Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,31

fill out some paperwork though.”

“Paperwork?” Cat queried.

“Yup. In Alaska if you want to work when you’re sixteen, we have to apply for a work permit for you, and I have to consent to you getting the job. It’s a liability issue.”

“Can’t you pay me under the table?” Cat asked, all nonchalant.

Grant let out a laugh at that. “Jesus. She’s already negotiating.”

Flynn merely rolled his eyes, taking it in stride. “Nothing under the table. We’re all official here.”

Cat let out an aggrieved sigh as Flynn chuckled. “We’ll do the paperwork together. Pretty sure it’s no big deal.”

We settled in for a rare night here where it was just staff. Flynn couldn’t have known how much I needed this job when he’d reached out. I had just finished my time in the Air Force and was on the other side of my short-lived but brutal episode of opiate addiction. With my own experience and tracking the news, I was convinced those damn pills were evil, as were the pharmaceutical companies that lied through their teeth for years while they made money hand over fist. Coming to Alaska and being able to do what I loved and be with guys who were like brothers to me helped me re-center and catch my balance in the never-ending ride of life.

Later that night, I let my eyes travel around our hodgepodge group. We had decamped from the counter over to the main table, a large rectangular table situated in front of windows that ran the length of the room. The windows offered a view of the field outside the resort with the hills rolling downward to reveal the mountains and ocean in the distance. The sun was being extravagant tonight as it set with the sky awash in pink, purple, and the fading gold of the sun’s rays lingering through the colors.

Nora was at one end of the table helping Cat with her math homework. Flynn, looking more relaxed than usual, leaned back in his chair with his arm draped over Daphne’s shoulders. Diego was sitting beside me, debating the finer points of dipnetting with Tucker and Gabriel. He glanced to me for assistance. “Don’t you think it’s better when you make the pole with cedar so it floats?”

“Agreed,” I said quickly.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Really? You’re limited with shape when you use cedar for the pole. All you can do is make a square or rectangle net. I like the metal or the stainless steel because I can make it into a big loop.”

“What do you think?” I prompted, lifting my chin toward Tucker who sat across from me.

Tucker, ever affable, simply shrugged. “Whatever works for y’all.”

Grant had left the room to go to the bathroom and returned, sitting down beside Tucker. “What do you think?” Tucker asked him.

Grant looked amongst us. “Uh, what are we talking about?”

“The finer points of dipnetting,” I offered as I chuckled.

Dipnetting was a beloved Alaska tradition. You had to wait until you were a resident for a full year to even consider it. During short periods of time in fish season, residents could show up and stick a net in the water and catch salmon. It was like nothing I’d ever seen and a total blast.

“Cedar,” Grant said firmly, getting into the swing of the conversation immediately.

Grant was younger than Flynn by five years. He was more easy-going than Flynn, but was otherwise so much like him it was amusing at times. He was ever practical and quick. He was also shaping up to be a great pilot. I’d been one of his instructors for his training hours

Flynn, picking up on our conversation, called over, “Cedar.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll just have the best-looking net.”

Nora glanced up. “Who cares how the net looks?”

“And, here we go,” Diego muttered under his breath.

I grinned. “It won’t last long. They usually don’t argue too much when Flynn is around.”

Daphne cut the debate off at the pass. She tapped her hand lightly on the table. “While we’re all here, can we chat about the fundraiser coming up?”

“We will all be there,” Diego said, putting his palm over his chest and giving her a solemn nod.

“We’ll also be on our best behavior,” Tucker added.

“I would expect nothing less,” Daphne said in her precise, slightly Southern accent. “I just want to thank y’all for supporting this. It means a lot to me.”

Nora chimed in, “Of course we support it. I think you should do a fundraiser every year.”

“Maybe,” Daphne replied lightly. “It’s turned