Left Behind, page 31
Cameron was outside on the porch with Ghost at his side, waiting as the members began to arrive. One representative from each of the three families served on the board. John Cauley. Marcus Glass, and Cameron Pope. They knew why the meeting had been called, but there had to be a consensus among them before they could act. It was how peace was kept among so many people.
John Cauley was the first to arrive.
“Uncle John, thanks for coming,” Cameron said, as John came up the porch steps.
“Sure thing, Son. We’ve let this go awhile. It’s time to finish it,” John said. He gave Ghost a pat on the head and got a head bump on his leg in appreciation.
“There comes Marcus,” Cameron said, and waved as Marcus got out of his car.
“I got delayed by a phone call,” Marcus said, scratched a spot behind Ghost’s right ear. He got a tail wag for his troubles and then joined the others.
“No problem,” Cameron said. “Let’s go inside where it’s cool. Rusty baked, and there’s plenty of sweet tea.”
They followed him in, laughing and talking as they moved to the kitchen, grabbed a couple of cookies, and each poured themselves a glass of tea before sitting down at the long kitchen table.
Ghost settled on the floor beside Cameron’s chair, and then Cameron leaned forward.
“As you know, this isn’t official PCG business. It has nothing to do with Jubilee. Aunt Ella left a will. You know the gist of it. She had no direct heirs. We’re all, in some way or another, kin to her, but one no more than another. There is no direct heir to her property, but she stated in her will that she wanted the members of the board to decide the fate of her property. I don’t think any of us want to see it sit empty. It will soon fall to ruin if that happens. Agreed?”
Both men nodded. “Agreed,” they echoed.
“I asked you to bring names from each of the families who you think might want to take possession. And I understand the consensus is no one wants to live that far away from town, or they don’t want to live where she died.”
“That’s true for the Cauley bunch,” John said. “They’re all already satisfied with where they are, and there aren’t any young’uns in our bunch anywhere near needing their own place.”
“All of the Glass families are settled. The young ones who have married either have put up houses on their parents’ property or are afraid they’ll be living with Ella’s ghost. They choose to live in town to be near their jobs.”
“The Pope family had dwindled to Rachel and me, then cousins from Mom and her sisters. But that was before Shirley came home and brought her sons with her. They’ve put new blood into the family, for which we are grateful. Aaron and Dani are committed to staying in Jubilee for the time being because of their jobs. Sean and Amalie are fully committed to staying with Shirley. None of the boys want her living alone. That leaves Wiley and B.J. B.J.’s work is at the hotel and often fourteen-hour days.”
“What about Wiley?” John asked. “Annie says he’s engaged to that pretty nurse from the hospital. And he’s got his little sister to raise. Would they want to live up here and drive into town every day?”
“Have you talked to him?” Marcus asked.
“No. I chose not to mention anything to B.J. or Wiley until I talked to you two to see who else might suit. Ella loved all of you.”
“But she was a Pope,” Marcus said. “In my mind, by rights, it should go to a Pope. Shirley’s daddy was a Pope. Her boys took her name, and well done for doing so. She inherited her homeplace when Helen died. That leaves Ella with no Pope to claim her land unless one of Shirley’s boys wants it.”
“Since Sean and Amalie are settled with Shirley, and Aaron and Dani don’t want the long drive, I say you talk to Wiley and B.J. Feel them out about where they live, and if they’d even want to be that far away. And warn them that the house is in need of updates,” John said. “It suited Ella, but it falls short of serving the needs of a family.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want, then I’ll do that and let you know the end results,” Cameron said. “Now help yourself to more cookies, because if they’re still here when Rusty and Mikey come home, it’s going to be a fight to keep him out of them.”
“That one is you all over,” John said.
Cameron grinned. “So says my wife.”
“You need to give him a little brother or sister to play with,” Marcus said.
“He is a solid handful right now. Besides, he has plenty of cousins,” Cameron said, and thought of the current fascination his son had with Wiley’s little sister.
A short while later, they left, and Cameron sent a text to Rusty to let her know the meeting had ended and that he was headed to Jubilee.
Chapter 20
As soon as Cameron started down the mountain, he called B.J. to see when, or if, he had time to talk.
B.J. answered on the second ring. “Hello.”
“Hey, B.J., this is Cameron. I’m on my way into town and I need to run something by you. Do you have time to talk?”
“Yes, I’m at home. I’m off today.”
“So, I can be there in about fifteen minutes. Is that okay?” Cameron asked.
“Sure thing. See you soon,” he said.
Cameron disconnected and kept driving, wondering what he was going to do if both brothers said yes, or if both brothers said no. He needed one of them to be on board to settle the last of Ella’s wishes.
B.J. was watching for him, and wondering what was going on, when Cameron pulled up into his driveway and got out. B.J. met him at the door.
“Good to see you. I don’t have a lot of company,” B.J. said. “Come sit. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I’m good,” Cameron said as he sat down. “I’m going to cut to the chase. We have a dilemma regarding Aunt Ella’s property. She had no immediate heirs, but she wanted her place to go to someone in the Pope family, and you and Wiley are the only ones I haven’t talked to yet. Aaron and Dani don’t want the drive because of their jobs. Sean is already committed to staying with your mom. I inherited my family’s home and don’t want to move, and my sister, Rachel, loves the place she and Louis have on some of the Glass land. So, I need to know if you have any interest in living that far up the mountain in the old two-story house.”
B.J. was shocked and, at the same time, honored. But he knew it wasn’t meant for him.
“I’m single. I work fourteen, sometimes fifteen hours a day, and my days begin early. I would never be there. As it is, all I need now is a place to sleep. I pretty much live at the hotel. If this was ten years down the road and I had a wife and family, I might feel different, but I have to say, as much as I love this family and how much we loved Aunt Ella, the property isn’t meant for me.”
Cameron nodded. “I guessed you would feel that way, but I had to ask. What do you think Wiley is going to say?”
B.J. shrugged. “It’s hard to say. He and Linette are getting married soon. He’s raising our little sister. I don’t know how they’d be about that drive into town every day. What I do know is that when the sun goes down in Jubilee, they have to pull all the curtains and shades for Ava because she’s terrified of drive-by shootings. Wiley has reassured her many times those things don’t happen here, but she’s not convinced. Who knows? Maybe they’d move for her.”
“Poor little girl. I didn’t know that,” Cameron said.
B.J. nodded. “The stories Wiley has shared with us would curl your hair. That child is lucky to be alive, and luckier still that Wiley got full custody of her. He is now her legal guardian.”
“Thanks for the info,” Cameron said. “Now I have to run Wiley down and see what he has to say.”
“He won’t make a decision like that without Linette present. I think this is her day off, and Wiley will clock out around five.”
Cameron glanced at his watch. It was a quarter to four. “Thanks, B.J. I’ll make some calls,” he said and stood up. “Good to see you again. You’re the only Pope on the mountain I can look up to.”
They both grinned. B.J.’s height was a constant topic of conversation within the family.
“I wonder how big Brendan was,” B.J. said.
“We’ll never know for sure, but he had to be something big for that gene to stay so strong within us,” Cameron said.
Watching Cameron walking away left B.J. with a pang of regret. But what he wanted and what he needed were two different things.
***
Wiley and Doug were headed to Trapper’s Bar and Grill with their siren blasting and lights flashing. Another patrol car with two officers was right behind them. They came to a flying stop in the parking lot, entered the building on the run, and headed for the fight in progress.
Three men were trading punches, and Louis, the bartender, had a cut under his eye and a stream of blood running down his cheek. He was coming out from behind the bar with a baseball bat when they arrived. When Louis saw the officers, he breathed a quick sigh of relief and backed off.
Wiley grabbed the first one from behind and yanked him backward so hard he hit the floor on his butt, while Doug headed for the two rolling on the floor.
The other two officers were coming in the door on the run as Wiley rolled his drunk facedown on the floor and cuffed his hands behind him so fast he never knew it was happening, then leaped toward the third one, who was about to punch Doug in the back of the head.
“No sir!” Wiley said. “Facedown! Now!” When the man protested, Wiley just rolled him over and straddled him like a riding horse as Aaron and Yancy ran up. “Hey, Yancy! I need another pair of cuffs. This dude thinks he’s Muhammed Ali.”
Aaron had already seen the blood on Louis’s face and radioed for an ambulance, before helping Doug cuff his perp.
Wiley stood up, then looked at Louis. “Are these the only three?”
Louis had a bar towel pressed against the cut on his face. “Yes. They came in drunk. I didn’t let them get like this in here.”
Wiley frowned. “You mean they were together?”
“They walked in together, sat down at the bar together, and began arguing about whose turn it was to buy a round. But they were obviously very drunk, and when I wouldn’t serve them, one of them grabbed a beer mug from the hands of the customer beside him and threw it in my face,” he said.
Wiley pivoted, then walked to where the three men were lying.
“Which one of you threw the mug at your bartender?”
They said nothing.
“Fine. Then all three of you will be charged with assault, drunk and disorderly, and liable for the damages you caused.”
At that point, the skinny man with the bad comb-over hanging down the left side of his face started talking.
“Frank threw the mug. Ronnie punched Frank for doing it. I punched Ronnie for hitting Frank, because Frank’s my brother-in-law, but I’m not taking the blame for his bad temper.”
Aaron looked at Wiley and grinned. “Brotherly love.”
Wiley rolled his eyes.
The ambulance arrived, and as soon as they began tending to Louis, the officers hauled the drunks out to their cruisers and took them to jail, while the employees started cleaning up the mess. It was just another day in paradise.
By the time they got the men booked and jailed, and then wrote up their reports, it was after five o’clock, and the next shift was already on duty.
Wiley had just left the precinct and was walking to his car when his cell phone rang. When he saw who it was, he stopped to answer.
“Hey, Cameron.”
“Wiley, hope I’m not catching you at a bad time,” Cameron said.
“Nope. I just clocked out and am about to head home. What’s up?”
“Nothing’s wrong. But we have an issue to settle among the Popes and you’re one of them, so I need to get your feedback. Would it be okay if I came by your house to talk? And since you and Linette are getting married soon, I think her opinion should factor in.”
“Yes, sure. No problem,” Wiley said. “I’ll let her know you’re coming.”
“Thanks. I’m already in town. I’ll see you soon.”
Wiley frowned as he was getting in the car, then called Linette as he was leaving the parking lot.
She answered on the second ring. “Hi, honey. Are you on the way home?” she asked.
“Yes, but Cameron just called. He’s coming by the house in a few. Said he needed to ask us something, but I have no idea what’s on his mind. Just wanted you to know.”
She laughed. “You mean, this is a heads-up to make sure Ava hasn’t dragged all the stuffies to the sofa to watch cartoons with her again?”
He chuckled. “Something like that.”
“No problem. She’s outside in her playhouse. We should be fine. See you soon.”
Wiley pulled up in the driveway with Cameron right behind him.
“That’s timing,” Wiley said, and they walked into the house together. “Hey, Linnie! We’re here.” Then he gestured toward the living room. “Have a seat, Cameron. I’m going to lock up my weapon. Be right back.”
“Take your time,” Cameron said. “I’m fine.”
Linette walked in, smiling. “Hi, Cameron, would you like something to drink? We have Coke, sweet tea, and orange soda.”
“I’m fine, Linnie, but thanks. Where’s the punkin?”
“Outside in her playhouse. I just checked on her,” she said, and sat down. “School starts Monday. Is Mikey excited about going back?”
Cameron nodded. “Yes. He likes school. He’s going into first grade. Ava’s going to be in second grade, right?”
“Yes. She’s a little anxious because she doesn’t know anyone. However, getting to meet your boy at Shirley’s was a plus. Now she at least knows one, even if they won’t be in the same grade. And Dani has been her babysitter ever since she arrived, so having a sister on-site as one of the teachers is a big boost.”
Wiley came back into the room and sat down on the love seat beside Linette. “Okay, fire away, and know that at any moment Ava could appear.”
“Then I won’t mince words,” Cameron said, and once again explained the situation to them, just as he had to all of the others.
Wiley was stunned, but Linette’s eyes were glowing. It was all she could do to stay silent, because ultimately, it was Wiley’s family and his choice to make.
“What did my brothers say?” he asked.
“Aaron and Dani felt like their jobs worked better by not having so far to drive. Sean and Amalie are committed to staying with your mom. B.J. said he doesn’t do anything but sleep where he lives now, and a two-story house so far up the mountain, coupled with his working hours, was not feasible. I don’t want you to feel like you have to accept, but the fact that I was possibly going to have to make a choice between the four of you has been whittled down to you and Linette. B.J. told me Ava is afraid of drive-by shootings here, but I don’t know how she’d feel about being uprooted again so soon.”
“She will adapt to wherever we are,” Linette said.
Wiley looked at her then, remembering what she’d said about the mountain when she was coming home from Bowling Green.
“To inherit a piece of my family history is something I would never have imagined. But this isn’t just about me anymore. What do you think, Linnie? It would add a good twenty minutes to our drive to work every morning, and we would need to do some remodeling first.”
Her voice was trembling as she reached for his hand. “Oh, Wiley. I think this is the most wonderful wedding present we could ever receive. If you want this, then I’m with you. Wherever you go, we go,” she said. “As for Ava, as long as she has her bed and pillow, and a pink room to put her things in, she’ll be fine. But can we afford all that remodeling?”
Wiley glanced at Cameron and then looked away.
Cameron knew the predicament of keeping a secret from someone you loved. He’d faced it with Rusty. “Let’s just say the Pope family has investments that we all benefit from. You’ll be fine,” he said.
Linette’s eyes widened. The secret she had yet to be told.
“Okay then. I have absolutely no objections, but it’s Wiley’s decision.”
“Then we accept, with undying gratitude,” he said.
Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. You have just helped me fulfill Aunt Ella’s last wish. I’ll set the wheels in motion to transfer title and deed to you, and I’ll let you know when it’s officially yours. But in the meantime, I’m going to give you an extra key to the house. When you get a chance, you three take a drive up the mountain to see it, and just know that land was the first and oldest claim on Pope Mountain. Enjoy it for the treasure it is.”
Wiley took the key Cameron offered, too emotional to speak, and then the back door slammed.
“Ava’s in the house,” Linette said.
“Bubba! Linnie!”
“We’re in here!” Linette said.
Ava came running, holding Pinky by the arm, then slid to a halt when she saw the visitor and sidled up to where Wiley and Linette were sitting.
“Did Mikey come to play?” she asked.
Cameron grinned. “No, not this time, honey. Sorry.”
Satisfied she hadn’t missed something, she nodded and slipped out of the room.
“She’s a little obsessed with her first friend,” Linette said.
“And he’s a little obsessed with her at the moment,” Cameron said, and then stood. “Thank you, both, and I’ll keep you abreast of the legal stuff. In the meantime, have a good evening. Don’t get up. I’ll let myself out.”
As soon as the door shut behind him, Linette was in Wiley’s arms.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said.
“Neither can I, but I feel like we’ve just won the lottery,” Wiley said.
“That’s how I felt the first time we made love,” she whispered. “Like I’d just found my place in the world.”
“Are you going to feel weird knowing Aunt Ella died there?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Wiley. I’m a nurse. Every day I go to work where people die. It’s the living who are scary.”
