Page 43 of What We Keep
“Well, you know it’ll be whatever you want. We have something to celebrate,” I said.
Tommy considered this seriously. “I’m gonna go ask her what my options are.”
We all high-fived him before he left the room, and then I dragged the laptop over in front of me. “All right, we gotta do some planning, guys. Mom says she and Elsa have hired somebody who’s starting next week. They’ll sort out the reservations and so on, and in the meantime, we need to take a look at the budget.”
“Oh, the fucking budget.” Jude sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We need an accountant.”
“Once we’re up and running and bringing money in, we can hire one,” I pointed out. “In the meantime, well, it’s me.”
“I know. And you’re stingy,” Cole chimed in.
“I’m not stingy. I just want us to make this work. We haven’t had any income from this place since it burned down. Thank God we’re all trained firefighters because that’s what we used to get by. But it’s also part of why building this place has taken us so long. Separate from the time it took to get the insurance money for the construction, let’s just look at everything so we know where we’re at.”
“I mean, the way it worked before, Dad did firefighting, right?” Asher asked.
“Oh yeah, he did, but the resort was also a smaller operation. We’ve got more rooms now, and even Dad hired out for help,” Cole said.
“As long as four of us are here, two of us can rotate out with the hotshot crew when they need someone extra,” I explained.
“How many people do we have on the waitlist?” Jude prompted.
I clicked on the screen where our mom had been keeping a list and let out a low whistle. “Over forty.”
“Holy shit,” Asher breathed.
“Yeah, Mom booked twenty of them already for three weeks from now,” I explained.
“Okay, this is really good news,” Jude said, nodding. “And a shit ton of work.”
“The rooms are ready to go. Whoever’s helping with the computer stuff and the reservations, we’ll need their help with supplies because people can come stay, but we need... oh fuck. I’ll talk to Mom.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“Do we need Lincoln to come back?” Cole asked.
“Nope, we’re good for now. “I looked around at my brothers, realizing, not for the first time, that I was the only one of us who had been an adult at the time of the fire. While we’d all grown up here and been a part of the family’s business, for them, it had been tagging along after school and during summers.
Bree had been an adult, but she was gone. I’d been the one who helped Dad and had a better sense of the logistics of the business before he passed. I glanced at my brothers. “We’ve got this. I promise.”
Cole leaned back in his chair, nodding to himself. “We do. This was the plan all along.”
“Well, it’s only been delayed by a whole freakin’ year,” Jude cut in with a dry chuckle.
“That’s construction for ya,” I returned. “We’re more than ready. We have to be.” I only hoped we could convey our confidence into action.
Just then, our mother came in and started reeling off all the things she’d already taken care of as far as supplies for the guests. When Cole started to look worried, she squeezed his shoulder. “We’ve got this. You boys might be the tough ones and the firefighters, but I ran this business with my parents and then with your dad. I’ve got it. The only part I don’t have to do is trek out in the wilderness to fish or hunt or whatever else.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve got the fun part, but it stresses me out.”
After my brothers departed, I glanced over at my mom. “They want to be more a part of this, Mom.”
It was rare for her sorrow to break through, but she swiped at the tears glittering on her eyelashes. “I know they do, and your dad always said I could be kind of bossy. The new employee, her name’s Chloe, is starting tomorrow. Between her and Elsa, I feel ready.”
“I miss Dad. And Bree.” The words slipped out before they’d even fully formed in my thoughts.
“We all do.” She took a deep breath. “Life has changed. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t miss your father, and I’m beyond grateful that all of you wanted to be a part of this.”
“There was never any question about that, Mom.” My voice was low.
She shrugged lightly. “I know, but it’s the kind of thing you’ve got to love to do. And after the fire…” She closed her eyes briefly as she took another breath. “That could have scattered us to the winds. Instead, it seems to have brought us together.”
My chest ached thinking about Bree and my dad. I quickly shifted the subject, checking in with her to cross-check her handwritten list with the one Elsa had made for her on the computer. When we were done, I closed the laptop.
