Page 15 of Colby
She asked him if she thought that Taylor might be able to help.He looked relieved.Like, having to help her was too much for him to do.She laughed at him when he thanked her several times for not making him name everyone who worked for them.He was only just getting around to getting their names straight.
“I do know that someone comes in and does the beds for us.I hate making a bed, so it’s nice to have it done up daily.There is someone, too, who cleans the bathrooms.They could be the same person, but as I said, I’m only just getting used to having people around me all the time.Taylor is used to it, as that’s what she grew up with, but not me.I just know that I couldn’t do it without their help behind the scenes, so to speak.And I make sure that I thank them every time I see them.”Colby showed up just as she was sitting down to the breakfast that her mom had made for her.Colby joined her as he’d missed getting anything to eat, as he’d been without milk for two days now.“That’s another thing that I love.I don’t have to ever worry about there being nothing to eat around the house.I don’t know if they do it because of me, but whenever I go to the fridge to get something to snack on, there are sandwiches that I can take without bothering the staff.”
They talked about the staffing issue that they might run into, but Jack said to them numeroustimes that Taylor would know what to do.But it was funny to see how embarrassed he got when he talked about never seeing them walking around when something was suddenly taken care of.
“I don’t know that we’ll need all the staff that you have, but we’re going to start out right on this.Knowing what we will need will be half the battle, I think.”Jack said that he was learning the gardening aspects of the house so that he could incorporate things into the restaurant, too.“I know that’s something that you’ve always wanted.To have fresh for your patrons.”
When they were ready to go, she asked Jack if he wanted to go to the new house to have a look around.He declined, saying that he had to go to the fish market today as it was Friday.He always tried to have fish on Fridays so that people would enjoy it.After a good hug goodbye, they set off to go to the house to wait on things to start coming in.Also, they were going to do some online shopping for the few things that they’d forgotten to get, like measuring cups and kitchen knives.Emma called Taylor on her way to the house to see if she could be more helpful.Asking her if she was busy was the first thing out of her mouth.
“Never too busy for you guys.How’s the house shopping going?I don’t envy you doing that.I’m glad that when I moved in with Grandma, she had everything that we needed to have a nice home to live in.Though it is a big house, we seemed to have a lot of things that are just around when we need them.”Emma told her that they thought they were doing all right and thanked her again for the money.“No need for that.Like I said, I didn’t need it right now, and perhaps one day you might find yourself in a situation where you can pay it forward to someone else.That would make me happy.”
She got the help with the domestics, what people working in the house were called when they did the jobs around.Taylor said that they’d need a butler only because he can answer the door when you’re out and take messages for them.
“With the two of you working so much, much more than I am, you’ll need someone to be able to run the house.He’ll run the house for you, while whoever you have in the kitchen will run that part of the house for you.It’s a seamless operation with the two of them working together.”Taylor also said that it’s nice to have someone around who can make up beds and clean the other parts of the house that they’ll use daily.“It’s nice coming home from work, and things are just so.I don’t know that I could be gone for several days at a time without having someone around to take care of the small stuff for me.It’s very organized as well.”
“We’ll talk about that, too.”Taylor asked them what they were doing for dinner tonight and invited them over for a meal.“I don’t know.We’ve been just grabbing whatever is in the refrigerator when we get hungry.A good home-cooked meal sounds good.”Colby agreed.
“Good.We’ll have something comforting tonight, and I’ll tell the cook.It’ll be nice having someone to pamper tonight.We’ve been sort of taking the evenings easy for the last week, what with my Grandma gone.She still has about two weeks left on her cruise.”Emma said she’d love to go on one of those, too, someday.“We should do it as a family.The cruise liner won’t know what hit them when we all converge on the buffet one night.”
They were still laughing when they pulled up in front of the house.There was already a truck there waiting for them with the washer and dryer sets.She couldn’t wait to get a load of towels in so that they could take a shower at the end of the day today.They were going to be sweaty if they didn’t when they went to Jack’s house tonight.
The furniture came earlier, and they were excited about that.As things were being put in the rooms they’d purchased it for, things were starting to look better.Having the couches in the living room made the entire room feel warmer, and she couldn’t wait to see the television set up so the room would be considered complete.
They knew that they’d find things that they didn’t buy for the house, and it was Colby who went out to get them some laundry detergent for the towels and sheets.She figured that she could have the beds made up after they arrived, and that would give them a place to sleep tonight.However, if she had anything to say about sleeping in the bed, there would be little of that going on.She wanted to make love to Colby so badly.
By the time lunch time rolled around, they were on their second load of laundry, and the beds were being put together.She was glad that they’d gotten an extra dresser for their room, as it filled the space out nicely.She made a list of things that they were going to need for the bathroom—new toothbrushes and paste, little things like that, and sent the order off to be delivered tomorrow.If she was honest with herself, she loved the fact that they were starting out with all new stuff for their first home together and was excited to break things in, too.At three in the afternoon, a woman by the name of Carol Anne showed up and said she was the cook.Taylor had sent her over to get their kitchen set up and to work for them.It was the best news they had had all day, other than the furniture being delivered one day early because they had time.
After telling Carol Anne their work schedule and what they liked to eat, she said she’d have breakfast for them in the morning if the delivery of food could make it out to the house.She also said that she’d take over ordering the things that she’d need—pots and pans, knives, and whatnot so that it would be things she was used to using.Emma was fine by that.One less thing that she had to worry about at the end of the day.Telling her that they were having dinner out tonight had her laughing.First night dinner would be tomorrow night, she told her, so long as they didn’t mind comfort food.They were both all right with that.
It was nearly six o’clock when the household was finished for today.They were both armed with lists that they needed, and she found that ticking off the kitchen stuff made her life easier all the way around.As soon as tomorrow, most of the things that she’d been ordering all day would be delivered, and she couldn’t have been happier.
“I have to go out on Thursday.But I’ll be back on Friday afternoon.It’s just a couple of men who want to get used to the idea of going fishing with someone else at the helm.”Emma told Colby that she’d be back on Friday late, as she had to go out Friday morning to deliver to a couple of stores.“Then we’ll have things working by the weekend.Do you have any routes this weekend?”
“No.I’m off, thanks to Taylor, so we can get the things set up that we have purchased.I’m going to move my clothing over sometime over the weekend, too.Are you going to move in to be here full-time?”
“Yes, but to be honest, I don’t have all that much.Mostly shorts for the trips out and t-shirts that have the company name on them.Tucker Fishing seemed like a good name for me, and I’m finding it to be easy to remember, too.I’m hoping everyone who needs a good holiday remembers it as well.”She said that it suited him.“Thanks.I like it too.”
“I have a lot of shorts too.Driving a truck doesn’t mean that I get to see all that many people who care about what I’m wearing.”He laughed and said he could see that happening.“But I do have a couple of dresses that I’ve always had.Just in the event of something happening, and I need a little black number to wear.I have to dress up for you one of these days.”
“I’d love that.”She got a hug from him that she’d not realized that she needed.“We’d better get started or we’ll be here all night again.Just a few boxes to cut down, and then we’ll have to have trash service hooked up as well.Maybe I’ll see if Taylor wants it for her cardboard box project of recycling them.That would be great if we don’t have them in the landfill.”
They talked about things that they still needed, and she told him how she would just think of something and order it.So there would be a lot of boxes coming in yet.The two of them were having such a good time that she almost didn’t want it to end.But duty called, and they were expected at Taylor and Jack’s house, and she was also looking forward to it, too.
Chapter 6
Dinner was fantastic as he knew it would be, and sitting out on their deck watching the trees sway was just what he needed in order to relax.Colby felt himself drifting off when his brother sat down next to him and poked him in the ribs.He asked him what that was for.
“You’re snoring.Are we so boring that you have to fall asleep now?”They both laughed, and Colby sat up higher on his seat.He’d have to get these kinds of seats for their back deck, too.They were so comfortable.“I wanted to ask you something about your boats.When are you going to get numbers two and three?”
“I can only do them one at a time because I have to train people.As much as I’d love to have them both at the same time, it’s not feasible with me having to do all the training.”He asked about his crew now.“I’m losing one of them to pregnancy in about a week.She’s been helping train her replacement, and it’s been good to have that.And Douglas has been doing a good job on his own, so I’m going to have him take out one of the trips in the next couple of days.I’ll just be crew and not for me to take over.”
“That’s wonderful.So you can put him in charge of the next boat.”He asked him why he was talking about him getting the extra boats.“I’m going to open a catering job with our sister, Dakota.She is doing really well, and we thought that you could be our test dummy.”
“Gee, thanks.”Jack laughed at him.“What do you need me to do?You know that I’ll be glad to help you in any way that I can.”
“Nothing that you’re not doing already.I love that we can help each other with different types of meals.”He said he’d been meaning to talk to him about it.“I’m betting it has to do with the full menu and dinner options.”
“It does.It’s too much work for us when it’s over.Usually, the clients will go to their room or hang out, but sometimes they want to get in a bit more fishing.With the crew being so limited, it’s difficult to clean up after a big meal and take care of their needs as well.I think I’d like to take that off the menu.”Jack said he’d been thinking the same thing, only that it’s not being used as much to make it worth their while.“Great.Then we agree on it.What else do you have to tell me?I have a feeling that it’s more with the boat than the food that you’ve been providing for us.”
