The Bloom One: Hail's Hotel Series, #1

By Lenga Arch

This is a standalone sweet short romance story.

Jerkins is an internationally renowned musician with great ambitions. He is visiting an out of town restraunt when he is captivated to a lovely singing voice. It was love at first sight when he saw her on a swing, dressed only in a towel. Although he falls in love with her, he is already engaged to the woman who would help him further his career.
They ran into each other again when she attends the same college that Jerkin's sister goes to. The conversation starts off normal but then quickly turns into feelings, and one night of comfort leads to unexpected pregnancy. Freaked out she leaves him heart broken.
Will he choose the woman that everyone thinks is right for him or will he follow his heart?
Will they find their way back to each other or is this the end for them?
Is there a forever for a common college student and a world-famous musician?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Namachieng Press
• Release date: Nov 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215397114

Lenga Arch

I write comfort novels that bring comfort and love. I have parents who are in a toxic relationship so I do not like writing books about unhealthy relationships. I dream of a relationship where both partners feel safe and supported. It might hurt some days because even if it is a healthy relationship does not mean it is an easy relationship. Grab a coffee and a piece of cake, cuddle under the duvet and enjoy...

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

D o not go in there ! Linda shouted at the television show as she watched someone go into the dark room.

What is wrong with people? She thought as she paused the movie to go get more popcorn. When you hear a noise outside late at night, you do not prattle down the stairs with your bat to go check it out. You jump out the window and run like the devil's hounds are after you.

She sighed when she realized that she had finished all the popcorn and had to make a new batch. So much for finishing this movie before her brother and guardian got home, she thought with a sigh as she walked into the kitchen.

They were due back by four, and it was already three thirty, yet she was only half an hour into the movie. Not good.

While she looked forward to the return of her brother and guardian, she also cherished the time she spent alone watching movies. She was watching Criminal Minds, and the last season was as good as advertised, if not better.

Linda lit the cooker and placed the saucepan with popcorn and oil on it and covered it, giving it time to pop. She jumped onto the kitchen island to wait. Her eyes caught onto the photo of her, Ken and their mother above the fridge. They looked so happy. She tried to remember that day, but she was about two at the time. All she remembered was eating too much ice cream and sweets. She ended up throwing up all evening as her mother soothed her.

Those were her mother’s better days.

As a kid, she did not understand how her mum could be happy and playing with her one moment and angry at her the next moment. Now she understood that her mother was sick, and she felt sad that no one was there to help her. No one was there to help them.

They had not met their guardian, Mrs. Iffy, until after the death of their mother and the terrible day they had run away to sleep in an abandoned house.

Even though she was the one who had been abused, she knew Ken still carried guilt.

Linda tried to bury the trauma so far deep that she did not even think about it. Mrs. Iffy had done the right thing for them and helped them build a normal life and happy memories that overrode the sad ones they had. In time, they mingled with the other kids, went to school, and Ken had even graduated as a lawyer while she was starting medical school next semester. Yet making friends had been so hard, so they stuck with each other, closer than most siblings.

She knew the statistics of her developing her mother’s disease when she hit her twenties, so she had vowed not to have kids. She was not putting her kids through what she had been through. She was going to be a doctor and heal other people. The goal of her life was to make a difference in people's lives and then die an old maid with seven cats that would probably eat her.

The smell of burning popcorn jolted her out of her funk and she jumped from the counter to go rescue them. She managed to save a bowlful, and when she finished cleaning up, she had only five minutes to four. If she hurried up, she could catch the last few minutes of the movie before they arrived.

With this resolution she hurried out of the kitchen into the corridor, in the hallway she turned to close the door. The next thing she knew someone was shouting, Boo right behind her.

Heart beating, shaking and frightened out of her skin she screamed as the popcorn went flying.

Ken, you scared the shit out of me. She said as she hit him lightly on the shoulder.

He laughed, That was kind of the point.

She rolled her eyes at him as she went back for a broom, Mean brothers.

He was still laughing, I am your only brother. Anyway, I have good news for you.

She ran back from the kitchen holding the broom. She likes surprises, and Ken gave the best ones, Tell me, Tell me.

"Relax, it’s nothing major. I wanted to take you out tomorrow to Hotel Kims to show you how I am such a great brother.

Kims Hotel has been around since the seventies as an international hotel, and until recently they did not have a branch in Kenya. They had launched a new hotel last week, and she had been dying to visit it.

Wow, that is awesome. Are you sure you can afford it? Ken had started practicing law recently, and she feared he might exhaust his savings because he knew how much she loved the hotel.

Ken was the one who rolled his eyes this time, Have a little faith, sis, when he saw the concern in her eyes, a customer was very generous today and I feel like spoiling my little sister. That cannot be so wrong.

He kissed her forehead, Let me go get out of this monkey suit. Then he headed for his bedroom.

She was sweeping up the popcorn when Mrs. Iffy came in with grocery bags full of food. Linda let the broom down to go hug her. When she offered to help her carry the bags, she was shooed away.

What happened here? Mrs. Iffy asked, smiling.

Ken, she answered, as she picked up the broom.

Mrs. Iffy called out loud enough to be heard from the bedroom, Boy, grow up.

Ken shouted back, Linda started it.

Laughing, Mrs. Iffy went to the kitchen.

Linda smiled as she picked up the spilled popcorn and went to throw it away with a dustpan. She went back to the sitting room and tried to finish the episode before Ken finished dressing. She was not so lucky; two minutes later he kidnapped her so they could go for a walk in the park. He said it was not good for her to sit in front of the screen all day, she did not see a problem with it.

Brothers.

CHAPTER TWO

The next morning, Linda woke up bright and early to do some shopping for a dress and some shoes. She wanted to wear a light green dress that would blend well with the green she had seen in all the photos of the hotel. She did not have one that fit the level of Kims Hotel. It had been a while since her brother took her anywhere, and she wanted to make an impression. KIMS was not a place she walked in old clothes or sweat pants.

Mum, where are you? Linda shouted from the sitting room when she got back.

There was a reply from the kitchen, In here.

Then a short, plump woman with her hair pulled back in a strict bun came out of the kitchen. The hairstyle emphasized her round cheeks dotted with dimples from her smile. It had taken her a year to call Mrs. Iffy's mum, but now it sounded right.

Where are you from, dear, at this hour?

I woke up early this morning to do some little shopping.

Come in and have some breakfast.

Thank you, but I’ll have a shower first.

Linda then headed in the opposite direction, and Mrs. Iffy turned to head back to the kitchen.

Before she got to the bedroom, she turned around and asked, Do you know where Ken is?

He is in his room.

WHEN BOTH KEN AND LINDA were both ready, they said their goodbyes to Mrs. Iffy as they made their way out. Since Linda did not have a car yet, they had to take Ken’s.

With this old thing, I do not think they will let us in, she joked as she got in after he opened the door for her. Half joked; the car was pretty old; he had had it since high school and refused to replace it.

This baby still runs fine, was his excuse every time the subject came up.

Smirking as he got into the car he said Like the staff are going to turn away all this charm.

More like jam than charm, she threw back.

That is how they bickered for an hour, jumping from one topic to another until they got there. Mrs. Iffy always said they were like kids, but it worked for them.

When they got there, they stopped talking and took it all in. It was beautiful.

A green stretch of land covered by a few trees and a fountain of water in the middle. The water flowing from the fountain made an arch over the statue of the late president. The compound was surrounded by green Cypress trees, neatly trimmed, and had a wooden gate on the extreme left. Cutting across the field was a pavement that marked the way to the wooden gate.

Linda and Ken walked down the stretch of pavement. Linda wore a light green summer dress and white sandals, her hair fell to her shoulders and she wore a shiny, glittering diamond necklace. Ken was in black dress pants, a white T-shirt, black shoes, and a gold-coated watch.

They took one step at a time and seemed to be in sync, their colors blending. When they arrived on the other side of the gate, even more beauty met their eyes.

On both sides of the sidewalk were planted beautiful flowers that form the name KIMS. The rows of yellow and purple flowers formed an acute mix of colors that made the place seem like a second heaven. The small wooden cabin at the end of the stretch, which housed the hotel, was painted a beautiful sky blue. Everything together seemed like a beautiful picture on a museum wall.

The sight made her breath catch for a moment.

I know it’s beautiful, Ken said with a smile, taking her hand in his.

Looking up at him, eyes almost glistening, Thanks for bringing me here.

They had gotten