AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s sick but refuses treatment from the hospital. Without the treatment she’s going to keep declining and could die. But part of being committed to living off the grid is the rejection of conventional medicine. It’s a complicated topic for some.”
“She’d rather die than go to the hospital and get care?” King fought off the instinct to judge. This was a completely different lifestyle here in Cinderhill. One he couldn’t possibly understand yet. Which meant he had no place to judge it either.
“There are a lot of people who are skeptical of the medical industry and how it’s been turned into a business. My mother is, unfortunately, easily swayed toward those theories and can be convinced of just about anything being evil or bad. Convincing her of any other things that require decerning logic is another story, even if her life depends on it.”
“That’s got to be hard to sit by and watch.”
Bailey dropped her head. “It’s difficult to be the only voice of sanity in the room sometimes. Especially when I’m not that effective at it.”
“Does your father live here in Cinderhill too? He must have an opinion.”
“My father never lacks for strong opinions. But he doesn’t live here anymore.” Bailey plucked a long piece of grass and ran her fingers over it like it was a strip of silk. “We should walk the gardens while we wait for Moe to have your bed set up. Want to?”
“Sure.” King gestured for Bailey to lead the way. He understood he couldn’t dive headfirst into every question he wanted to ask. A stroll and a change of subject would likely be the better option right now.
They walked around the gardens as night began to settle in around them. The scent of fresh herbs and flowers filled his nose. He couldn't help but admire the beauty of it, even if it was far different from what he was accustomed to.
King glanced over at Bailey, sensing she wanted to tell him something. Maybe Carmen had been right. Was there more to Cinderhill than just some peaceful community? Secrets? Danger? He wasn’t sure but something peculiar was written all over Bailey’s face.
“My father was arrested. He’s in prison.” She blurted the words frantically and then snapped her mouth shut.
“That’s ironic. My dad is in prison too,” King retorted with a look of empathy. “And so is the guy I thought of as a brother for most of my life. I put him in prison actually, and frankly, it keeps me up at night.”
“Wait what?” Bailey stopped walking and turned to face him. “Your father is locked up too? And how did you put the other guy in prison? You’d better not be kidding, because I was standing here contemplating what you would think when you heard what I had to say.”
King nodded, indicating he was telling the truth. “Life is messy. I don’t care if you live in a skyscraper or a tiny house in the middle of nowhere. Parents fail their children. People are neglected. Overprotected. Unloved. Loved too much. It seems like a lose/lose situation to be a parent most days. But my family was a disaster, and the people I picked to be like family to me were just as bad. So, your father being in prison doesn’t register as some terrible thing to me. It's not a reflection on you.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “I was only telling you because if you spend any amount of time here, someone will share stories with you, and I wanted you to hear a bit of it from me first.”
“Spill the tea,” King teased, nudging her shoulder as they began walking again. “What skeletons are haunting this place?”
“You plan to tell me all your deep dark secrets?” She raised a brow and waited for him to break eye contact but he didn’t.
“No. I can’t. But I’ll tell you some stuff if you really care to hear it.”
“Then I’ll tell you some stuff too. But for now all you need to know is Cinderhill hit a rough patch for a while because of my father. He broke some laws and twisted some stuff around to make people here think they couldn’t live the way they wanted anymore. He’s gone. I’m here now and things are safe and thriving again. We have our issues. Challenges. But I make sure they don’t threaten the way of life here in Cinderhill.”
“That’s a nice speech,” King agreed with a nod. “I feel like some of it is aspirational. Maybe not exactly where you want it to be, but I like the effort.”
“Aspirational? You think I’m lying about how great Cinderhill is?”
“I think it’s probably a lot of work and for all the peace and tranquility that this place offers, there must be a ton of stress and expectation for you.”
“I can handle anything.” Her back went rigid with pride. “Cinderhill is a lot of work, but it’s also beautiful. Just look around.”
They strolled while Bailey animatedly described her experience of living off the grid, without any of the modern amenities. She beamed as she explained the freedom that comes with being completely self-sufficient. How she learned to thrive without the distractions and stresses of city life. As he listened to Bailey's persuasive arguments, he found himself drawn to her in a way he never expected. A dangerous inconvenient attraction that would not help him do what needed to be done here.
While fantasizing briefly about what they could do on the tree swing they just passed, King nodded and shook off the desire. Instead, he went back to searching her face for the tells. Some little sign that she didn’t believe everything she was saying. And there were some. He could spot the doubt, but it was not time to push yet. He would tread lightly.
“What did your dad do that got him arrested?” King asked, trying not to look too eager for the answer.
“The details don’t matter. It’s not really something you’d understand. The important thing is he’s not coming back here any time soon, and Cinderhill will never go back to the way it was while he was here. You don’t need to know more than that. Plus you’ll only be here another day or two, so what does it matter?”
“A week,” King corrected.
“You’re just caught up in the beauty of Cinderhill so you’re feeling overly confident. Wait until you realize there are no hot showers or video games. You’ll be checking in to the closest hotel in the city before you know it.”
King groaned. “I do love a hot shower.”
