2. Seth
TWO
Seth
As we finish our dinner, Noah hands me a bottle of local brew. The dimly lit lodge buzzes with the sound of music and laughter. I take a sip, expecting it to be weak and gross, but I’m pleasantly surprised by its rich flavor. I make a mental note of the name—I’ll have to stock up on this when I renovate the place. As I look around, it’s clear that things are worse than I thought. Despite the tidy appearance, the furniture and décor look like it’s all been here for at least thirty years.
The dingy snack bar in the back serves burgers and hot dogs and is run by teenagers. A couple of food trucks are parked next to the lodge. I’ll have to check them out and see if they’re any good. I also wonder how often they’re here. Right now, probably only on the weekends.
All my brothers are here tonight except one. There are seven of us boys, plus Abi, and getting everyone in the same place at once is a miracle. Other than Noah, the rest of my brothers sit at other tables, mingling with the guests and avoiding me. I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me. Noah has always been a little on the outside as well, so I’m glad he sought me out. Not that we talked much before I came home, but at least he’s talking to me now.
“Where’s Ethan?” I ask.
Noah shrugs, sipping his beer. “Probably working. You know how he is. Ethan’s a bouncer now at that dive bar in Staunton. Not that he wants to be working there.” Noah smirks like he knows more than I do.
“What would he rather be doing?” I ask.
“Working here full time. We all would, but we can’t.”
“Because the resort doesn’t have the cash flow?”
Noah is an accountant and probably understands the situation better than anyone else.
“Yeah.”
“What do you do aside from crunching numbers for Dad?”
He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I have a day job at an accounting firm in Roanoke, but they’re pretty flexible, so I can work from home most days.” He avoids meeting my gaze. Noah’s always been introverted, but I thought as an adult, he’d be a little more open. “I like working with Dad more than I like working for the firm.”
We’ll need a full-time accountant if I succeed here, so his dream might not be that far off. First though, I need to assess the full situation if I want to save our family’s campground before my looming deadline. In six months, I’ll be on a plane to India for a major contract that could take my business to the next level.
I’m here because Dad asked me to be. I haven’t actually spoken to most of my brothers in years. Mom kept me updated on a few of the goings-on, but nothing in detail. Mark’s probably the one I should be talking to since he runs the day-to-day operations, but I’ve tried to grab his attention three or four times, and he always tells me he’s busy.
I lean back and survey the room. My mother knows how to throw a party. She told me she does this every Friday night for the resort workers and current guests unless she has a wedding. Deka whines at me from an open window. I grin. Mom lets the dogs have pretty much free rein, but not in here with the food and parties.
Bisbee rushes up to Deka and grabs her ear. It’s enough for Deka, and she’s off and running. This place is good for her. She’s mostly cooped up in tiny big-city apartments, and I have to hire dog walkers. If I had my own place, it’d be bigger, but I’m usually stuck with whatever the company I’m working with puts me in. The apartments are nice but usually small.
I miss those apartments right about now. They always have the best mattresses and high-end showers. It’s a requirement I write into every contract for the companies I work with. Projects usually last six months to two years, so it makes no sense to settle in. I get paid a lot of money from companies around the world to rescue them. I should be able to do the same for my own family if they’re willing to implement the changes I suggest.
I glance around at the people gathered here today. They’re all salt-of-the-earth type people, as Dad would say. And none of them have any clue what wealth looks like.
Money has always been kind of an issue for families near Green Bank. No one has a lot, and there’s quite a bit of resentment toward the snow bunnies who come every year. But the locals put up with them because it brings money to the families who live there.
I’m going to have to be careful not to flash money around too much. People know I’ve been successful, but if they had any clue what my life has really been like, they’d file me away with the snow bunnies, and I’d become an official outsider.
Which might not be a bad thing, but if I want to help Dad, I need to be accepted. Not that I plan on staying. I know what getting stuck here means. It means marriage and babies. It means giving up my lifestyle. It means no more jet-setting with my buddies from college, who are more like family than my own. It’s a surefire way to the poorhouse. My brothers aren’t living in poverty, but none of them are successful either. At least by my standards. I’ll lose everything I’ve worked so hard for if I make this move permanent.
Dad, Mom, and Keith sit at a table on the other side of the room. Dad and Keith are lost in a conversation, but Mom is watching me. I raise my beer to her and smile, and she grins back.
My eyes keep traveling to Mae. She’s dancing in the middle of the room with Abi and a few other summer workers. She’s wearing a simple white dress, something that she might just throw over a bathing suit. I desperately want to know what’s underneath it. I tug at my collar. I should not be having these thoughts. I force my eyes to her face and her black headband with stars on it.
“What about everyone else?” I ask, bringing my attention back to Noah. I need to direct my thoughts to the job at hand.
“Mark’s the only one of us besides Mom and Dad that is full-time. Jacob is an EMT and flies the life flight helicopter, Levi is kind of a jack of all trades. He does odd jobs all over the county. Isaac is a vet.”
“So you all have jobs that can support you? This is good.” Dad also works as a part-time worship minister at Grace Fellowship. Which helps. But he loves the campground too much to want to be a full-time pastor.
Noah leans back and narrows his eyes at me. “I’m glad you’re back. You know that. But I’m a little worried you could ruin everything. We don’t need some corporate pirate to come in here and tell us all we can’t work here anymore. I know the books. We’ve got issues, but we’ll figure it out.”
The word corporate pirate grates at me. It makes sense that he has some lingering resentment. He’s been here all these years, and I haven’t, and even though we’ve both been on the outside of the family a bit, he’s still been here supporting Mom and Dad. I shouldn’t blame Noah. He’s the only one who messaged me before I got here and told me he was glad I was coming.
“Not according to Dad. And I won’t tell you to not work here. Also, I’m the opposite of a corporate pirate. I study businesses and help them maximize their strengths so they can reinvent and put things back together. I can also see potential where others can’t. In all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve only suggested companies fire people a handful of times, and that was because the individuals were stealing from the company. Dad has asked—begged me really—to come do the same thing here. Things will look different when it’s all over, and you might even be able to quit your day job. But I’m telling you now, the process will be messy.”
He nurses his beer and doesn’t say anything else, and I try to spot Mae again.
Mark suddenly leans on the table and slaps me upside the head. “Sethy, put your eyeballs back in your head.”
“What are you talking about?” I don’t yell at him about calling me Sethy. Or the slap. If he’s giving me a bad time, at least he’s including me.
“You’ve been staring at Mae all night.” He glowers and drops into the chair next to me.
“That’s ridiculous. I have not. There are a dozen girls out there. How do you know I’m not staring at one of them?”
“Because Mae’s the only one besides Abi over eighteen. The others would be creepy. Unless you’re a creep now.” His words come out harsh.
“Fine. I’m staring at Mae. And I know for a fact that several of those girls are in college.”
Mark gives me a once-over. “Why are you still wearing that?”
“Mom said a fancy party.” I dust off the arm of my gray suit jacket. All the rest of the guys are wearing nice t-shirts and jeans. I’m the only one in a suit, but I don’t care. It reminds me of who I am.
“Here, that means no shorts or flip-flops.”
“Whatever.” The room is suddenly sweltering. I hang my jacket over a chair, loosen my tie, and roll my sleeves up to my forearms. “Better?”
Mark shrugs. “Mae, though. She’s a good girl. She’s worked here for years. Whatever you do, don’t hurt her, or we’ll all end you.”
Noah grunts in agreement.
She’s my best friend. I would never hurt her. Besides, what about the other guys she’s dated? I’m glad she broke up with Rick, but I can’t figure out why she didn’t tell me.
“I won’t hurt her. Believe it or not, I’ve gotten to know her thanks to Abi. She’s been a friend for years. But look at her. I had no idea she was that beautiful.” I can’t take my eyes off her. She laughs at something Abi says. I love that laugh, and I’ve heard it often.
Noah’s gaze sits on her for too long. “We know. Last year, we all went on dates with her.”
“What?” My stomach hardens, and my fists involuntarily clench. I kind of want to punch them all in the nose. Or any other guy who’s looking at her too long.
Mark chuckles. “Abi wants Mae to be her sister for real, but none of us could get past the fact that she was already too much like a sister.”
The music changes from fast pace to slow, and I don’t even think.
“Excuse me a minute.” I set my beer on the table and make my way across the room. Mae’s eyes meet mine, and a smile forms across her gorgeous face. I’ve seen that smile a million times on a tiny screen, but I had no idea it was so stunning in person.
I hold my hand out. “Dance with me.”
She slips hers into mine, and I slide my hand onto her lower back, pulling her close. Probably closer than I should, but I can’t seem to help myself. Her eyes widen, but she relaxes into me, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of my neck.
We dance in silence for a few moments, and I focus on the way our bodies move together. How someone might have to physically peel me away from her. I have no idea what’s going on with me.
I bring my head down so my lips are close to her ear. She shivers. I want to tell her how I feel, but it seems too soon, and she’s my best friend. I don’t want to ruin that.
“Why didn’t you tell me you broke up with Rick?”
She usually tells me everything about the guys she dates—she told me when she first started dating him last September. But then again, she didn’t mention dating all my brothers either. It makes me wonder how many other things she doesn’t tell me.
“Because I was embarrassed. I didn’t tell anyone really except Abi and my dad. But Abi’s been good about helping me get over him.”
“You mean picking up guys at the river?” It actually bothers me more than it should, and I don’t know why.
“Yeah. It’s been fun.” Her voice betrays her. Maybe she still misses Rick.
“Why did you break up?”
“He dumped me because he’s going to be a hotshot politician, and said I wasn’t savvy or pretty enough to be his wife.”
What an asshole. Every fiber of my being wants to go beat the shit out of this guy, but I hold it together. Perhaps I can get in touch with a few of my frat brothers and see if any of them have mafia ties. No one’s ever talked about it, but Adam might.
“That’s ridiculous. Mae, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’m not exaggerating. You’re smart and funny, and you can get people to do things. Who organized a whole host of girls to pretend I was a celebrity this morning? You. That’s not why he broke up with you.”
She swallows and lays her head against my chest. Something inside me lurches. She fits perfectly right there.
“It’s what he said. It doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t want to live in D.C., so it’s better that we’re not together.” Her voice is hollow, and I’m not sure what to make of it. I don’t know if she wants him back or if she was so hurt she pushed out all the emotion.
The song ends, but I don’t let go of her. I want to understand her pain. Before I can push her any further though, Abi barrels through the crowd, panting and huffing. “Isaac’s gonna kill me. I need you to help me wrangle up the lemurs.”
I crease my eyebrows. “We have lemurs?”
Abi nods. “Come on, Mae. You’re the only one Sissy likes, and the others will follow her. I didn’t mean to let them out.”
I don’t think I even want to know. Mae’s eyes meet mine.
“This conversation isn’t over. Go. Rescue the lemurs, and come back to me.”
She bites her lip, letting Abi drag her from the room.
I make my way to Mark and Noah, fully intent on finding out why we have lemurs, when a hand slips into mine.
“I believe you just lost your dance partner,” Mom says. “Can I take her place?”
I grin and spin her in a circle. “You’ll always be my number one.”
She chuckles and rests her hand on my arm, forcing me into a proper frame. Mom made us all take ballroom dance lessons as boys, and I’ve not forgotten.
“I certainly hope that’s not true. I would like to see you settle down.” She gives me a wink.
“I’m not the settling type, Mom.” Traveling the world isn’t conducive to raising children.
“I know. But for the right woman, you might be.”
I shrug, not wanting to talk about this. It probably is time for me to settle, but lately all the women I date make me want to run for the hills. I’m not sure why. Probably because I’m at the age where I should find someone permanent instead of just dating for fun. “Maybe.”
I glance over her shoulder.
“They’re still gone.” Mom chuckles. “I wouldn’t expect her back that fast. If Abi needs help, you’ll be lucky if she returns at all.”
Damn, am I really that obvious?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, son, whatever you say.” She drags out the okay and lets out another laugh. “How do you like being home?”
“It’s only been a few hours.”
“And you’re already itching to leave?” Mom can always read me better than I can even read myself.
“It’s not a secret that there’s something about this place that makes me feel trapped. You know how that is.”
When Dad got out of the military and he moved the family here, she very nearly left him and ran back to Tucson. But she loved him too much. She found her own way to make it bearable, and over time, she fell in love with the place as well. She supported me when I left even though no one else did.
“I do. But I got over it, and you can too. You just need the right motivation to stay.”
“I’m not staying, Mom.” Not for all the money in the world.
“At least be open to the possibility that you can make this home base. You need one.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that.” First, I’d just be coming back here in between projects and maybe on holidays. That would morph into longer and longer stays, and suddenly everyone would expect me to just be here permanently.
The song ends, and Mom steps away but places a hand on my cheek. “At least use this as an opportunity to get to know us again. I feel like Abi is the only one who knows you now. We all miss you.”
A little boy walks up to her and tugs on her hand. “Nan, I want a cotton candy.”
She glances down at him and picks him up. “Olliekins, I’m talking right now. Have you met your Uncle Seth yet?”
He shakes his head and taps his little hand on Mom’s shoulder. “But Nan. Cotton candy.”
“Hello, Ollie.” I smile at him, but he shies away. Ollie is Jacob’s son, and they both live with my parents. I swallow as Mom walks away. My intention was never to hurt my family, but my actions did just that. And I’m not sure it’s fixable now.
I make my way back to the table with Noah, Mark, and now Levi. The conversation doesn’t stop, so at least they weren’t talking about me. But they’re talking about fishing, which in my opinion is the most boring topic on Earth.
Dad sits down next to me and claps a hand on my shoulder. “Son, it’s good to have you back.”
I nod because I can’t necessarily say I feel the same way, but I do have to discuss things with him.
“My cabin doesn’t have wifi.”
“None of them do. We live in God’s most beautiful country. We should take the time to appreciate it and talk to each other face-to-face. We don’t need to be connected to those damn devices all the time.”
“I understand. But, Dad, you brought me here to do a job, and I can’t do that without being able to talk to people who are not here. I need wifi.”
The table goes quiet, and I’m sure my brothers are wondering what I’m planning to do with the place. The truth is, I don’t know yet.
“There’s a whole building with several offices and a big conference room. You don’t need it in your cabin.”
I’m grateful and a little surprised they even have that. Dad refused to put internet in our house, and I grew up having to use the library computers. He always said computers cost too much money.
“Actually I do. Some of the people I work with are in completely different time zones, and I might not be in the office when they need to reach me.”
“I’m not paying thousands of dollars to send the internet to the other side of the property.”
“I’ll pay for it. I just need contact information.”
Dad blinks at me for a moment. Money is a sensitive topic for our family, and we never talk about it. Not when I was young and we were broke. Not a few years ago when upgrades were needed, and Dad took out another mortgage. And even now, I don’t have a good feel for the financials because when Dad called me up and said he needed help, he was very vague.
“Fine. I’ll get you the information in the morning. Just don’t tell anyone. Before you know it, the boys who work for us will want it in their bunkhouse too. I don’t like it at the campground at all.”
“Done.”
“Hey, what about our house?” Mark asks.
“What about it?” Dad eyes him, an annoyed look on his face.
“You said no when we asked you to run a line out to it.”
Dad pushes away from the table. “You never offered to pay for it.” Then he walks away. I know this is hard for him. He grew up with people not caring that there was no radio, and we were practically teenagers before we even had a TV. But now, everyone is addicted to their phones. He just doesn’t get it.
“It’s not your house, idiot. It’s mine,” Levi says, glaring at Mark.
“I pay rent. And I’m tired of having to go to the office to message people.”
This might be a way to get on their good sides. “Look, I’ll have people out here tomorrow. It won’t cost that much more to run a line to your house as well.”
Mark waves a hand at me. “See, he gets it.”
“What if I don’t want a line to my house?” Levi is just like Dad, something I didn’t know.
“Then I won’t do it. It’s up to you.” I need to start doing things that show my brothers I’ll listen to them. I need their trust if this is going to work.
Mark and Noah both glare at him. “I want internet,” Noah says. “Ethan and Isaac will as well. You’re the only one who doesn’t.”
“And I own the house. You two moved in without even asking. Build your own damn house if you want it.” Levi folds his arms and leans back in his chair.
“You guys talk it over and let me know tomorrow.” I don’t want to cause a fight. Not now.
Levi nods and changes the subject back to fishing. Several minutes later, or maybe it’s hours—it’s hard to say because I’m bored to tears—Abi and Mae collapse in a fit of giggles into chairs across from us, and I use them to change the subject.
“What’s the story with the lemurs?” I ask, trying not to notice how pretty Mae looks with her long blonde hair going wild.
She stifles her laughter. “Abi wanted to impress one of the river boys and thought she’d take him out to meet the lemurs, but those suckers are sneaky. Before she knew it, the lemurs had scattered everywhere.”
Noah scowls at them. “Did you get them back?”
Abi smiles sweetly. “Mae’s got the magic touch with Sissy. The rest followed her. Please don’t tell Isaac.”
“Explain to me why we have lemurs.” I’m not sure I’m hearing this all correctly. Lemurs? They’ve got to be kidding.
Mark shakes his head. “Isaac’s got all kinds of weird-ass animals out in the barn. He has a friend in Wildlife Services who asked him to take care of a monkey they rescued once, and his reputation got out for being able to handle exotic animals. Most animals don’t stay long, but they keep bringing him lemurs and macaques, so he has a permanent setup for them. He refuses to take any kind of predator though. No big cats or reptiles. And he usually says no to any extremely large animals as well. But we have a baby giraffe right now.”
The campground is a wildlife rescue as well? No wonder it’s a mess. I have no earthly idea how I’m going to fix this. I do know one thing. If we even have a prayer of making this work, we have to bring it into the twenty-first century.
I ask a few more questions about the rescue, but Levi mentions something about fish, and the conversation goes back to their previous discussion.
Mae meets my eyes, and I fix my gaze somewhere else. I can’t look at her. I cannot afford distractions right now, and if I get involved with her, who knows what’ll happen?
“I’m going to bed. See y’all tomorrow.”
As I make my way toward the door, the old wooden planks creaking beneath my feet, Mae catches up to me and takes my hand. I forcefully shake it off, ignoring the hurt in her eyes. The moon casts a pale light over us as we stand outside the rustic lodge in the middle of the dense forest.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, avoiding her gaze. “I’m just tired. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
Mae furrows her brows and nods silently as I turn away and retreat to the path to my dimly lit cabin, the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves following me.