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“Off to a great start.” Brody shook his head.
“You’re just jealous,” Zach said to Levi with a teasing, self-satisfied smile.
“Are you kidding me? I could have had her. I stepped back for you. You owe me.” Levi bowed and waved a hand, a grin on his face. “You’re welcome.”
“Can you two knock it off so we can talk business?” Brody straightened. They had important things to discuss.
Levi and Zach took a seat and sipped their coffee.
He paged through his spreadsheet. “The forecast is good for the upcoming season. We need to discuss the details of this adventure program. It can bring in a whole new source of income and customers.”
“I’m all for it, but we’ll need to hire a guide. None of us has the time to take people on trips,” Levi said.
“I already talked to Brody about that.” Zach shifted in his chair. “Crystal’s friend, Jenna, wants to interview for it. She has a lot of experience, and the place she works at is going out of business.”
Brody’s chest tightened. He didn’t trust an outsider to come in and run a new part of the business. “If we decide to hire someone, I’d want it to be a local. Someone who knows us and the area. Besides, I’m not convinced we need to. Crystal ishandling the marketing, and we can hire a temp to help with the administrative work. That would free up some time for me to handle the new venture.”
Levi frowned. “No doubt you could do it. We all grew up rock-climbing, hiking, and kayaking. But we’re talking about some overnight trips, and I don’t see you having that much time. Plus, there’s the planning, bookings, and meal arrangements. I think we need to hire someone.”
He had a point. Adding in those tasks would eat up chunks of the day. Still, this was a family business and a brand-new venture. He wasn’t ready to hand that off to someone. “Maybe we start small and just do a few day trips.”
“I don’t think that will bring in much business.” Zach shook his head. “Jenna told Crystal that they take busloads of people and have multiple guides on tours, unless it’s some remote place in another country. But we’ll be staying within a few hours of the park. There’s money in numbers.”
“I don’t like it. We’d be putting a lot of responsibility in the hands of whoever we hired, and the park’s reputation is on the line,” Brody said.
“That’s why we hire someone who knows what they’re doing.” Zach rubbed his chin. “Jenna’s been at this for a long time, and she’s been all over the world. With her experience, I’m sure she’d be more than capable of running the show.”
The last thing Brody wanted was some know-it-all taking over the operation. “Well, she’s never been here. She has no idea how things work for us.”
Levi held up his hands. “There’s no point in doing something half-assed. Either we go all out and hire someone, or we forget about it. I know you’re a control freak, Brody, but you gotta let go sometime.”
Brody bristled, his blood heating. “Just because I’m not willing to take risks with outsiders doesn’t make me a control freak. It’s—”
“Everyone simmer down. Let’s stick to the topic.” Zach tapped his fingers on the armrest. “Do we all agree that we’d make money and grow the business if we added the program?”
“Yes,” Levi said.
Brody hesitated, not liking where Zach was going. But Brody couldn’t argue the fact. He gave a quick nod.
“Then it’s time for a vote.” The corners of Zach’s mouth curved up. “I say we post the job listing.”
And there it was. Payback for when they’d outvoted Zach on the decision to letCelebrity Trialsfilm there. Only that had turned out well for Zach, who never would have met Crystal otherwise.
“I agree.” Levi gave a thumbs up.
Brody’s stomach sank. Easy for them to vote yes. They wouldn’t have to deal with the new person. Delegating wasn’t Brody’s strong suit. He’d learned the hard way that if you wanted a job done right, you did it yourself. “I guess it doesn’t matter what I say then.”
“Lighten up, Brody. It’s gonna work out for the best. One question, Zach.” Levi faced him. “Is Jenna hot?”
Zach cleared this throat. “Since I’m engaged, I don’t look at other woman anymore. But if I did—”
“That’s it. This meeting is over.” Brody stood.
Levi snickered as he and Zach set their cups on the counter.
Wonderful. They’d bonded since Zach’s newfound love had come along, and he wasn’t such a grump.
“This is going to be great for the business. Wait and see,” Zach said.
