One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 7

CHAPTER

SEVEN

Quinn

Sometimes, I have nightmares about Collin. Usually, the nightmares are worse than reality, but I can’t ignore the gnawing feeling that it could’ve been my reality if I had stayed. Last night was a rough one, so I gave up on sleep and ran five miles before Gertie woke up. I was showered and dressed by the time she came out of her room.

“Early morning?” she questioned in surprise. “Are you opening today?”

“No, I just had a rough night. I’m actually off today.”

Gertie studies my face as if she wants to say something but decides against it. She makes her way into the kitchen and spots the eggs and toast on the counter and smiles.

“What are you doing on your day off?” she asks, sitting beside me.

“What do you want to do?” I reply.

“Me? Oh, sorry dear. I’m busy today.”

She must catch the look of surprise on my face because she swallows and smiles. “I can have plans, you know.”

“Of course. I guess I just thought we would hang out,” I quickly say.

“I have a doctor’s appointment today,” Gertie reveals.

“Oh! Is it on the calendar? I didn’t see it. I’ll drive you.” I jump up to check the calendar on the wall. I can’t believe I missed it. This is exactly why I’m here.

“It’s not on there, and Doris is taking me.”

“What? Why?” I can’t stop the hurt from sounding in my voice.

“She thinks the receptionist is cute,” Gertie replies breezily as she takes another bite.

I sit back down in the chair beside her. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m even here. I’m supposed to be helping you but I don’t feel very helpful.”

Gertie’s face softens and she gently grabs my hand. There is something so comforting in the way her hand feels. The wrinkles feel like they are storing a lifetime of memories.

“You are here because I want you here. You are helping me in both the seen and unseen. And it’s okay if you’re here to help yourself too,” Gertie says.

Her words sink in and I feel a lump start to grow in my throat. Help myself too. What does she mean by that? I haven’t told anyone about Collin. My parents know some of it because they witnessed parts of it, but we’ve never had an open discussion about him. Is that what Gertie is talking about?

Gertie finishes her last bite and stands up. “Thank you for breakfast.”

Now, I find myself with a free day and an idea of the perfect way to spend it.

I step off of the Sasquatch ride with a smile on my face. I knew this was the perfect way to spend my day. I am taking full advantage of having a free pass to the park. The Hunt for Sasquatch has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. You sit on a little cart and wind through a building looking for Bigfoot. He pops up behind a tree, he’s spotted on the top of a mountain and at one point you see his feet poking out from a bed where he’s sleeping. It’s a cute little ride. While I’m in the North America part of the park, I swing by the 50’s diner and grab a milkshake. I’m sipping and walking as I look around admiring the park. Before I know it, I realize I’m standing in front of the WOE show. The next showtime is in ten minutes so I walk in and sit down. I don’t even know if Grayson is working today, but I still wouldn’t mind watching the show again.

I recognize Grayson as soon as he steps onto the stage. I’m almost embarrassed at how quickly I know it’s him, but then again, I’m also openly admiring his body. He’s one of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen.I know that’s completely objectifying him while he’s working, but I honestly can’t help it. I’m mesmerized by how his muscles flex with every movement and the ease with which he performs each stunt.

I’ve only seen the show one other time, but I notice that they skip over the teeterboard flipping part. That was so impressive the last time I was here; I’m surprised they would cut it out. But even without it, it’s an excellent show. When the crowd erupts into applause at the end, I’m clapping just as enthusiastically. The cast takes a final bow as I stand up to exit. I’m caught in the middle of the crowd, so I have to wait for everyone else to move. I try to avoid looking at Grayson. He’s talking to one of the other actors and I see him waving into the other part of the crowd. I quickly face forward, hoping he won’t notice me.

“Q!” a deep voice calls from behind me. I hear them call out again. I pause and look around. The crowd is mostly gone now. My heart starts to beat faster. There’s no way he’s calling out to me, I think. I try to nonchalantly peek over my shoulder and see Grayson leaning his arms against the divider poles closest to the section I’m standing in. He’s staring right at me and an electric shock zips through me as I make eye contact with him. Suddenly, I realize just how much I was lying to myself about hoping he didn’t notice me. There’s nothing in this moment that I want more than for him to notice me. He waves me towards him and despite him literally saying my name I still catch myself glancing around to make sure he’s talking to me.

The corner of his mouth quirks up as he watches me. I slide past a girl in the aisle and slowly make my way down the stairs, the opposite way of everyone else. When I reach the last step, Grayson smiles at me. He’s incredibly sweaty. I don’t blame him considering what I just witnessed him doing in the heat of a Florida summer. I notice that I don’t seem to mind his sweat at all actually. It’s almost the opposite. What is happening to me?

“Hi,” I say and instantly regret my lackluster greeting.

“Hi,” he replies with a grin.

“Did you call me Q?” I blurt out.

Grayson chuckles, and I admire just how cute his smile is. “That’s what your tag said at the restaurant.”

He paid attention to my name tag and he remembered it. That thought sinks somewhere deep inside me. “It’s actually Quinn,” I say.

“Quinn. So you aren’t a tech genius like Q?” he jokes.

“A Bond fan?” I ask.

His eyebrows raise in surprise. “You too? I mean, how could I not be?” He gestures to the set behind him.

“Are you alone?” Grayson asks, looking behind me. The rest of the audience had filtered out while we talked.

“Yeah. I had a day off and figured I would come to the park.” It sounds lame as I say it outloud.

“And come see me,” he adds.

“Yeah. Wait, no! I mean, yes, I saw you in the show but I didn’t come specifically to see you.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Grayson replies, instantly causing my heart to stutter. I’m not sure what to say back to that.

“I’m done for the day,” he says. “If you want to hang out.”

I know I probably shouldn’t. I didn’t come here to meet a boy. I actually came partly to escape one but I still can’t stop myself from saying, “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Great. Let me clean up real quick.”

I look around the empty arena and at the set. It has details that I would guess most audience members don’t even notice. I nervously perch on the edge of one of the benches while I wait for Grayson to finish up. A few minutes later, he walks out, his brown hair damp from the shower. He’s wearing black basketball shorts and a tight shirt, drawing my eyes straight to his pecs. Wow. That’s honestly all I can think as he’s walking towards me. Wow. I’ve never stared at someone’s chest before, but here I am ogling him, and when I bring my eyes up to his face he has a knowing smile. I’ve been caught in the act. His smile indicates I like what I see, but thankfully, he doesn’t say anything. He reaches my side, and I can smell the fresh soap scent coming off him.

“Where to?” I ask, breaking eye contact.

“Have you ridden The Griffin yet?”

“Isn’t that a kid's ride?”

Grayson smiles and shakes his head, “I’ll take that as a no. Come on, Q,”

My stomach flips at the nickname. No one has ever called me Q before, and even if they did, I don’t think I could love it as much as I do hearing it come from his lips. He nods at one of his coworkers as we exit the arena. I catch another trace of his soapy scent and have to stop myself from stepping closer for more. I have got to get myself together.

“So, how long have you worked here?” I ask.

“WOE show specifically-four years,” he answers. We turn and follow the signs for Egypt.

“I noticed you didn’t do the teeterboard stuff today. You don’t do that every time?”

His jaw flexes at my question. It almost looks like I hurt him. I’m about to open my mouth and apologize- although for what I don’t know- when he answers, “There was an accident, and one of our guys got severely injured during it.”

“Oh wow, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” I stammer. Of course, I didn’t know. I don’t know why I needed to vocalize that. “Is he okay?”

Grayson gives a curt nod. “Yeah. It’s going to be a rough recovery.”

Silence falls between us as we walk. I’m not sure what else to say. I guess I never thought about how dangerous doing those stunts could be. I wonder if he’s ever scared, especially after something like that. We pass by one of the large pyramids marking the beginning of Egypt.

“You said you haven’t worked at Emberwood long?” Grayson asks, breaking the silence.

“No, I’m just here for the summer helping my grandma. She’s recovering from hip surgery.”

“Oh wow, that’s really nice of you. So where do you actually live?”

“Colorado.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Florida is a little different,” he chuckles.

“I’ve been coming here since I was young. I’ve always loved visiting, especially when I got to come here,” I say, gesturing around us.

“Ah, you’re an enchantment kid.”

“I’m an enchantment adult.”

He laughs. “No judgment from me. Obviously, I am too. I’ve known since I was eight years old that I wanted to work here.”

“Really? Eight?”

“My family used to come here a lot, and I remember being a little kid watching the WOE show and knowing I wanted to do that one day.”

“That’s amazing!” I truly mean it too. I imagine a little Grayson sitting in the audience watching the show and wanting to do it. It’s incredible that he accomplished it. How many people can say they are literally doing their childhood dream job? I think my dream career when I was eight years old was to be a princess.

“You know, after seeing the show I can’t blame you. It really is so cool what you get to do,” I add.

“Yeah, what little kid doesn’t want to do flips and defeat bad guys,” he smiles.

“I wanted to be a princess, but maybe that’s because I never saw the WOE show.”

Grayson laughs. “Princess is a good option too.”

We reach The Griffin, and the line is quick. That’s the best part about these rides: usually, the line is short. It’s an aerial carousel, meaning it goes in a circle, but the griffins actually move up and down in the air as if flying. A little lever on the back of the griffin’s neck allows you to control whether you fly up or down. Grayson takes the front seat on the Griffin, and I sit behind him. The ride starts, and I see Grayson fidgeting in his seat and leaning to the side. Poles line the outside of the carousel, and small golden rings stick out from the top of them. Grayson stretches across and grabs one of the rings. He gracefully pulls it from its spot and holds it up with a big grin.

“Got it!” he cheers. As we circle around again, I spy a large griffin nest with a hole in the middle of it. Grayson tosses the ring, and it lands perfectly in the nest, sliding down the hole. He raises his arms in celebration.

“You got it, Q! Try and grab one!” Grayson calls to me. We are circling again and I spot one of the poles with a golden ring sticking out. I quickly stretch across, and although my fingers graze it, I can’t get a good enough grip on it. Another pole is coming. I try to recompose myself in time. I lean as far as I can in my seat and then reach out and at the last second, catching the ring between my fingers. I pull on it and feel it come loose as I secure it into my palm.

I squeal in excitement. “I did it! I got one!”

“Now throw it in the nest!” Grayson replies.

The nest comes up quickly, and I toss it in. It almost bounces out, but then it lands next to the hole and falls in. I cheer loudly and Grayson’s face lights up in a smile.

He catches the rings almost every time and always makes it into the nest. I get two more rings but only one makes it in. We ride it three more times and make a contest out of it-which Grayson easily wins. My loss means I have to pay for the food after we stop riding.

“Okay, I accept my loss. What do you want to eat?” I say, while we are exiting the ride.

“I’m not super picky but Egypt is not my top food spot,” he replies.

“I don’t even know what they have here.”

“Exactly. But Italy is close and I could go for some gelato or macarons.”

My stomach growls as he says it. I haven’t had gelato since I’ve been to the park and I’ve never tried their macarons. “Sounds perfect!”

“I can’t believe that was the first time you rode The Griffin,” Grayson says as we start walking.

I shrug, “I thought it was just another kid’s carousel.”

He scoffs, “Oh no, it’s so much more than that.”

“I see that now,” I laugh.

“So is that your favorite ride?” I say with a teasing tone.

“Hey, nothing wrong with me if it was.” He pauses with a grin. “But my favorite ride is probably Troll.”

I laugh and he looks at me quizzically. “Sorry, I just love how creative this whole park is with every little detail and then for that ride they just decided to call it Troll,” I explain.

“Doesn’t need a better name than that. It’s simple, straight to the point, and the best ride,” Grayson shrugs.

“I’ve never done it.”

Grayson gasps dramatically. “Seriously? How have you not been on the two best rides in the park?”

“Really? The Griffin is one of the best rides?”

“I said what I said,” Grayson replies with a serious look.

I laugh. I’m enjoying talking to Grayson more and more. He knows this park better than anyone, and I have a feeling he’s going to teach me a few things. We reach a gelato place and Grayson pays for me despite me telling him he didn’t need to. I’m a pretty independent woman, but I appreciate a man that treats a lady well. I follow him to a bench overlooking a river meant to be the Tiber River.

“Thanks for the gelato,” I say as I take a bite. It’s delicious. I’ve never had gelato in Italy but I’ve heard that the park has somehow made it just as good.

“You’re welcome. This place is my favorite out of all of them,” he says nodding at where we just ordered. “It’s almost as good as Italy.”

“You’ve been?”

“Once during college. My family and I went one summer.”

“I’ve always wanted to go. Europe has always been on my list but this is the closest I’ve been,” I say with a chuckle.

“Well this is pretty good,” he looks around. “But the gelato is still a little better in Italy.”

“Are you close with your family?” I ask.

“Yeah. My brother works at the park, too, actually. He’s in the Greek Mythology show.”

“Really? That’s so cool! It must be fun to work with your brother.”

“It’s funny because it’s something we both dreamed about never really through would happen.”

It’s an interesting thought. There are so many things in our lives that we dream and hope for but never truly expect to happen. And then there’s things like me working here now. I never would’ve expected to be living with Gertie and working as a waitress at the park.

“What about you? Are you close with your family?” he asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah, mostly. My brother just started college so he’s a little too busy for me, but Gertie and I are close.” I think about my brother, Justin, and wish he could’ve come with me. I tried to convince him, but he decided to stay at school for the summer. He just finished his first year, and I’m so proud of how hard he’s working. He’s never been a big education guy, but he’s really grown up at school.

“Your brother’s name is Gertie?” he asks.

I laugh. “No, sorry, that was confusing. My brother’s name is Justin. My grandma is Gertie.”

“Grandma Gertie?” Grayson breaks out into a big grin. “That’s amazing.”

“It’s very fitting for her.”

The sun starts to set while we talk on the bench. I learn a bit more about how he got to be the lead on the WOE show. He grew up performing and being trained in dance, acrobatics, and acting. He tells me how grateful he is to be here. He loves his job and gets to do what he dreamt about. He recognizes how rare that is and promised himself he wouldn’t be ungrateful. I told him about how I got the job at Emberwood. He was more impressed than he should’ve been. When he asked about my dream job I didn’t really have an answer. I don’t know what my dream job is. I think he’s lucky that he does. He’s always known. We talk a bit more about Gertie and her recovery progress. I laugh as I tell him about Doris and how my dream isn’t a job but it’s having a person like that when I’m old. The conversation turns lighter, and I learn that he loves any and all candy. One minute he wants sour strips, and the next he wants chocolate. I tell him my weakness is brownies. I say I hate scary movies and he agrees but when I mention that I love to read murder thrillers he laughs and calls me an enigma.

It’s dark as we continue talking and I’m amazed by how quickly the time has passed. Grayson is so easy to talk to. I’m a little surprised, considering how completely enamored I was by his looks at the restaurant. but he’s incredibly down to earth. I feel comfortable with him.

“It’s getting kind of late. I should probably get you back,” Grayson says. It feels like he’s breaking a spell between us. I find myself desperate for the night not to end. I’m racking my brain trying to think of a reason to see him again without sounding overeager. But before I can say anything he adds, “I’d love to take you out for real sometime. If you’re interested.”

I stop myself from quickly blurting YES and try to sound casual as I say, “I’d like that.”