Part 8 (2/2)
Both women leaned in, their mouths twittering with nervous grins.
”I'm no more special than you two, just a bit better known. Really.” Ann might as well have mentioned aliens just landed in town square for all the effect her words had. The ladies nodded and kept grinning.
By the time Ann paid for her sandwich, the women had calmed down. Thankfully the two workers behind the counter had obviously never seen her show.
After creating a mix of Diet Mountain Dew, Cherry c.o.ke, and raspberry iced tea, Ann waited for her two new friends to pick up their sandwiches.
”Can I ask you a favor?”
”Hi,” the blonde said. ”I mean, yes, of course.”
”I'm visiting in town for a few days and haven't connected yet with the person I'm meeting here. Do you mind if we eat together? I would love to find out a little bit more about your town.”
After almost dropping their drinks the two women agreed, and the three found a table in the back.
”We'll introduce you to Jason Judah, absolutely for sure we will,” Betty said. ”He's the most spiritual man you'll ever meet and knows just about everyone in town. In fact, he's having a get-together tonight at the town hall. It's an open invitation and you'd get to meet everyone. You know what I mean? You should come.”
Veronica gave her the address and time.
”Okay, I will.” Ann noted them on her cell phone. ”But for the moment, all I want to know is if there are any good swimming holes around here where the kids hang out during the summer.”
”You came all the way from Portland to find out where the local kids go for a swim?” Betty tilted her head and frowned.
”It's pretty important to me to find out the answer.” Ann reached into her purse and pulled out the picture of her mom.
”Oh my.” Veronica stared at the picture, then slid it over to Betty. A few seconds later they both scooped up their sandwiches and grabbed their drinks. ”We're so sorry, Ms. Banister. We just remembered something. There's somewhere we have to be right now. Gotta go.”
Ann stared at them as they scampered out the door without looking back. Interesting. There were obviously some dark rabbit holes in Three Peaks. She looked forward to seeing how deep they went.
CHAPTER 10.
As Cameron trudged down Main Street on his way to breakfast with Jason on Thursday morning, he stared at a sign in the window of Step on the Field Sports that reminded him of Jessie. It said, ”You gotta believe! The Outlaws will take State this fall!”
Three months after they'd started dating, Jessie had stood on the top of Mount Si thirty miles east of Seattle, gazing at the miles of trees laid out in front of them like a patchwork green carpet.
”Looking at this splendor, you just gotta believe.” She turned to him, eyes lit up like diamonds reflecting morning sun.
”In what?”
”Something and Someone greater than yourself.”
”What do you believe in, Jess?”
”I haven't told you enough already?” She laughed. ”G.o.d loves you, you know.” Jessie took his hands. ”What about you? What do you believe in?”
”Us.”
”Me too.” She snuggled into his chest as he watched an eagle canter on the winds that swirled up the side of the mountain.
”That's it? No more questions? Aren't you supposed to try to save me?”
”That isn't in my job description.” Jessie poked him. ”G.o.d handles that part.”
”So He's slackin'? I haven't felt anything yet.”
”Someday He'll reach you, Cameron. I know it.” Jessie pulled back, her hazel eyes gazing into his, her countenance suddenly serious. ”He's not hung up on time like we are.”
”Good to know.” Cameron stroked her hair. ”So there's a G.o.d and a heaven, huh?”
”Oh yes.” She said it without a trace of doubt.
Maybe Jessie was there now, looking down at him as he tried to believe the book wasn't on the level of the Loch Ness Monster. And hoping Jason wasn't a quack.
Cameron stepped into the Outland Cafe and scanned the restaurant. Dishes clattered and an intense tang of bacon crept into his nose. Growing up, he'd been given two pieces of bacon every day before school. These days the smell made him nauseous.
He shook his head and waited to be seated. Two families sat at tables along the wall to the right, underneath a large picture of the three snow-capped peaks the town was named for. To Cameron's left, two men, who looked like they stepped off the pages of Field & Stream, Field & Stream, each downed a three-inch-high stack of pancakes doused in maple syrup. each downed a three-inch-high stack of pancakes doused in maple syrup.
The hostess led Cameron to a table at the back of the cafe. After settling in, he glanced at his watch. Another two minutes and Jason would be late.
He wasn't.
As Jason stepped through the doors of the Outland Cafe, the majority of eyes turned toward him. At least six foot five and probably 260 pounds, the man was Mount Everest, or K2 at least. People acknowledged him with either admiration or thinly veiled disgust in their eyes. There didn't seem to be any middle ground. Jason's eyes seemed to say ”love me or hate me, just don't ignore me.”
Spying Cameron, he burst into a wide grin and sauntered toward the back of the cafe, stopping along the way to greet his admirers with an encouraging word. He ignored the ones who glared at him or had a sudden interest in the food on their plates.
”Good morning.” Jason stuck out his frying-pan-sized paw and Cameron shook it.
”Thanks for talking to me.”
”The pleasure is mine.” Jason sat across from Cameron and beamed. ”Cameron Vaux. How are you?” It was a statement, not a question.
”You're popular around here.”
”With some.” Jason smoothed back his thick hair and nodded at two women three booths down who gazed at him with dopey looks on their faces. ”Others not so much.”
”Why not?”
”I make people uncomfortable.” He paused and a thin smile appeared on his face. ”Do I make you uncomfortable?”
Cameron considered Jason Judah. He formed an impression of most people quickly. Jason was not most people. He exuded confidence, yet below the surface floated insecurity, maybe even anger. Cameron saw it in the way Jason continued to glance around the room, attempting to catch the eye of a fan, frustration rising when it didn't happen quickly.
”What's your technique for making people uncomfortable?”
Jason looked him straight in the eye. ”I tell them the truth.”
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