“She didn’t ask me anything. She had plans with Skylar, so I gave her a ride into town. I can get my work done here as well as anywhere.” His phone vibrated, and when he saw Pierce’s name, he held up a finger and answered. “Hey.”

“Brodie. Sorry, it’s taken me a few days to get back to you. Been on vacation. I’m happy to set up a meeting, but can you tell me what it’s for?”

“You bet. First, I want to apologize for dropping the ball on Owl Hoot. I got carried away with Knox’s digital shop, but that’s no excuse. Secondly, I’ve got all the artisan stalls filled now, so that should make things interesting for the tourists. I’ve also hired a social media manager to get us in tourism guides and travel websites. She’s already created some pages for us, and she’ll be posting pictures and announcing events on a daily basis.”

“This is great, Brodie. I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear it.”

“There’s more. I just had a meeting with my brothers, and we’ve got some business ideas to run by you. We’d like to build an Outfitters store that offers guided adventures. Fly fishing, rappelling, skiing, wildlife watches, things like that.”

“That’s…fantastic.” He sounded emotional, and as glad as Brodie was to have resumed his responsibilities, he felt like shit for neglecting them for so long. He hadn’t once considered what stepping away meant for the team he’d hired to run the place.

“We’re also thinking about an ice cream parlor and a reliquary museum. Gray brought up the idea of an indoor sports complex in case of bad weather. A climbing wall, a paint gun room, stuff like that. I just need to get the board’s approval, and then we’re good to go.”

“Damn, Brodie. When you set your mind to something, you knock it out of the park. Okay, let me get with the board and come back with a few dates for you. Thank you.”

“I’m only doing what I should’ve done last year.”

“No, you’d made it clear the work would be done in phases, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

The moment he hung up, Brodie checked the text messages that had come in while he’d been on the phone. Fin needed him at the training facility. He wrote him back. Be there soon.

“Sounds like you’ve made Pierce happy.”

“Yeah.”

Led by a black lab on a bright red leash, an older couple walked by. Once they passed, Vanessa asked, “So, are you and Rosie seeing each other?”

“Like I told you, we’re working on a project together.”

“Don’t get so defensive. Friends can ask questions like that.”

“You never did before.”