Campfire Crushes, Unexpected Kisses, and The Thirst Trap (PREORDER)

I never thought of myself as a social media junkie. 

I mean I guess I'm on it all the time, but that's because it's my job. 

Though to be honest, I do spend a great deal of time ogling thirst traps on Tiktok. In particular one Levi the Lumberjack. But that's beside the point. 

My doctor tells me that I need to find a way to de-stress or I'm going to have a heart attack before I turn thirty. 

So I escape to Whisper Springs Hideaway. A swanky, adult summer camp that promises one thing--no wifi and no cell service. It's the perfect place to unplug and rethink my life. 

What I didn't plan on was running right into Levi the Lumberjack himself. 

So much for de-stressing.

Synopsis

1st chapter

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© 2024,KimmyLothPowered by ShopifyMar 14, 2023Recently Amazon Customer from United States has rated a productLoved this romance , cute and cheesy and I'm in love

Chapter 1

Hannah

The cabin is
small, but functional. It has an air of newness about it, as if it had just
received a recent upgrade. The countertops gleam under the light filtering in
through the small windows, and the couches are made of real leather.

I don’t know what
I was expecting, but I guess we social media divas need our luxuries. This is
definitely not roughing it.

There are small
wooden coverings on the end tables of trees and owls. My fingers itch for my
phone, but it does me no good here. It doesn’t work at all and there isn’t much
I can do on airplane mode.

That was the
point.

To do a digital
detox. My doctor told me I was too wound up and needed to get away from screens
and work for a while or I was going to have a heart attack at thirty. I try not
to think too hard about that.

But she was
right. My stress level is through the roof and there’s no reason for it. I’m
successful as it comes and I have a solid business. But I’m always reaching for
the next best thing and I’m absolutely obsessed with my phone. I scroll through
my email, messages, and social media feeds at least a hundred times a day. It’s
like I can’t get enough of it and it’s killing me.

Literally.

So here I am.

In the middle of
nowhere West Virginia. I don’t even actually know where I am. A helicopter
picked me and eleven others up in Roanoke and flew us here. Four of the others on
the helicopter I knew personally and all but one of them I knew by reputation.
We all have some sort of social media fame. I wondered who the last girl was.
My guess is she’s someone who just never shows her face. None of us said much
while we were in the helicopter. I’m guessing they are all just as nervous as I
am to be without connection.

A few perky girls
met us as soon as we touched down. I grabbed my own suitcase. Jessica stood out
in a designer tracksuit, her makeup perfectly done and a large suitcase by her
side. The three bags in front of her were mismatched and looked heavy, causing
her to furrow her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

“I can carry one
of those for you,” I said.

She looked at me.
“Oh, goodness, thank you. I had no idea how to get them all.” She grabbed the
two smaller ones and dragged them across the grass, leaving me her heaviest,
which was twice as large as my own. She and I have never really gotten along,
and I wasn’t happy about seeing her on this retreat with me, but hopefully
we’ll manage this week without any drama if I’m helpful.

The perky girls were
all driving fancy golf carts and whisked us away to our cabins which were deep
in the woods. Everything around is green and I love it. The air smells of pine
and dirt and off in the distance I can see the river. The air tastes crisp and
clean, the feeling of being surrounded by nature making everything seem a
little sweeter. My guide, a girl named Mae, dropped me off and said she’d be
back in thirty minutes to get me and bring me to lunch.

I need to change
my clothes. As I pull on the leggings, they feel smooth and silky against my
skin. The t-shirt is soft and comfortable, perfect for a day of activities. At
home I mostly wear flowy dresses and skirts, but here, I have no idea what kind
of activities I’ll be doing so I only packed leggings and jeans.

It’s been
twenty-five minutes and I’ve literally looked at my phone ten times and groaned
in frustration when I couldn’t do anything. The minutes drag by.

Five minutes
later—the longest five minutes of mine—a knock sounds on my door.

I open it and Mae
comes in, all business. She’s wearing a tight t-shirt that says Whisper Springs
on it and board shorts. She’s carrying a small safe with a handle. I wonder for
a moment how she landed this gig. No one thinks when they graduate college—hey,
I’d like to go work at a resort in the middle of nowhere and help entitled
social media junkies work through their addictions.

She sets the safe
down on the coffee table and sits in one of the comfy leather chairs. I sit on
the couch across from her. Definitely taking a nap later on this thing.

“Now you’ve
signed up for the full digital detox program. Most guests aren’t that brave.”
She gives me a smile of encouragement but then continues. “That means we take
all of your electronic devices and you get a personal guide for the week. Me.”
She gives me another smile. “I’ll take you to all of your activities and act as
your bff if you need me to. We aren’t a rehab program so we don’t have a slew
of therapists on staff but we do have group meetings everyday for social media
addicts if you want to join. Otherwise you can vent to me if you need to. I
know you were hoping for this week to be relaxing and fun, and it will be at
times, but at others it’s going to be extremely difficult and probably lonely.
If you find friends tonight at lunch, plan something to do with them later. We
can keep you busy but if you have support, you’ll feel better.”

I nod, now unsure
of what I got myself into. She pulls out her paperwork and her eyes light up.
“You’re the One Thing girl.”

“I am.”

“I didn’t
recognize you at first, but now I see it.”

“I don’t do a lot
of my own videos these days. I have too many ‘one things’ and so I have a staff
who do the videos. As soon as we brought on Dezi to do the cooking videos our
stats skyrocketed.”

According to my
CFO—who has been my best friend since high school—I was getting too old, too
fat, and too tired to keep interests up. I hate that she was right. But for
crying out loud, I’m only twenty-seven and I’m a size 10. I get the tired thing
though. Once my fun hobby turned into a business, I’ve been so tired I can
hardly think straight. Thank goodness for a good staff. I wouldn’t function
without them. Our business was founded on tips. It started with cooking tips.
Short one minute videos. One thing to make your chocolate chip cookies stand
out. One thing to make sure your bread is soft. One thing to make your sweet
and sour chicken more delicious.

It morphed into
home improvement, makeup, self development, health and fitness and more. It’s
bigger than I ever intended and yet, I still want more.

“Well, it’s nice
to meet you. I’ve been a fan for years. I wouldn’t know how to wear makeup
without your tips.” She opens the safe. “Please put any and all of your
electronics in here. We’ll lock it and I’ll give you the key. Then we’ll drop
it off at the big safe on the way to dinner. Are you okay?”

She must see the
death grip I have on my phone. “I don’t know.”

“It’ll be okay. I
promise.”

“I haven’t been
away from my phone for more than five minutes in fifteen years.”

“I know. You’ll
have lots of distractions. Don’t worry.”

I thrust my phone
into my pocket and dig out my laptop and my ipad and put them in the safe. Then
I look at her. She just smiles wider. I slowly take my phone out of my pocket
and place it in the safe. She’s quick. She closes the lid, locks it and hands me
the key.

“Now, we’ll go
put this up and go to Lunch. Lunch will just be you and the other guests. We’ll
do it family style down by the gazebo. Then tonight there’s a big dinner party
and dance in the lodge. All of the staff will be there as well as those who own
the residences on the hill. The bachelor auction is tonight as well.”

“Bachelor
auction?”

She giggles. “It
started as kind of a joke when we were barely starting and helped us get the
program up and running. Now it’s all for local charities. Tonight’s auction
will help fund a program for local foster kids. Three of my brother-in-laws get
auctioned off for dinner dates. My mother-in-law always does it on the first
night in the hopes that one of these days one of those dates will end up with a
new daughter-in-law.” She laughs.

That’s not really
my style, but I will enjoy watching it. I’d film it, but I can’t.

It's been five
years since my last date, and I can't help but feel a twinge of regret as I
think about it. My busy work schedule has always taken priority, but now I
wonder if I've missed out on the chance for a real relationship. On one hand,
I'm content with my successful career, but on the other, I crave the
companionship and intimacy that comes with a long-term partnership. It's a
constant internal battle between ambition and loneliness. And with TikTok
thirst traps and steamy romance novels, who needs anything else?

We head back
outside and climb into the golf cart. The lush green trees and rocky cliffs
surround us, creating an eerie atmosphere. The earthy scent of damp soil and
moss mingles with the clean, fresh smell of pine from the trees. The air is
crisp and cool. I can't shake off the feeling of being completely cut off from
the outside world. It is both charming and unsettling at the same time.

We drop the safe
off and as we leave the airy office I run smack into solid man flesh. I stumble
back and I’m afraid I’m going to fall over. Two strong hands grip my arms and
my stomach flutters. I glance up and nearly pass out on the spot. “You okay?” the
man asks. He’s tall with piercing brown eyes that I could lose myself in. He’s
got dark brown wavy hair and a thick beard. He’d devastatingly handsome. That I
can handle. What I can’t handle is that I know him. Obsess over him. He’s the
man who stars in my dreams at night.

I cannot utter a
word.

Mae grabs my
hand. “She’s fine. Just a little upset that she had to give up her phone.”

The man—otherwise
known as Levi the Lumberjack—smirks. “One of those, huh?”

My face flames
and Mae nods vigorously, jerking me out of the man’s grip. I’m tempted to lean
into him instead of going with Mae, but then I’d look like an idiot. “Let’s
go.”

He lets go and
glares down at Mae. “You seen your jackass of a husband?”

She shakes her
head. “Maybe he’s in the office.” Her face is white and I wonder for a second
if she’s afraid of Levi. He seems angry, but this seems like it’s more.

Levi is a huge
social media star.  But so is everyone
else here this weekend. This guy though—I watch his videos on repeat. In fact
not a day goes by where I don’t get my Levi the Lumberjack fix at least two or
three times. He’s been my imaginary boyfriend. I know it’s weird. But don’t
tell me you’ve never fantasied about a man you’ve never met before. I guess
mine is more like an obsession.

We don’t get more
than two steps when Levi shouts out. “Seth. I’m not doing it. You can’t make
me.”

We spin around
and watch them, Mae still clutching at my arm. “Are you scared Levi is going to
hurt Seth?”

Mae shakes her
head but we still continue watching the boys. A Doberman and a puppy that looks
like it might be hers—except it’s too fluffy—play next to them. The puppy
breaks away and begins chewing on Levi’s shoe.

Seth crosses his
arms and gets right up into Levi’s face. “I can’t, but Mom can. She’s done
eight of these things and you’ve never once stepped up. Mark’s sick tonight.
You’re taking his place.”

Levi jams a hand
into his hair, his anger being replaced by frustration. “I’m not good at this
kind of thing. How do I even talk to them?”

“Relax. It’s just
dinner. Two hours. Ask the lady questions and she’ll do all the talking for
you.”

He nods
reluctantly. “I guess. But I’m doing this for mom. Not you.” I can’t take my
eyes off of him. He picks up the puppy and walks away. Seth spins towards us.

“Hey gorgeous.
How’s my favorite wife?” He swoops down on her and gives her a kiss that would
make anyone blush. He pulls away. “Are you doing okay? Drinking enough water?
Not lifting anything too heavy.”

“I’m fine. This
is Hannah by the way.”

I expect him to
stick his hand out but he doesn’t. He engulfs me in a hug. “Welcome to Whisper
Springs. I hope you have an amazing time. You’re the one going full on detox
right?”

I nod wondering
how he knows that.

“Then you’ll be
the only one running around without a phone. Well, except for Levi. I don’t
know how he does it. Anyway, Mae will take amazing care of you. Just don’t let
her overdo it, okay?” He glances at his watch. “Gotta run. See you at dinner.”

He gives her
another kiss—quick this time—and takes off the same way Levi went, the Doberman
trotting along after him.

Mae stares after
him for a moment then shakes her head. She glances at me.

“You alright
there?”

I swallow and
wipe my sweating palms on my jeans. “That was Levi the Lumberjack.”

“I thought maybe
you recognized him. We need to go see Abi before we go to lunch.” We climb back
into the golf cart. She chatters as we drive. “You know the deal with him
right? He has no idea. I’m pretty sure Abi explains that on his socials. She’s
his sister and tricks him into make videos. He doesn’t do social media so he
can’t find himself.”

I nod. I’ve
actually chatted with his sister before. She did an ask me anything about him
and of course I asked. I wanted to know how she managed to keep it all a
secret. She answered the question on the video quickly something about being
sneaky but then she messaged me later and we chatted about how difficult it was
to secretly film him and some of the guilt she felt about betraying his trust.

We stop at big
house up on the hill. An older woman holds a baby, and the younger woman
watches them. A couple of collies and another puppy like the one Levi picked up
play at their feet.

“Is something
wrong?” The older woman asks glancing up at Mae and I. Mae just shrugs.

“Hannah, meet
Terry and Abi.”

I smile. “It’s
nice to meet you. Who’s the baby?” I want to fangirl so bad. Abi’s so good at
what she does. I know I am too, but I’ve always been a fan of hers.

“That’s Lily.
Abi’s daughter.”

“She’s
beautiful.”

“Yes she is,” the
older woman says. “My second grandbaby. I have eight grown children and only
two grandbabies. It’s shame.” She glances up at Mae. “Well, and one on the way.
But I need more. This is how I should spend my days. Rocking babies on the
porch.”

Abi rolls her
eyes. “Be patient Mom, the boys will all settle down eventually.”

“Abi can we talk
to you?” Mae asks with a glance at her mother-in-law.

“Sure. You okay
with Lily, Mom?”

Terry nods. “Go
and don’t come back until it’s time to feed her again.”

Abi chuckles and
follows us down the porch steps the puppy fumbling after her. We walk a few
feet away from the house and then Mae spins on Abi. “She recognized Levi.”

The color drains from
Abi’s face. “You can’t say anything. Please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t.”

Abi looks
suspicious. “Why? Most people think what I’m doing is wrong.”

“Because I’m a
bit obsessed with him and I don’t exactly want the videos to stop.” I fan my
face and try to play this cool, but inside I’m freaking out a little bit. No
more Levi the Lumberjack? That would be awful.

“Okay. But you
don’t understand what’s at stake here. He has millions of fans. He cannot find
out. Because as soon as he does, Levi the Lumberjack will disappear off the
social media feeds. All of them. He will demand that not a single shred of
evidence remains.”

“I know. I won’t
say anything. I promise. I understand how important this is. I’m a social media
influencer myself.”

“She’s the one
thing girl,” Mae explains.

“Oh my gosh. I
love your stuff. Lately I’ve been devouring all the new baby one things. I’m
still getting the hang of new motherhood.”

“It’s nice that
you’ve got Terry. What about your boyfriend or husband? Does he help a lot?”

Abi’s face
darkens. “He’s not in the picture.”

I was doing so
good there then I opened my mouth and interested my foot. “What’s your puppy’s
name?”

Abi scratches him
behind his ear. “Sugar. He’s a sweet talker and gets whatever he wants.”

I reach over to
pet him. “He’s adorable.”

“You sure you’re
not going to say anything?” Mae repeats.

“Yes.”

Abi’s eyebrows
raise. “Okay. I gotta get back to Lily. We’ll chat later, yeah?”

I nod.

I thought this
was going to be a relaxing week, but not if I run into Levi the Lumberjack
everywhere I go. Though it will be fun.