Page 19 of The Quit List
“You know that cabin I bought a while back?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, for the past few months, I’ve been renovating it.” I shift in my seat again. “And I’ve also been working towards my certification for Wilderness Guides of America. So I can lead wilderness expeditions.”
Maddie’s eyes grow wide as dinner plates. “Wow, Jax. Good for you! When does it all start?”
“Well, it’s already finished. I’m certified.”
Her jaw drops while Seb claps me on the shoulder, looking genuinely pleased. “That’s awesome, man. I’d sign up for any course led by you.”
“Thanks,” I say, smiling back at him. I then turn to my sister, who’s now opening and closing her mouth like a puffer fish. “Mads?” I ask gently. “What do you think?”
“I thought…” she starts. “I thought you were just bartending.” Her flapping mouth finally settles down, stretches instead into a wide, beaming smile that puts me immediately at ease. “But this actually sounds like you, weird as I think you are for it.”
Seb nods. “Seriously. This sounds perfect for you.”
I laugh, both pleased and discomforted by their words. “You don’t need to suck up to me anymore, I’ve already given you my blessing,” I joke and Seb laughs, too. “It’s not that big of a deal. Just something I’m trying out.”
“No, this is a huge deal,” Maddie says, raising her cup of tea like she’s toasting me. “I’m so proud of you. You’re gonna make the best guide ever."
“Hang on.” Seb frowns. “What does this have to do with the cabin?”
I push my fingers through my hair. “Well, I’m renovating it so I can use it as the base for wilderness expeditions. Have guests group together there before we go out on longer hikes. Probably live out there myself, full-time. I’ve already given my resignation at Full Moon.”
I could swear Maddie jerks back a little and Seb’s face falls, but both of them recover quickly and Maddie leans towards me, placing her elbows on the table. “You’re full of surprises today, aren't you? So when are you open for business?”
“Well, here’s the thing…” I say slowly, wondering how on earth I should phrase this. I twirl the stubby fry around the ketchup with renewed fervor. “I have my certification now and everything’s pretty much set to go, but my mentor says I should get more experience as a guide by taking people—particularly novices—out on some trips. He also says it’s important for me to work on marketing my business. Build up my social media presence, say, on TikTok.” I take a breath. “I was thinking that I could kill two birds with one stone…”
Seb chuckles. “Ahh. I see where this is going.”
The guy catches on quickly. A lot quicker than Maddie, who is still smiling happily, totally unaware.
I raise my eyebrows at my sister. “So, I know you hate the great outdoors, but I’m hoping you can help me out…”
7
HOLLY
The Pinnacle Hotel is practically a landmark in downtown Atlanta. A heritage building that carries over one hundred years of history, preserved and pristinely cared for—to the point where it almost feels like it’s stuck in the past.
It’s meant to be quaint, charming. Romantic. But in the wrong light, it feels more like a relic. Something that used to be aspirational, but now, it’s lost some of its shine. Gained a few mothballs.
Even the rumored resident ghost—a legend embraced by staff and guests alike about a portly man aptly nicknamed Peeping Tom who haunts the swimming pool changing rooms—has lost some of his spooky appeal since a real-life peeping tom was caught spying in there last month.
The thing is, I really do love the hotel. When I walked in here for my interview five years ago, I was immediately taken with the fact that the building seemed to tell a story. I fell in love with its old nooks and crannies and creepy folklore and eccentric regular guests, and I wanted to share that love with everyone who passed through the doors.
I get that Dylan, who is now the General Manager, wants to preserve its history and is reluctant to change too many things and update our processes —in fact, I admire his dedication to this. But I do think that there’s living in the past, and there’s preserving history in a fun way… one that brings the Pinnacle into the twenty-first century and puts it on the map as a must-book when visiting Atlanta.
The average age of our guests right now is frighteningly old. Like, getting to the stage that they could soon haunt the place, too.
So it’s my opinion that if we want to bring in new customers, appeal to younger generations, we need to entice them by reaching them where they are—forget print ads in newspapers and magazines, we need a social media presence. Engage with potential guests and tell our story, in real-time.
That’s not really my job title, though. As Dylan reminds me now in his gently coaxing, roundabout way as he peers at me through the tortoiseshell glasses I’ve always thought make him look like he should be modeling for Tom Ford or Armani.
“It’s a nice idea, Holly.” He makes a humming sound as he leans back in his chair, fingers steepled together. “But I don’t think that’s the image we want to portray here at Pinnacle. We want to show off that elevated experience, not drag our name through the mud.”
“I understand,” I reply, although I don’t. Dylan is talking like I’ve suggested we bring in new guests with naked jello wrestling, when all I proposed was that we invite a couple of travel influencers to stay for a night or two—influencers whose social media is dedicated to visiting new cities and reviewing nice hotels. “I just noticed that we have a lot of midweek availability through April, so if we were to set up the influencers in a couple of our nicest suites, give them a fun and lively Atlanta itinerary, and have them promote a discount code valid Monday to Thursday in their videos, stories and posts, we could probably fill those empty rooms pretty quickly.”