Chapter 6
Thandie woke early. The sun hadn’t yet come up, but the pale-yellow sky glowed just beyond the white sheer drapes that hung at her bedroom window. As she lay, stretching her muscles and waking up her joints, she replayed and picked apart her first day there. Yesterday had been far from what she had expected, but it made the top of the list for the most exciting first day of work she’d ever had.
There was no smooth onboarding. No shoes, big or small, to fill. No real plan to speak of. And only a narrow chance that she’d still have a job come next week. Her future was quite literally in her own hands. She was in a make-or-break moment and was aware that the added pressure could work in her favor. The stakes were high, with Leo and his retreat hanging in the balance between her performance and an investor’s whim.
This week wasn’t going to be easy, but she could do everything in her power to create the best wellness retreat that Christmas Cove had ever seen.
After her talk with Leo and America, Thandie had gotten right to work and used the computer in the office to pull a ton of ideas together from the web. There were more options available to her than she had time or manpower to implement, but she would try what she could.
Thandie decided to start her day off the right way by making her bed. It was a shame the way she had flopped onto the supple mattress last night and kicked all the extra pillows right onto the floor. Seeing it made so neatly to start with, she made a note to find the expert who had done such a nice job with the linens and ask for some pointers. If she could replicate the tight sheets, the smooth corners, and the right amount of cushiness, she could have as restful a night’s sleep every night, no matter where she was staying. She hadn’t slept so well in longer than she could remember. At least not since the evening of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad rehearsal dinner.
She was glad the kitchen was stocked with some essentials. A bright yellow banana paired perfectly with an almond biscotti for a quick breakfast. As it was a workday, she threw on her favorite light brown cargo pants, a white tank top, dark brown New Balance sneakers, and a white baseball hat that she had owned for years, though she had no clue when or where she had gotten it. She tucked her curls up under the hat and pulled her signature ponytail through the hole.
Grabbing her notes from the previous night’s brief research session, she headed to the barn to gather supplies. It was a nice short bike ride to the barn, which she still thought deserved a better name. Naming the dining area the cucina was so cute, but the barn didn’t sound cool enough for a place like this. She thought of different options on her way. The main house, the big house, orthe clubhouse all sound a little too generic, she thought and parked her bike under the covered bay.
Looking out over the dried-up lake, she sniggered. “The boathouse,” she said out loud.
“What’s that?” Leo’s voice sounded from behind her and caused her to jump.
“Nothing,” she said and tucked a piece of errant hair behind her ear. “I was just thinking of different names we could call the barn. It’s stupid.”
“The barn is stupid?” he laughed.
Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “No, not the barn. Me trying to come up with a new name for it. The barn is fine. It’s good even. Right on the nose.”
“I’m only teasing.” Leo opened the large door. “I think it’s a good idea to give this place a proper name. We’ve called it the barn for so long it just kinda stuck. But you’re on to something. It should have more purpose. What did you say out there? The boathouse?” He laughed.
“Yeah. I just saw the old lake and the name just flashed in my mind. It’s kinda silly though, since there’s no water anymore.”
“I’ll put it on the short list,” Leo said without sarcasm, which she appreciated. “Did you come in for breakfast?”
“No, I ate a little bit back in my cabin. Thank you for stocking the supplies. If I stay on, I’m happy to purchase my own groceries though,” she said as they moved further into the space. Thandie wasn’t sure which one of them was leading the way, they both sort of hummed along beside each other, and she supposed they were each intending on visiting the office loft.
“Can I...I mean, is there something you needed in The Boathouse?” he waved his hands in front of his chest. “That doesn’t sound right, does it? We’ll keep thinking on it.”
“I’ll let you know what else I come up with. In the meantime, I was hoping to print some things off and add a map of the local area. I want to mark the landmarks and trails for the guests.”
Up in the loft, Leo dug around in a bin stacked next to the desk. “I think I have a map that shows some walking trails. Would that get you started in the right direction?”
She nodded. “Also, I was thinking that if this place takes off, having an app that guests could download would be pretty useful. We could load their individual schedules and activity information right on to it. There’d be no guesswork involved for them, nor for whoever fills my current role in the future.”
“I love that idea.” He snapped his fingers. “For this week, the printer here works just fine if you just need plain paper, but if you need something more, you may have to go into Elizabethtown. And as for the app, the internet works well enough with the old-school wire in the wall, but not well enough to have the guests rely on it yet.”
“It was just an idea.”
“It’s a good one,” he said. “Now where is that map? It’s not in this one.” Leo walked the length of the loft and read the tags on the bins. His finger tapped each one as he passed it. “America and Carol did all this. I know there’s a logic to the way it’s organized, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”
Thandie joined the effort from the other end. “What are we looking for?”
“Look for something labeled maps, though I doubt it will be that easy.” Leo chuckled.
The first section of tubs and boxes were labeled with things like jump ropes, s’mores, and flashlights. The next row featured labels such as Christmas – Lights, and Christmas – Red Ornaments, or Fall – Pumpkin Signs. The next row over was probably the one she needed. With no large bins, the shelves were filled with small file boxes that were ideal for map storage.
“Here it is.” Leo said and pulled out a file box from the other side of the shelf in front of her. His face found the hole and looked through the gap at her.
“How do you know?” she asked.
“It says Maps.”
“Of course it does.” She giggled.
Leo removed the lid and placed it on the desk beside the computer screen. He fingered through dozens of maps and pulled one out. “Not it,” he said and handed it over. “Though it might be useful.”
Thandie turned it over and unfolded it fully into a three-foot-by-three-foot map of the area. Dozens of points of interest were marked with colored dots. In the bottom left corner, a key described what each colored dot represented. “Floristic realms. This is a map of flowers. How cool!”
“I thought you’d like that,” Leo said.
“I got it.” Leo unfolded his map and turned it around for Thandie to see. “This is us, right here,” he pointed. “This is Elizabethtown. Technically we are part of Elizabethtown now, but we still call this place Christmas Cove. So anywhere on the map that’s inside this shaded area is what I would consider local. This area over here is what I would consider no-man’s-land.”
“That sounds ominous,” Thandie said, wanting to know more. “Is there something I should know?”
“Not really. My brother John is the mayor of Elizabethtown, which, as I said, we are now part of, and I like to keep as much distance between him and me as possible. Plus, if he knows what we’re trying to build here, he’ll probably try and find a way to ruin it all.” Leo looked up as though he could see through the rafters. “Just stay in the shaded area, okay?”
“I got it.”
“Let me know if you need anything. I’ve got things to do before the guests arrive in a couple hours.” Leo grabbed a few papers off the desk and headed down the stairs.
Thandie got right to work unloading things from the bin labeled Hiking. There were extendable poles for stability, and red, wide-brimmed bucket hats that would be good for easily spotting wayward guests. She grabbed small binoculars and about a dozen canteens. Using the printer, she scanned the section of the map that correlated to The Foundry and made thirty copies. She hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking that she would have another retreat to host, but figured either way, someone else could use any leftover maps.
Downstairs, she rearranged three of the small square tables and set up a welcome zone for the guests. There was a check-in desk at the front beside the cucina, but this would be the activities area, she decided. On the table, she laid out the various hiking paraphernalia and fanned out the maps.
That’s when she realized she needed to go walk to the trail before the guests’ arrival. She took the top copy and a walking stick and set off towards the shore and the trailhead.
The trail followed along the dry streambed for a hundred yards before crossing over an old stone bridge. The path traced the old shoreline for a while and hooked around another unused dock-to-nowhere. She noted that it would be a great place for the guests to rest if needed before heading up the next leg. A steep, short incline led up to a lush overlook paved with red bricks and hemmed in by a rotten wooden railing. She snapped some photos of a weathered bench seat that needed some repairing if this trail was going to be more heavily used going forward.
Looking down the hill, she spotted the same unused dock that she had passed. It would make an ideal waiting area for those who didn’t want the extra challenge of hoofing it up to the lookout. Those guests could wait while the others continued up to the incline. The hike, she hoped, would make for a perfect first day of the retreat. Guests would be free to join the hike, at a difficulty level they were comfortable with.
Later, after supper, she planned to host a welcome bonfire on the old shore. Near the defunct dock, there was a ring of large stones and a pile of wood made up of cut logs and raw, fallen branches.
Pleased with the plan, Thandie brushed the dust from her pants and headed back to the barn. She wished she had taken the bicycle instead of walking the whole thing; it would have given her an idea whether the trail was suitable for biking or not, though she felt it could be.
Back at the barn, she passed her bike right where she had left it by the entrance and went inside to the office. She needed to print out the day’s schedule, add it to the activities desk, and arrange the rest of the hiking gear.
“Thandie, are you up there?” America’s voice called from downstairs.
“Up here,” she said and heard America run up the steps.
“I’m here to help,” America said with a smile and bright eyes. “I had to get some writing done this morning, but I’m free the rest of the day.”
“Thank you. I’m happy to have the help.”
“Put me to work,” America said and plopped down in the chair across from Thandie. “You look like you belong there. Like a boss girl.”
Thandie shyly nodded.
“You don’t seem the corporate type, though,” America noted. “Remind me what your job was before this.”
“My degree is in botany. It’s very useful on the farm, but doesn’t really translate into many other employment opportunities, if you know what I mean.”
“Just because you have a degree in something, doesn’t dictate what you have to do for the rest of your life. Look at me. I was an editor for a travel magazine for years. Now I have my own feature in each issue where I get to shed light on untouched places around the country. I get to write every day, and if you had told me this six months ago, I would have laughed in your face.” America crossed her ankles and folded her arms like whatever she was about to say was the final word. “You’re allowed to change course in life, as often as you want until you find something worth sticking around for.”
Thandie considered her words and thought of how hard she had been running away from her humiliation, but not towards anything in particular. “It’s hard to move on sometimes.”
“Sometimes, you have to wipe the past clean before you can move forward.”
“And sometimes . . . ” An image of Davis falling off a cliff flashed in her mind. She shook the terrible notion and cracked a smile. “You have to find something worth moving towards first.”
“Touché,” America nodded. “Now, what’s on your list?”
“Um. I need to check the accommodations.” Thandie stood.
“Done.”
“What do you mean?”
“I did them all yesterday before you arrived. Do you want to see them?” America said and sported a very proud grin. “Come on, I’ll show you. Do you want to grab a snack first?”
“Yes, to both.”
Downstairs, they stopped by the cucina, where a platter of sandwiches and fresh fruit and cut vegetables sat on a sideboard, buffet style. America led the way and took one of the paper-wrapped sandwiches. Thandie followed suit.
They ate as they walked down to the cabins that lined the old shoreline and looked out on the vibrant, wildflower-covered plain. America pointed out the name of each cabin and explained a bit of their history. The Round House had a curved deck at the back. The A-Frame was simply that. The Silver was named after the family that had owned it. The Carol was a slightly crooked log structure, and the Bear Cabin was in an open space nearest to Thandie’s cabin.
Towering pines and bright green maple trees shaded the cabins and pathways below. Philadelphus shrubs with tiny white flowers bloomed all around and released an intoxicating sweetness, reminiscent of ripe oranges, into the air. Thandie wondered if she would ever tire of the serene view.
The path connected all the cabins back to the barn, and she spotted several quiet areas for some activities. A gazebo sat on a little rise and looked big enough to hold a dozen people for a yoga class or journaling session. A bench sat under a cherry blossom tree, where little pink flowers fell like snow to the ground around it. And then there was the old dock with a flagpole standing tall at one corner. The American flag waved with the breeze and reminded her of the corn plumes in late summer back home. The landmark could serve as a good waypoint for anyone venturing off the beaten path, and the guests could find their way back to the property.
Thandie and America walked the whole area and ended up back at the barn. The lodge?No, she thought, that doesn’t seem right either.