Page 103 of Wood Riddance
“Finn is so talented and passionate about Maine,” she continued. “He’s working on plans to launch a flight tourism business. That way, folks who aren’t from the area can experience the wilder parts of Maine rather than settle for the usual tourist traps.”
Susan’s face lit up. “Authentic. I love it. I hiked Katahdin about a decade ago. That area is breathtaking.”
“Finn flew me around the Katahdin summit a few weeks ago,” Adele said. “In a float plane, you can land on some remote lakes and see so much wildlife. People perceive Maine to be all beaches and lobsters, but there is so much more beyond our coast.”
“Take me up,” Susan demanded. “I’ll bring a photographer. Since I own a home here, my fans love Maine.”
My stomach lurched, and I stumbled a little. Had I heard her correctly? I needed to watch my footing or I’d fall to my death down this mountain.
Susan snapped her fingers and barked, “Milo.”
A skinny man in his twenties with floppy hair sprinted toward us. His sneakers were designer and clearly not made for this terrain.
“Yes, Susan?” he asked, huffing and puffing and wiping at his sweaty brow.
“Finn owns a flight tourism business.”
Not quite, Susan. It was still in the planning stages, but I kept my mouth shut. I was already in over my head.
“I want him to take me up in his plane. Get my schedule.”
Milo swung his backpack off one shoulder and pulled out a tablet. Deftly, he scrolled through while climbing down rocks.
“When am I free?” she asked. “Maybe fall.Ooh, Blythe! Get over here.”
A woman in her forties wearing actual hiking boots jogged over, offering Susan a stainless-steel water bottle.
“Let’s do a spread. We’ll call it “Untouched Maine.” She waved her hands in front of her like she could see the words written in the sky. “Wilderness, a bush plane, moose.”
Blythe was nodding like a bobblehead. “Love it. So no ocean? Just rugged wilderness?”
“We could do something like “Move over Alaska, Maine is the new wild frontier.”
“Finn is a fourth-generation lumberjack and excellent at axe-throwing,” Adele tossed out. “You could photograph him chopping wood.” She gave me a wink.
“Brills!” Blythe exclaimed. “Instagram will lose its shit. I’m thinking fall foliage and Susan in a chunky sweater, talking about the history of the region.”
“And this one”—Susan gestured to me like I was nothing more than a mannequin— “will photograph so well. Leaning against a plane with his arms crossed, maybe at sunset?”
Blythe hadn’t stopped nodding, but her thumbs were flying over her phone screen as she made notes.
“And he’s a war hero,” Susan said.
Blythe hummed. “Even better. I’m texting the editorial team right now. We’ll have an emergency meeting in an hour. Screw Morocco in fall. Those articles will be a dime a dozen. But Maine? So inspired, Susan.”
I looked at Adele for confirmation that I was really hearing this. She gave me a discreet thumbs-up.
“Susan,” Milo exclaimed. “I can clear three days next September.”
“Ooh, that’s soon,” Blythe said. “But I like it. Preproduction in the spring, then get a camera crew out for stills of the area so we can capture the experience. I’ll have the video crew work on content for YouTube too. You know the web team loves that.”
I searched Susan’s face, then Blythe’s, then Milo’s. These strangers were flanking us as we descended the mountain, planning outmyfuture in rapid-fire fashion. My head was spinning and my heart was racing, making it impossible to keep up.
Despite the wince that struck at the words “photo shoot” and the way my stomach lurched when they mentioned me being a “war hero,” I didn’t stop them. Though this was worlds outside my comfort zone, it could only mean good things for me and the dream I was working to make a reality.
Beside me, Adele bumped my shoulder with hers and squeezed my hand like she could sense I was spiraling. Her touch alone brought my panic down a notch or two.
“Let’s talk branding,” Blythe said without looking up from her phone. These people were absolutely unconcerned that they were on a mountain, surrounded by jagged rocks. “Once I get my team on this, I’ll send over contracts and other info. Give me your number.”
