by Thianna D
“All’s forgiven, Julie. I know why this is happening. We need to get out of Mesa.” Snuffling softly, she nodded. He had hoped they could move to Corbin’s Bend as it had sounded like the perfect place for them. After applying, he had called Brent several times, just because he didn’t have anyone else to talk to about this kind of thing. He supposed he must have driven the man nuts with his questions. Damn.
As soon as she was done, he lifted her into their shower and washed her, making sure she was clean before helping her out and drying her off. “Let’s go to bed.” She nodded and walked back into their bedroom. After shutting off the light, he joined her. She had pushed the blanket off the bed, as they didn’t have the air conditioner on. It cost too much to keep the place cool. Leaning over, he turned on the bedside fan and pointed it directly at them. To hell with the bills. He would take some from their housing account as soon as the Corbin’s Bend Cooperative returned their down payment. Laying his head down on the pillow, he kissed her softly. “Night, Jules.”
“Night, Matty.”
Grinning at the nickname, he pulled her close, even knowing soon they would have to part from being too damned hot.
The phone ringing broke him out of a fitful sleep and he rolled over and grabbed his cell. His number was out there for any day-labor jobs and many times those calls came in the middle of the night. “Matt Renton,” he said in answering. The hiss of the sheets and the shaking of the bed announced that Julie had woke up too. Damn. He would have preferred she get a little more sleep. She needed it or she might kill their toaster next. His eyes fell on the alarm clock. 6:59. It wasn’t as early as he thought. Having blackout curtains was a blessing in the Valley of the Sun.
“Matt? It’s Brent Carmichael. I know it’s early. I apologize if I woke you.”
Startled by the voice on the other side of the phone, Matt sat up straight, leaning over to turn on the lamp on his side table. “Of course. That’s no trouble.” No trouble. To be called first thing in the morning to be given the bad news?
“I would have called last night but meetings with construction and with the rest of the board took so long I did not think you would appreciate a call at midnight. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that you and Julie have been accepted as Corbin’s Bend residents…” Brent kept speaking but Matt totally blanked out the rest of his words.
“Did you just say we’ve been accepted?” he asked when Brent paused.
A deep chuckle resounded through the phone. “Yes, I did. And that your house will actually be completed ten days ahead of schedule. Since you and Julie already chose which appliances you wanted, they have been ordered and will be installed on Friday.” After a pause, Brent asked, “Are you there?”
Coughing a laugh, Matt wrapped an arm around his wife and yanked her close. “Honestly, Brent, that’s the best news I’ve had in weeks.”
“Good to hear. We have five couples moving in the same week you are. If you can let us know when you’ll be here, I’ll pencil you in for the three hours of contract signing, the loan signature, as well as the inspection of the home.”
“What is the earliest day we can move in?”
Julie grabbed hold of him, her eyes wide and he grinned. As she stared at him, her look of shock turned into glee.
“Earliest day is one week from today.”
“We’ll be there at eight in the morning one week from today.”
Squealing, Julie slammed her hand over her mouth even as Brent chuckled. “I look forward to seeing you then. Benjamin and Jonathon are moving in that day as well, so you can meet one set of your neighbors. Oh, and just so you know. I have assigned myself as your mentor if that is all right with you.”
“Sounds perfect!” Matt was thrilled. Now he really had a good reason to ask Brent questions without coming across as an annoying little brother.
“One of the couples moving in a few days after you, I have known for years. Rose will be a wonderful mentor for Julie. And, I handed out your information to two of our restaurants that are already getting set up. So be prepared for a phone call.”
After a few more minutes and a promise from Brent that he would send all pertinent information to Matt’s email, he hung up. He sat there with excitement and fear beating in his heart.
“Matty?” Julie said and he turned and looked at her.
“Yeah, Jules. We can move in to our new home in Corbin’s Bend one week from today.”
Laughing and crying at the same time, she wrapped her arms around him. “Things are looking up.”
“Yes they are.” Now he just needed to find a job, turn in their notice, and get a moving van. Because they would need to head out early on Tuesday so that they could be there by Tuesday night and be ready to move in Wednesday morning. Realizing he did not need to go find a job for today, he did something he hadn’t done in months. Matt rolled over and made love to his wife before he did anything else.
Chapter 3
“That’s it,” Matt said, locking the back of the moving trailer they had rented. As it turned out, they didn’t have as much to move as they expected. They only brought the newer furniture they truly loved, leaving the hand-me-downs that were broken down by the time they received them. After a wonderfully lazy few hours spent making love the morning they learned of their acceptance into Corbin's Bend, out came the lists. Lists for what to keep, to giveaway and for each company or person they needed to inform of their move. Matt was a list person, something Julie always marveled at. If she made lists, she never followed them. In fact, she usually forgot the list completely.
“Is everything checked off your list?” she teased as he attached a lock to the trailer.
He shot her a grin. “Is your ass hot enough or would you like me to heat it up some more?”
Blushing, she smacked him across the chest, making him laugh. Giggling at the reminder of the previous night’s meltdown where he had proceeded to paint her ass a glowing red so hot she could feel it several inches off her skin, she trotted up to the passenger door of the car. “Okay, Corbin’s Bend, here we come!”
It was only five in the morning, but the Valley of the Sun was already radiating heat as the sun peaked over the horizon and she soaked in the rays of it as they headed out of town. “How cold is it at our new home?” she asked.
“Highs in the low seventies expected the next few days.”
“Brrr. That’s winter weather.”
“Not anymore, Jules. Winter weather is twenty degrees below.”
Aghast, she stared at him. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
He flashed her one of his wicked fast grins. “It can get pretty cold, Julie. But we’ll outfit ourselves with cold weather gear by the time fall hits.”
Cold. Julie had never liked cold. Anything cooler than seventy was freezing to her. Reminding herself that the community would make the cold weather worth it, she leaned back. They hadn’t informed their families they were moving. It was best they didn’t know until after the two of them were gone. It felt like lying, in a way, but she also knew her family, who had been trying to get her to leave Matt, would step up their game and try to forcibly remove her. Matt’s family had written him off as a degenerate and a sinner. Idiots. This morning, Matt had dropped two short notes in the mail. Their families would each receive news of their move sometime tomorrow. It just wouldn’t tell them where the two of them had gone.
The trip was slower going than the one they made a few weeks back as the trailer ate up more gas and they had to stop far more often. She was just glad for the calls that came in last Friday, or her normal worry about such a big move would be terror at moving without a job.
“Are you excited for your new job?” she asked as they crossed into Colorado.
“Very,” he agreed wholeheartedly. The owner of an Italian restaurant that was as yet unnamed had offered him a job. Once they got there, Matt would have to go in and show the individual just how good of a chef he was, but Julie wasn’t worried. Her man could cook like nobody
’s business. If the owner were smart, he would make her husband head chef.
Sitting in a car for fifteen hours was awful. Even worse, sitting in a car with an uncomfortable backend. As the day wore on, several times she almost made a snide comment. But then she would move and her backside reminded her that was probably a stupid thing to do. Matt wasn’t averse to pulling over to the side of the road and tanning her hide with either his hand or his belt when she got snippy.
Money was a little tight due to the fact they would need to buy a few things for their new house, so staying at a motel was out. After buying a couple sandwiches and bottled water in Denver, Matt drove until they found a rest stop and pulled off.
“We’ll sleep here,” he announced.
She grimaced a smile and nodded before she hopped out to use the restroom.
All in all, it was a dismal night. Neither of them could sleep well. They slept best in each other’s arms, but the car seats didn’t allow that, so he slept in the front seat and she in the back.
“Julie…Julie…” Matt’s voice pulled her from a very uncomfortable sleep where she felt like she had been jostled.
“What?” she murmured, keeping her eyes closed.
He chuckled. “We’re here, Jules. In Corbin’s Bend.”
As her eyes flashed open, she jerked into a seated position. They were parked right in front of the dome and while the sun hadn’t made its way over the mountains yet, the sky above was a clear, crystal blue.
“We’re here?” she asked in awe, scooting over and opening the door to climb out.
Looking around, she squeaked. Whereas the last time they were here, everything was dusty and undone, it looked like a whole new place. Instead of a dirt road, it was paved. There were fences across the road from them instead of the backs of houses. Turning toward the dome, she thought it looked brighter, too. Matt climbed out of the front seat, stretching his muscles. “It’s not eight yet. We have a couple doughnuts left from yesterday and some water. Why don’t we walk around and eat some breakfast while we wait for Brent to get here?”
Julie was so excited she was sure she could pop. She wondered how bad she looked, as she pulled fingers through her tangled hair. She shot her husband a big grin. They had accomplished a lot in the last five weeks.
The main paved road in town, ironically named Spanking Loop, weaved in and around the community. It went so far they elected not to walk the whole way, but turned on another drive that entered the housing area they would live in. It was so different from before. Now there was grass and a few trees. Each home, which had been tan before as they were covered with dust, was a slightly different color. When they reached their new home, Julie wished they could walk in. She could hardly wait to see it again.
The sound of a door closing made them both swing around, surprised to see Brent walk out of a house just down the street. As he turned and walked down the walkway toward the sidewalk, he looked up and saw them. A wide smile crossed his face. “Good morning!” he called, “Ready to move in?”
“Definitely,” Matt said and Julie nodded in agreement. “Are you making sure the houses are ready?”
“Did that on Friday,” Brent said. “No, that’s my home.” He pointed to the house he had just left. “Moved in this last weekend. Damn it was nice to move out of a trailer.” Waving toward the drive they just walked down, he led them away from their house. “Let’s get the basics done so you can get settled.”
So they were living on the same street as the head of it? At first, that surprised Julie, but then filled her with a sense of awe. They had seen that home. It was the one bedroom with an office style. That he didn’t put himself in the largest fanciest home on the lot – which nobody would blame him for – said a lot about the integrity of the man. Even as overawed as she was of him, Julie found herself truly liking Brent Carmichael. He seemed very down to earth.
“It’s nice to have everything paved,” Matt said as Brent unlocked the doors to the dome.
Barking a laugh, Brent nodded. “Agreed. I began to feel like all I would ever taste is dust.”
“What’s the road that leads up the hill just inside of the Corbin’s Bend sign?”
Sign? Julie realized they would have to drive around once they unpacked. She wanted the full view of her new community and while it was wonderful that Matt had let her sleep in this morning, she wanted to see what he had seen.
“The only home that isn’t officially a part of the community. At first, we thought it was just a patch of woods on a hill. It wasn’t until we arrived that we found out it was a home. We’re trying to purchase the property from its owner, Karl Jessup.”
The foyer was still empty but it looked clean and they followed him into the first office. Now, the big wooden desk had been replaced with a newer glass and steel one. A large leather chair sat behind it and two chairs sat in front. “Have a seat.”
Out of a drawer from a file cabinet behind his chair, Brent pulled out a large, thick envelope. “I know this looks imposing, but it isn’t as bad as it looks. I’ll start with the community and its rules. I’ve hired a notary to come up today. Hopefully our secretary will be in place soon and then he or she can notarize everything.” The first hour was spent going over the community rules, information on what was going to be there, as well as questionnaires for them both to fill out. “Don’t put anything you don’t want people to see on them,” Brent explained. “This will be biographical info for our residents.” After the notary arrived, they signed the contracts and the loan agreement.
It was a full three hours and by the time he handed them their keys and the forms to fill out just in case something didn’t work, Julie was tired.
“I would suggest,” Brent said as they all stood up, “that you don’t do too much today. Unload, go to Denver or Boulder and stock up on groceries, then come back and crash. You both look spent. Our first market won’t be opening up until this coming weekend, I’m afraid, or I’d suggest you go there.”
After thanking him, they went back to their car and drove to their new home. Matt skillfully backed the trailer into their driveway. Julie was so excited! This was their first home that they owned. Well, in a sense, anyway. Not an apartment. Brand new. She trembled as Matt slipped the key into the lock and turned it, opening the door.
It was better than she expected. When Brent had them choose the appliances they wanted, he also had them choose colors for their walls. The whole house had been painted in the exact colors they asked for. Running into the kitchen, she beamed at the stainless steel appliances. And then she looked out the French doors. “Matt, we can still see the dome!” she squealed as she opened them and walked out onto the cement deck. The rest of the yard was grass, but she knew they could put in extra plants and make it look like they wanted. Surrounded by a tall, wooden fence, it gave them a lot of room.
Her husband walked out and stood next to her. “Yes, we can,” he said with a laugh. His strong arms wrapped around her. “Happy?”
“Blissful. And exhausted. So we’d better unload before we crash.”
* * * * *
As Matt placed the last box down, he stretched, elongating his back. Fuck, he was tired. Neither of them had slept well since the news a week ago and for the last forty-eight hours, he had probably had a total of four hours rest. He just wanted to collapse onto their bed, the only piece of furniture they put up instantly, and crash. But he knew they couldn’t.
“Jules,” he called, leaning against the kitchen counter.
She trotted out from their bedroom, a happy, if exhausted, expression on her face.
“We need to head to Boulder, turn in the trailer, and pick up some groceries. Before we collapse.”
Walking forward, she wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head under his chin. “I’m tired, but happy.”
“Me too, Jules. Me too.” Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he squeezed tight. They were finally here.
The trip to Boulder took three hours, but they
were able to return the trailer and stock up on enough food for a week. By the time they returned home, the sun was just on its way down. But at least they could still see it. A moving van sat parked across the street and as he pulled into the garage, Matt looked forward to meeting their new neighbor. He hoped the people here would be as friendly as Brent was. People in Arizona tended to be as prickly as the cactus they proudly loved.
They unpacked their groceries, only filling a third of the room in the pantry. Julie was so happy, she pulled out a few items to start cooking rather than one of the frozen prepared meals she could have easily chosen. He instantly recognized what was on her mind. Pulling out his knives, he chopped up the tomatoes. As they had a screen door, he had opened the front door earlier. The sound of a moving truck door banging open floated to them as well as the ramp being pulled out.
“Sounds like our neighbors are starting to unload,” he said as he added the tomatoes to the large saucepan on the stove.
“Maybe we should invite them over for dinner?” Julie asked. “They’ve got to be just as exhausted as we are.”
“Fantastic idea.” After kissing her quickly, he wiped his hands on a dishtowel and walked out of the kitchen. As he strode out the front door, he spotted the tall, thin man they had seen when they were up visiting the community. What was his name? “Jonathon?” he called as he walked across the street.
Turning as he carried a large box down the ramp, the man in question raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Did I get the right name?” Matt asked, grinning. “I remember seeing you when Julie and I came to visit a few weeks ago.”
A warm, if reserved smile, crossed Jonathon’s face and once he got to the bottom of the ramp, he put the box down. “Yes. I’m Jonathon Travers. My partner’s name is Benjamin Steppings, but he’s a Marine and is on overseas duty right now.”
Inordinately pleased that the community was as open as Brent had suggested it would be, Matt held out his hand. “Matt Renton. My wife’s name is Julie. Want some help?”
