3. Seth
THREE
Seth
It takes me a week to assess the whole situation on the property. It’s funny to me that Dad still calls this a farm when it’s more of a river resort, but I get how it happened. Grandpa had a produce farm and sold pumpkins and Christmas trees for extra money. When Mom and Dad got married, they moved out here, and Mom put her own spin on things. She loves events, but that wasn’t consistent enough to raise a family on, so Dad started the campground, which took several years to turn a profit. For the first eight years of my life, we lived on whatever we could grow in our garden and rice. Having meat at a meal was a special occasion, and all my clothes were bought secondhand.
I’m surprised they made it as far as they did. The resort is too chaotic, and nothing fits—from Mom hosting weddings to families camping to my brother’s monkeys—and no one quite knows what to do with the place.
My brothers are understandably skeptical about me being here, but talking to all of them has made one thing clear. They all want to work here full-time. But the campground is bleeding money, so that is the last thing they can do. Dad’s even having trouble now making payments on that mortgage he took out a few years ago. Aside from Noah, who does his books, I’m not sure anyone else knows how bad it really is.
They will today.
My brothers haven’t changed a bit. The same boys who played practical jokes on each other as children still do as adults. They’ve put lemurs in my office, they’ve painted the chairs I sit on, and this morning I found condoms blown up like balloons all over the conference room. I sure as hell hope they didn’t mess with my presentation, or I’ll kill them. It took me a good ten minutes (that I did not have) to clean up the room.
I don’t mind the jokes. It shows me they’re starting to accept me again. But everything feels serious for me about the campground. Maybe it’s that I don’t really like being home. Or maybe it’s because I don’t want to let Dad down.
The conference room didn’t exist when I was a kid, but now it’s the hub of the business because it has wifi. It’s full of tables, chairs, and a few computers. It even has a small kitchenette along one side. I rearranged everything and brought a projector. It’s the largest room in the building, so it’s the best place for our meeting.
I spent the last couple of days in Lewisburg, getting some drawings made up. I met with Keith—our next-door neighbor, Mae’s dad, and Dad’s best friend—about using a few of the buildings on his property and also the name of the town. I also visited the Greenbrier to see how they do things. Greenbrier is famous for being a getaway for the rich and famous, very old school and luxurious. It reminded me a lot of the resort in Dirty Dancing . I’m not sure it’s moved out of its 1950s ways, so we won’t be a direct competitor. However, I definitely got some ideas from them. I think we can bring our resort into this century without forcing Dad to give up his Luddite morals.
The biggest issue I had all week was Mae. I couldn’t keep my eyes or my thoughts off her. She and Abi ran around in bikinis all week. It didn’t take much for my mind to take off that bikini at night. But it was more than that. She’s got a wicked sense of humor, and she’s so smart. She helped me put together the poster boards and was even the one who suggested I use the name of her great-grandfather’s town. Every moment I spent with her has led me to wanting to spend hours more.
I stand nervously at the front of the room, hoping none of the crowd finds a wayward condom balloon that I missed. More people are here than I had planned. My parents had invited most of the owners of businesses we support and the ones who support us as well. I didn’t realize how many depended on us, from the local catering company to the flower farm next door. Mom’s events are epic, and we need more of them.
I mingle while they settle in. I’m the only one dressed in a suit, and look out of place, but with what I want to do with the property, I need to portray the image of money.
Levi and Mark come in together, whispering about something. Probably another practical joke.
“Enjoy your party this morning?” Levi asks. He acquiesced pretty quickly over the whole internet-in-his-house thing, and by day three, he begrudgingly told me that he was sorry he hadn’t put it in years ago.
“Haha. Very funny. Just you wait until I’ve got things under control. Payback is coming.” I can dish out the pranks as fast as they give them. I’ll have to go back to my college days and recreate some of my best ones. I drove my friends nuts, but life would’ve been too boring without a little fun.
Mark and Levi both sit near the back of the room with most of my other brothers. The chairs fill up, and I make my way to the front of the room where Noah is studying one of the drawings. “You’re changing our name?”
I glance around, but no one can hear us. I want to present the rest of the plan first before people get up in arms about the name. “As long as Dad is on board.”
“You know he will be. He doesn’t have a choice. You’re his Hail Mary. Why are you changing the name?”
“Because the kind of clientele that will bring money into this place won’t be impressed by Blackwood Family Farm.”
“Last I checked, we are the Blackwoods. You are one too. Or have you forgotten that since you ran away?” Noah takes a few deep breaths, closes his eyes, and then opens them. He’s not wrong, but he’s also not seeing the whole picture. “Why Whisper Springs Hideaway?”
“Because I’m looking for secrecy. Exclusivity. This will be a place that’s not on any map, and you won’t find it on Google. The only way to get here is to be brought here. I did my research. You can’t find anything about Whisper Springs anywhere even though we all know the town existed once upon a time. Keith said I could use it, and we’ll be using some of his buildings. Locals will also know, but other than that, nobody can find it, and we’ll be vigilant about keeping it off the internet. Our guests will be flown in by private helicopter.”
He gives me a look that is almost forgiving. “Giving Jacob a job, I see. You know, you haven’t even explained what you’re doing here, but I can already see the numbers. You’re not looking to attract huge amounts of people, just a few of the right people.”
“Exactly. And if we play our cards right, we’ll earn in a week what the farm currently earns in a year.”
“Levi will hate catering to the rich and famous.”
I chuckle. “He’ll deal. He’ll have a lot of work to do to get things up to par. In fact, he’ll be the first one I put on the permanent payroll.”
Noah stares at the posters for a few minutes longer and then opens his mouth. I know what he’s going to ask before he says it. “How are you paying for all of this?” he asks.
“I’m investing some of my own cash in exchange for ten percent ownership. Dad already knows about that. In two or three years, we’ll restructure the corporation so we’ll all have the same amount of ownership.”
Noah frowns but doesn’t say anything. He takes his seat, and my phone buzzes. I jump as I’m not used to getting service here. It’s amazing how quickly I got accustomed to not checking it a thousand times a day.
Mae: Don’t choke
She includes a gif of Homer Simpson with his hands around Bart’s neck.
Seth: If I do, then you have to take me out and get me drunk.
Mae: You’re not supposed to make me root for you to fail.
I smile at the phone, and someone clears their throat. The room is now full, everyone is seated, and all eyes are on me. For a second, I forgot where I was. Mae has that effect on me. I slip my phone into my pocket and try to clear my head of her smiles because if all I’m thinking about is her, I’ll intentionally fail, and I can’t do that to my family.
I begin by explaining my observations and some of the small overall things we need to change. Then I spring my idea.
“We’ll host four to six adult summer camps each year that will last a week, for twenty-something celebrities and social media stars. These kids grew up watching shows and movies about summer camp but never got to go. They spent their summers playing video games and texting their friends. There’s a romance about summer camp. The biggest draw will be the idea of no wifi for a week. That will be our selling point, but it will also be our biggest problem. These guests will struggle with the quiet and not know what to do with themselves, so we need to make sure we have activities planned for every second of the day. We will have a max of twenty guests during this time, but they will expect the ultimate luxury. We’ll need to upgrade at least ten of our twenty cabins and invest in ten glamping tents. Food that’s catered in will be the best of the best. Day guests and other campers will not be allowed in during those weeks. We will also be leasing several of the buildings on Keith’s property for a spa, a five-star restaurant, a gym, and three of the houses to accommodate more workers.”
I go on to explain more about the secrecy and other logistics.
“We’ll start with a short one this summer, the weekend after Labor Day. We’ll call it the Influencer Hideaway. Then we’ll spend the fall creating the spa and restaurant and plan on doing four longer ones next summer. Any questions?”
Hands go up all over the room. I do my best to answer most questions until the room quiets down.
Levi has been sitting there with arms crossed and a glare on his face. “Seth, one thing I don’t understand. If we’re limiting the number of guests, we’re limiting the amount of money that can be made. Twenty guests at a few thousand dollars each won’t make that much of a difference. Especially when you consider the investment that needs to be made to upgrade.”
Levi is a humble man, and I don’t think he’ll understand this, but I’ll give it a shot anyway. “They won’t be paying a few thousand. They’ll be paying closer to a hundred thousand.”
Levi’s mouth drops. “Each?”
I nod, and a quiet buzz of chatter flows through the room.
“For a week?”
“Yes.”
“No one will pay that.” He still hasn’t wiped the incredulity off his face.
“I’ve done it personally. More than once actually. It was money well spent.”
“You’re crazy.” He scoffs.
“I know. But the point is other people will pay it as well. And if we give them a good enough experience, they’ll come back year after year, and they’ll tell their friends. Plus, we’ll attend conferences for social media influencers to recruit them, starting with one in August in Las Vegas.”
Change is not always a good thing, and I proposed a lot of it, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Some of the expressions in the room are unreadable, some curious and interested, and others in agreement with Levi about the insanity of my plan. But I look at Dad. He’s the one that matters.
He steps up and claps me on the shoulder. “Son, I was skeptical when you came home. I know you’ve done amazing things for corporations all over the world, but I didn’t see how that could possibly translate to working here on our little farm. But this plan is solid. I like it.”
Murmurs of assent come from around the room, and I let out a sigh of relief. Levi’s still glaring at me, but he’ll get over it.
Mom raises her hand, and the room quiets down. “What about our local guests? Will they still be able to stay in cabins that have been upgraded for guests who are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars?”
This is a problem. We’ll need to keep them nice, and I do worry about that.
“I’m not sure how we’re going to handle that yet, but we’ll figure it out.”
She lets out a sigh but doesn’t argue with me.
“One more thing. I need to hire an assistant to get this done. It should be someone who has a deep understanding of social media marketing. Someone who is also friendly enough in person to deal with the locals so we can keep as much of our money here as possible. I don’t want to hire yoga instructors and masseuses from outside the community. I can use my contacts and hire an assistant from the city, but I’d rather have someone who understands our town. Any suggestions?”
“Mae’s degree is in social media marketing.” Abi gives me a look like I’m dumb.
In theory, Mae would be perfect, and the thought had crossed my mind, but the last thing I need is to be working closely with Mae. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since I got back home, and she’ll be a major distraction.
“Mae is moving to D.C. in the fall.” Keith scowls in my direction.
“But the summer camp will be the weekend right after Labor Day. By then, the hard work will be done,” Abi retorts. I know she thinks she’s helping, but she’s not.
“She’s perfect,” Mom says. “I don’t see how you could find anyone better. And don’t say you want someone with more experience. I know for a fact that she’s worked for fancy companies on the side her entire college career. That’s how she got such a good job in D.C.”
Before I can even answer, Dad rubs his hands together. “Then it’s decided. Mae will be Seth’s assistant. Mark, you’ll be okay without her?”
Mark nods. “I’ve got plenty of lifeguards this summer.”
My mind races through the things I need for a massive social media campaign. “Can I steal Abi as well? She’s great at photography and videography. She and Mae can work together to build a social media presence for us.” I look around for her, but she’s already disappeared.
“I thought you wanted this place to be kept secret,” Mark says.
“Oh, it will be. That’s the whole point. We want people to see it but have no idea where it is. And the only way to come here is to book a hideaway week. In fact, we’re going to leave up the sign for Blackwood Family Farm. Whisper Springs Hideaway isn’t something you see until you’re inside the property.”
Mark doesn’t look convinced, but I don’t expect any of them to get it. Slowly, the room clears, and after several more private questions from my brothers, I’m left alone to pick up my stuff.