Leah: Sure. Just getting ready now. Want to come meet me at my "house"?
Be there in 20. Can't wait to see you, baby.
I drive downtown and park on Main Street, waving to everyone I know…plus people who look kind of familiar, and seem to know me.
Part of my mind is still turning around Kane's question about what we should be improving around the town. Then I notice Leah's RV is parked in one of the very few spots a vehicle like that would fit, unless she parked right on the main street, where there’s no power. She would never have known this spot was here if I hadn't arranged it.
She flings open the door as soon as I tap on it. My arms spread wide, and she steps into the hug while I swing her down the steps.
“So: brunch options," I murmur into her ear. "The coffee shop, the diner, or drive to Cedarvale for a different coffee shop?"
"Close is good. I'm not fussy."
After she locks her front door, I playfully elbow her. "Not fussyis how you wound up with a guy like me."
We laugh together while walking down the street to Corina's Coffee. I wait until we have mugs and food in front of us to pull out my phone and start taking notes. "As an expert in motorhome life, can you please tell me what your requirements are for a good campground?"
She tips her head and stares at me curiously, then takes a sip of coffee. "Where is this coming from?"
"I’m doing some research. Just play along and help me get started."
"Okay," she shrugs. Then she stares into her mug, listing a bunch of technical stuff like power, water hookups, sewage pump out, and gas lines. Many campgrounds have large communal barbecues. Some have commercial laundry facilities, too. The best ones, she says, are sheltered a bit from wind and the noise of major highways.
“The nice ones are super expensive, though," she sighs. "And a lot of people who are camping are on a tight budget, trying to pinch every penny."
"We use the honor system a lot around here." My fingers tap restlessly against the table while I think. "What if there were a fantastic RV park that cost…maybe forty bucks a night per vehicle…but instead of paying the park, you had to spend that amount on food and supplies in town?"
"Wow." Leah blinks in surprise. "That would be amazing."
"Of course, it only works if the park is a very short walk from the downtown area." I open my map app and zoom in. "What do you consider a reasonable walk from your vehicle to the nearest coffee shop, and a department store? Five minutes? Ten?"
Leah takes a bite of her scrambled egg and spinach sandwich and swallows, still looking at me strangely. "Personally, I thinkten minutes is a nice walk, but you might have some seniors. Or people with little kids."
“Good point." I measure a few distances. "Okay, so under a five-minute walk."
"Of course,” Leah adds, “if this was a trulydeluxecampground, you could have bicycles for rent there. With little pulling trailers for the kids, or groceries. You could have it a bit farther away then."
"Great idea! That might really encourage people to spend money in town. So the bike rentals would be free as well. We'll just put them…in a shed next to the restroom and shower facilities at the park." I catch Leah’s eye. "I'm sure the shower in your RV is fine, but having a much larger shower stall with better water pressure would be a treat, right?"
"Of course.” Her ankle brushes against mine under the table. "But you can't be serious about this. Or are you?"
I flash her a grin and set the phone on the table, spinning it to her and pointing. “This spot right here. It's too rocky to dig out a basement, so nobody’s ever wanted to build houses on it. And it's kind of invisible from the main street, so stores don’t want it either. It's been a vacant lot for as long as I can remember."
Leah peers at my phone. "Yeah, that's like a four- or five-minute walk from downtown. That row of trees would block the wind. And you could probably fit…maybe twenty RVs…and build all of the facilities right here by the road." She points.
Then her beautiful blue eyes lift to mine. "I still can't tell if you're joking."
"I'm not. It's a great idea, I think."
My hand darts out to take hers. "There’s a group of guys who maintain the hiking trails. They always say that bird watchers are the perfect tourists. Quiet, and respectful of the forest. We’ll mention the park to various birding groups.” I point to thescreen again. “Maple Trail has a parking lot that people could walk to, or ride bikes from the park.”
“Wow.” Leah shakes her head. “It’s a great idea. I mean, it might take several years to purchase the land, get all the permits from the local council. Maybe you could start building within a decade.”
While she takes another bite of her breakfast, I draft a text, then show it to her before hitting send.
You know the old McMurphy property that’s been sitting empty for ages? Let’s turn it into an RV park for tourists, to bring more money to the downtown shops. I have a whole plan. For now, purchase the land, and get in touch with that construction team the council loves. We can have the whole thing up and running by spring.
Leah laughs, sipping her coffee and grinning like I’ve just told the funniest joke ever. I simply eat my sausage scramble and calmly wait a few minutes until my phone beeps.
