Chapter 1 #2
It felt good to laugh. Life had been…well…there hadn’t been anything to laugh about lately, so this was a definite treat. Her therapist had been encouraging her to go out and find her joy.
But it looked like maybe her joy finally found her.
“Hopefully they got new canoes since then,” Jayce was saying as they veered left on the path toward the cabins. “There’s no way they couldn’t, right?”
“I don’t know,” she teased. “I mean…look around. Everything else seems exactly the same.” Then she groaned.
“What? What are you thinking of?”
“The beds were so uncomfortable! The mattresses were so thin it was almost more comfortable to sleep on the floor!”
Beside her, he laughed. “Damn, I had forgotten about that. I typically got the sleeper sofa—which I used to love—but I have a feeling my thirty-year-old body isn’t going to sleep quite as soundly on it.”
“Now, now…let’s try to be optimistic,” she reasoned. “Maybe the exterior of everything has been a bit neglected, but perhaps they paid some attention to the interior.”
He playfully nudged her shoulder. “If that were the case, would they be closing?”
“Personally, I don’t think one has anything to do with the other.
Just the scope of updating this place is probably more than they can handle.
I’m sure there are developers just dying to get their hands on this property and turn it into vacation homes that will go for a million bucks each. Bloodsuckers.”
“Okay, wow,” he said with amusement. “That sounds like a stretch. Why wouldn’t some other big resort company buy the place and do all the upgrades? The place has good bones, but just needs a major rehab.”
“Because no one seems to do that sort of thing anymore. I’ve seen more than my share of places get bulldozed in favor of something new and shiny—typically in the form of luxury homes or condos. I’m so over it.”
They walked in companionable silence as they passed the first cabin.
“So, what do you do for a living now?” he asked.
Ugh…so not the topic she wanted to discuss.
“I’m a social worker,” she told him. “And you?”
“An electrical engineer. I have a feeling I’m going to be looking at multiple infractions while I’m here.” Shaking his head, he chuckled. “I have a tendency to inspect things when I’m supposed to be relaxing.”
That made her smile. “It’s good to be passionate about your work. It shows you care.”
“Or…I just like telling people they’re wrong and how they need to fix things. At least, that’s what my family is always telling me.”
They both softly laughed.
“Everyone’s a critic until you save them a bunch of money,” he added. “Are you still living up in Rochester?”
“For now.”
Dammit. Why did I say that?
“Oh? Are you thinking of moving?”
“You know me, I was always thinking of moving,” she said lightly, hoping he didn’t read too deeply into it. “Someplace warmer would be great. The winters are always brutal.”
“I left Long Island after college. I’m down in Raleigh now and while we don’t get a lot of snow, the winters can be fairly cold. Like you, I wanted to move someplace warmer, but I still wanted the seasons. I’ve got that now.”
She nodded and listened as he talked more about what he loved about North Carolina, and she was more than happy to let him carry the conversation. It was the perfect way for her to get through the walk to the cabin without being completely overwhelmed with painful memories.
“Now, see…look at these cabins,” Jayce was saying, gently nudging her shoulder again. “Peeling paint, weathered wood, and everything just looks a little…gray. Such a shame. I don’t think a fresh coat of paint would be enough to save them.”
Sadly, she had to agree. “Each cabin would probably require ten to twenty thousand in repairs. And that’s not including the main lodge. Don’t forget they have several dozen rooms in there too. These cabins were meant for families with kids so you could all stay together.”
“We always got the two bedroom and shared it with my grandparents—leaving me on the foldout couch—and then whenever other relatives joined us, they stayed up at the lodge. I’d be curious how those rooms have fared because the lobby was looking a little rough.”
The sigh was out before she could stop it.
“It really is a shame. So many great childhood memories and come Labor Day, it will all be gone. Makes me sad that no other families will get the opportunity to bring their kids here to swim in the lake or paddle the canoes or roast marshmallows around the campfire.”
Jayce stopped walking and it took Kelsey a moment to realize they were standing in front of her cabin.
“Is your mom here already?” he asked.
A lump formed in her throat, and she had to force herself to simply nod before responding. “Yup. She’s here. And your folks?”
Before he could answer, his family was coming out of the cabin and calling his name. Carefully, she disengaged and took a step away.
“Jayce! You made it!” his mother cried as she came down the porch steps to hug him, followed by his father and grandparents.
“It was good to see you, Jayce,” she said, “but I need to get inside too.”
“Hang on a sec,” he told her before facing his family. “Everyone, you remember Kelsey Brooks, right?”
“Oh my goodness! Yes!” his mother said before coming over and hugging her. Kelsey felt herself tense up for a second before relaxing. Everyone greeted her and asked how she’d been, and it was all incredibly sweet.
“I hope you’ll all excuse me, but…I need to get inside,” she said, taking another step back.
“Here, let me help you with your suitcase,” Jayce said, reaching for it.
“No!” she said a little too abruptly. “I mean…no, it’s okay. I can do it. Go with your family. I’m good.”
But he wasn’t listening. Lifting her luggage, he laughed. “What do you have in here? It feels like everything plus the kitchen sink!”
Even though she knew he was joking, she still felt wildly uncomfortable. Following him up the porch steps, she took the key out of her pocket. “I got it from here, Jayce. Thank you.”
For a moment, he just studied her with a boyish grin. “I still can’t believe you’re here. Promise me we’ll get to spend some time catching up.”
Nodding, she held up her key. “I really should get inside and…um…your family is intently watching us, so…”
“Ah…got it. Okay.” Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before stepping back. “Tell your mom we all said hello and we can’t wait to see her. Maybe we can all have dinner together one night.”
The lump in her throat was back. “Maybe,” she whispered.
He seemed reluctant to leave, but when his grandmother called out, “Jayce, let the poor girl go see her mother! You’ll have plenty of time to catch up this week. We haven’t seen you in a long time either!”
His laugh was low. “I guess that’s my cue to leave, huh?”
All she could do was nod.
“I’ll see you later, Kelse.”
“See you later, Jayce.” Without watching him go, she quickly turned and opened the cabin door before grabbing her suitcase and dragging it inside.
Closing the door behind her, she locked it.
The cabin smelled like it was freshly cleaned, but as she looked around, she saw there was a lot of wear and tear.
The furniture was old and faded, the carpet was worn, and it looked exactly like it did the last time she was here.
She let out a long sigh as she dragged the suitcase to the main bedroom.
Laying it on the floor, she unzipped it before taking a few minutes to walk around.
This cabin was a one bedroom with a loft.
When she was younger, her parents always took the bedroom and she used to love having the loft to herself.
It wasn’t overly large, but it had always felt like the coolest little hideaway.
Walking over to the stairs—which were really just a chunky ladder—she considered climbing up and checking it out.
“Maybe later.”
The living room was just as cozy as she remembered, the kitchen was tiny but efficient, and the bathroom was almost comically small—not that it used to matter.
People came up to Lakeview Harbor Resort because they loved the outdoors.
The cabins were merely a place to sleep.
There were no TVs, and from what she learned when she checked in, there was no Wi-Fi either.
For the next ten days, she was going to be almost completely off the grid and unplugged.
“And it feels weird already,” she murmured, wandering back to the bedroom.
Staring down at the suitcase, she crouched down and finished opening it, pulling out the large, carefully-wrapped urn. Carrying it out to the living room, she placed it on the coffee table before sitting down.
Here we go…
“Well, Mom…we’re here,” she whispered. “But it’s only day one, so…
I need some time. I’m not ready yet. For now…
you’re stuck hanging out with me here in our favorite cabin.
” Tears rolled down her face. This had been her mother’s last request—to have her ashes scattered at the one place their family had made the most memories.
At the time, Kelsey had agreed without hesitation, but now?
Now her heart was breaking all over again because this meant she had to let her mother go for a second time.
What she wouldn’t give to have her mother there—healthy and alive—so they could talk about all the things they were going to do.
That was always their tradition on the first day.
They’d talk about what activities they were most excited about and all the people they were looking forward to seeing.
The resort had a lot of returning guests and they’d all become friends.
As Kelsey had gotten older and started having feelings for Jayce, she and her mom would talk about it.
“Can you believe he’s here, Mom? What are the odds?”
Of course there was no answer, but in her heart and in her mind, she had to wonder if maybe her mom had a little something to do with it.