“Granger riding your ass about being more organized in the office?”
“You know it. But I’ve got a shit ton of design work going. I was just hired by a horror author to redo fifteen of his book covers and I’ve got three website designs going.” A perfectly timed yawn escapes him.
“You need a break, man. Burning yourself out isn’t the answer.”
He throws the truck in park at the marina. “Yeah, tell my brother that. He seems to forget I own a second business and don’t work for him full-time. But something else is going on. He’s been way too on edge lately, even for him.”
“You guys’ll figure it out. If not, just set him straight. I know you can. You’re the only one that guy listens to.”
He nods before getting out and grabbing his stuff from the back.
“Look! It’s my two free laborers for the day!” Granger yells from the doorway of his office.
“I don’t know about free. You exchanged your modeling skills for said labor.” That earns me a grunt in response. He wasn’t exactly thrilled when I told him that a fisherman in his element with tattoos and a beard would bring in the women in droves, flocking to the marina.
He’d said,I’m not going to let you pimp me out for your magazine.I had to get Nora to help me convince him. They’ve been friends since elementary school, and I always thought there was something between them, but I think they truly are more like siblings.
Kane laughs at his brother’s discomfort. But both are showered and in clean flannels that showcase the tattoos. Kane’s got neck tattoos that peek over the collar. You’d never know he’s the computer geek out of the three of us. I fit that bill more than anyone.
A pair of the bright orange bibs come flying at me and I catch them with one hand. “Put those on, pretty boy.” Granger says.
It takes a little over an hour to get ready before we’re out on the water, but it’s the perfect time to get some shots of the guys working the boat. They deliver seafood to Bob’s Seafood Shack, so everything is fresh from the dock the day he cooks it. If it isn’t coming from a local fisherman, it’s not on his menu. Something that sets Bob apart from the other shacks in the area. Most of them will substitute frozen fish when the season calls for it.
Pulling out my camera, I start snapping photos of them and earn a grunt with a frown from Granger after the first one. “You know women love a grumpy asshole?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you insisting on telling me how attractive I am?” Granger grunts.
“Hey, I know my market. And it’s not men. It’s women. And women want an escape with hot men. Promise.”
“Whatever.”
Kane starts pulling traps in so I leave Granger alone… for now.
We have a good time out on the boat and I have plenty of photos for the blog. I even got a great shot of Bob’s coming back into the marina with him standing on the dock waving to us, waiting for his daily catch for the night.
I just need a shower before I get to enjoy it. With a beer.
Bob helps me unload all the boxes of beer from my trunk from Roman. Roman, my brother-in-law, owns Rebels Brewery in Balsam Cliffs. He supplies beer to local restaurants and bars and I got roped into being the free transport for Bob this week.
“He’s got the Valentine’s ones in here for you. He said there was enough to get you through March.”
“Thanks for helping with the transport. It’s nice when we can save some money.” Bob slaps my shoulder.
“Hopefully the blog will help get you all some more business with new tourists.”
“That list got us some, but not enough.” He grabs a box and starts putting them all in the cooler behind the bar.
Bob’s isn’t anything fancy, but it’s a local staple with amazing food. It’s small inside, with most people utilizing his take-out window in the summer and the picnic tables outside.
I slap the bar, not knowing what else to say to him before I wander off to find Granger and Kane at a table with their friend Evander.
“H-h-hi. I just took their orders. What can I get you?” A shy waitress barely whispers over the sound of the music playing.
“Did they order dinner yet or just drinks?”
“Drinks.”
I smile, trying to make her feel more comfortable around me, but I don’t know if it worked, her fidgeting clearly shows that she isn’t comfortable around strangers. “I’ll take one of Rebels’. Surprise me. I love them all.”
