Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Curious, she asked, “Are you on my floor?”
“I am not. There is separate housing for some of the staff,” Magnus said as they stepped out onto the fourth floor. “Let me have your phone.” He quickly entered his cell number under the name Magnus and rang it so he would have hers.
Escorting her to her room, Magnus took her key and waved it over the lock. He held it open for her but leaned in to kiss her before moving out of the way. “Good night, Little girl. Sleep tight.”
“Good night, Magnus. Thank you for the intriguing evening.”
“Intriguing. I like that.”
With one last kiss, he stepped back. “In you go, Juniper. I want you to latch the security lock as well.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Definitely. For dinner, at least, if not before. Remember, I’m a phone call away,” he reminded her.
Turning to walk into the room, Juniper hesitated and then turned to kiss him softly. “I’m glad we’ve met.”
“Me, too.”
With a smile, she ducked into her room and closed the door. After hugging herself tightly, Juniper peeked through the peephole. He was standing there, waiting.
“Oh!” She quickly latched the security lock and peeked again. This time, he gave her a thumbs-up and moved away from the door.
In a fog, as her mind tried to fit everything that had happened to her in the last two hours into neatly organized boxes, Juniper walked slowly to her bed and sat down. She automatically reached for the stuffie she’d slept with every night since receiving it from Sammi years ago.
“Beaky. Do I have things to tell you,” she informed the stuffie.
Waking the next morning, Juniper kissed Beaky before stretching to get her blood flowing. She lay in bed for a few minutes, thinking about last night. Magnus really was the best kisser. Had everything really happened in just a few hours? It seemed like her entire world had turned upside down.
Well, you are on the other side of the world, Juniper thought with a laugh, picturing herself dangling upside down on the planet.
Yawning, she realized she didn’t feel one hundred percent back to full energy. She didn’t remember feeling any jetlag as a child, but she was older now. Today would be a good day to take it easy and maybe laze around the pool.
With that decision made, Juniper forced herself out of bed. After washing her face and hands, she dressed and went down to breakfast. It was lonely eating by herself, but she read a few chapters of a good book, and that helped. Not one of those books. She could never read those in public. They made her react too much.
Returning to her room, she brushed her teeth and tried to decide what to do that morning. It wasn’t quite warm enough to visit the pool. Swapping her sandals for her sneakers, Juniper decided to test her memory of the special features of the resort.
Heading down to the main floor, she ducked into the room that had been the library years ago. It was now labeled as a conference room. Inside, it was set up with comfortable seating and a large table. Juniper frowned at the change. The modern usage had banished all the quaint, old-world charm.
She’d loved playing in this room with Sammi. An old-fashioned doll house had stood in that corner over there. It was gone now, of course. I wonder…
Juniper stepped into the corner and ran her finger over a section of the trim around the window casing. Years of paint covered it, but she could feel the lever moving under her fingertips. Persisting, she wiggled and pressed on that yielding spot.
“Hi! Can I help you?”
Whirling around to see Sadie standing in the doorway, Juniper thought quickly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is this room off-limits? I used to play here as a child. There was a huge doll house here.” She gestured to indicate the size and location.
“I wonder what happened to it,” Sadie said, moving forward.
“It was old then. I’m sure it fell apart,” Juniper said with a shrug.
“What a shame! That would be fun to have.”
“Is the meeting in here, Sadie?” a large man asked from the doorway.
“Yes, Phoenix. Come in. This is Juniper. She’s a guest visiting Danger Bluff after many years,” Sadie explained.
“Hi, Juniper. When were you here before?” Phoenix asked, walking in and dropping into a chair at the table.
“I visited every summer with my father. The last time was twenty years ago. He just passed away,” Juniper said quietly.
“My condolences. Did you spend all summer here?” Phoenix asked.
“Yes. My parents were divorced. My dad lived in a small apartment, so we just lived here while I visited on summer break. I loved spending time here at Danger Bluff. It was a long trip from the U.S., so I got to stay for the entire break from school.”