Chapter Two
January
“Your shop is officially done and ready for online shoppers. These prints are awesome, man.”
“Thanks for your help. I was able to understand the basic site setup but the shop was beyond me,” I say to Kane Pierson.
Kane is a good friend I met in a small fishing town a couple hours north on the coast. He’s a graphic designer and owns a lobster fishing company with his brother. He’s been helping me get my own travel blog up with a shop for people to buy the photos I take while traveling.
“You really want Hemlock Cove to be your first feature? Not like we’re a hot spot of tourism.” He laughs, because it’s true. But it could be a hot spot.
“Hell yeah. You guys are sitting on a hidden gold mine of what people want. Quiet. Quaint. Fishing town with all the fresh seafood. A coffee shop that could rival any in Portland. You guys just need the tourists and I think I can help with that.”
“Nolan is going to be pissed as hell with you.”
Yeah, my former boss for sure is going to be pissed off. “Sounds like Nolan should have listened to me then and let me feature the whole town instead of just the fishing and fresh seafood along Route 1 with you guys getting one small paragraph as number nine on the list.”
“That was some bullshit. No way Bob’s Fish Shack was number freaking nine.” He defends his hometown’s claim to fame.
I will say it was the best damn lobster roll I’ve ever had and I rallied hard for it to be number one, but Nolan of course had money coming in from numbers one, two, and three. So there was never a competition.
“Definitely bullshit. But now you get to be featured as number one in everything. I’d love to get out on the boat with you and your brother for some shots too.”
“For sure, man. We don’t do as much in February but we do go out to catch a few hard shells for those Valentine’s Day lobster dinners.” Kane and his brother, Granger, enjoy the off months but they’re good at business and know they can sell around certain holidays.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll let you know when I hear from Dottie about my booking.”
We hang up and I finish up my website to get it live with my first blog.
Hey! I’m Cooper Keaton, traveler and photographer extraordinaire. Well maybe not extraordinaire, but I sure love sharing the beautiful corners of the world with you.
I have worked for big magazines and visited a lot of popular places, but now it’s my turn to bring you the small, quiet towns off the beaten path.
So if you’re ready for a journey, subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow me on all the socials, and join the newsletter.
Can’t wait to bring you along for the adventures of your life!
First trip coming in February, just a couple weeks away.
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Just as I shut my laptop a knock sounds on my cabin door.
“Come in!” I yell.
“Hey! I’ve got the last of these damn knobs for you and I’m officially fucking done,” my brother, Hunter, says walking into the open concept cabin.
He started renovating last summer when our sister Emma moved home from college.
But with delays, and Emma’s detour to making the barn a priority in the fall, he just finished last month and the kitchen knobs were on backorder.
Emma wouldn’t budge on design because they needed to match the rest of the inn.
It was a pain in the ass, but I will say I’ve learned a lot about branding from her.
She made a branding board for me with colors, fonts, themes, all things I never would have thought about when it came to my blog. And it came in clutch when I met with Kane for design. Having all my own travel photos that didn’t get sold to my old magazine was also a huge bonus.
“About fucking time.” Hunter shoots me a look that tells me he might punch me if I push him too far. “Geez, who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?”
“Just another fucking job for Liam and Emma. I fall for their simple projects every fucking time. And it never is. I can’t wait for the ground to thaw so I don’t have to be their bitch anymore.”
I let out a belly laugh. They do somehow know how to play him, and now that Emma has our sister-in-law, Evelyn, offering up sex in exchange for helping them, he’s a goner.
“Well, I for one, am thrilled to have you out of my space.” I clap him on the shoulder as I walk by into the kitchen to drop my mug into the sink.
“Count your days. When I left the office, she and Violet were talking to Evelyn about getting this cabin staged so it can be booked with the wedding packages.” He chuckles under his breath.
“Shit. What the hell am I supposed to do for a place to live?”
“No idea. But you might want to figure it out, and quick. I think Tommy Peterson has a place that he might rent out near the orchards.”
“The old cabin at the back of the property?”
Kane and I have been helping Tommy and Aggie with photos and a website for their orchard and farm. They’re drawing more tourists now that the inn is up and running at full capacity again.
“Yeah. He asked me to help him do some repairs on that one and the other one closer to the house recently. Jack’s wife and daughter moved into the one by the house, so I think he wanted to try to rent the other.” He spins a knob into place before standing and tossing the packaging into the trash.
“Thanks. I’ll reach out to him if Emma is intent on disrupting my living situation. Again”
“She’ll probably offer room number eight in the inn.” He laughs hard this time.
“Oh yeah, the broom closet? Can’t wait. I’ll message Tommy now.” I shake my head and pull out my phone. I’m not staying in room eight.
“There’s always—”
I cut him off. “That needs too much work right now with your busy season approaching and me starting the blog.”
He holds up his hands in defense. “One day something is going to have to happen there.”
“I know. But I owe it more than I have to offer right now. Granddad wouldn’t want that.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself.”
Sighing, I run my hand through my hair. “Noted. I’m still going to call Tommy though.”
“Suit yourself, man. But you know I’ll make time for you whenever you’re ready.”
Hunter leaves after he finishes up the rest of the cabinets, and I’ve already done my tasks of reaching out to Dottie for a room at the inn and now Tommy for a room when I get home.
It’s time for me to be Liam’s bitch and head to the inn to see what tasks I’ve been assigned today. I can’t wait for this blog to get up and running so I don’t have to do whatever my brother says anymore.
I love the inn, and I don’t mind helping out, but as a career? No. It’s not for me.
The first stop is Hemlock Cove, and I’m hoping that will open me up for other New England hotel opportunities. Hopefully I can use my connections from the magazine.