Page 50 of Knockin' Boats
Skylar nodded. “Well, I think Sawyer is right that you could use a second pair of hands. When the season really hits, it’sgoing to be far busier. I should have considered that it was too much for one person.”
“It’s not too much,” I insisted. “I’m still getting a handle on the equipment and how things cook in that hot, humid boat atmosphere.”
“Ash, I’m not going to force you to do anything because I’m not your boss. But I’d like to loan you an assistant next week. Just try out working with someone else, and then if you want to go solo, you can. And if you want to hire permanently, you can do that.”
“It’ll cut into the profits to hire.”
Sky nodded. “Sometimes you have to invest in a business to make it a success. It’s a risk, though. So take next week to consider all those things. If nothing else, it’ll give you time to acclimate better and really fine-tune your recipes. What do you say?”
I nodded reluctantly. “I guess an extra pair of hands couldn’t hurt.”
Skylar smiled brightly. “There you go.”
Brooks returned. “Come on over. Our host has graciously agreed to feed you.”
“Thanks.” I followed them down a path that wound among campers and RV buses.
“It’ll be nice to eat someone else’s food for change,” I said as we passed by folks in their lawn chairs.
Wood smoke hung in the air from their firepits, reminding me of camping trips as a kid, and some of my tension melted away.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Brooks said. “The food is likely to insult your every sensibility.”
“You mean because I’m a chef?”
“I mean because you have taste buds,” he said wryly.
Just then, we came upon a little teardrop camper. There was an awning rolled out, lit up with blue fairy lights.
Cash and Poppy sat at a picnic table, along with a kid I didn’t recognize. Hudson and Fisher reclined in two loungers, close enough that their fingers were linked between them.
And working the grill?
Was Sawyer fucking West.
All my tension came rushing right the fuck back.
“Uh, maybe this was a bad idea.”
Sawyer snorted. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to poison you.”
“At least, not any more than he poisons the rest of us,” Cash said cheerfully.
Sawyer pointed a spatula at him. “Fuck off. You can grill the burgers next time.”
“I could grill sometime,” Hudson said. “I did it a lot on the houseboat.”
“He’s good at everything,” Fisher said, sounding sappy.
“How’s the place treating you?” Hudson asked. “I hope the kayak is working out to get you back and forth?”
“Yeah, it’s been fine.” I cautiously took a seat at the picnic table. “I can’t stay out too long because I’ll want to get back before dark. But other than that…”
“Oh, we could give you a lift if it gets late,” Fisher said. “We can just tow the kayak behind, right, Hud?”
Hudson lifted Fisher’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “We sure can.”
“That’s nice of you all, but I doubt Sawyer wants me hanging around all night.”
