“Lot of women do,” Liam said.
Jill sat down, pushing a fruity-looking drink toward Presley and taking a sip of her own pint of beer.
Presley took a sip. “Mmm. That’s great.” She looked up at Liam and then at Jill and Beckett. “You know, you could work together on some promotions. The lodge could offer ten-percent-off coupons for this place. Liam, you could share some social media posts, maybe have some flyers for the lodge by the door?” She had to raise her voice, because with the cheap separation down the middle, the music and noise from Leo’s side of the bar bubbled over.
Beckett couldn’t believe that even in the midst of… too many things… she had marketing strategies. Good ones.
“I love that idea. Connecting the local businesses and building off of each other is a great idea,” Jill said.
“I’m on board. Maybe you and I could meet up and talk?” Liam smiled at Jill.
“Liam, you’re walking a fine line, man,” Beckett said, unable to control the subtle growl in his tone.
The others laughed.
“Why don’t I tell Grayson to call you?” Jill said.
“Sounds good. I’ll send a waitress by for your food orders,” Liam said, winking at Jill and heading toward the bar.
“I don’t like him,” Beckett said.
Jill laughed. “You do so. I think we’re about fifteen years past when I needed my big brother to watch out for me.”
Presley put her hand on Beckett’s forearm. The touch somehow soothed something inside of him. Settled him. Grounded him.
“Don’t worry. I won’t order the platter,” she said.
His shoulders loosened. He could laugh at himself even if he didn’t like the stupid name. “Order whatever you want. Jill isn’t staying for dinner.”
Jill almost choked on her drink. “Subtle. Really nice. I do need to get back soon. Anderson brought all of the packages to the boat.”
“The cabin is nearly finished. It looks fantastic,” Beckett said.
“Everyone seemed to have fun taking part,” Presley said, her hand still warm on his skin.
“They did. Richard and Mel came down and said it made them want to do some home renos of their own. And Dayton is following Gray around like Ollie does, telling him what he could do with the money he’d happily throw his way for his cabin.”
The music grew louder, making people raise their voices to carry on conversations, but it didn’t detract from his enjoyment. Beckett hadn’t come to the pub in far too long. They’d all been so busy with the lodge, they’d hit the ground running every day. He and his siblings needed to remember to take more breaks. Together or separately. It couldn’t all be about the lodge.
“Is there anyone you could talk to about the idea? Maybe an accountant at your firm would have some insight?” Presley asked, looking at Jill.
Jill stared back at her, something passing between them that Beckett didn’t understand.
“If Gray wants me to, I will. I think it’s a good idea. What do you think, Beck?”
He shrugged. Hethoughthe’d like his sister to leave so he could hang with Presley. “I like the old guy. I don’t see a downside as long as the conditions are made clear. If Gray lays down clear guidelines, it could be the influx of cash he needs.”
A screech came from the speakers, making people groan. Up onstage, a waitress spoke into a mic. “Sign-up for karaoke is open. Let’s not do the same songs tonight, okay? We have new people in the house, visiting from Get Lost Lodge. For those of you who haven’t spotted him, we also have our very own Hot Mountain Man here. If you haven’t tried his platter, it’s our special tonight.”
Beckett resisted the urge to drop his head to the table as the crowd whistled and yelled.
Presley stroked his back. “Tomorrow we’ll do some posts that are more lodge focused, get some of the attention back on that.”
“On that note, I’m heading out. You two have fun, and I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Thanks for a nice day,” Presley said, standing to hug Jill.
Beckett liked how easily they got along. His sister kissed his cheek, patted his shoulder. “Don’t let the attention bug you,” she whispered.
