Page 16 of Beck & Coll
He cut me right off, taking my mother’s hand in his. “Collins said we were meeting her mother, not my future wife. I’m happy to meet you. Are you free to meet me at the justice of the peace this afternoon?” He kissed the back of her hand.
I rolled my eyes, surprised that while I was doing that, Alisha Kingsley was giggling and blushing.
“You haven’t even asked me my name. Aren’t you curious about who you’re trying to marry?”
“Sugar, I plan to call you Mrs. Strong every chance I get. And when I’m not calling you that, I’ll call you Queen. How many carats you want your ring to have, Mrs. Strong?”
She giggled again.
I tried not to puke. “Bay, please stop hitting on my mother right in my face. Anyway, Ma, this is Bayliss Strong. Bay, this is my mother. Her name is not Mrs. Strong. Her name is Alisha Kingsley.” I was being a brat, and I wasn’t even sure why.
“For now,” he told me. “Ms. Alisha, is this your only bag?” He easily lifted her carry-on suitcase.
“It is.”
“Cool. Future wife, you go ‘head and get in that front seat. Collins, you gone navigate from the back.” He walked away to put my mom’s suitcase in the trunk.
“What?” I questioned while my mom dissolved into another fit of giggles.
I couldn’t help but notice that she climbed right into the passenger seat while she was laughing. I wanted to be mad, but the truth of the matter was that I was going to give her the front seat anyway.
The ride back to Jackson Falls was punctuated by a soft, quiet conversation between my mother and Bayliss, while I alternated between dozing off and texting on my phone with my sisters in our group chat.
Me:
Your mother is out here in the wilderness flirting already.
Bailey:
Please tell her to stop. I don’t need any more sisters, and this lady gets pregnant every time she says hello to a man.
Perkins:
Stop being a hater, Bailey. You have live-in dick. Let Ma live. It’s probably been a minute since she got some. Let her get some.
Bailey:
We don’t even know this man. Who is he, Collins?
Me:
His parents own the lodge. He’s the veterinarian at the cattle ranch on the lodge.
Perkins:
Smart, and he has money. And his parents own the lodge? Your man’s parents own the lodge, right? Is he your man’s brother?
Church:
Collins, you have a man?
Bailey:
Right?!?!
Me:
He’s my friend! He’s the adventure guide.
Perkins:
And he’s been guiding you on how to ride that dick!
Church:
*ROTFL*
Me:
Anyway! We were talking about Mama. His name is Bayliss. He’s a good guy, and yes, he’s Beckham’s brother. But still . . .
Perkins:
It’s a vacation. I say let Alisha cook. All she does is go to work.
Bailey:
And come home and watch your kids.
Perkins:
Mind the business that pays you, Bailey.
Church:
I’m with Perk. Let mama cook. She deserves to have some man tell her she’s pretty, and act like he’s in insta-love with her. She’s there for the weekend. Let her spend the weekend getting her ego blown up. What’s it gonna hurt?
Perkins:
Out of the mouths of babes.
Bailey:
Now, when she comes home pregnant, who’s gonna raise that baby?
About three quarters into the ride, Bayliss speaking in his regular tone pulled my attention from my phone.
“Hey, Collins. Beck tells me that you feel like you haven’t gotten to see enough of Jackson Falls to decide if it’s someplace you could consider living.”
My swallow got caught in my throat. “Uh… uh, yeah. I told him that I’ve only really seen the lodge and a little bit of Second Street.” I lowered my voice. “And the creek… when I fell into it.”
“You fell in a creek?” My mother basically shouted, concern coloring her tone.
Bayliss chuckled lightly. “Dayum, lil’ mama. I heard you fell on the trail, but you fell into the creek, too?”
“You fell on the trail? Did you hurt yourself, Coll? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was okay, and because Beckham was there both times to help me.” I paused. “Although, I’m starting to think that he might be a jinx.”
Bayliss roared with laughter. “I’ve always thought that about him.”
I laughed, too. My mother did not.
“This is not funny. I didn’t plan on you coming out here and getting yourself killed.” She scolded me.
“I didn’t get myself killed, Mama. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“But you did hurt yourself.”
“More so when I fell in the mountains than when I fell in the creek. The creek was just cold and shocking. But Beck jumped in right away and got me out.”
“Jumped in and got you out? Were you drowning?”
“No, Mama. I was shocked that I fell in and by how cold the water was.”
“The creek isn’t deep,” Bayliss agreed. “She could stand up in it. But the water is cold, and it can be a shock to the system.”
“Ma, please don’t start tripping. I’m thirty-six years old. I’m a grown-up. I’ve been fine. Besides, everything I’ve done, Beck’s been right by my side, and he’s a professional. He wouldn’t let me get hurt.”
“And now that he knows that she’s clumsy, I can assure you that he’s even more cautious,” Bay tacked on.
My mother chuckled.
I sucked in a breath. “Clumsy? I beg your pardon.”
“You have always been clumsy, Coll,” she said gently.
I didn’t even justify that comment.
“So, we’ve just entered Red Leaf, Oregon.
This is what we in Jackson Falls consider the city.
If you ever hear a Jackson Falls resident saying they’re going to the city or went to the city…
they usually mean Red Leaf. It’s where that red store with the bull’s eye and the blue store are located, the shopping malls, and the chain grocery stores.
You can find home improvement stores and the nearest beauty and nail salons.
It’s about a thirty-five to forty-five-minute drive from town.
So, you can see why my mother would love to reopen the salon at the lodge. ”
We drove for about another twenty-five or thirty minutes.
“We’ve just entered Chinook Woods. Jackson Falls and Chinook Woods operate in tandem, but each has their own mayor and their own village officials.
Jackson Falls is smaller, and between the lodge and the Cascada Noir Mountain range there is more usable space in Chinook Woods.
So, most people who work in Jackson Falls actually live in Chinook Woods.
Both the elementary and middle schools are in Chinook Woods.
In the year 2000, my parents donated twenty acres of their land to the town to build a new high school.
The kids in both towns were being bused to Red Leaf, and that school was getting overcrowded. ”
“Wow. That was generous of your parents,” my mom commented.
“It was,” I agreed.
“They consider Jackson Falls their community, and they’re dedicated to pouring into it.”
“I love that.” My mother trilled.
“To your left, you’ll see an apartment complex.
The Jackson Strong Apartment Community was developed by my youngest brother, Brighton.
We call him, Bright. There’s a few more apartment complexes in town…
maybe three or four. Jackson Strong is the newest. It’s known for being modern, well-maintained, and well- managed.
Jackson Falls and Chinook Woods aren’t really ‘renting’ towns.
Usually renters are newlyweds, recent college grads, or those just starting out.
Most people in this area wanna have a house, wanna own land.
Land ownership means a lot to them. And they like to build their own homes.
New construction barndominiums are a big thing here.
” He chuckled. “There are a few houses for sale in Jackson Falls. Some of the owners have gotten elderly. Their kids come and get them and move them away. That’s my sales pitch.
Please let my brother know that I gave you the tour and told you what’s up.
If you decide not to move here, it’s not because you didn’t know what Jackson Falls has to offer. ”