Chapter Eighteen #2
Though he could have skipped these biweekly meetings, the family always invited him because he was an invested part of the place but also because he had excellent ideas.
“We need a new roof. Levi’s dad got me a quote. It’s more than I hoped to spend this summer on repairs but definitely a deal.”
“Do we need to make adjustments to the current budget?” Jilly asked.
Having worked in accounting, she was a wizard with numbers.
Presley looked down at her notes and Beckett whispered something to her, but she shook her head.
Gray sighed. “I think our current budget will get us through. Presley helped us apply for some grants that got approved and those will take care of two of our part-time salaries. I know you’re over there biting your lip, Presley. Go ahead and tell them.”
She lifted her head with a sheepish grin aimed at him. “I know you don’t want this. I get it, I think. I just wanted to give you a clearer picture.”
“What’s going on?” Jilly asked.
Presley sat up a little straighter, the way she did when she put on her professional pitch hat.
“We’ve been contacted by a production company and streaming service.
They want to do a show and use the lodge as the setting.
There are a few options they’ve presented, each of them a reality-style show.
Depending on how involved any or all of us were to get, there’s a possibility of a lot of income, plus the exposure for the lodge. ”
Jilly sat back in her seat, ran a hand over her stomach. “Wow.”
Presley hurried on. “Gray has valid reservations. But it does come at a time when, clearly, the extra money would help.”
Beckett stared at Gray. “It would be excellent exposure but, possibly, put all of us on display.”
Gray nodded, relief flooding his chest at his brother’s understanding. “We can’t control something like this and as nice as the money would be, their goals and ours won’t be the same.”
Presley tapped her pen on the table. “I mean, we can definitely get a lawyer to look over it, even set out parameters that we’d be willing to work within.”
Leaning back, Beckett eyed his fiancée. “I’m not going back to being hot mountain man.”
Presley’s cheeks flushed. When she’d first come to the lodge, she’d shared a picture on her Instagram that accidentally included Beckett’s abs. They’d called it Hot Mountain Man Summer and, while they’d teased his brother and Gray had even capitalized on the attention, this felt bigger.
Jilly, Beckett, and Presley started talking at once, stopping when Bernie lifted his hand. They all looked at Bernie.
“These sorts of things often sound better on paper. You kids are building something special here. I’ve chatted with so many guests this summer.
They love it here. The family atmosphere and overall feel of the place.
You bring some Hollywood producer in who is driven by profit margins and ratings, you’re opening yourselves up to a lot more than some quick cash.
You open yourself to this world, it can turn on you quickly.
You can’t control the narrative once you do something like this and I worry you’ll regret the decision more than you welcome the money. ”
Somehow, Bernie knew how to express Gray’s worries better than he did himself. His siblings and Presley looked back at him.
“I don’t want our lives turned into a circus. Think of Ollie and the baby. Your wedding, Becks, and soon yours, Jilly. The thought of having our private lives shared with audiences turns my stomach.”
“That makes sense. I’m sorry, Gray,” Presley said.
“Please don’t be. I appreciate that you believe in the lodge that much. In us. I want you to bring us opportunities and I know it might seem strange, but this one feels too big. In a way that I don’t feel entirely comfortable with.”
Bernie seemed to withdraw for the rest of the meeting, making Gray wonder if he was okay, if there was something more he wasn’t saying.
As they discussed things, Gray found himself looking around the table, fully aware of how lucky he was to have these people at his side.
Presley was a marketing and social media maven; Beckett had his bike shop, which did well in Smile but also added to the lodge.
He also hooked them up with outdoor equipment through his partnerships with the local sporting goods store.
Jilly did all the accounting, ran events, and kept things working smoothly.
For his part, Grayson handled hiring, scheduling, overseeing upkeep and repairs.
They were a well-oiled machine. The idea of bringing anyone else, personally or professionally, into their fold filled him with uncertainty.
Things were so good, just as they stood.
“I don’t know if I say this often enough, but thank you. All of you. I wasn’t sure I wanted this place when we started, but it’s become more than I imagined. Now, it feels like home. But it wouldn’t without all of you.”
He looked over at Bernie, who still seemed distant.
His sentiment included the older man who’d become part of the family.
Maybe exploring his attraction with Charlie wasn’t a great idea.
But the thought of not kissing her, making her laugh, or becoming a person she could open up to made his chest hurt.
The others were all telling him how happy they were to be a part of things but Gray couldn’t stop looking at Bernie.
“I might be a bad bet for Charlie. I should have talked to you first,” he said.
Bernie looked at him while the others went silent.
He started to say more, but Bernie lifted a hand.
“Grayson, let me just say, first, it’s none of my business what you and Charlie get up to, but since you’re bringing it up, you’re a fine young man and I think it’s great that she’s connected with you.
It’s clear, I’m sure, that she’s a bit lost right now.
When she came back to the cabin last night, she was visibly happy.
Like a weight had been lifted. I’m not sure how long she’ll stay or what will come of her finding me after all these years, but I can say she’s a competent and incredibly intelligent young woman.
If she didn’t want to spend time with you, she wouldn’t. ”
“Plus, what the hell, dude?” Beckett said. “You’re not a bad bet for anyone.”
Gray pushed away the thought that immediately jumped into his head: You’re damaged. You can’t even date casually without overthinking it.
“I just don’t have a lot to offer at the moment.” And because falling for another woman scared him, he wasn’t sure he ever would.
Bernie stood up. “Without getting into details because none of us need any, whatever you offered her last night put a spring in her step.”
“Yeah, it did,” Beckett said around a laugh.
They wrapped things up and Grayson had to stop himself from offering to walk Bernie back to his cabin just to see Charlie. Regardless of everyone’s thoughts on his worthiness, maybe he needed to take some space and be sure what he was feeling was fair to Charlie. And himself.