Page 49 of What We Keep
“This website really does look amazing,” Cole said quietly while Chloe jotted down some information on a notepad.
After she finished the call, she smiled, her eyes twinkling. “You all are popular.”
“We were always busy before the fire. It’s been a decade, though, so we didn’t know how this would go. We gotta get back up and running.”
“How do people still know about us?” Cole asked.
“You are too young to recall,” I commented. “But we always had a waitlist.”
“What do you think of the website?” Chloe asked.
“Publish it. It’s perfect,” I said.
“Y’all are lucky to have Elsa,” Chloe pointed out.
“Haven’s real lucky to have her,” Cole added, his tone sly.
I could see the dare there when I slid my eyes to his. He was all but daring me to protest. I ignored him. “Elsa’s amazing. What do you need from us?”
“Well, your mom wants me to start with the reservations and handle all that. She seems to have the supplies under control. I just need to know the scheduling for the hikes and things. How do you handle that?”
“We roll with it,” I said. Chloe pressed her lips together, giving me a stern look. “What? We can’t just roll with it.”
She pulled out a notebook and started flipping through it. “Okay, the Brents want to fish. This other family wants to hike. Another family wants to get flown somewhere. Another group wants fishing, hiking, camping, and rock climbing. A group of college students wants...”
“Okay, I get it,” I replied, holding up my hand.
“Yeah, we need to be organized. I know they can fish out there in the waterfall, but we need a concrete plan for each trip,” Chloe explained.
“We can all do all of those things,” Cole chimed in.
“Being organized will be a new experience for us,” I teased.
“I asked Chloe to organize things,” our mom said as she walked into the office, hands on hips. She looked toward Cole first. “Before, we did just roll with it. But it was always a little by-the-seat-of-our-pants kind of thing. I’d like a plan, please and thank you.”
“I promised your mama we’d have a plan,” Chloe chimed in.
“Where are you from?” Cole asked.
Chloe’s sharp gaze shifted to him. “Low country, South.”
“Dare I ask what you’re doing here?” he added.
“You can dare.” Her brows arched up.
“Sheesh, what are you doing in Alaska, Miss Chloe?”
“My daddy loves to fish, so we moved here.”
“Well, I think the fishing here is kind of different from fishing in the low country,” Cole said slowly.
“Oh, I’m certain it is, and that’s why this job is perfect for me. I’m going to learn everything I need to know, so I can take my daddy everywhere.” The love in her eyes when she spoke of her father shone as bright as a star in the sky.
“You came to the right place for that,” our mom said firmly.
“What’s for dinner tonight?” Cole asked.
“He always wants to know what’s for dinner,” I offered dryly.
