The Calamity Falls Box Set by Erika Kelly

Author:Erika Kelly [Kelly, Erika]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: EK Publishing, LLC
Published: 2019-07-23T04:00:00+00:00

The train pulled into the station, and Ruby pumped her arm. “Choo choo.” Giggling, she tucked her elbows to her sides and lowered her face into Squawk’s furry head.

“You liked that train ride?” Will descended the stairs onto the platform, holding her tight against him.

Actors in period costumes—well-to-do couples, gun slingers, an ironsmith, a banker—roamed the dirt streets and boardwalks, and the town was filled with friends, family, and town employees, ready to launch Owl Hoot.

She pointed over his shoulder to the train. “Go ‘gain.”

“We’ll take the train home, but right now let’s go check on Wally. It’s her big night.” The other chefs had been in town long enough to hire help and get their dishes together. Being so far behind the curve had made Delilah nervous, so he wanted to give her support.

“See Wally?”

She seemed as excited as he was. “Yeah.” As he climbed the boardwalk steps and made his way to the saloon, his phone vibrated. When he saw Gray’s name, he stepped aside to take the call. “Hey.”

“Heard you kicked Mom out.”

Great. He could just imagine how she’d spin it. “I don’t know what she told you, but—”

“Hey, man,” Gray said. “No grief from me. You did the right thing. She’s got no business in our house.”

Even though he didn’t regret his decision, it still relieved him to get his brother’s support.

“Besides,” Gray said in his deep, rumbly voice. “That’s Dad’s kid. Mom’s got no relationship to her.”

Ruby bounced Squawk on his shoulder, murmuring to herself.

“Little girl.” He watched her, lost in her own little world, and it made him smile.

“What’s that?”

“She’s not a kid. She’s a little girl.”

Gray went quiet. And then, “She’s cool?”

“She’s amazing.” He was starting to sound sappy. “How’d your heat go?”

“Did okay.”

Gray. His brother downplayed everything. Swore he didn’t care about winning—it was the thrill of the ride. “You make the finals?”

“Yeah.”

A rustling sound let him know someone had snatched the phone out of his brother’s hand. “Dude, he’s like the wave whisperer.” Sounded like Amelia, one of the surfer’s in Gray’s posse. “He caught a fuckin’ ten, and he was legit shredding those barrels.”

“Cool.” Will never understood why his brother didn’t take surfing and boarding seriously. He could be a champion. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Can you put Gray back on?”

After a brief hand-off, his brother came back on the line. “Yeah, man. I’m here.”

“When you coming home?”

“You need me now? I can fly out tomorrow.”

He knew without a doubt Gray would give up his tournament if Will was in a bind. “Nah, it’s all good. Thanks, though. Good luck tomorrow.” Disconnecting, he transferred Ruby to his other arm and pushed open the doors of the restaurant.

A crowd gathered around the bar to watch the bartenders in action. Each contestant had a different style of mixing drinks and interacting. The judges—travel writers and food critics—wore lanyards and carried clipboards, as they took notes.

The winner of the best signature cocktail for the Owl Hoot Spa restaurant would get twenty-five grand, but it’d be the board members who’d decide which bartender they’d hire.

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