One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 1

CHAPTER

ONE

Quinn

I gaze out the window at the passing palm trees in awe of how many of them there are. I catch a glimpse of a white sandy beach and flocks of people enjoying the water. I never planned on living in Florida, though I always loved visiting when I was growing up. I’ve been here a handful of times to visit my grandma, but when she fell and needed hip surgery, my mom volunteered me to help. Honestly, I don’t mind. The last thing I wanted to do was stay in Colorado. I’ve been eager for an excuse to leave after the breakup.

The car pulls to a stop in front of my grandma’s house. It’s a small, one-story home with a large palm tree in the front yard. It seems to be in a quiet neighborhood with lots of stucco houses. I take a deep breath of the warm summer air and look around at the place that will be my home for the summer. I knock on the bright pink door and hear some shuffling inside. After a moment, the door lurches open, and a deeply tanned and wrinkled face peers at me.

“You must be Quinn,” she says, eyeing me up and down.

“You must be the neighbor?” I assume.

“Pah, the neighbor!” she exclaims and hollers over her shoulder, “Doesn’t your neighbor at least get a name?!” I hear my grandma reply from somewhere in the house, but I can’t understand what she says.

The lady steps to the side and says, “Well, come in. You’re letting the air conditioning out.”

I step past her and get hit with a cold blast of air. It’s exponentially colder inside than out. “I’m Doris,” the woman adds.

“Nice to meet you, Doris. Thanks for keeping an eye on my grandma until I could get out here,” I reply as she leads me toward the couch. As we get closer, I see my grandma sitting with her legs propped up.

“Quinny, my dear!” she exclaims when she sees me. She looks a little frailer than the last time I saw her, but the smile that lights up her face is just as I remember. Her curly hair is shoulder length and a bright white, and her face shines with a life’s worth of wrinkles.

“You look absolutely lovely,” she raves as I lean down and hug her. I laugh at the idea of looking lovely after a day of flying and driving. I’m hit with her familiar sweet vanilla scent as we hug and it’s such an instant comforter.

“What a nice reunion. I’m off the clock now, Gertie. You can bother Quinny here from now on,” Doris quips.

Gertie. The name makes me smile; it always has. For as long as I can remember, Grandma Gertrude has always been Grandma Gertie.

“Thank you, Doris,” Gertie replies.

“Oh, you know I love you,” Doris says with a wave of her hand before planting a kiss on my grandma’s cheek and walking out the door.

I take this moment to glance around the room. It’s a wide-open space with a couch, TV, and a small sitting chair. It doesn’t have much furniture, but I notice little knick-knacks from a life well lived around it. The windows allow lots of light to stream in, and I peek out and see a screen porch in the backyard.

“Your room is to the left there,” Gertie points.

She starts to sit up and I quickly stop her. “I can find it. You don’t need to get up.”

“Unfortunately, it’s that time. I’m supposed to walk around every so often. Good for the hip,” Gertie explains. I lean down and grab her arm as she shakily stands up. “Besides, I’m old and always seem to need to pee.”

She grasps my arm tightly as we slowly make our way to the back bedroom. It’s a simple room with only a small dresser and a white bed, but the walls are painted a tropical blue with hand-painted white flowers in various places. I lean closer to look at the brush strokes.

“Your work?” I ask, and she nods.

Gertie has always been an artist. Never professionally, but it was always a love of hers. Every birthday card was handmade, and her house was full of these personal touches. My grandpa passed away when I was only six, but I remember him taking me into the backyard one time and showing me a beautiful painting on the fence. The wood was filled with every color, intersecting perfectly, creating a swirl of color and pictures. In the middle stood three people, my grandma and grandpa, with their arms around a little girl.

“Your grandma made this just for you,” he said. I remember the amazement I felt as I saw it. He had tears in his eyes as he stared at it. He died shortly after, and I feel like he knew then that his time was short.

I step over to the bedroom window and look into the backyard. The fence is weathered and worn, but even after 20 years, I can still see splotches of color from that day.

“I know it’s not much-” Gertie starts.

“It’s great,” I interrupt her quickly. She smiles thankfully and leaves me to unpack. I only brought a small bag of things for the summer. Once I’m done, I go to the kitchen and make us a quick dinner. She watches Jeopardy as I cook, and I can hear her answering many of the questions.

“You’re pretty smart,” I comment as I serve her a plate.

“I’ve lived a while,” she replies simply.

“You’re only 75.”

“You’re only 26 and think about how smart you are,” she smiles, and I chuckle at her complimentary reply.

“Thank you for dinner,” she adds as she takes a bite.

She gets tired quickly after eating, so I help her get ready and guide her into her room. She’s too stubborn to use my help too much, but I stand right beside her just in case she needs me.

“You don’t need to tuck me in, ya know,” she says with a wink as she lays down.

I laugh. “I know. But I am here to help you.”

She nods. “Yes. And maybe to help yourself a little too.”

I pause, unsure exactly what she means by that. I’m about to ask her before I notice her eyes are closed. I quietly step out of the room, but as I close the door, I hear her softly say, “Thanks for coming, Quinn.”

The following day, I wake up before Gertie. I get ready, scroll my phone, and make breakfast, but I still don’t hear anything behind Gertie’s door. I hover outside the door for a second, and when it’s quiet, I put a lid on the food and quietly let myself out the front door. I might as well explore my new neighborhood. I grew to love running in the more recent year; it started while I was dating Collin. I always stayed active, but running wasn’t my form of cardio. During the heaviest days of that relationship, running seemed like the only way to get out of my head. When my emotions were too much, going for a run seemed to free them. Now, I’d consider myself a runner and I love it.

My grandma’s neighborhood is quiet. Each yard has palm trees, and it’s a fun change from the dry rocks of Colorado. The humidity in the air makes my lungs feel sticky, but my skin soaks it up. Many older couples are out walking, each smiling and waving at me as I jog by. The area seems very friendly. I can imagine Gertie thriving here. I turn down another block and spot a few kids running through a sprinkler in the yard. I smile as I pass and look at my watch to see it’s already 78 degrees outside.

I find my way back to Gertie’s house and come to a walk as I get closer. A few doors from Gertie’s, I spot Doris sitting on her porch, sipping from a mug.

“Good morning,” I call out.

She nods at me. “Gertie’s already driving you mad?” she asks, but her teasing tone shows me she doesn’t mean it.

“How long have you and my grandma been neighbors?” I ask, stopping in front of her porch.

She seems to ponder the question. “Seems to be about eleven years now if my math is correct.”

“Wow. That’s a long time.”

“Feels like it’s been longer. We were best friends the moment we started talking.”

“Really?”

“We are two peas in a pod. I don’t know how I lived so long, not knowing I had a soulmate friend out there.”

I laugh. “That’s sweet.”

“Usually she’s the one out here,” she motions towards me. “We used to go on walks every morning together and gossip.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Gossip, huh?”

She leans back in her rocking chair, “Oh, you wouldn’t know it by looking at it, but this neighborhood has seen a few scandals.”

I chuckle, “I believe you and Gertie would certainly be the ones to know about them.”

Doris holds her mug up in acknowledgment and then takes another sip. I just laugh again and shake my head.

“Have a great day, Doris.”

“You too, deary.”

When I open the front door, Gertie is sitting at the kitchen table. She’s wearing a fancy silk robe and beams at me.

“Good morning, Quinny. I woke up to the most wonderful smelling breakfast,” she grins.

“Just some eggs and toast,” I reply.

“It’s wonderful. Thank you. Were you out running?”

“Yeah. I saw Doris on my way back.”

“Oh, I’m sure you did. She’s out there every morning.”

She slowly stands up and makes her way to the sink with her dishes. I grab them from her despite the annoyed look she throws at me.

“What is your plan today?” she asks.

“I don’t have a plan. Should I? Is there something you need?” I ask.

“No, no. I just thought you would like to get out. Maybe explore a little. You could get a job.”

I can’t stop the laugh from escaping. “A job? Are you already trying to get rid of me?”

“No, dear. But I’ve known you since you were this big,” she holds her hand below her waist. “You’ve never been one just to sit still, and if you’re stuck in this house doing nothing, we will both go crazy.”

She’s not wrong. I’ve had a job since I was 16. I like staying busy and having things to do. But I came here thinking I would be taking care of Gertie. That’s my job. Though, she does seem to be better than my mom said. I thought she would be on bed rest. Gertie is watching me with a smile, knowing she’s right about me.

“I’ll think about it,” I say. She seems satisfied with my answer because she heads back towards her room. I shiver as I go to check the thermostat and see it’s turned down to 62. I might be from Colorado, but I hate being cold. I grab a sweater and wrap it around me as I sit down to read a book. An hour passes before I start to feel antsy. The house is clean, and Grandma hasn’t come back out of her bedroom yet. I pace around the living room a little, looking at the knick-knacks she has from her travels. I spot a photo album of old photos and flip through it. Some of the pictures are from before Gertie was even married. She’s young and fierce, and I’m taken aback by how much I look like her. I have the same big round eyes as her. When I was younger, people often said I looked like a cartoon princess with eyes taking up half my face. I turn the page and see a picture from her wedding day. She had long, thick hair that was curled perfectly. Thankfully, I got her hair too. Mine is just as full and milky brown with natural golden highlights throughout. I finish flipping through the book and look around the room for something else to do. Finally, I knock quietly and peek my head into Gertie’s room. She’s curled up in bed reading a book.

“Bored already?” she asks without looking up. A smile is teasing the corner of her mouth.

“No,” I say defensively. “I was just going to ask if you needed anything from the store.”

“Mhm,” she replies knowingly. “Well, I suppose I am out of hot chocolate.”

“You want hot chocolate in the summer?”

She finally looks up at me now. “It’s cold in here.”

I laugh. “Only because you keep the thermostat so low.”

“I know. It’s hot out there, so I like to keep it cool here. Besides, you want an excuse to leave, right? Go get me some cocoa.”

I laugh at her logic. She might be going insane, but I don’t mind the excuse to do something and feel helpful.

“Okay. I’ll be back soon. Call me if you need anything.”

She waves her hand at me, dismissively, and turns her attention back to her book.

I’ll be using Gertie’s car while I’m in town since she’s unable to drive right now anyway. I smile as I slide into her seat, and the soft vanilla scent hits me again. It smells just like her. I drive past a few different grocery stores to explore the area more. Thirty minutes later I leave the store with a bag of cocoa and a few cooking necessities. I check my phone to look at the map around me and see that I’m only a few minutes from World of Enchantment. It’s the giant theme park that brings most people to this area. The theme is mystical elements from around the world. My favorite ride as a little girl was in the Greece part of the park when you rode a unicorn. Doesn’t every little girl dream about riding a unicorn? Rollercoasters never scared me, so even as a kid, I rode the big dragon ride in the China region of the park. I vividly remember my first time at the park. I fell in love with each of the characters, shows, and rides. It was pure magic. Ever since, I’ve loved theme parks. Amusement parks are fun, too, but there’s something extra special about a theme park. It’s completely immersive and feels like you’re in a different world. The park does such a good job of making it all feel so real and possible. I find myself driving towards the park before I even realize it.

I follow signs for Mystic Harbor. Palm trees line the streets, guiding me towards the parking lot. I see rides and the park up ahead and smile as I turn and pull into Mystic Harbor. It’s not technically a part of the park, so you don’t have to pay. It’s full of shops and restaurants along a lake, and the park is on the other side of the lake. It’s made to resemble Sydney Harbor in Australia. In the middle of the lake is the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Bridge is the walkway to the park. The harbor is close enough that it still has the park vibe. People are buzzing with excitement, and there are vendors with carts selling shirts, bubble wands, and park memorabilia. Kids eagerly pull on their parents' hands to get to the park gate faster. I sit on one of the benches that faces the water and the park and soak up the atmosphere. The sun is on my face, and I can hear the hum of people around me. I’m overwhelmed by the comfort and peace I feel. My breakup with Collin was rough. In fact, The whole relationship was rough. I wasn’t sure if I would ever fully feel this peace and comfort again. I definitely didn’t imagine I would find it on a park bench in Florida. But I’m filled with the sense that this is precisely where I need to be.

After a while, I continue to walk along the harbor and look in some of the shops. I pass by a restaurant, and I breathe in deeply. It smells phenomenal. I peek at the menu and see that it’s classic Southern food—fried chicken, dumplings, biscuits, and gravy. It sounds deliciously unhealthy. The front door slams open, startling me, and a man storms out, cursing angrily.

I leap out of his way just as he hollers over his shoulder, “I don’t need you!” He throws his apron on the ground as he continues to storm away.

I turn to see who he’s talking to and notice a man in a suit standing in the doorway with a large man behind him that I’m assuming is security. He simply shakes his head and then seems to notice me.

“I’m incredibly sorry about that,” he says politely.

“Oh, it’s fine,” I reply. I grab the apron off the ground and hold it out for him.

“Thank you. It seems I need a new server, preferably one who doesn’t sample the food before he takes it to the table,” the man grumbles.

I can’t help but snort, and he glances up at me. “See? You know that’s not acceptable,” he says.

“I believe most people would,” I reply.

“The hiring process is such a pain,” he mumbles mostly to himself. Then he pauses and looks me up and down. “You wouldn’t be interested in a job, would you?”

I pause, taken aback by the way this conversation has evolved. I think about what Gertie said about me finding a job. I’ve been a server before and actually enjoyed interacting with the different customers. Gertie said she would be okay with me getting a job—in fact, she recommended it. She’s right too, I’ve only been here one day and already feel antsy.

“Actually, yes. I would be interested,” I finally answer.

His eyes widen slightly. “Really? Do you have any waitressing experience?”

“I do. I worked as a waitress throughout college.”

“Great!”

“Should I come back for an interview sometime?”

“Well, you already passed the test of knowing you don’t eat guests’ food,” he chuckles. Then he adds, “If we did a drug test right now, would we have any problems?”

“No, sir.”

“What does your schedule look like?” he asks.

“I’m currently pretty open. I’m here to help my grandma after hip surgery.”

“So you’re only here short term?”

“Yes, just for the summer.”

“Hm,” he pauses as he thinks. “Well, that would at least get us through our busy season.”

“Isn’t every season a busy season?” I joke.

He chuckles. “It really is.”

“Alright, I like you. Let’s do a trial run and make sure you’re a good fit. I’m a big believer in the right place at the right time, and you seem to be exactly that,” he decides.

I’m pleasantly surprised at the turn this day has taken. “Thank you.”

“Can you start tomorrow?” he asks.

“I’d love to.”

“Welcome to Emberwood,” he grins.