Chapter 3
THREE
KRISTA
Tuesday
The evening had shifted into the kind of summer night that only came after too many margaritas and the ease of friendship.
The fire crackled, sending sparks into the inky sky while Frankie sprawled on Joe’s lap as if it were his new throne.
Krista pretended not to notice how easily her pup had abandoned her.
Kit topped off everyone’s glasses with the last of the pitcher. “Alright,” she announced. “Who’s ready for a game of truth or dare?”
Zoe groaned and stretched her legs toward the fire. “Okay, but not crazy dares. I’m exhausted.”
Krista watched as Zoe reached for her phone.
No doubt there was a text from Jackson, sending a soft smile onto her friend’s lips.
Warmth bloomed quietly in Krista’s chest. If Zoe really was pregnant, as she suspected, it would be the best news.
Zoe and Jackson had only been together since spring, but they had been best friends, and soulmates, all their lives. They would make wonderful parents .
“I’m in,” Krista said. “But this week, clothes stay on.”
Joe’s dark eyes snapped up from Frankie. “Should I ask?”
Kit grinned. “Last week, she skinny-dipped in the lake.”
“I never back down from a dare,” Krista said, chin high.
Joe’s mouth curved. “Good to know.”
The firelight flickered across his face, and for a heartbeat, Krista forgot what conversation was.
Then Elsie leaned forward, smirking. “Alright, dare me.”
“I dare you to eat an entire jalapeno,” Kit said immediately.
Elsie plucked one from the snack tray, tossed it back like a shot, and chewed. The table erupted with laughter as she fanned her mouth.
“You okay?” Zoe grinned.
“Totally fine. I can’t feel my tongue, but fine.”
Madison leaned back. “Your turn, Zoe, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” Zoe said.
“Have you and Jackson ever hooked up in the greenhouse?” Madison asked flatly.
Zoe’s answering grin was all mischief. “Oh, all the time. Those tomato vines have seen things .”
The group howled. Then Kit turned, eyes narrowing like a cat spotting prey. “Your turn, Queen Bee. Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” Krista said without hesitation.
Kit tapped a finger to her chin theatrically. “Hmmm…Alright, people, we need something good.”
Krista tried not to look at Joe, but every dare she could imagine somehow involved him, as if it were high school and they were playing spin the bottle. But just thinking of kissing Joe morphed the image into something much steamier.
It was nighttime, the bar was closed, and the lake quiet when the glass bottle landed on him.
Everyone else magically faded away leaving only the two of them.
Krista didn’t just lean forward to kiss him.
She stood and straddled his lap, her knees sinking into the cushion on each side of his thighs.
His hand lifted up, cradling the back of her neck.
Holding her in place as he bent down and kissed her.
Krista sank deeper, the rough drag of denim brushing where she ached––
She shook her head slightly, trying to push the heat of that daydream back under control.
No. Focus. Kit was talking, giving her a dare.
Something about a switch? Oh God. Switching with Joe…
Could she handle letting him take the reins?
Or would she surprise herself and take charge?
A rush of heat licked through her chest.
“Earth to Krista! Did you hear me?” Kit snapped her fingers. “Here’s my dare. Joe, you want to document the full Maple Falls experience, right? Well, I dare you and Krista to switch lives for a week.”
Krista blinked. “I—what?” Her voice came out higher than she intended. She caught Joe’s glinting eyes, flushed, bit her lip, and looked away, as if he could see right into her mind.
“Back in college,” Kit pressed on, “my roommate and I swapped lives for a week. She worked in the campus kitchen while I took her job on her uncle’s farm.
I lasted two days before I got chased by a rooster the size of a toddler.
Scared me to death, but it really pushed me out of my comfort zone—and taught me to take risks. Totally worth it.”
Krista forced herself to nod, though she couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like to “switch” with Joe in more ways than one.
Elsie clapped her hands, eyes lighting up.
“Oh, I love this, yes! Joe, you could run the Hot Honey Hideaway and help on the campground. Krista, you can do photography. You’ll have to teach each other first. Then you’d swap where you’re living, learn each other’s ways.
We should make it official. The Maple Falls Summer Swap. ”
Learn each other’s ways…Krista could almost feel Joe’s hands on her as he guided her to position the camera.
She imagined him coming into her bedroom, that sly, knowing smile playing around his lips.
Her cheeks flamed. Get it together, Krista.
She laughed, trying to mask the heat rising through her. “You’re joking, right?”
“I am not,” Elsie went on, already in full pitch mode. “I’ve been looking for something new and fun for the town to take part in this summer, and this is perfect! I’ll document the whole thing for the town socials. It’ll be great for engagement.”
Joe lifted a brow. “Engagement?”
“Online engagement,” Elsie clarified, then grinned. “Although hey, if you two end up wanting an actual proposal, far be it from me to stop you.”
Kit cackled, as Krista’s stomach did a little flip.
Elsie pointed her straw at Joe. “You’re already doing this photography project on Maple Falls, right?
So, you can shoot the town as an outsider who’s jumped in at the deep end.
Krista will shoot it from her local viewpoint.
His lens, her lens. Same place, two different perspectives. People will eat it up.”
Krista groaned. “Elsie, Joe and I literally just met. This is ridiculous. You’ve had too many margaritas.
” But the protest sounded hollow even to her ears.
A week… switching …with this infuriatingly handsome stranger?
Teaching each other? Getting intimately tangled in each other’s lives, for one blissful, scorching summer week. Honestly, what woman would say no?
“Maybe,” Elsie said cheerfully, “but I think it’s a brilliant idea.
We could get sponsors, with local businesses backing each ‘swap’ day.
But anyone could donate of course. All for your grandparents’ campground––I know you guys have been going through a tough time.
And for your next photograph project too, Joe.
Let’s start Friday. Give me a day to plan it out. ”
All eyes turned to Joe, who looked cornered. “You’re serious?”
Elsie nodded. “Completely. Think of it this way,” she said, leaning forward, eyes sparkling. “You’ll get to walk in each other’s shoes for a week. Who knows? You might discover a few things about yourself along the way, and have fun doing it.”
Krista pressed her lips together. Fun, huh? I’ll say. “I don’t know…” she mused out loud, her brain wrestling to take control again. Sex fantasies aside, what could some free-spirited world traveler, who’d probably never had to choose between dreams and responsibility, teach her about life?
But then her brain had a counter argument at the ready.
This was a chance to raise money. Real money.
Enough for the stair lift her grandma desperately needed.
Maybe even for in-home care a few days a week.
Selling the Hideaway would take months, and every day that passed, her grandparents grew a little more tired.
This “Summer Swap” was absurd and crazy and exactly the kind of wild idea her friends thrived on. But it also served a purpose. And Krista had never turned down a dare in her life. She wasn’t about to, especially if it meant partnering up with someone as tempting as Joe.
She looked across the table at him, at his dark hair, stubbled jaw, and those eyes. They were dark, mysterious, and had a deepness to them that pinned her in place. A smile flickered, as if he already knew she’d say yes.
“Alright,” she said softly, forcing herself to keep her deepest desires in check. “If we can get sponsors and half of the proceeds go to my grandparents, and if we investigate my family mystery too, Joe, then I’m in. Might as well let the Hideaway go out with a bang.”
“Don’t need to make it half. You can have all of it, as long as I get my story,” Joe said over the rim of his drink.
The table exploded in cheers and clinking glasses. Kit whooped, Madison whistled, Elsie pulled out her phone and was already in planning mode. Even Frankie barked like he approved .
“Wait, go out with a bang? What do you mean?” Zoe asked, eyes narrowing.
Krista hesitated, the flush inside her fading as the weight of her news pressed down. Then, with a sigh, she set her glass down. “I’m selling the Hideaway.”
The laughter faded.
“What?!” Madison blurted. “But what about Taco Tuesday? And the theme nights with the Cinnamon Spice Inn? And our Cocktail Club!”
“I know,” Krista said softly. “I don’t want to sell, but I don’t really have a choice.
Gramps can’t manage Hidden Hills by himself anymore, and Grandma needs more care.
I’ve got some teenagers helping here, but they’re not exactly reliable.
My sister is visiting soon, but that’s only temporary.
There’s just not enough time or money to keep everything afloat.
Even if I’m there full time, with my grandparents getting older we’ll need funds for extra help at the campground to keep it going. ”
Her voice wavered, and she forced a laugh. “So, if doing this swap helps raise money for my grandparents, how could I say no?”
Zoe stood up and wrapped her in a hug, soon joined by Kit and Madison. “We’ll help however we can,” Zoe said firmly. “You’re not in this alone.”
Krista smiled against her friend’s shoulder, grateful for the love that spilled over in this small, crazy town. She was so used to helping everyone else, and it warmed her heart to see all her friends coming to her side now.
When she pulled back, her gaze found Joe’s across the firelight.
He said nothing, but his steady, quiet eyes held hers—as if he could see through her brave face to the ache beneath.
Heat pooled low in her belly, her mind conjuring again the brush of his hands, the taste of his lips…
Something deep in her chest shifted. It wasn’t just the desire.
It was as if she’d never been seen like that before.
That wasn’t scrutiny or curiosity in his eyes; it was recognition.
This was supposed to be a summer of sensible choices and self-sacrifice.
And yet in that one look, Krista knew the real challenge with this “swap” wouldn’t be learning from someone else’s life.
It would be resisting the pull she felt toward Joe.
A pull that, if she were honest, she had no intention of fighting.