Leap Before You Look

Chapter 1

© 2018 by Sara Leanne Adams

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This is a three chapter excerpt. The remainder of this book can be found on Galatea.

I leaned back in my lawn chair, inhaling the sweet smell of nutty pine and sage that enveloped the lake. Rustic log cabins stood against a backdrop of tall pine trees and snow-capped mountains. The late afternoon sun reflected off the water as a Great Blue Heron soared overhead.

My family had been camping at Whispering Pines Park since I was twelve. Every Friday night from Memorial Day until Labor Day, we drove from our home in Eugene, Oregon to our cabin at Foster Lake. When I acquired my driver's license, my friends and I hung out there during the week. It provided a great place to get away from our parents and have some fun.

A gentle breeze blew across my face. The dog day cicadas launched a raspy buzzing tune as the beautiful August day slipped away. Summers tend to be hot and dry in Oregon, despite the general misconception that it rains all the time in the Pacific Northwest.

I studied my posse of girlfriends. With the end of summer quickly approaching, I found myself drifting into frequent episodes of melancholy reflection. Would this be one of our last days together at the cabin? High school was behind us, and we were about to embark on the next chapter of our lives.

Gwen had a full pre-med scholarship to Stanford. She graduated at the top of our class. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie look alike could have almost any guy she wanted. She lived a charmed life, resulting in some envy and jealousy on my part.

Jessica planned to attend community college in Eugene. She came out as a lesbian during senior year. It wasn't a big surprise to any of us. Jessica never showed any interest in boys.

Bobbi was moving to Portland to attend hairdressing school. We had been inseparable since the first day of kindergarten. She experienced a troubled childhood, growing up in a home with poverty and substance abuse. Bobbi took shelter in our home on many occasions over the years, becoming the sister I never had.

My dream of going to culinary school was on hold for at least a year. The tuition was thirty thousand dollars. I made decent money working as a line cook at Earl's Roadhouse, but it would be a challenge to save up that kind of dough.

Jessica's sing-song voice interrupted my reverie. "It's almost five, Kari!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "When are you going to give it up, Kari? He's never going to ask you out."

"I know that, Gwen. You remind me every chance you get."

"So why waste time watching him?"

"Cause he's a hot piece of meat," Bobbi said, running her tongue across her upper lip.

Holt Bennett worked at Whispering Pines. The first time I saw him, I was on my way to the lake to go swimming. My family went ahead without me because I forgot my goggles and had to go back for them.

I sprinted across the grass in my pink pinstripe bikini, my Hannah Montana towel slung over my shoulders. My budding breasts filled the bikini top, but I was still a carefree, twelve-year-old girl. I was in such a hurry to get to the lake, that I didn't see or hear the lawn mower until it nearly ran me over.