holding a snake.
I instinctively took a step back, my breath catching. But, of course, I stepped into thin air.
When I surfaced in the water, bobbing and spluttering, Jonathan was keeled over laughing. He had his arm around Kade. That’s when I realized that golden boy had somehow fashioned a life-sized cardboard version of Kade Monroe.
Now, I screech as he hops out of the water and runs full tilt up the side of the canyon, grabbing my arm and wrapping me in a massive bear hug. Within moments, I’m pressed up against his very cold and wet body.
“See, it’s not so bad.”
His voice is low as he looks into my eyes. I suddenly don’t want to laugh anymore. He runs his fingers through my hair and kisses me, leaving me breathless.
He takes me in his arms and I’ve never felt so happy. This just feels right.
Or so I thought.
He gazes into my eyes, and I see a glimmer of... something.
Something suspicious.
I suddenly realize his plan and try to wriggle out of his grasp. It’s too late.
With me in his arms, he runs towards the edge of the perch. I let out a scream as we both fly through the air, landing in the water with a massive splash.
When I rise to the surface, I can’t stop laughing. I grab his hand and pull him to me, trying to steal his warmth.
His hands run along my arms and down my sides, leaving a trail of goosebumps. I circle my arms around his neck and kiss him deeply.
Eventually, we head back to our cabins to get ready for lunch. Delia will make her final announcements before we all head home. I quickly grab my shorts and a hoodie from my packed bag, unable to keep the smile off my face.
“So…” Jonathan asks as we stroll hand in hand down the gravel path towards the Inn. “How does it feel to have obliterated me in the social media post competition this summer?”
“I’m surprised I didn’t kick your butt a little more.” I grin. “But it feels pretty good, golden boy.”
Jonathan and I ended up being very close in terms of photos posted on the Inn’s social media accounts. I beat him by a margin of 10 posts, which isn’t a lot in the grand scheme.
“I guess you are pretty good though,” I say, rolling my eyes teasingly.
He raises our clasped hands to kiss the back of mine. “All thanks to you.”
I’m laughing when Jonathan stops abruptly. He bends down and replaces a rock that had fallen from around the barrier surrounding the little pink flower. It’s still surviving through the gravel, thriving.
We stroll into the staff room, our hands clasped, and all the staffers smile our way. None of them look particularly surprised. I think about the debacle from last night and blush. But it’s okay — this group really has become a bit of a family over the last few months.
Jonathan and I grab lunch and take a seat at a table. To my surprise, the room is almost empty. I’m wondering what happened to all of the student workers when I notice that Jonathan is distracted, staring around the room.
“What’s up?” I ask as I dig into an avocado bagel.
“Nothing.” Jonathan says, but he continues looking around the room. “I’m trying to find Delia.”
“Why?”
He sits back in his chair, exasperated. Delia is nowhere to be found, but her announcements will start soon. “I’m going to tell her you’ll be headlining the ad campaign, not me.”
I freeze, my bagel halfway to my mouth. I’m about to protest when he continues.
“Seriously, Kiara, you’ve earned this. You’ve worked so hard your entire life for this kind of opportunity. I can’t be the one standing in your way.”
“Jonathan.” I put down my bagel, my voice stern. “You will not do that. You’ve earned this and you’ve worked hard for it. You have a real talent for photography, I knew it when I saw you taking that photo at the Eagles game. Everything I showed you this summer was just… extra. You deserve this.”
I smile as I continue. “But what you showed me this summer? Helping me live in the moment and all that? It’s priceless to me. It’s the best thing I could’ve ever expected from this summer. You should win this headlining campaign.”
Jonathan’s eyes show his uncertainty, but I’ve never been surer in my life. I give him a kiss on the cheek and squeeze his hand.
“Trust me,” I whisper.
Delia enters and stands on a chair at the front of the room.
57
Jonathan
“Good afternoon!” Delia calls out and the room immediately goes quiet.
I break my eyes away from Kiara’s. She wants me to trust her, so I will. I hold her hand tightly and listen to Delia.
“Today is our last day at the Legacy Inn after another successful summer. We did it!”
The room breaks into applause and cheers.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for the vital role you’ve played this summer. We have so many positive reviews to share, along with some special shoutouts. Vin’s compiled a slideshow of some key Legacy Inn moments — using the work of our star photographers, of course.” Delia gestures towards us.
Another round of applause erupts across the room.
I’m beaming, incredibly proud. I mock-bow towards Kiara, and she’s blushing fiercely, laughing along.
“And on that, it’s time to share who we’ve selected to be the winner of our big headlining competition. The winning photographer will be redoing all the Inn’s imagery for our international ad campaign. It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase your work around the world — and contribute something to your savings account.” Delia winks theatrically and everyone chuckles.
I squeeze Kiara’s hand. I’m feeling uneasy — I don’t want to take this opportunity from her.
She looks at me, her eyes calm. She’s made her decision and doesn’t have any regrets. She runs her thumb along mine.
“Vin and I had a tremendously hard time trying to decide. Kiara tried to forfeit her spot last night, but unfortunately, we’d already made our decision.”
I smile and squeeze her hand. She’s the winner. It had to be her, and I’m so excited for what this means for her future.
She stares at Delia, her mouth open.
“And, in keeping with the magic of Legacy Inn, we wanted to make this fun!” Delia clicks aggressively on the remote, tryi
ng to get the slideshow to appear on the screen at the front of the room. “The first few photos on the slideshow demonstrate some of the winner’s amazing work — ugh, Vin, this darned remote isn’t working.”
“Have you tried clicking it harder?” Vin jogs to the front of the room while the staff chuckle. After a couple minutes of fidgeting, he returns to his position next to Nath.
“Fantastic.” Delia gets back on track. “Without further ado, here is the work of our winner!”
The first photo appears on the screen and I immediately recognize the shot.
The photo was taken on our first day here, capturing the arrival of the first guests. It almost looks like a stock image — the happy family is walking up the gravel path, their faces lit with excitement.
I remember that moment. Kiara had just teased me about being late. The photo is clearly hers.
Looking at her now, she’s shocked, staring at the screen with her mouth popped open. We’ve come so far, the two of us. I can’t describe how proud I feel for her, and for her future. It’s exactly what she’s worked so hard for.
“Congratulations,” I whisper excitedly, kissing her on the cheek.
She snaps out of her shock and smiles at me, but instead of looking excited, her eyes are sad.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper as the next photo appears on the screen.
The room bursts into applause at the image. This one is of the sunrise. Our first morning on the Legacy summit. It’s a captivating shot, made all the sweeter by the memory that we had our first meaningful conversation on the mountain that very morning.
“I wanted it to be you,” Kiara whispers.
I wrap my arm around her and kiss the top of her head as the applause fades. “Next time.”
The next photo on the screen is one I know very, very well.
I frown as recognition hits me. The photo is of the twin girls laughing in front of the dock. It was the photo I took after placing the fake spider on Kiara’s head.
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 f
ew 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.”
The Complete Legacy Inn Collection: Four Sweet YA Romances Page 65