Page 43 of Only Some Stars Fall

“Are you all set to prep the lounge and bar for today and cover lunch? I need to start roofing cabin seven before the rain comes.” It’s a project I have been putting off for many reasons, but I checked the upcoming weather this morning while Everlyshowered. This summer has been unseasonably hot and dry for Maine. I don’t remember a summer with as little rain as we’ve had since I was a kid, and though I am not complaining because it’s been amazing for business, I think the heat has finally outstayed its welcome. A good period of rain looks to be coming our way in the next two weeks, socking us in possibly until Labor Day.

Thinking about the amount of repairs on my list for this season makes me feel nauseous as I grab my tool belt and head out to the utility shed to load shingles.

Like my cabin, cabin seven is also fairly private from the other cabins. Unlike mine though, which sits on the water, this one is nestled back in the woods. A small stream runs along the side of it, leading to the lake and a small private beach. Once it’s in rentable condition, it will be a sought-after rental, which is all the more reason for me to get over my stalling and get it finished. Earlier in the summer, my dad and I replaced the broken windows, but the inside still has a lot of work to be done. Two years later, I still can’t stomach going inside.

Pulling up to the front porch, I hop out of my truck with a cooler and Birch following behind me. As he bounds off into the woods, guaranteed to be taunted by red squirrels and chipmunks for hours, I place my lunch in the shade next to a weathered wooden rocking chair on the deck.Don’t think about it too much, Hux, just get your work done and get the hell out of here.I take a deep breath.

Propping the ladder against the side of the house, I climb up to the roof, avoiding looking in any windows. On the roof and fully exposed to the sun, it’s blazing hot, but I can see the lake from this height, and the way it sparkles for miles makes me pause.

I think the internal fight is catching up to me. Knowing I wanted to escape this place as soon as I turned eighteen. Then,two years ago, that restlessness turned into straight hatred, all while also knowing that Silsby and Anderson’s will always be part of my makeup no matter how far I run. As much as I want to believe I belong in the city, I can’t deny that I belong here too.

I know Everly has a lot to do with this realization, which seems completely ass-backward. In less than a month, she heads back to a life I have been clawing to get back to, so how does it make sense that she arrives, and with her presence, I am feeling more and more at peace here again?

“I thought you might want some help on this one?” a voice I’ve known since I was five yells from the bottom of the ladder, breaking me from the internal back and forth.

I peer down to see Kenny shielding his eyes as he squints up at me. “How the hell are you going to help? We all know you’re scared as shit of heights.”

“Shut up, you asshole. I was like nine when you dared me to climb up on Ms. Robert’s super sketchy roof and then took away the damn ladder.”

“Oh, come on now, it wasn’t that far up. You could have jumped, but instead, you ran crying to my dad and got us all on port-a-potty cleaning duty for a week.” I laugh.

“Do you want my help or not, you dick?”

I chuckle. “Sure, there’s an extra stripping shovel and knee pads in the back of my truck. You need me to come down and spot you on the ladder?”

“Seriously, you understand I am offering to help your ass for free,right?” He puts his hands on his hips, exasperated at my shit-talking.

“Calm down, I’m just fuckin’ with ya. I need to get this thing fully stripped before lunch.”

“Dude, you know I have never had a problem getting anyone fully stripped by lunchtime.” He winks while walking backward to the truck.What acocky bastard.

We work diligently side by side for the next few hours, not saying much. Jokes aside, I know Kenny showed up today because he’s fully aware of how hard I avoid this part of the property.

It’s pretty rare to be a wealthy local around here, but with Kenny’s dad being the head hospital administrator and his mom one of the few ER doctors in Silsby, he has always been financially set. His football scholarship doesn’t hurt either, which is to say, Kenny doesn’t need to work. Thankfully, he somehow stayed humble, never becoming a douche athlete that would have made me want to kick his ass.

A little before one o’clock, we climb down from the roof and sit on the edge of the porch, our feet dangling off the side.

“So, when do you head out for training camp? Must be coming up soon, huh?” I ask, realizing we are already at the end of July.

“Next week.”

“Shit, man, where the hell have I been? That came quick. I feel like I have barely seen you this summer.” I immediately feel guilty for how little time I have spent with my best friend.

“Well, you’ve been a little preoccupied this summer.” He smirks.

“Yeah, I mean, if this place wasn’t such a never-ending dumpster fire…”

He laughs. “I wasn’t referring to your responsibilities at the resort, bud.” He slaps a hand on my back. “It seems that a college freshman, arichieno less, has stolen all of your attention these past few months. Look at you, breaking all your own rules. I never thought I would see the day.”

“She’s not a richie, and she’s not a guest. She works at the resort, richies don’t work.” I stare at him.

“Ah, but you didn’t deny that she’s what has been distracting you.” The smug grin on his face acknowledges thathe has got me right where he wants me, and I won’t be let off the hook without some explaining. “So, it seems you may have actually caught feelings for this one?”

Kenny isn’t trying to rile me up. I know that more than anyone, he wants me to be happy. In his mind, I’ve been torturing myself for years—and maybe I have, but trying to explain the restraints that come with a family business, a generational family business, no less, is impossible to someone who has never had to feel as if a place is part of their core identity. When your whole life has been dependent on the survival of a physical establishment, with factors like the weather, economy, and actions of others deciding your fate, everything that happens at or within that location affects you. It can alter who you are and the future you think you’re building.

“It’s not as easy asifI’ve caught feelings, Ken. She’s leaving. She’s about to start her sophomore year of college, and life has barely started for her. In the end, I’m going to be that fun summer fling she had. The one that helped her break out of her shell, get back her confidence, and the story she tells her girlfriends at the first frat party.”

“You don’t know that, man. I haven’t spent much time with her, but Everly seems like she doesn’t just have flings. She’s caring as hell. Did you know she’s the only one I’ve ever seen get Rhonda to laugh? Well, besides you, of course, and a few days ago, I heard after she finished her cleaning shift, she sat with Mrs. Miller and played cards for four hours while her husband was out fishing.”

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