24. Brooke
Brooke
Meemaw is thrilled about my job with Logan at the rafting headquarters.
“Brookie Cookie, that’s perfect!” she squeals. “And the hours are just right too.”
It’s too early for Beck to be home from his shift, but I need the headlamp for my first day.
I don’t want to show up unprepared and come across as disorganized.
I know that this is temporary, and that I’ll likely never see the people who come through for rafting again, but a girl has some pride, and I was raised to do the right thing.
In this case, being prepared for work the way your boss told you to be prepared is the right thing.
I open the front door, stepping out into the brisk mountain morning air. I’m not sure if Beck will be home before I have to leave, but it would really help me a lot if he was, and if he would give me that headlamp to borrow.
I lean against the siding of the house and heave out a sigh, thinking of what to do, when something white flutters just off to the side of my vision on the porch swing. Immediately I cover my head and close my eyes. I do not need an overzealous seagull attacking me today.
It takes a moment before I remember I’m not at Camp CGO, and the seagulls here in West Virginia have not attacked me, so I’m probably safe.
I crack open an eye and stare at the porch swing. Something black is there too.
I draw closer to the suspicious objects and find a headlamp pinning down a piece of plain white paper. The paper was folded in half but flipped open in the wind, leading to the flapping and seagull confusion.
I smile as I pick up the light, knowing Beck left it there for me.
I let my eyes rove the note. Beck’s handwriting is surprisingly legible for a doctor. I have to laugh as I read what he wrote.
Brooke,
I wanted to make sure you had this for your first day on the job but wasn’t sure if I’d be home in time to give it to you. Good luck .
-Beck
The man of few words uses as few words as possible in every scenario, it seems. I don’t really mind, because at least it shows he’s consistent.
Pocketing the headlamp in my pink hiking bag, along with the rest of my gear for work, I focus on folding the piece of paper into tiny squares like I’m in highschool and this is a note from a boy I want to save.
Scratch that—this is a note from a boy that I do want to save, but it’s not like it was when I was in high school and desperate for my first kiss and the attention I thought it would bring me.
Thinking about how desperate I was for my first kiss brings my mind back to Paige.
When I met her, she’d never had a boyfriend, and now she’s happily married to a really great guy.
It’s funny how someone like Paige, who would not have been popular if she had been in high school with me, ended up with the thing I desperately wanted and had thought popularity would bring.
I slide my phone out of my black capris pocket and fire off a text to Paige.
Brooke
Thinking of you because I’m on my way to work!
A text comes back almost immediately.
Paige
Where are you working? What happened with the cute neighbor?
Brooke
I’ll fill you in later. Here’s where I’m working.
I send her the link to Logan’s family’s rafting company website.
New RAFT River Gorge is a five-star rated adventure company with an impressive website that makes it look like this is going to be a lot of fun.
At least the pictures of people wearing helmets and holding brightly painted rafting paddles as they careen over a rapid make it look fun.
I’m not sure if it’s as much fun in real life as it is in a still photograph, but the internet presence is reassuring.
I smile to myself as I drive to work.
“Hey, hey, new employee.” Logan straightens from where he was bent over, securing ropes around a raft, as I approach the front of the open-air rafting check-in stand.
“Hi,” I respond, a little breathless from the very steep hike up from the employee parking lot.
A girl who must be Logan’s sister steps out from under the shadow of the awning. He mentioned she would be here this morning. “You must be Brooke?” I nod. “It’s so good to meet you! Logan never hires women who aren’t family, so it’s nice to have a new work friend I’m not related to here.”
“Lynette,” Logan warns.
“Yeah, sure, I know you keep business in the family,” Lynette says as she pulls her curly brown hair into a high ponytail and rolls her eyes.
She drops her voice to a stage whisper. “Really, he just hits on every woman he meets unless they’re related to him, and this is a way to protect the business. ”
“Lynette!” Logan scolds. Then he looks at me and says, “Sorry, Brooke. Lynette is my younger sister, and she never stops giving me a hard time.”
“Well, it’s pretty slim pickings for friends around here when you date every woman in my age group who comes through the door.”
Logan shrugs. “You wouldn’t want to be friends with the tourists anyway.”
“So why are you dating them?” she counters.
Logan opens his mouth, then snaps it shut as he fidgets with a knot, clearly uncomfortable. I’m no stranger to sibling banter, but I feel uncomfortable walking into whatever this weird conversation was.
He dusts his hands on his black athletic shorts and then gives his head a shake, but not before he scowls at Lynette. “Well, ignore Lynette, Brooke. I’d fire her, but she’s our second-best rafting guide.” He sighs. “Let’s get you set up.”
He leads me inside and shows me the computer system for reservations, the phone to call and confirm reservations the day before a party comes through, and the office supplies. It’s all standard and easy enough, and Logan makes no moves on me despite his reputation regarding women.
Despite his completely professional demeanor toward me, I have a moment of anxiety when he leads me to the storage room.
“Did you bring a headlamp?” he asks. “Or do you want to hold a flashlight? When you’re on your own, you’ll need a headlamp to get all the gear safely.”
He unlocks the door. It swings open and reveals a dark space.
There are some windows along the far wall, but shelves block most of the light.
The idea of walking into this space with Logan feels strange, and although I know Beck’s friend is a good guy at heart, I don’t want to be stuck in there alone with him.
“I … uh …” I stutter for a moment before I shake my head and remember that I’m a big girl and I can do my job. “I have a headlamp,” I say with the confidence in my voice that earned me the nickname I don’t actually love, but right now am grateful for.
“Great, do you want to … put it on?” Logan asks, raising a brow.
“Oh, yeah. I should do that.” I pull the headlamp out and adjust it across my forehead.
“So,” Logan says, clicking his own headlamp on, but leaning against the door to keep it open.
“This is the storage area. We keep rafts, air pumps, patch kits, life vests, and other things in here, but it’s really important you remember this.
” He bends and pulls a large stone from the corner, wedging it between the door jamb and the door.
“Always, always keep the door propped open if you’re in here. ”
I nod as he leaves the ajar door and begins showing me the organization system in the storage room. He’s kind and pleasant, and makes absolutely no indication that he’s interested in me, to my relief.
When we finish the tour of the admittedly creepy storage room, Logan checks his watch.
“Awesome. We have ten minutes before today’s group is supposed to arrive.
I’ll be working with securing the equipment, but Lynette is here to help you with the check-in and everything since it’s your first day. You good?”
I nod, and he tosses me a wink and a megawatt smile that makes me realize just how charming Logan is. It’s no wonder the tourist women all flock to him. Still, it’s nothing compared to the broody doctor who left a headlamp on the porch swing and the way he wrote my name on the note.
Without meaning to, my hand drifts to the pocket where I folded the note, and I touch it as if touching it would be as effective as a touch from the man himself.
It isn’t, but I’ll take what I can at this point.
Once the rafting group has been sent on their way, I’m free to leave. That was what Logan told me anyway. Lynette didn’t need to help me with anything because the system is so easy to use, which made it possible for her to gather extra supplies for the rafters from the storage room.
Lynette hopped on the bus with the supplies while Logan stayed back to check in with me. He’ll meet them down the river in his own vehicle. He’s just tossing something into his trunk, and I’m shutting the computers down when an SUV pulls into the gravel lot.
The door opens, and Logan mutters something about people thinking this is a walk-in activity and how reservations are clearly needed to raft, but I don’t fully hear what he says because someone I know hops out.
She has long red hair, long legs, blue eyes, and a smile so big I can’t believe she’s here.
“Paige?” I call, hardly trusting my eyes. When I turn a little, I find Connor outside the driver door.
“Brooke!” Paige says as she hurries toward me, Connor not far behind.
Logan suddenly appears at my side. “Are these friends of yours?” he drawls.
“I can’t believe you’re here. So this is where you chose to come on adventure week?” I say to Paige, then turn to Logan. “Logan, this is my friend Paige, and this is Connor. We all worked together a few summers ago at a camp.”
“A camp,” Logan says as he studies Paige and smiles that blinding smile at her.
Paige brushes a hair off her face, and I spy the glint of her wedding band in the sunlight.
“I take it you’re not here to raft?” he asks Connor.
“No, sorry, man. We’re here to see Brooke,” Connor replies in typical good-natured fashion.
“Eh, that’s ok. Rafting’s cool, but you have to have reservations.” Logan turns back toward me. “I have to head out to meet the group. Great job today, Brooke. Looking forward to having your help from now on.”
He waves, and we all wave in return.
“So, Brooke,” Connor says, after he plants himself firmly next to Paige and slips an arm around her waist. “What should we do on this adventure?”
“Uh … do you have a place to stay?” I ask.
“Yep! It’s only for two nights before we’re onto the rest of our adventure.
It’s the cutest little rental…” Paige looks up at Connor with a tiny blush, and I immediately direct the conversation away from their house because it’s clear they love each other very much in private right now, and I’d prefer not to know more about that.
“Great! There’s tons of hikes. Rafting, ziplining, rock climbing, fishing, kayaking…” I trail off.
Paige bites her lip and looks unsure for a beat, but it passes quickly.
“Hiking sounds amazing.” She leans into Connor. “As long as there are no cougars.” She shivers and Connor tightens his arm around her protectively.
“No cougars that I’m aware of,” I assure. “The trails can get pretty busy. I think there are bobcats and black bears though.”
“That sounds good enough for me. When can we hike?” Connor asks.
“Uh … well, I actually don’t really know the trails, but I can ask my neighbor if he’ll take us on a hike.”
“Oh, the neighbor ?” Paige asks before letting out a huge yawn. “Sorry, I am absolutely exhausted. We haven’t even been to the rental house yet, and we’ve been on the road since four a.m.”
“You guys came right here instead of stopping off and putting your things away?” I ask, shocked.
“Part of adventure week is surprises.” Connor shrugs. He knows full well that I do not operate well without planning. My penchant for planning might have been why he hired me to be a counselor at the camp he oversaw. “We wanted to surprise you.”
“You definitely did!” I say before giving each of them a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” I take in the circles under Paige’s eyes. She really is exhausted. “I think you should head to your house and rest up. I’ll ask Beck about hiking tomorrow. It’s his day off, so that should be good.”
“That sounds great.” Connor says, his eyes affectionately fixed on his wife.
“I’ll text you once I hear from Beck,” I say to the happy couple as we walk toward their car.
Connor holds the door open for Paige, just as he always does.
Paige gives me a quick hug and whispers, “I want to know more about the neighbor next time I see you!”
She climbs into the car. She has to move a well-worn book off the seat before she can sit down, and as she places it on the dashboard, I have to laugh. The woman who claimed she didn’t have faith when she started working at Camp CGO just moved a Bible off her seat.
Reflecting on how Paige has changed makes me think two things: One, that I should read my Bible again. And two, that Paige was right. It was worth the struggle and the wait for her. It will be for me too.
With that happy thought, I compose a text to Beck asking if he’ll stop by when he’s done with work for lemonade on the porch swing.