Wishing Star

Chapter 2

It was just after eight o'clock when she arrived at the cabin. The sun had set long before the cab had made it to the bottom of the mountain, and now at the top, the nighttime sky had taken center stage. Looking up in awe, she marveled at the number of stars she could see, stars she hadn't thought about in a long time. She hadn't even realized how much she missed them until right now.

Lying on the roof of her midwestern house and enjoying the night sky was her favorite pastime growing up. It got her out of the house and away from her dad. He had never bothered looking for her, assuming she had snuck out to meet with some guy. And she had never corrected his preconceived notions. She would lie there until she couldn't keep her eyes open, or the dew would start settling on her clothes, whichever came first.

The cab driver honked his horn, startling her out of her thoughts. She shot him a wave in apology and quickly pulled her bags out of the trunk. As the cab pulled away, she watched the taillights disappear down the mountain until the cabin's front door opened behind her. She turned around and squinted her eyes but could only make out the silhouette of who she assumed was one of the owners of the inn. She lifted her hand in a bit of a wave, not sure if he could see her in the dark. She quickly made her way to the door and greeted him before she could fully see him.

"Hi, I'm sorry it's a little late, but I'm hoping you have a room available?"

He didn't answer right away, and her pace slowed. She was suddenly hit with the realization that her decision-making skills might not be the best right now. Did she really take a random internet ad at face value only to be lured to the middle of nowhere to be murdered? A quick look behind her showed the taxi's taillights flashing as he turned left around a bend until he was completely out of sight.

He finally answered. "Of course, we have a room. Sorry, we didn't have any reservations, and we usually don't get a lot of traffic through here this late in the year."

She finally stomped her way onto the porch, and he moved out of the way so she could fit through the door.

"Here, let me grab these for you," he offered, grabbing all of her bags. "Let's just head to the front desk, and I'll get you checked in."

Taking in her surroundings on the way to the check-in desk, she noticed they were walking through a living room of sorts, complete with a large flat-screen TV, brown leather couches, a wooden coffee table, end tables, and a large multi-colored rug. While typical of mountain lodging, the pinewood of the furniture was very homey. The best part of the space was the large stone fireplace, currently lit and emanating a warmth that immediately helped her relax.

Stepping up to the front of the desk, she got her first good look at her host. To her shock, he was young. At least more youthful than she pictured for someone who ran an inn. While he turned the computer on, she absentmindedly noticed how attractive he was. Disheveled, sandy blonde hair, moss green eyes, and full lips that pulled into an easy smile when he looked up at her. His eyes studied her, starting at the top of her curly hair and traveling down. She looked down at her baggy sweatshirt and leggings and shifted self-consciously.

He cleared his throat. "Let me just give you a quick spiel about this place, and then we can get you settled in."

She nodded.

"My older brother and I own this place. It's much too big for the both of us, so we decided to turn it into an inn of sorts. The price is fifty dollars a night, but we do have some specials if you stay longer than a night."

Max felt a nervous excitement about the potential for a reduced price. While fifty dollars was incredibly cheap, she knew it wouldn't work long term, and she needed to stay at least a month. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm curious to know what options are available if I stay for more than a night. Like, if I stay for at least a month?"