Chapter 13
Jeannie
Family or Cult? The Orphan’s Gambit
“Holy guacamole,” I said as Remy pulled his mommy mobile to a stop in front of a large lot made of dirt. Quite a few vehicles of various makes and models were already parked. Trucks. Jeeps. Vans. Basically, anything but a tiny car. Briefly, I wondered if all of Remy’s family was as tall as he was.
But that only occupied my mind for a moment before everything else shoved it out of the way.
Because when I thought of campgrounds and cabins, I imagined something akin to summer camps I’d seen in movies throughout my life: shells of barely passable buildings and cobwebs in every corner with all sorts of creepy crawlies and an outhouse over a simple hole in the ground.
Boy, was I wrong.
First of all, there was what I assumed was the main cabin that Remy had mentioned. It was about a two-minute walk away with multiple paths leading to it, and it was a giant mansion made out of wood.
“Whoa…” Max said from the back. He was in his booster seat between Eva and Addy.
I couldn’t agree more. Because there wasn’t just the main cabin, which was impressive enough on its own and looked like it could comfortably house around forty people in their own rooms. Through the trees on either side, I could pick out a couple of dozen cabins of various sizes arranged like spacious little neighborhoods.
The ones to the right were pale wood, and the ones to the left looked to have been built out of cedar.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Remy asked as he got out of the car.
“Our ancestors built the main house nearly two hundred years ago, and added to it every year for decades before spreading out to the other cabins. Now it’s a tradition for any handy folks who want a project, to roll up and build something. ”
I nodded as I gaped at the place. There was so much to see.
I didn’t know how such a well-developed, clean area could also still look like the wilderness with plenty of trees everywhere, snow, and cobblestoned paths, but it pulled it off.
It felt like a real escape from the city without being any sort of hovel.
“Your family built this?”
“Uh-huh,” Remy said as he opened the door for the girls and Max to pour out, which they most certainly did.
Thankfully, Max was feeling much better than he had during the tour, although I’d packed both his walker and his wheelchair just in case.
“I mean, I haven’t, but I helped with the landscaping for the new play area toward the back cabins. ”
“Back cabins?” I repeated. “You mean there are more?”
“Oh yeah,” he said, like it was the most normal thing on the planet.
“You’ve got the back cabins, then there are random what we call outlier cabins that are for people who want a bit more space, then we have the older cabins that were built ages ago.
They aren’t in convenient areas, and we’ll eventually demo them or renovate, we just haven’t got to it yet. ”
“That sounds like a lot of land and houses,” I murmured, an uncomfortable feeling beginning to bubble up from my middle. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, though.
“Eh, it’s enough for what we need. No one really lives here full-time other than a couple elders, but a lot of us like to vacation here.
Some during the winter to get away from the grind, some during the summer to swim and boat on the lake.
It’s enough that the space doesn’t really go to waste, ya know? ”
“Oh, so it’s not like a compound where a bunch of people live here every day?”
And suddenly I got why I was starting to feel nervous. It reminded me of the kind of place I promised myself I’d never return to again.
“Compound? No, hardly. The only rules we have are trash in, trash out, and be respectful of the wildlife. And while there’s no limit on how long we can visit, I think it’s a bit rude to stay more than a month without explicit permission from the elders who live in the main house.”
“Like Uncle Carlo after his divorce,” Addy piped up helpfully. At least, I was sure she thought she was being helpful.
“Yes, like that, sweetie.”
Just as quickly as I realized it was happening, the discomfort eased off, soothed by the fact that I wasn’t walking into a situation that hit a little too close to home.
I probably should have known better, because Remy didn’t seem like the type to trick someone into something like that, but you could never really tell, could you?
It was always best to be aware of the warning signs of toxic communities.
“So, do you guys want to see your cabin?” he asked, all smiles. His curly hair was pushed back with a winter headband that covered his ears, and somehow, it made his already stunning bone structure that much more striking.
“Yeah!” Max said, both of his arms in the air. Of course, he didn’t have any reservations. I shielded him from the life I’d lived when I was younger, so he knew nothing of compounds and the dangers that came with those kinds of social structures. “I wanna see! I wanna see!”
“Let me grab your bags, and we’ll get going.”
“I’ll get his walker and wheelchair,” I said.
I wanted to ask so many questions, but they all died on my tongue before they could ever leave my mouth—probably because I was still a bit gobsmacked by just how amazing the grounds looked.
It was a real case of expectation versus reality, except this time the reality was about a million times better.
Not a phenomenon I was exactly used to in my life.
“Thank you, again,” I said for perhaps the fiftieth time that day, but I couldn’t help it. Stuff like this didn’t happen to me.
“It’s no problem, really. It’s a relief for me to have you here, and the elders are looking forward to meeting you.”
“They are?” I asked, alarm flashing through me. The word “elders” gave me the heebie-jeebies, even though I recognized that it was a term of respect and not some sort of weird honorific for a cult leader. “Why would they care about me? A stranger?”
“Well, firstly, apparently I don’t ask for much, and they’re happy that I wanted to bring someone, and secondly, they sort of fell in love with Max’s story.
” He paused his unloading to look me in the eye, which I appreciated.
“Don’t worry, I only told them he’d had cancer and was better now, and that you guys have put in quite the fight and deserve a little rest and relaxation—not to mention a whole lot of good food.
” He flashed me that crooked grin that made my knees weak.
“I hope the two of you are prepared to stuff yourself silly, because the amount of fare we gon’ have here is outright preposterous. ”
“Preposterous like the amount of bags you’re carrying right now?” I asked. He had my backpack, the girl’s backpacks, and Max’s messenger bag all slung over his shoulder with a rolling suitcase handle in each hand.
“Eh, I’ve got that blue-collar sleeper build,” he said with a shrug, like he wasn’t carrying multiple items of luggage. “It’s no problem, really. Besides, I’ll have to make another trip to get the rest.”
If he thought his hunky, beefcake of a body with biceps nearly the size of my head and thighs I kind of wanted to chew on was a “sleeper build”, I would hate to see what he thought a jacked man looked like.
I bit back the urge to flirtatiously comment on his physique, because it definitely wouldn’t be appropriate.
Not only were his daughters a few feet away, but I was also about to meet a whole ton of his family.
Besides, I wasn’t sure if he was at the stage where he’d have romantic feelings for anybody.
Remy was largely in touch with his emotions and had a high EQ that a lot of guys didn’t.
So, it was entirely possible that he wasn’t over his wife and was well aware of it.
I didn’t want to come on to him and put him in an uncomfortable position.
Especially since he was my ride back. Sure, some people would be ready to date a year and a half after their spouse’s passing, and some might never be.
Both responses were completely valid, but until I knew for sure, I needed to make sure I kept any especially flirty comments to myself.
After all, I wasn’t entirely sure I wouldn’t spontaneously combust if Remy actually made a genuine pass at me. Friendship was just as valuable and lovely as romance, and I wasn’t about to ruin that by being greedy.
“All right then, Mr. Muscles,” I said, though I supposed that was a bit borderline flirty. “Lead the way.”
He slowed his long strides so the kids and I could keep up with him. I got the feeling that he had a lot of experience with that because of his girls—not to mention that his wife had been disabled for a good chunk of her life.
Man, I wished I could have gotten to know her. She must’ve been a brilliant woman, considering who she had been married to and the amazing kids she’d raised. It was always the good ones, wasn’t it?
Was it strange to mourn a woman when I was attracted to the man she’d left behind? Maybe. But it was an interesting quandary to puzzle over, so I did just that while we walked.
It wasn’t the first time in my life I’d escaped to my own head.
As a child, I was told I over-thought too much, but in my opinion, everyone else was under-thinking.
What was wrong with having a running dialogue in my own mind?
It kept me from being lonely and helped me from saying anything too stupid—well, as long as my mouth didn’t get ahead of my brain, which did happen from time to time.
He stopped in front of a pair of cabins that faced a small pond. During the warmer months it was probably a lovely place to sit and read while looking at fish, but now, it was a wobbly circle of ice just large enough for Addy to lie across. “Here we are.”
“Ours is the one with the blue shutters, and yours is the one with the red shutters. Girls, why don’t you take your backpacks inside while I show Miss Jeannie and Max the ropes?”