Page 1 of Make Me Swoon

ONE

This story starts with a car crash.

I’ll get to that part in a minute though. Right now, I’m running late for work.

I race down the stairs of my apartment, bursting out the front door and onto the sidewalk of Main Street. My black Jeep is parked in its usual spot right outside of the door and I head that way, digging in my purse for my car keys. I don’t miss a beat as I grab the scrap of paper tucked under the windshield wiper on the driver’s side that is always there every morning and hop behind the wheel.

I only live about ten minutes away from the Mystery Cabin, where I work, and there is never any traffic in Destiny Falls, Michigan, so the commute doesn’t take long. I head down Main Street, past all of the little tourist shops, and head just outside of downtown.

I spot the familiar A-frame house that my boss made into his tourist trap of a business. It’s old, with a few shingles missing in some spots on the roof, but seeing the place always makes me smile.

I park next to Sutton’s old Volkswagen Beetle and hop out, sprinting for the gift shop door.

“Well, it’s about time you showed up,” Stan, my boss, says without looking up from the clipboard in his hands as I walk inside.

“I’m right on time,” I tell him, nodding to the clock on the wall and he hums his disapproval.

Stan reminds me a lot of that movieGrumpy Old Men. He’s crotchety, always grumbling unless he’s in front of a group of tourists whose money he’s about to take. He puts on a gruff exterior but I know that inside, he’s a big old soft marshmallow. He took a chance on hiring me when I first got to town and has always treated me fairly, and for that, I’m grateful.

“Hey,” Sutton says with a smile as she walks into the gift shop with a cup of steaming coffee in her hand.

The Mystery Cabin is still set up as a house. The living room at the back of the house has been set up as the gift shop. It has its own door that leads out to the back of the house, where Stan has set up a miniature golf course and zipline.

From the gift shop, you head down a hallway that leads to the rest of the house. Off to the right is the entrance of the Mystery Cabin and if you head straight, it leads to the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms.

Sutton is Stan’s great-niece, and she just moved to Destiny Falls a few months ago after the death of her mother. She was supposed to just spend the summer here, connecting with the last bit of family that she had left on Earth and finishing off the bucket list that her mom left behind for her. After the summer, she had a great job lined up for her in Boston, but instead of going, she fell in love with Teller, the Mystery Cabin’s handyman, and decided to stay in town and work for her great-uncle.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask her as I bend down and give Bandit, Sutton’s dog, a pat on the head.

The black and white mutt nudges my hand and I know what he’s after. I chuckle as I oblige him and scratch him behind his ears.

“Come on, Bandit,” Stan says gruffly. “Let’s let these two get to work. I can’t keep paying them for nothing.”

Bandit happily follows Stan out of the gift shop and down the hall. Sutton just rolls her eyes. We’re all used to her great-uncle pretending that he doesn’t care about things. It’s been his coping mechanism for a long time and it caused some problems between him and Sutton when she first got here.

Stan had given her a hard time when she first found Bandit, but now the two of them are practically inseparable—not that Stan would ever admit that.

“It’s going to be a slow day, so I was hoping we could start inventory on the supply closet?” Sutton asks and I nod.

The kids just started back at school, so Stan has warned us that the next few months will be a little slow, especially during the week. It’s boring just sitting around staring at the walls of the Mystery Cabin and at all of the merchandise, so I’m actually looking forward to organizing and doing inventory.

“Sounds good. Did Teller fix that cabin next door yet?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.

Stan also owns the Pines Motel and Cabins next door and Teller is in charge of keeping them running smoothly too.

“No, he’s doing that today. I was thinking about heading over there and helping him.”

“Go for it!” I encourage her, knowing that she’s probably excited to spend a few hours alone with her boyfriend.

“Thanks. I’ll have the walkie-talkie, so just let me know if you need us for anything.”

“Will do. Have fun,” I call as she heads for the back door.

She waves and I see Teller smile as he grabs his toolbox and waits for her to join him. Teller waves at me, his usual baseball hat on backward, his dark hair curling over the edges.

I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as I watch the two of them head next door to the cabin rentals. They got together shortly after Sutton came to town and, after a minor hiccup or two, are now together and stronger than ever.

It’s obvious to see how much that they love each other and I wish that I could find that too. I’ve never loved anyone romantically. I’ve never even come close.

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