Chapter 1

I arrive at the house late in the afternoon on a Friday. Some might say evening. Six pm. I turn the car onto the dirt road that leads down to the house. Down the hill to a nicer, paved road, and to the right. It's about five houses before I spot the house that I know so well.

I am tired from the long drive but still have to get my bags out of the trunk of my car and into the house. I pull into the driveway, park the car, and kill the engine. I look up at the house in front of me and smile. It's gonna be a great summer.

The place looks great. My dad puts a lot of work into the house when he is here. That isn't very often but he really keeps it in good condition. He will be back in about a week for Memorial Day Weekend so he will most likely be doing stuff around the house and getting ready for the summer season.

But enough about the house for now. The nearly eight hour drive was exhausting and all I want to do is plop down in bed and sleep until about ten tomorrow morning. But responsibility is calling me. That was one of the conditions that I have to follow if I want to spend the summer here. I need to be responsible for myself and my belongings. I need to be responsible and bring my suitcases in the house. Then as promised I have to call my dad. To check in with him and tell him that I made it here safely. That everything in the house is in order and that I am all good to go.

After that is all finished I can get something to eat and a shower. Then, finally, after all of those things are complete I can hop in bed and sleep.

Sounds like a fun-filled Friday night.

Saturday morning rolls around way too soon. I wake up groggy. I rub my eyes feeling like I didn't get enough sleep and yet at the same time too much. Oh well, it's not like I have any big plans for the day.

There are a few things that I need to do, though. First and foremost, I need to go grocery shopping. Last night in the search for something to eat I could only manage to find three cans of tomato soup and a jar of peanut butter. I had soup.

I sit up in bed and stretch out my back. The curtains are drawn but the window is open and I can hear the noise that is all too familiar to my ears.

The water laps up against the shoreline as it sways in and then back out. Without looking out I can already tell that the bay is fairly calm. There's not too much noise coming from the waves today.

I get up and go over to the window, pulling the curtains back, and looking out. As I suspected the bay is nearly flat. Beautiful as the morning sun glistens across the top of the water. Just little ripples cover the surface.

Knowing that there aren't really any options for breakfast I get dressed and start making a mental grocery list in my head. I will be responsible for stocking the fridge and the cupboards for the Memorial Weekend. My dad gave me money for food and expects to see that I followed through with that commitment.

At school I didn't have to buy groceries. Like most students I just ate in the cafeteria all the time or picked up a little something here and there from the school store. I've never had to buy groceries for the whole family and then some. It's not just my dad and mom and brother that are going to be coming here for Memorial Day. Extended family too. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. The whole dam fam.

The last time I remember going grocery shopping was when I was sixteen and went with my mom in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. That being said, I really have no idea what to get or how much.

Heck, I figure if I don't get what my parents want then they can go buy groceries when they get here. With a shrug of the shoulders and I make my decision to get what I want.

After grocery shopping and stocking the shelves with all of my favorites I plan out the rest of my day. Important and necessary plans like spending the rest of my Saturday laying on the beach reading and tanning and listening to music. Not that my student life is particularly hard, but I could use a day of pure relaxation. After a whole day of driving yesterday I figure it's a reward.

So, I get a lounge chair out and carry it down to the beach and set up camp there. With plans of a day of pure relaxation and maybe later spending some time in the Jacuzzi I am in pure heaven.

I honestly don't know how my day could be any better than that.

The best part about this place is how beautiful it is. Not just the water or the fact that the house is on the bay. The whole surrounding area is beautiful too. There are forests and bluffs and the lake all within an hour drive from the house. The state parks in the area have so much to offer too. It's almost unbelievable and I feel luck to get to experience all of it.

I got up today with the intention of going for a drive to re-familiarize myself with the area what with not having been here since January. And at that time everything was covered with snow. It's so different in the winter than in the summer. It's not like in Ohio. This is Wisconsin, they actually have winter.

My family spends their summers here. Door County, Wisconsin. It's our summer home or some might say vacation home. But I like to call it the home away from home. It's a great place, right on the Bay of Green Bay. It's only about twenty minutes from the city but it's not isolated at all. The whole shoreline is littered with houses. It's a great location. The perfect location.

I was actually thinking of going to the tip of the peninsula on my drive today. Like the very tip of Door County, where you can't physically drive any further unless you have one of those amphibious vehicles and can drive straight into the water. But I don't have one of those so I will only be driving on dry land. Sadly, that won't be happening today. I have too many other places on my list that I want to go to to make a trip up there. There is all summer though. Three months should be enough time to work in a trip to the tip.

Today's goal for me is to look around the area for a summer job. It is another one of my dad's conditions. In exchange for him letting me live here by myself for most of the summer is to get a job and keep that job. Dad said he isn't going to be paying for his daughter to live at our summer home so I have to get a job to buy what I need. Food, gas, etc. I don't want to have to get a job but if I want to stay here than I need to. I've only had one other job in my short life. The last two summers I was a fry cook at a restaurant in Lima. But I only worked part time. I don't want to say that I'm a spoiled little rich girl but my parents have money so I never really needed a job for money. I'd just asked my mom for money to go to the mall and she would give it to me. Since I've been in college though things have been different. No more hand outs from mommy and daddy. If I wanted something I had to work for it. Something about me being responsible and adult and working for the things I want or need.

So job searching begins. I plan on stopping at all the local gas stations and restaurants to see if they are hiring. I know gas station attendant or waitress aren't glamorous jobs, but I don't need glamour, I need something to pay my expenses. When my dad shows up at the end of the week he will expect that I have a job. And I need to prove to him that I can be a responsible adult. I need a job asap.

The job search has lasted the whole morning so far. Well, since nine am actually. I slept in. And I haven't had much luck though. I've been to just about every grocery store, gas station, and restaurant in the area. I filled out multiple applications for multiple places and they all told me the same thing - we'll call you. I'm not too optimistic about this whole job search thing anymore.

I'm hungry and deflated and I just want to go home. There is one last place that I want to stop at though. Give them my resume and fill out an application. See what happens.

I pull into the parking lot. It's full of cars and trucks. That's a good sign. At least I know they have good business here. It a small little diner on the highway just outside of a small little town. I'm seriously hoping they are hiring.

I've seen this place once of twice before and thought of it and put it on my list of places to stop at to find a job. My stomach grumbles as I climb out of my car. Maybe I will get something to eat while I'm here.

Just inside the door is the cash register and a woman in a white apron stands behind it. "Hi." I say when I approach her. "I was wondering if you were hiring?"

The woman looks me up at me from what she is doing and eyes me up and down for a second. "Have you ever waitresses before?"

"No." That's probably not good. But I can't lie to her and tell her that I have when I haven't.

"Okay. Maybe in the kitchen?" She says as a second thought.

"I would like to waitress, if possible. I'm a quick learning." I tell her with my most charming smile.

"Okay, well, here's an application. Fill it out and I will give it to the boss." She instructs.

"Okay. Thanks." I take the application and step off to the side. It takes me a few minutes but I fill it out completely. It wasn't a lengthy application by any means but I wanted to take my time with it and fill it out to the best of my ability. I kind of like this place and I've only just walked in the door. It has a good, homey, vibe to it. And I like that. I could see myself working here for sure.

I handed the completed application back to the woman who's name tag said Janet and then took a seat at one of the open stools at the counter. I look around the diner. It's cute and quaint. It's gives me a warm, welcomed feeling to this little town that I've only been to maybe twice in my lifetime.

I've never eaten here before and as I'm sitting here I don't know why that is. This place is lovely. The people are friendly and I feel good about sitting here by myself. About to enjoy a meal with complete strangers to it feels totally normal.

The diner is busy. Customers keep coming and going. This must be their lunchtime rush. The bell above the door keeps chiming each time it opens and people in and out.

I'm looking around the room observing all the different types of people in here - some young but more of the customers are of an older age.

"Is this seat taken?" The words float into my left ear. I turn to look at the person that said them. A girl - or maybe I should use the word woman - is standing to my left gesturing to the stool that is directly next to me. A friendly smile graces her face as she waits for my response.

I shake my head gently. "Nope." I can't help but smile back at her.

"Great." The girl nearly cheers and then sits down.

There are a few other open seats in the restaurant. One open booth and three open stools at the counter but this woman apparently decided that she needed to sit next to me. Not that I have a problem with it but a teeny tiny part of me wished she would have chosen another place to sit.

"What brings you in here this afternoon?" The waitress asks the girl next to me as she sets a menu down in front of her.

"Oh. It's Jerry's birthday so the whole crew is meeting here for lunch." The girl tells the waitress.

I look down and to my left a little. I'm intrigued at what she means by 'crew'. Looking for any clues that might help me I take in her appearance. First of all, she is wearing boots, work boots. I glance up her body and see jeans and a cut-off t-shirt. She has a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her head. And I don't know how I missed this when she asked me about the seat next to me but she has the most golden blonde hair that I have ever seen and it's tied up in a tight ponytail.

I don't know for what 'crew' she works but at first glance I would say construction worker, or roofer, or carpenter, or something related to one of those things.

"So, you get a special lunch today?" The waitress says with a chuckle. They must know each other pretty well.

"Yeah, no bologna sandwich for this girl today." The girl giggles. I find myself smiling at her. Well, not at her because my head is ducked slightly so that I don't look like I am creeping on their conversation but I am smiling because of her. To myself of course so no one can see it. "I'll order with everyone else when they get here, Sally." She adds.

"Okay." The waitress says. "I gotta go refill Bob's coffee. Wave me down when the birthday boy gets here."

"Will do." The blonde girl next to me says with a nod. "So, I don't think I've ever seen you in here before?"

The hear her voice again and realize that this girl is address me. I look up at her. "I've never been here before." I admit.

"Hmm." She hums with a smile. "I figured. I know I would have remember seein' a pretty girl such as yourself in here. I'm Brittany." She extends her right hand and I can feel the heat on my cheeks. Did she just-?

I hold out my hand. "Santana." I say shyly.

"Not from around here?" The blonde, Brittany, questions.

"Uh, not exactly. It's a long story." I tell her thinking that she probably isn't interested or doesn't care as to how and why I am sitting here this diner for the very first time.

"I like stories." She grins at me.

"Uh. Well, basically I came in here looking for a job." I tell the girl. "A summer job."

"Oh." She says and then there is an awkward silence between us. Does she expect me to tell her more? We are strangers wouldn't that be - strange.

"I'm in college. Well, not right now cuz it's summer but-" She giggles and I feel like such an idiot.

"College, got it." She nods and tilts her head to the side, raising her left hand up and puts the palm to her cheek holding her head up.

"This is weird." I mumble and duck my head.

"Why?" I hear her ask a certain innocent curiousness to her voice.

I'm afraid to look at her. "Because we're strangers."

"Hmm." She hums and I can't help but pick my head up to look at her again. She is smiling again. And it gives me that warm, welcoming feeling again. "Think of it as strangers getting to know each other so that they aren't strangers anymore."

"If not strangers, then what?" I ask. We are definitely not friends but if we aren't strangers than what are we?

"Not quite strangers but not quite friendly. Maybe something like stranger-adjacent." She smiles wider.

"You're a very friendly person, aren't you?" I comment.

"I try." She takes her hand from her cheek and looks around the room before her eyes return to me. "I try to be friendly to everyone I meet and everyone I know. You never know when someone is having a bad day and a few kind words could totally change their whole day around."

"Brittany." A woman, that appears seemingly out of nowhere, on her other side, says.

She turns to the woman. "I'll be over in a minute." She tells the mid-aged woman and turns back to me. "I gotta go but it was very nice to meet you Santana. I hope we run into each other again. Have a great rest of your day." She stands and pats me on the shoulder and then leaves.

I watch as she walks across the room over to a table that is starting to fill with people. I can't help the smile that stretches across my face.

"There's your meal." The waitress draws my attention back to the area directly in front of me. She sets the plate down and I thank her.

I start on my meal. French fries and one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had. Seriously though, it's great. I am definitely gonna be coming back here for more burgers this summer. Maybe I'll get a job here and be able that eat this yummy food whenever I want.

I have my cheeseburger finished and am halfway through my fries when I hear it.

"Sally, the birthday boy is here." I look up at the sound of Brittany's voice. She is standing next to a table in the corner and waving Sally the waitress over. She has her hand on a man's shoulder. When I pictured the birthday boy I assume he was a young guy maybe in his late teens or early twenties and a man that looks like hes in his sixties.

"Jerry!" The waitress says excitedly. "Happy Birthday!" She lights a candle that is sticking out of the top of a cupcake and then brings it over to the table in the corner. "I would sing happy birthday but I know you wouldn't like that so I'll just give you your little birthday sweet here." She sets the cupcake down on the table. The man, Jerry, takes a seat and so does the Brittany girl.

From what I can see there are five other people at the table. Two middle aged women, one of which of the woman who came to get Brittany earlier. There is a young-ish looking man and another man that most be in his fifties or sixties. Then there is another woman with blonde hair and she looks to be in her thirties.

Its an odd looking bunch but I can only assume that this is the 'crew' that Brittany was referring to earlier. There are no indications as to what this crew does and it's starting to make me more curious. What is it that connection these people all together? Are they all family? All related in some way? Three of them have blonde hair, so maybe.

"Make a wish, Jer." The middle aged woman with curly blonde hair says.

The birthday boy blows out the candle. "There." He has in huff. It's clear that he doesn't like all this birthday attention. He's probably one of those people who could care less if it's there birthday. It's just another day that happens to be the day that makes him a year older. His birthday wish was probably for everyone to stop mentioning his birthday and making a big deal out of it.

"So what can I get you to eat for your birthday? Something special?" Sally asks.

"No. I'll have the turkey dinner." He tells the woman. She writes it down on her little pad and then goes to take everyone elses order.

"You gonna finish those or do you want a box?" A voice in front of me breaks me out of watching the birthday celebration and the intriguing table of people that surround it.

I look down at me plate. About half of the fries remain, maybe a little less. I'm done eating. "Can I get a box?" I ask.

"Sure thing, dear." Janet says with an amused smile.

"What?" I ask, I can tell she has something to say to me.

"Oh, nothing, just you seem rather caught of with the group at the table in the corner. You know them?"

I bow my head. Busted. "No." I shake my head.

She chuckles and turns to leave. "I'll get that box for you."

I am completely perplexed by her and what she said. Janet. The one that took my application. I hope this doesn't affect my getting a job here. I have other places that I applied at but something in me wants to work here, hopes to work here.

Okay so that's the first chapter. I have lots planned for this story. It's kind of a tribute to the area that I live in (Green Bay, WI and Door and Kewaunee Counties). Drop a review and tell me if you like it so far. Thanks.