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“Lulu’s great at doing all the math for projects and I’m sure she’d be happy to help. Plus you know if I don’t keep these knuckleheads busy they get into trouble. I’ll get them clearing some land by the main compound and as soon as we’ve got a plan, I’ll have them putting up fences, barns, coops, greenhouses, whatever else Cricket needs. You just let me know.”
“That’s more than I was expecting,” Owen said, gratitude filling his heart. “She’ll be thrilled, and I’ll owe you big time. Really appreciate that.”
“You sound like you’re not quite done.”
“I’m not. Cricket’s got some health issues and needs medical equipment that requires electricity. I know you’ve got most of the cabins rigged up to solar batteries and wind and all that but I need guaranteed power 24/7. I’m more than happy to have the electrical run off renewables as much as possible, but if it goes out, I need a generator that’s going to kick on automatically and that’s not going to fail even if everything else does. I’ll pay for all that, but I’ll need help getting it set up and I don’t want people to feel like I’m trying to be a diva or throw my weight around.”
Taj grunted, but it didn’t strike Owen as the kind of noise a put out sailor would make. He didn’t think Taj would mince words if he was offended or if it was going to be a “fuck, no” from the big guy.
“It’s not the cabin I was planning for you to be in and it’ll need some work, but there’s one with a gen shed that’s empty. It’s bigger too and it sounds like you’ll need some more room. I’ll have Espen get started on getting the generator set up. No one’s gonna feel like you’re a prima donna. Everyone here can appreciate taking care of your Little girl, and we all do whatever it takes.”
“Thank you. I know people out in the bush help each other out, but this is more than I could’ve hoped for. Cricket’s gonna be thrilled.”
“Well I can’t wait to start having omelets for breakfast. Or maybe some venison bacon with a couple eggs over easy. Huevos rancheros. I gotta stop thinking about it, because I’m getting hungry.”
“One more thing and I swear I’m done.”
“No rush, man. It’s a big change, lots to think about, and it’s better to sort this stuff out before you get here. Especially with a Little girl. What else you got?”
“It’s actually nothing to do with Cricket. This buddy of mine, he’s kind of a wanderer, gets by doing odd jobs, kind of a jack of all trades. But he’s a Daddy and I think he’d fit in really well on Enclave. You’ll obviously want to check him out and meet him before you agree, but—”
“Bring him on out. We can always use more muscle and know how around here. And your word is good enough for me.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Things moved surprisingly quickly after he’d cleared his new plan with Taj. It was less than two weeks between when he'd talked to the boss man and when he was waiting at the private hangar in Anchorage with Cricket all ready to board the float plane that would take them out to Enclave.
He and Cricket had talked more about what it would be like living out on Enclave because it was unlike anywhere else on earth. Owen suspected there was going to be quite a learning curve for him even though he knew better what to expect what with all his visits. And hopefully for Cricket it would be a dream come true.
She’d been doing a bunch of research on chickens, and Owen had passed lists of supplies and other things onto Taj. It sounded like everyone on the island was looking forward to having fresh eggs and the occasional poultry to eat, and Gwennie was excited about the prospect of helping care for animals on Cricket's future farm.
Which was great because he wouldn’t always be around to help out.
Which was the other thing they’d talked about. He and Cricket had been spoiled having so much time together since he’d taken leave even from his bush patients to move out to Enclave. But he wouldn't always be around 24/7. That would be an adjustment for both of them, but he hoped it would be an easier one to make surrounded by the community on Enclave.
Plus, Linc would be joining them shortly and moving into the cabin that Taj had planned for Owen to have before Cricket was a factor. His friend wasn’t coming with them today—not enough room in the plane anyhow—but he’d be there in a couple weeks after tying up some loose ends. Linc had been around a bunch over the past couple weeks helping them pack and get the house ready to close up, and Cricket felt comfortable with him, so she’d have at least two friendly and trustworthy faces with her to start out. Given how kind the Littles on Enclave already were, he had no doubt Cricket would make frinds quickly.
At the moment, his focus was getting them and their most precious belongings—like Bandit—onto the float plane and out to Enclave in one piece.
Once they were onboard and had put their headsets on, Apollo’s voice crackled in their ears.
“It’s not the best weather for flying but it looks like it’ll only get worse over the next few days. We’ll have a bit of a bumpy ride with turbulence but it’s not unsafe, just kinda unpleasant. If you get nervous, just remember the same way cars are built to handle bumps in the road, planes are made to handle turbulence. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your trip on Enclave Air.”
* * *
It looked like there were a dozen people waiting for them on the dock when Apollo pulled the float plane up. Hopefully it was a welcoming committee and not urgent medical issues because he needed to attend to poor Cricket who was looking green around the gills after vomiting several times on the way here.
Once they were anchored, Owen hopped down and said some quick hellos.
“It’s so nice to see all of you, thanks for coming out. Cricket is going to be so excited to meet everyone but her tummy got really upset on the way here. She gets airsick.”
“I puke anytime I go out on the Hag,” Lulu volunteered.
“Yeah, just like that,” Owen agreed. “So I’m going to get her up to our cabin and tuck her in for a nap. I bet by dinnertime she’ll be ready to say hi and maybe have some playtime. Just not yet.”
Even though it was great to see everyone and their enthusiasm warmed his heart, he was grateful that they gave him space to get Cricket out of the plane with ’Pollo and Taj’s help. If she wasn’t too miserable to care, he was sure his poor Little girl was probably feeling self-conscious and she didn’t need to.
Luckily Taj had brought a vehicle down to the dock that looked like a mashup between a heavy duty four wheeler and a golf cart so he didn’t have to get Cricket far on her feet. There was a chorus of Little girls saying “Feel better, Cricket!” as Taj drove the overgrown LSV up the ramp.
