Chapter 29
I’d stood in front of a lot of rooms in my life. Briefings with a dozen bigwig commanders. Courtrooms filled with lawyers and judges. Living rooms bursting with grief from families finding out the worst news in the world about loved ones.
None of them made my pulse kick quite like the Cedar Bluff community hall did that night, though.
Rumors spun around the town like a brush fire in the middle of a dry summer about us—Rhea, Goldie, and I being a triad.
Rhea had confirmed to her crew that we were all together, and that was all it took.
Someone told someone else, who mentioned it over coffee, who overheard it at the grocery store cash-out lane.
And we were out.
I wasn’t embarrassed, or even upset that people knew we were in a poly relationship.
But I felt the way they looked at us differently than they had a few weeks ago. I felt the way they thought about us differently. Good or bad, attention wasn’t my favorite. I wouldn’t take it back though, not after the last few days with Goldie and Rhea, building something strong.
Something important.
Goldie stood to my left, chin high, hands folded tight as if she were bracing herself for impact. Rhea was on my right, solid and calm, her presence a quiet kind of authority. Together we looked intentional. Like something people should pay attention to.
And they did.
We didn’t give much info on the announcement of the meeting, just that what we had to share affected every single resident in Cedar Bluff, and it was enough because the room was full. Folding chairs scraped as people shifted, murmurs rippling through the crowd.
The Millers sat in the front row, shoulders squared and ready. Travis Hayes and his husband Elliot leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, faces carved with agreement before a word was even said, thanks to Eli’s involvement as Fire Investigator.
Thomas, the firefighter I graduated from high school with, stood near the aisle, firehouse jacket draped over one arm, eyes sharp and alert.
Jasper perched dramatically on a chair near the front, legs crossed, expression daring anyone to underestimate him or interrupt our news. He was a formidable ally to have in the fight, even if he terrified me personally.
I cleared my throat, and the room quieted. “Thanks for coming,” I said. “I know it was short notice, but what we’re dealing with doesn’t wait.”
A few nods rippled through the crowd, but there were also more than a few skeptical looks. Some minds were too old-school to just get over the change in the room that fast.
“We’ve had a string of property offers come through town,” I continued. “Some of you received them, some of you have simply heard the rumors of someone or something sniffing around that doesn’t quite belong.”
A hand went up near the middle of the room. “Isn’t that just business?” They asked, “Good business for a sleepy town?”
I nodded once, acknowledging what most probably thought. “That’s what they want it to look like.”
Rhea stepped forward, voice steady at my side. “These buyers aren’t independent, like they want you to believe. They’re operating under different LLCs, but they’re all connected to the same corporation at the head.”
Goldie held a stack of papers from the Town Clerk’s office that Rhea and I had found last week.
“These buyers are all shell companies. Seventeen purchase offers, officially on the books here in Cedar Bluff in the last twelve months with who knows how many unofficial ones that can’t be tracked, all cross-referenced back to the same entity. ”
A low murmur spread.
“They make high-pressure offers,” I said. “Above market value, with short deadlines, and terms too good to deny.”
“All in cash.” Rhea added.
Mrs. Miller stood, her jaw tight as she turned to face the crowd. “They offered us five times what the store was worth at its peak.”
That got a strong reaction, the shock and dread spreading through the crowd.
“And when we said no,” Mr. Miller added as he stood at his wife’s side, “They didn’t look surprised.”
Silence fell heavily across the room.
Thomas piped up, “The fire investigation isn’t complete yet,” He looked over his shoulder to Elliot and went on. “But the fire at the hardware store looks suspiciously intentional.”
Heads snapped around, and Elliot stepped forward with a steady and respected voice, “No accelerants were found, but timing matters. And patterns matter. Sometimes they tell a better story than the fire itself.”
Jasper stood up, unable to help himself. “And these patterns, ones that started forming with the flooding of Honey & Hearth, and then the Miller’s fire, are loud, darlings.”
A few chuckles broke through the tension, which was what he intended as he went on.
“These same men have been seen at the bank, the zoning office, and three local businesses that mysteriously changed hands within the last year.”
Elliot cocked his head to the side, always the voice of reason. “So, what’s the endgame then?”
“Control,” I answered, drawing everyone’s attention back to the front of the room.
“Once they own enough property, they push for rezoning. Rent spikes, both in commercial properties and then residential ones. Small businesses fold, and hard-working people can’t afford housing.
Cedar Bluff becomes a concept. Something they can market to outsiders, without a drop of authenticity left in the streets. ”
Goldie’s voice was soft but carried as she stepped forward. “They don’t want our town or the history here. They don’t want us. They want the location.”
Travis nodded, his family was one of the oldest in the town, having sold a vehicle to every person or built the home most families lived in.
He was respected and though he didn’t speak as often as his wife Frankie or his husband Elliot, everyone knew that when he did, it was time to listen.
“If we let them, they’ll ruin every single thing our families have built for generations.
They’ll steal everything we’re building for our children. ”
The room buzzed, concern turning into anger. Fear sharpened into resolve.
“So, what do we do?” someone asked.
I stepped forward again, grounding myself between Goldie and Rhea, silencing the room as voices grew with panic.
“We pay attention. We talk. We don’t sign anything without legal review.
We share information when we get news. They can’t take this town if we don’t let them even walk through the front door. ”
Rhea added, “And if something feels off, report it. To the fire department. To law enforcement. To each other. We have to be smart and start playing offense against them.”
Goldie met the crowd’s eyes, her warmth and heart were physically in the room with us all. “This town survives because we look out for one another. Because it’s our home.”
A beat passed.
Then Mrs. Miller nodded.
Then Eli and Travis did.
Then Thomas glanced toward Jasper, who smiled at him like a secret passed between them.
Thomas didn’t look away, simply calling out, “I’m in.”
More voices followed.
“I’ll help.”
“Me too.”
“They’re not taking this place.”
I felt the room shift, the way everyone stopped seeing us standing up in front of them as rivals and adversaries anymore. But as a unit.
Goldie’s hand brushed mine. Rhea’s shoulder pressed close.
Together.
“This isn’t over,” I said, “We stand watch. We protect what’s ours.”
The applause wasn’t loud. It was solid. And as the meeting broke and people clustered in determined knots with their neighbors and friends, I knew one thing for certain.
Cedar Bluff was ready to fight.
As one.