Acorn Lodge

Author Note:

I am not a professional editor or writer, so there may be spelling and editorial mistakes in here. Please be kind. I do enjoy feedback and comments. They make me aware of what I might do better next time. When leaving feedback, please don't be outright mean or rude about it.

Thank you.

Enjoy the story.

The weather for camping this week couldn't have been more excellent. Not a cloud in the sky. Leah cursed the skies for being perfect. When she booked this trip with her friends, it was supposed to be a gift for her then-boyfriend Charles and her to take together. This taught her never to make plans six months in advance. In her defense, they had been together for two years, so she planned this trip in good faith they would still be together. But plans were made, so instantly that meant it wasn't going to go according to plan.

Dam internet gives guys too many choices for their tiny brains. No, there really aren't 2,000 hot singles in your area who want you. Maybe a handful at best. Why would you give that up when the woman you are with thinks you're building a life together? Two whole years of her life were wasted. It was more on the side of eight months; before that, things were good, sometimes great or wonderful. Then, they were fine, bad, or untalkable. Oh well, she was better off without him, she kept telling herself.

She was now a nice chunk of change minus in her savings account because of this trip. It was not enough to worry, but it still hurt whenever she looked at the balance because it just reminded her of the heartbreak. Now, both her bank and heart were finally being merged for this two-week camping trip for couples. COUPLES!!!! Not only was she supposed to go with her two best friends and their boyfriends but be surrounded by other happy-in-love people......what a wonderful life.... Leah had talked herself in and out of going for weeks. In the end the camping resort was amazing. That it genuinely would be something she didn't want to miss out in.

"There's going to be alcohol on this trip, right?" Leah asked from the back seat of her friend's SUV. "I want to be numb as much as possible through this trip." Her voice did not hold any promise that she'd participate in the trip without the assistance of alcohol.

"Of course, there will be. It's how adults get along. But Leah, I don't want you to be curled up in your tent all trip sipping on a whiskey and coke." Emma replied.

"You take the fun out of everything, don't you." Leah groaned.

"There will be group hiking trails and bomb fires, plus we're using the spa! Not everything we do here has to be paired off in a couple." Emma tried to sound like a good cheerleader.

"Whatever, wake me up when we get there," Leah replied, pulling her hood to her hoodie over her head, trying to fall into a numb sleep.

Two hours later, they were all standing at what looked like heaven for campers. Well, maybe not the extreme ones, but it mixed the outdoors with the comforts of home. At the same time, it was like its own little village. It was its own village, the village of Acorns Lodge, the camping site's name.

There was an area where the tents were set up for the guests to stay, about twenty-five of them. Each one of them in the shape of an acorn. Some acorn tents were more significant than others, but all had the same outline. The dining area was a huge barn that was restored into two different eating experiences. One side was a buffet, and the other looked like a nice restaurant. A few feet from the dining area was the bar in its own smaller barn. Leah's first thought was that this spot was where she would spend her time.

They set up a small shop in the shape of a tree called "Lending Hand" by the tents in case anyone needed anything. That was set up with anything from shampoo, gum, condoms, beer, and Tylenol. The spa, as well as the restrooms and showering areas, were by one another. Suppose they went hand in hand. The spa had a glass frame all around the front of the building, along with the same sandstone that was used to build the bathhouse.

Once they were guided to where their tents were, Leah noticed that next to hers was another acorn tent, only this one was a bright neon orange color. "Excuse me, why is this tent different than all the others? Is it a special, super fancy one?" Leah questioned.

With a pleasant smile on the employee of the campsite. "No, this is where the trail expert stays. If you have any questions about the area or places to go, he's your guy. Also, he'll be the one showing you around the hikes on all the guided trails that you are all welcome to sign up for. He's also an expert on the bugs and animals around here or if anyone needs medical assistance. Knock on an acorn that you don't." The employee let out a well-marked laugh as if they had repeatedly told this joke. "Well, if you have any other questions, I'm just right down the pathway, or one of our other Acorn Lodge employees will lend an ear." He tipped his hat and went back to the lobby.

Leah turned to Emma. "Great, just what I need, people waking me up all day and night because they want to know if they got poison oak when they bent their whatever over something. Or worse, the trail guy is some nerd that won't stop talking my ear off about nature facts."

Leah's back was facing the opening to the neon orange tent, so she was not privy to the god-like man who stepped out. Emma, on the other hand, was in plain view of him. Giving Leah a cocked smile. "I don't think you'll mind what he has to say." Watching the man from the orange tent remove himself from it moving toward a group of people probably waiting to be guided. "Come on, everyone. Let's all get settled in."

Rolling her eyes, Leah went into her tent, missing the view of the trail guy. Upon entering the tent, she was greeted by a soothing smell of different types of citruses, a cozy-looking bed, and last but certainly not least, a dozen roses with champagne chilling on ice along with two champagne flutes and a note.

Leah quickly read over the words.

Welcome, Charles and Leah!

Thank you for joining us here at The Acorns Lodge. We always like to start everyone's journey here with some bubbly on the house. May this time here bring the two of you closer together. Enjoy the wonders of nature surrounding us while you're with us. If you need anything, there's always someone here to help.

Sending you waves of happiness,

The Acorn Lodge Staff

Leah read it once, ripped the note in half, and threw it in the trash can, taking the bottle to one of the small nightstands on each side of the bed. She then tended to the task at hand. Unpacking, which she knew she should probably do sober. She'd never find anything if she started drinking now. So, the easy task of unpacking began. By the time she finished everything, the little nightstand looked ready for a party in the drawer. It was filled with candy bars and airplane bottles of liquor. Besides, what if the bar cut her off? She wasn't going to sit in her room and sleep it off. No, she was going to watch crappy tv and indulge in more bad behavior.

When dinner came around, Leah drank her supper, except for the few pieces of food she picked from everyone's plate. The only thing that managed to be set in front of her was a constant stream of whiskey and coke, each with less coke and a heavier hand on the whiskey. Since it was the first night, everyone let her drinking go and just enjoyed themselves as the great group of friends they are.

When Leah finally decided to lift her head from her glass, she finally noticed the trail guide. Every woman had seen his beauty at this point. He wasn't some nerd with slinky arms and giant glasses. No, this was a tall butterscotch piece of man candy you wanted to bite into; sadly, there was no hair to tug on, but that added to his attractiveness, lips that looked like they could destroy your body in the best way. Yes, he was one tree she'd like to climb if she got the chance while here.

There seemed to be one little issue. The blonde attached to his side was practically sitting in his lap. Hell, if that woman could, she'd be giving him a lap dance right before everyone. There was no shame.

"Hey, does anyone know who that woman is with the trail guide? I didn't think the staff could have their other half at work." Leah asked the table.

"They aren't." Replied Audrey. "That little thing is Gina; she belongs to Ed, who's across the table on his phone and could care less. She's all over Leo. Her eyes have been on him ever since they arrived."

"Maybe that's their thing. She flirts with other guys, so he doesn't have to put in the work later on, or heck, he doesn't care who she sleeps with as long as there's a warm body next to him." Roger joked.

"Oh please, that stuff only happens in the porn movies you guys watch," Emma spoke.

"Now, guys, I was just asking questions. So, Leo, huh, he's our trail guide. Poor man looks like he's going to have his hands full." Said, Leah

"Yeah, by the amount you've had to drink, we know what you want his hands to be full of," Trent said with a goofy smile. Leah had been living with Emma for way too long. Even her boyfriend Trent knew some of her signs.

Leah couldn't help it, though; her face turned into a grin. "Shut up!" She said playfully to him.

Some time passed, and the group ended up around one of the bonfire areas throughout the camp, playing 'Never Have I Ever.

"We need some new blood; we know too much about each other. "Roger spoke, Audrey's boyfriend.

"Oh, you're just embarrassed because you've had to drink the last couple of questions." Trent smiled goofily, which could only come from being drunk.

"Hey, why don't we invite Leo over?" Emma said.

"Who?" Leah asked through a drunken, muddled mind.

"The trail guy. He's coming this way." Nodding her head in his direction.

Looking that way, Leah remembered how good-looking he was. She also made a very deep mental note that there was no wedding ring. She momentarily wondered why a man that looked like that had not already been taken. They normally are. Finally, she piped up. "Hey, Leo!" He looked over to where his name was being called from. A smile appeared on his face. Well, that was a good sign. "Come play with us. We're playing 'Never Have I Ever."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." He responded.

"Oh, come on, what's a question or two going to hurt? If you want, you can drink water." Audrey chipped in.

"Fine, I'll play. Just a few questions, and then I must get set up for tomorrow." Leo gave in to them. Getting water from the cooler, he sat on the same log that Leah was sitting on.

She was moving her body over to control herself a bit more. It still took every muscle in her body to fight the urge to touch him anywhere. From a simple touch on this thigh, a cuddle up, or something a bit more appropriate behind doors. Now that he was close to her, there was no way she would act like Gina. Leah shuddered to think how she would hate it if she acted like that in front of a bunch of people she knew, let alone in front of people she didn't know and her husband in the viewing area. The thought made her move closer to herself.

"Okay, let's see, let's start with an easy one. Never have I ever broken a bone." Emma said.

A few of them dunk along with Leo. "What's the story behind your broken bone?" Trent asked.

"Just a dumb kid." Leo did give a smile. "I was about fifteen at the time. I and a few of my buddies were out four-wheeling, going all around the Forrest chasing each other. I was in the lead. There was a log I didn't see and flipped over. Part of the four-wheeler landed on my right leg. It's never fun to see the bone sticking out of your flesh. Thankfully, I have a scar from it now. Could have been worse." He lifted his pant leg and showed a long scar line that went just blew the knee to extending somewhere below the socks he had on with his boots. "Hell, the wrath of my mother was worse. I've never heard the end of it."

"That's way cooler than me," Roger replied. "I just broke my thumb from hammering a nail too hard. Well, there may have been lots of beer involved, so I wasn't the most balanced at that moment."

"Yeah, I remember you screaming from the garage," Audrey added.

"Okay, new one. Never have I ever ridden in a limo." Trent asked.

Once again, Leo drank. "Prom. That's about it, though." Leo replied. But there was something in his answer: Leah felt she heard a hint of hurt.

Leah was next to go in the circle of friends. "Never have I ever been engaged," Leah spoke out sarcastically.

Leo didn't drink. However, his body weight shifted on the log. He was now standing. Politely, he spoke, his voice going from fun acquaintance to employee, "You know, guys, this was fun, but I've got to get things ready for the morning. Hope you all have a good night." Leaving the group.

"Well, that was strange," Roger commented. "We were just getting started."

"You know, I think I'm going to go as well. Sleep off my drunken haze that's kicking in." Leah added.

"No, not you, too." Audrey wined out.

"Yes, me too. I've got to rest up for another day of drinking, so by the time I go to bed, I'm like, 'Charles, who?'" Leah smiled and blew them a kiss goodnight.

The following week, all mixed in a fog of coke and whiskey. Usually, by the end of the night, it was just whiskey. It was beginning to become a problem for the group to watch her like this. So they all convinced Emma to talk to her since she was the one Leah spoke to the most lately. Plus, they figured it would be better if only one of them came at her instead of the whole group.

Emma went over to the table Leah was at. "Hey, Leah." She said with a bright smile.

"Hey." Leah put up a wimpy hello wave with no real emotion behind it.

"So I was thinking you could go do something with the group. You know, instead of just sitting in here drinking. It's a beautiful day. We could sign up for one of the trails. Lots to see. The other day, Trent and I discovered a waterfall. Okay, well, we didn't find it; it was on the guided trail we were on with Leo. You know he's pretty fun. I think-

Leah put her hand up to stop Emma from talking. She had no plans of leaving this table unless it was to pee out all of the alcohol she had drunk. And as for that waterfall, she had discovered it the first night they were there. After tossing and turning for a few hours, she grabbed her running shoes at about three in the morning and went off to the forest. She figured it was about a mile and a half into her run. The water just looked too good, so she got down to her birthday suit and went skinny dipping for a bit, eventually getting dressed and running back to her Acorn to sleep. She'd done that every night she had been here. The run calmed her nerves and let her feel free as she felt the water running over her naked body.

"Come on, Leah," Emma asked nicely.

"No. I'm good here. You guys have fun. I'm sure I'll be right here when you get back. Just with less coke." Leah replied, trying not to sound too cranky.

"Leah, look, I thought maybe we could get you away from the coke." She said gently. "You know, have some plain fun."

"Look, if I hadn't spent so much money on this place when I and Charles were together, I never would have come in the first place. I'm the only one here that is not all moony-eyed over someone." Leah was done playing nicely.

"I know, it sucks -"Emma started.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit. You don't know what that's like. Trent hardly ever gives you a reason to be sad, let alone while we're here." Leah raised her voice.

"So, because you're sad, you have the right to drink like you're never going to die. We all hate seeing you tumble into your tent night after night. You passed out on the lawn chairs by three." Emma's voice rose like hers but calmed down at the end. "We're all just worried about you."

"No, you're not. Y'all are just worried I'll ruin your vacation." Standing up from her chair. "It's okay. You can forget I'm here and go on with the rest of the trip." Leah began to walk away.

"Leah, don't be a child. I'm just voicing a concern."

Leah turned to face Emma one last time before going for a walk. Emma let her go; both were angry with each other.

Leah ended up in the resort lobby debating if she wanted to leave. Sure, all her stuff was still there. Her phone and wallet were always on her since they were two of the same things, but she could have the girls bring them back. No matter how mad Emma was at her, she still would. This all needed to be decided over a drink. There it was, the thing Emma and she were fighting over. Could she go a day without drinking? When was the last time she had? It wasn't just this past week. If Emma hadn't caught her, then it would have been her first drink of the day. Well, that settled it. She would sit at a bar all day and not drink; then, she'd figure out where to go from there.

Not knowing the place, she asked the lobby where a good spot would be that was off the beaten path. Then she asked the Uber driver, just in case.

Turns out there was only one decent bar in this place. This shouldn't have surprised Leah that much since the town was not very big population-wise.

Leah sat at the bar, waiting for the bartender to come over for her order. Her first instinct was to order her usual, but she reminded herself she could do this without a drink and went with a black coffee. Cup after cup, she watched the people come in and out of the bar. She was sometimes eavesdropping on their conversations. Finally, after being there the whole day, she switched to water and ordered a plate of nachos. Throughout the day, she made small talk with the locals and the bartender but never really gave herself away.

Emma eventually texted her to ensure she was okay and not lying in a ditch somewhere. With a much clearer head, she was kind and told Emma she was safe and sober. She'd be back tonight sometime.

Around nine o'clock, she started to think it was time to get her butt back to the resort when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Is this seat taken?" The voice spoke.

"No, not at all. I could use the company." She replied.

It was Leo. He was out of his uniform from the resort and now in a nice pair of black jeans, a navy blue t-shirt that, from the look of it, was soft to the touch, and a leather jacket. No, this was a far cry from his hiking gear.

Pulling off his jacket and placed it on the back of the bar stool before sitting down. "Not used to seeing actual resort customers outside of the resort. If I think about it, you're the first. It's usually the crew that I run into sometimes here."

The bartender came over. "Usual Leo?"

"Yeah, thanks, Ted," Leo replied.

"Come here often, I'm guessing," Leah said to Leo.

"At least once a week for a few hours. Keeps me sane. When you live at a resort, it no longer becomes a vacation for you. This place is my escape until I go home for a few months. Now home. That's my vacation."

"What's home like?" Leah asked, generally interested.

"Comfortable, warm fire, friends, family, it's not a big place, but I don't need much. Besides, I'm gone nine months or so out of the year. My mom looks after the place. Sometimes rents it out. It's about two hours from here in Ridge Mount." Leo answered back.

"You're kidding. I live in Orange Saints. Wow, it is a small world." Leah said with a smile. "Who knew such eye candy was only twenty minutes away." She blushed a bit. "Sorry, I'm sure you hear that stuff from Gina all day."

"Told over and over again about how badly she wants to get me into bed and at times bluntly depending on the time of day is more like it. "he rolled his eyeballs with a face of wishing Gina would leave him alone. Then his face turned soft. "No, I don't mind hearing things like that from you."