Page 49 of Keeping Zita

Zita unlocked her door and walked into her room. It was a typical space, with two beds, a dresser, TV, a tiny table next to the window, and the bathroom toward the back. But it was different in that there were what looked like homemade quilts on the bed, and the walls were bright, not beige and boring. The floor also wasn’t covered in industrial carpet, it looked like an easy-to-clean synthetic tile of some sort. It also smelled…good. Really good. Like vanilla, which made Zita’s belly growl.

“Wow, this is nothing like I expected,” she said.

Sage was standing respectfully at the doorway. He’d put her suitcases just inside but hadn’t followed her into the room. “It’s nice. Really nice,” he agreed. “Hopefully mine will be just as cool. Though I wouldn’t put it past Edna to save this room for single women, since it’s close to the office and so nicely decorated. And I saw security cameras outside pointing at the entrances to the rooms. It’s cool that she’s so security conscious.”

“I hope your room is just like this one.”

Sage simply shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter, as I’ve slept in some pretty awful places. No matter what the room looks or smells like, it’ll be a step up from some…accommodations I’ve experienced.”

Zita frowned. She didn’t like the thought of him sleeping in crappy conditions.

“Don’t look so worried. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Edna and her husband aren’t going to make one room beautiful and ignore the rest of them.”

She wasn’t worried about his room. But she nodded anyway.

“It’s going to bother you, isn’t it? How about we meet at my room in fifteen then? You can see for yourself that I’m not living in a hovel while you’re here in room twelve in the lap of luxury.”

Zita quickly nodded. She was curious as to what the rest of the rooms looked like anyway, so she wasn’t going to turn down the chance to have her curiosity appeased.

She watched Sage turn and head down the walkway. She stepped into her room after he disappeared into his own…but not before he saw her staring, and gave her a big smile and wave before closing his door.

She closed her own door and stood there for a moment before grabbing the larger of her suitcases and putting it on the bed. She had time to quickly unpack and freshen up before she met Sage and they explored Fallport. She wasn’t sure which she was looking forward to the most—the tour, or spending more time with the man she was falling for.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Obi-Wan grinned at Zita. She was adorable. Everything excited her. Everything seemed new and fun. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and he found he was enjoying himself immensely as they walked around Fallport’s main square.

When she’d seen his motel room—almost an exact replica of hers, minus the homemade quilts on the beds—he didn’t miss her satisfaction that he wouldn’t be sleeping in lesser accommodations. It had been a long time since anyone had fussed over him like she did. It felt nice.

They had about an hour to walk around and check out the small town, which Obi-Wan thought wasn’t going to be nearly enough time for Zita.

They started in the northeast corner at a bar called On the Rocks. It wasn’t too busy, since it was still early, but it was almost as clean as the motel rooms. There was one waitress, who didn’t hesitate to greet them as they walked in, and one bartender behind the bar. The walls were covered in newspaper and magazine articles about Bigfoot and about the paranormal show that was filmed in town. It had a homey feel, and Obi-Wan was looking forward to having a beer or two in the place after filming wrapped.

Next up on their tour was The Sweet Tooth. The moment they walked in, his stomach growled. It smelled like pastries and fresh bread. He was a sucker for bread right out of the oven. If someone created a room spray of baking bread, they’d make a killing. Zita bought a cinnamon roll as big as her head and two blueberry muffins. She also talked Obi-Wan into getting a huge slab of jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread.

They each picked up a cup of coffee at Grinders and sipped as they browsed through Fall for Books, a used bookstore on the corner of the square. And Zita couldn’t resist getting a shirt at their next stop, Grogan’s General Store, that said ‘Fallport: Home of Bigfoot.’

Their tour continued by saying hello to two older gentlemen who were sitting outside the post office, playing chess; peeking into a place called The Cellar; and passing the library and health care clinic.

When they walked by Sunny Side Up, the smells coming from within once more made both their mouths’ water, even though they’d already indulged in baked goods from Sweet Tooth.

Last on their trip around the square was Knock ’Em Down, a bowling alley.

With ten minutes to spare before they had to head to the high school, Zita suggested they sit inside the gazebo in the middle of the grassy square, which Obi-Wan had no problem agreeing to.

Fallport was a cute town and well kept. There was no trash that Obi-Wan had seen, and the sidewalks were maintained and not cracked or broken. He could see why the town was so popular with tourists. The lure of Bigfoot might’ve brought people here in the first place, but they probably kept coming back because of the friendliness of its residents and the charm of the place.

“I thought this place would be cute, but it’s surpassed my expectations,” Zita said happily.

Obi-Wan couldn’t keep his gaze off the woman next to him. He could spend all day with her and still want to learn more…which was exactly what was happening.

“I wonder if we’ll get to meet any of the original group of Eagle Point Search and Rescue guys. They’re pretty famous, you know,” Zita said. “I read online that most of them were in some branch of the military or another. You’d probably have a lot in common with them, even though they’re all older than you.

“Oh, and there was also a story I read about a guy who was homeless for a long time here. The citizens built him a tiny home behind one of the businesses in the square. Then he went to Washington, DC, and eventually got a job working at the White House in the kitchen as a baker! He’s now married with two kids and comes back here to Fallport every summer for their pickle festival. He also sponsors a scholarship for one high school senior every year and donates money to the food bank. And the food bank is run by the police chief’s wife. It’s all just so…cool!”

What was cool was the interest Zita paid to the town and its inhabitants. “Do you always research a place you’ll be working in so thoroughly?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Well, no. But often enough. I mean, you already know I research job markets in different film locations. Fallport’s special though. There was even a brochure in my motel back in Norfolk about the Bigfoot museum that opened here. And I did want to look into the medical facilities, just in case. Sometimes when I’m on set, especially in or near small towns, I need to communicate with the doctors and nurses and want to know what kind of experience they have and how big the trauma centers and hospitals are—if there are any at all. Besides, don’t you do the same thing? Research the areas you’ll be flying into?”