Page 17 of Always Be an Us

It’s probably why I stayed in my last relationship too long.

And despite me teasing Grandpa about being superstitious, the truth is I'm a little superstitious, too. It's hard not to attribute certain events in my life to the supernatural, particularly living in a town like this, with so much lore and strange happenings.

It's a strange little town, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The next morning, when I head into the Tiki Bar, the middle row tables are all occupied. I almost get excited until I notice that most of the spots are occupied by Poppy Moon and her conservationist group. The group often has meetings here (like most other groups in town) but they rarely ever buy anything other than pop.

"It’s outrageous," Poppy is saying as I walk in. She’s standing in front of the group, her shoulder-length mix of silver and red hair curling in a mass around her face. Her slender arm points to the sky emphatically as she declares, "Can you believe that this guy just gets to come into town and tell us what we can and cannot do with our lake? Our nature?"

"Yeah." The next voice comes from Hal Rojas, who is not from the conservation group but likes gossip more than any old lady I've ever met. He usually hangs around the bar because it's the most likely place to get a scoop. He also doesn’t order much except a beer. "He can’t just do that. You know I never liked him since he rolled in here. And Andy, down at the gas station says he talks snooty-like, like he's better than us."

"Speaking of rolling in, did you see what he came in with?" Lena, who is in Poppy’s conservationist group, points out. "That car probably uses a ton of gas every year, killing the environment. I’m sure he could give two shits about his carbon emissions though."

"Who are you guys talking about?" I ask as I set my purse on the counter.

"The new owner of the Pink Hotel." Poppy spins to me, her sharp eyes flashing with anger. "Have you met him? Yule said he came over for lunch yesterday and complained about the burger."

"Oh him." I try to respond less than enthusiastically, even though for whatever reason, my mind plays back the video of that kiss. "Yeah, we met. He ordered a burger and then had us remake it five times."

"Talk about waste," Lena says shaking her head in disgust.

"Yeah," I tuck my hands into the pockets of my cut-offs, curiosity getting the better of me. "Wait,hebought the hotel?" I heard from my Grandpa that the Pink Hotel had been sold but I never thoughtthat manwould be the buyer.

I was kind of hoping the buyer was someone more eccentric, who wanted to revive the hotel or turn it into a proper tourist landmark. The Pink Hotel has been a staple in this town and it’s pretty important to Grandpa and me as well, for sentimental and probably morbid reasons.

It’s where Grandpa got his first job.

It’s where we celebrated both Mom and Dad’s last birthdays.

And it’s also where my parents died.

"Well, according to Hal he did." Lena points at the demolition expert worker who gives a salute.

"Heard it from One-eyed Mark," Hal says, referring to Mark Piedmont who works construction. "His boss is hoping that he gets the reno contract."

"And the worst part is that he's banning us from holding the annual obstacle course at the lakeside of the Pink Hotel," Poppy iterates, clearly not done with her rant. "Pastor Allan and his group went over last night to talk to him and let him know about our yearly traditions. But he brushed him off. He said, any unauthorized person on that land would be deemed a trespasser and would be reported to the police."

Alarm shoots through me. "Wait. Does that mean that we’re not having the Fall fair there?"

"Nope. As a matter of fact, we're not having any fairs there. Not the Fall Fair, or Halloween. Even my nature walks are out of the question. He has strictly forbidden anyone from entering the premises and the surrounding woodland because, as you know, the owners of The Pink Hotel own that too."

"That’s not right," I announce. "We’ve held our fair there every year since forever. It’s a major tourist attraction. How does he get to come in and change our long-standing tradition?"

"We don’t know but the mayor is going to let him."

I shake my head. "Not after I talk to him."

I pick up my bag, ignoring Yule's call, and head out once more. I need to talk to Mayor Duncan. Need to explain that whatever this stranger is doing is going to negatively affect the town.

We’re already struggling to attract tourists as is and the few who come do so during our annual events.

Our fairs, especially the Fall Fair, attract a bunch of people from neighboring towns and there's no other space like the Pink Hotel to hold all those people. This means, if we can't host it there, we'll have to cancel the event.

And I fear what that would do for businesses in town that rely on tourists.

Businesses like my grandpa's tiki bar.

My heart races, as I cross the town square, towards the main street. I was hoping that the incoming tourists for the Fall Fair would make up for our abysmal sales so far.

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