Page 43 of Recklessly in Love

“I agree,” Mia chimes in. “What if we go even further and hold a series of meetings? Give people a chance to learn about the options and voice their opinions?”

We all agree it’s a good idea, so we plan to hold three meetings next weekend at the community center: one Saturday morning, another that afternoon, and a final one Sunday afternoon. Not Sunday morning, less due to potential church conflicts, and more because Saturday night is apparently a big night for folks to hit the tavern.

In any case, Nate offers to make a flyer, which Mia will take to the mail shop post office to distribute to every resident of the area. Finally, Rae will post the flyers in all the local businesses she can. Though we all agree Jerry probably won’t let her put them up at the tavern or coffee stand.

“Hopefully, this will help generate some early support,” Greg muses after we draft the flyer’s wording. “We’re going to need it.”

I nod my head in agreement. “Especially since after the initial filing, the county’s boundary review board will hold a meeting to give everyone a chance to say their piece for or against the incorporation. Best to have as many people behind us as possible by then.”

“When will that happen?” Mia asks.

“Code says within thirty days, but I did some preliminary poking around, and it seems like Kittitas County is pretty good at getting things done quickly,” I respond. “But we’ll see. I’ll let you know as soon as I know. Either way, that’s just a bitch fest, and I doubt it’s going to sway anyone one way or another. The biggest hurdle comes after that. We’ll have about six months to get signatures from at least ten percent of the population, which will mean a lot of answering questions and hand-holding. I’m hoping to get that done as quickly as possible to get it over with. And, the sooner, the better anyway.”

Mia’s eyes light up. “What if we throw a big St. Patrick’s Day event? Food, drinks, games, and a petition signing booth. We could get a huge chunk of signatures in one fell swoop while people are in a good mood and a little liquored up.”

Rae snickers, though we all agree it’s actually a brilliant idea. The timing is perfect, and we’ve already established that the folks here can’t resist pastries, drinks, and holiday-themed events.

“All right. Good plan, guys,” I say encouragingly. “After that, we file the paperwork, and the county auditor reviews — and hopefully approves — the petition in about a month. Then, there’s one final boundary review board meeting to formally approve the incorporation plan. Which is, incidentally, where my role in this hootenanny ends.”

Mia’s brow furrows. “That’s it, then Alpine Ridge is a town?”

I huff a laugh. “Um. No. Not even close. After that is the voting phase. First, a vote of the affected residents to approve the incorporation. Assuming a forty percent or higher approval, it goes on to a vote to nominate town officials. Then, finally, a vote to elect those officials. Those’ll all be pretty spread out. And even once that’s done, it’s up to the new town council and mayor or manager to finish the incorporation and start setting up town services. Which could take years.”

“Shit,” Nate mutters.

“Yup. We’re just getting started here, kiddos. Strap in for a long, hard ride. And probably not the fun kind,” I tease.

Greg laces his fingers through mine, and I glance over at him. “You said ‘we’,” he murmurs. I suppress a smile, but I do lean in and kiss him. Because he’s not wrong. I’m already thinking of myself as part of this kooky town. When the hell did that happen?

I look up to find everyone watching us with doe eyes, and I roll my own. “All right, back to business,” I snip jokingly. “So, as I was saying, the actual election process will need to be handled by someone else, alongside the county. You’ll need someone who understands the electoral system, or can at least figure it out, and can support and organize the candidates.”

Mia perks up. “Carrie’s getting her master’s in political science in June. Maybe she could take that on?”

Rae hesitates. “The townsfolk might not take kindly to an outsider running things, even if she is your sister. We should look for volunteers locally first.”

Mia concedes the point, and we agree to start recruiting election volunteers once the incorporation is approved. There’s no rush, considering that it will be anywhere from four to six months from now.

With the plan laid out, a sense of excitement and purpose settles over the room. We’re really doing this.

As the conversation shifts to more casual topics, I turn to Rae. “Hey, have you thought about what you want to do with the museum?”

She leans back against the wall, considering. “It’s a great space with a lot of history. Maybe we could turn it into a community center annex? Offer classes, workshops, events that Greg can’t accommodate?”

Greg nods thoughtfully. “That could work. Or what about keeping it a tourist attraction, at least partly? Play up the gold rush angle and give people a reason to stop and spend money in town. Keeping it low-key, of course, nothing too flashy, so it’s in keeping with the feel of the town.”

We discuss a few more ideas but agree to decide later — one step at a time.

But as I think we’re wrapping up, Nate’s expression turns serious. “Guys, what will we do about Ned in the meantime? It could be a year or more before we have a police force.”

A heavy silence falls over the room. And it may be just that I’m more tuned into him, but I can feel Greg’s unease. Yet Rae is the first to speak.

“We can’t just let him keep preying on women,” she says firmly, her usual friendly smile notably absent. “But we also can’t take the law into our own hands.”

“What if we encourage anyone who’s had a run-in with him to file a complaint with the county sheriff?” Mia suggests quietly, twisting her fingers together. “Establish a pattern of behavior, even if they can’t act on it immediately.”

“That’s a good start,” I agree. “And we should spread the word for women to be cautious around him and report anything immediately.”

Nate snorts. “Oh, believe me, everyone here knows. It’s outsiders I’m most worried about. Like Carrie.” He grimaces and slips his hand around Mia’s.

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