Page 8 of Spring Showers

“For the last time, you can call him Leo,” America said. “Anyway, The Foundry was his idea at first, before I even knew him, but with my connections at the travel magazine, we were able to advertise this as a destination locale and get the retreat off the ground.”

“What magazine do you write for?” Thandie asked and wondered whether she had read any of America’s articles before.

“Jet Trek. Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah. It’s an online publication, right? I think I see little clips now and again on the gram.”

“That’s great, I’ll have to let the social team know their posts are cutting through the din.” America clapped. “So, with some gentle coaxing from me and Leo’s friend, Pa, we went all in and used the rest of his inheritance to buy the properties and outfit the place.” Beneath her perky and controlled exterior, Thandie sensed a sort of desperation.

“Who’s Pa?”

“You’ll meet him at some point. He’s always lurking around.”

“Should I be worried?” Thandie asked nervously.

“Not at all. He’s great, and he’s been in this town forever. If I can’t get you what you need, he can.”

“Good to know,” Thandie said as they came to the front of the cabin facing the old lake.

White painted steps led up to a wide wraparound porch. Two rocking chairs and a wrought iron side table sat in front of a set of three tall and narrow windows. A barrel planter made from an old wine cask greeted her on the other side of the porch. America held the door and let Thandie go in first. “This is all for me?”

Walking into the space, Thandie breathed in the thick scent of cedar, which is where the cabin’s rustic feel ended. America headed straight for the contemporary style kitchen with white cabinets, complete with stone counters and high-end appliances.

“Your fridge is stocked with some essentials, and if you need anything else, just get it from thecucina,” America said and pointed across the room. “That’s the living area. The fireplace works, just flip the switch on the wall. That’s the bedroom and bathroom through that door there.”

“This is amazing.” Thandie took in the sight of the beautiful wood logs, stacked and cemented together, and smelling of earth and warmth. Lightweight white curtains hung at the windows where daylight illuminated the entire vaulted great room, and the modern kitchen looked to be everything and more that she would need to feel at home there. “This cabin is so nice. Shouldn’t it be for the guests?”

“Of course not, this cabin is closest to the barn, which is easier for you to get to. And all the guest cabins are down by the old shore. We were able to purchase the old lake houses for a bargain.”

“I can bet.” Thandie said and realized her comment overstepped her position. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply?—”

“It’s fine,” America assured her. “You’ll discover quickly that we don’t let things ruffle our feathers much. Plus, you’re right. With the town basically deserted, no one wanted the structures. We may be the only people foolish enough to take on such a project.” America paused and took a deep breath. “We really need this week to go off without a hitch.”

Thandie’s suspicions were confirmed in the tone of America’s voice. Although the woman sounded relaxed, there was an undercurrent of anticipation and hope in the way she wanted everything to be perfect. A desperation that smacked of worry.

“I’m here to do my best,” Thandie reassured. “I won’t let you down.”

She took a look around the beautiful, welcoming space and thought about all the random places she had stayed and the other jobs she had taken over the last few months. Gratitude filled her heart to be somewhere so inviting and lovely.

“I should let you get started planning the week. There’s a phone beside the bed and you can ring the office if you need anything,” America said and let herself out the front door.

Even though Thandie had been sitting in the car all morning, she flopped right into the worn leather sofa and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. She wasn’t tired, but she let her eyelids shut for a moment while she let her mind do the work of planning the week.

She didn’t know much about wellness retreats, though the irony wasn’t lost on her that practically all of her friends had suggested she go to one following the wedding incident. Perhaps she should have taken their advice, seeing as how she was now charged with putting one on herself. The wellness of a dozen guests was in her inexperienced hands. Though there was no reason to think she would outright fail, there was a learning curve to every job, and she had but a few hours to get a plan together before the guests were scheduled to arrive.

She had been the co-chair of her sorority’s planning committee, which meant that she could organize just about anything with enough time. But time was something she did not have. And it seemed that her future at The Foundry depended on having a successful week with her playing the part of the best director that she could be.

Leaning over, she reached for the binder. The freshly printed pages, crisp and white, held the key to her planning. She flipped through the preference sheets and looked for any relative threads that connected one person to another.

All but two of the guests were physically able to go on mild hikes. No one was opposed to swimming, which was of no consequence, since there was no water around that she was aware of. The guests’ ages ranged from their mid-thirties to some older folks in their sixties. The older ones might want to turn in early or participate in different activities, so she decided to plan a variety of events throughout each day.

Her first thought was to offer the guests a list of options during their check-in and, depending on the weather, choose the activity that best suited them. As long as she announced the next day’s schedule at dinnertime, the guests would have enough time to prepare, and she would gain the bit of flexibility that she would need to get the week going.

But her plan didn’t account for the first day. She needed one activity ready to go. Something not too hard, and one that people would be ready to do right away after check-in.

Thandie took her phone from her back pocket and opened the browser. A little circle chased its tail for a moment until a pop-up informed her there was no data connection. She closed and reopened the app, reset her wifi, and checked her signal strength, but there was nothing.

“Shoot,” she said and tossed her phone aside. She had planned on doing a bit of research, looking up points of interest on the map, and getting some idea of the property’s layout. Now, she would have to do it the old-fashioned way and go see things with her own eyes.

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