Moving On by Erin Osborne
Chapter Four
Pops
TODAY IS THE day Alice and I are heading to Cedar Falls. She showed me a ton of images of the small town and things we can do while there. Our cabin is in the middle of the woods, but still close to the water so we can go hang out there during the day. Or just explore things when we don’t want to go near the water. Overall, the town looks like a perfect place to unwind and relax. We can do all of the touristy shit and have fun while doing it.
“Pops are you ready to head out?” Alice asks, wheeling her suitcase in front of her down the hall of our house.
“I’m ready. Waitin’ on you honey. As usual.”
Alice laughs because she knows I’m right. If there’s something we need to do or somewhere we have to go, I’ve taken to telling her earlier times so there’s a slight chance we’ll be on time for whatever is going on. Alice is constantly late unless she’s going to work. I’m not sure if it’s because she second guesses herself or has to double and triple check everything around the house and what she’s bringing with us. Either way, I wouldn’t change it for the world because it’s part of who she is and why I love her. Especially since she can laugh about it and make sure no one knows to expect her on time.
“Do you have everythin’?”
“I think I do.”
My woman sets a bag on top of her suitcase before walking through the house to grab her purse, phone, and whatever else she thinks she needs. I’m not sure why she has so much luggage because we’re only going to be gone for a few days. It’s not as if we’re travelling the country or going on some grand adventure. We’re heading out of town for three days and two nights in a place that’s about six hours away from us. I’ve got one small bag with my clothes, toiletries, and anything else I might need. I should be used to this after being with Ma so long and having Bailey as my daughter. Still, it amuses the hell out of me that women overpack so much and then still manage to forget something they decide they need once we’re at our destination.
While she’s wandering around the house, I grab her luggage and take it out to the truck. There is no way we can make the trip on my bike. Not with her luggage. I hate being stuck in a cage for so long, but for Alice I’ll do what I have to. After placing her bag in the back seat with mine, I make sure the truck is running to cool the interior down before checking the tires again. I’m anal about making sure my vehicles and bikes are in top notch working order. I’ve been checking the level of fluids, getting an oil change, and everything else in the last few days to make sure we don’t break down for any reason other than something happening.
As I’m getting ready to walk back in the house to check on my woman, she meets me at the door with her purse and phone in hand. Her keys are dangling from a finger, and she has her sunglasses resting on top of her head. Alice looks good to me no matter what she’s wearing. Today, she’s dressed in a pair of faded shorts she’s had forever with a tank top and her standard flip flops. Alice’s hair is tossed up in a messy bun and I know it will be hanging down her back soon. She’s not used to keeping it up for long periods of time since she decided to let it grow out.
After locking up the house, I hold Alice’s hand while leading her to the truck. I help her up inside before closing the door behind her. Walking around the front of the truck, I hop in the driver’s seat. Pulling out of our driveway, Alice and I are off on our first trip together. This is the first time we haven’t had too much of anything going on and we can get away. Hopefully we’ll have a good time and can bring back some amazing memories to share with our family. Both blood and extended.
The drive to Cedar Bay has been amazing. Alice and I have talked about what we want to do, she’s sung along to the radio, and has taken a nap while I drove the highway here. Other than stopping for gas once and for Alice to go to the bathroom a few times, we’ve eaten the food she packed for us and didn’t bother stopping so we could get to the cabin we’ll be staying in before dark. I’m not trying to search for shit in the dark in an unfamiliar place. Not with Alice with me. If it were the guys and me, I’d have no problem walking through the woods with a flashlight and nothing more than that. It’s the level of possible danger she can be in I’m trying to avoid.
Pulling into town, the sun is still shining, showing me Cedar Bay is nothing like what we’re seeing. The town is run down and most of the storefronts are sitting vacant and I’m not sure what we’re going to do here now. Alice looks at me just as I turn my head to look at her.
“What the hell happened here?” she asks, as if I’m going to know the answer to that question.
“Not sure babe. Let’s just get to the cabin and find out what it looks like. If it’s as much of a disaster as what we’re seeing right now, I’m not sure we’ll be stayin’ here. I’ll take you somewhere else if that’s the case,” I respond, scanning the main road of town as we make our way toward the road that will take us to the cabins.
Just before we have to turn, a rundown hotel grabs my attention. My mind is beginning to spin with possible ideas. I’ll have to find some things out while we’re in town. You can bet your ass I’ll be asking questions with Alice being here. I’m not about to have her stay in town when there’s some sort of danger going on. I’d never put my woman in danger like that. It’s all we can do to protect them from danger at home. Being in a strange town with no one else to have my back is a situation I don’t like.
One of the few things I’ve seen that’s not completely damaged or left to rot away is the beach and water. It’s pristine and has not even a speck of garbage in the parking lot. A few cars fill the area for parking. Those people are sitting in the sand or walking along the water’s edge. Birds fly overhead searching for food people might leave behind for them. I laugh at the few kids who play in the water; splashing one another and trying to get their parents who are standing close by wet too. It’s funny as hell because I remember a time my own kids did the same thing. Hell, I remember my grandkids doing the same thing in the pond on Skylar’s land. Those are the memories these people will cherish and love as their children grow up and move on with the rest of their lives.
I drive a little past the beach, following the signs for the cabins. There’s a rental office we’ll have to stop in to find out what cabin is ours and make sure we have the keys and everything else we’ll need. This is when I’ll be asking about what’s going on in town. I’m not going to accept anything until I know it’s safe for us to be here.
Pulling into a parking spot, I shut the truck off and let Alice know to stay in her seat. Clicking the lock button on my key fob, I make my way into what resembles one of the cabins we’ll be staying in. As soon as I enter the door, there’s a long counter directly to my left. A bell sits on the top. Since I don’t see anyone, I tap it, the loud ringing cause me to cringe. It’s not more than a minute before an older man walks through the door in the back behind the counter.
“Hello. Can I help you?” he asks me, stepping up behind the counter.
“I’ve got a reservation. However, I want to know what’s goin’ on in town before I accept a cabin or anythin’,” I tell him, not sure what’s going on here right now.
“What do you mean?” he questions me, his eyes darting around the interior.
“I mean, the empty storefronts, no one out enjoying the day, an empty beach. I’m here with my ol’ lady and there’s no way we’re stayin’ here if there’s somethin’ bad goin’ on here,” I inform him.
“We don’t like sharing our business with outsiders. There are a group of thugs coming in and destroying all of the hard work we’ve put into this town over the years. It’s gone from a tourist town to a ghost town. The only ones here are those of us that live here. No one goes to the beach anymore because that’s where they spend time pimping out their women. Cedar Bay is going downhill very fast and a lot of us are talking about moving away and letting the town die down for the thugs to take over as they’ve been doing for a while now anyway,” he answers me honestly with a sad, disappointed look on his face.
“Don’t do that. Give me a few days. I’ll keep my reservation here and let me do a few things to see if I can help.”
“What can you do to help? And why would you even bother?” he questions me, grabbing a set of keys and some paperwork for me to fill out.
“I’d help because it’s what I do. This town deserves better than what you’re gettin’ right now. Back home, I have some personal things goin’ on with a family member of mine. This little town might be exactly what’s needed. The MC I belong to, we help others who need it. As long as you don’t mind a club in your town. One of the things you can guarantee to happen is the thugs will be chased out of town faster than you can bat an eye. I’ll let you know what’s goin’ on after we get a feel for the town and figure things out,” I tell him, not sure exactly what this man is going to think of what I’ve said.
“You’d really do that for us?”
“Yeah, I would. It would be helpin’ more than just the members of the Cedar Bay community out though. A move would help my grandson out too. We’re not like most clubs and there are a lot of things that would have to happen before we’d even be able to move here. Let me see what I can do.”
Signing my name to the paperwork, he gives me a copy and a set of keys before pointing me in the direction of the cabin we’ll be staying in. Walking back out, I hop in my truck and drive us to the cabin. Alice is excited to spend some time alone together, and I must admit I am too. Now, there’s a second reason for my excitement. I’m hopefully going to give my grandson a reason to live again and get excited about something. Something that doesn’t include him remaining in Clifton Falls.
“What’s got that twinkle in your eye?” Alice asks me as I park the truck in front of our rental and shut the engine off.
“The man in charge here told me a few things. A group of thugs is takin’ over the town and there is no way they can control what’s goin’ on. Not sure what the fuck the cops are doin’ about this problem. Doesn’t sound like much of anythin’. I’ve got a few ideas about how to help this town out here,” I tell Alice as I grab our bags from the truck.
“What are you thinking?” my woman asks me, her voice not shocked or surprised at all where my head’s at.
“You already know. Tomorrow I say we check out the town and maybe get an idea of what’s goin’ on around here. The more we can figure out what is goin’ on, the more information I’ll have to take to the club when we get home.”
“Anything we can do to help. You know I’m on board with whatever you want to do,” Alice tells me, reminding me of how kind hearted and loving she is.
Alice and I have been here for a few days now. We’ve explored every single inch of the town and gotten a feel for the place. I’ve talked to several business owners, community members, and anyone who would talk to me. My ol’ lady has also been talking to several people. She even talked to the town’s real estate agent Tara. They’re willing to give us a really good deal on places here. Not only the store fronts but even the old hotel. We toured the place and it’s amazing. It hasn’t even been shut down for very long; maybe a month or two at the most.
Today, we’re ready to head back home. I’ve got a lot to do and Grim to talk to. Not just Grim either; Gage should be in on this conversation, and it needs to happen soon. I believe we can make a lot of new things work here and help these people get their town back to the way it was not so long ago. This is a small town who relies on their tourism to make their bills and keep the town thriving in the off season when it’s just the community members. Alice wants to get back home to help me bring these ideas to the club and help me when we need to discuss things. I’m not always the very best speaker when it comes to this type of thing.
We need to get all the club in on the plans I want to put in place. Zander and some of the other kids need this time away from Clifton Falls and Dander Falls. Jameson and Reagan are the only two who have moved away and stayed gone. The other kids who went off to college have come back and are now trying to find work. Cedar Bay could be the perfect answer to a lot of problems with the kids. Problems they haven’t said a word about to us, but I see it written in their eyes as clear as the sun shining on a bright, cloudless day.
After checking out, Alice and I slowly make our way through town. No one else is out other than a few shopkeepers. They’re sweeping of the sidewalks in front of their stores and making sure everything is clean and looks good for anyone coming here on an off chance they haven’t heard about all the shit going on with the small town. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind coming down here on a regular basis to get away from the club and have a vacation spot. Alice likes it here too and she wants to have a place to come see our grandchildren when there isn’t necessarily a place back home for them anymore. Our babies have grown up, started families of their own, and now their babies are ready to fly the nest and spread their wings to fly on their own. We need to give them that opportunity and I happen to believe Cedar Bay is the perfect spot for them to get their fresh start.
