It's All About Faith Pt. 10

Mitch was listening closely and asked, "They want it for more than farming then, because you don't need a lot of frontage for farming crops."

Faith smiled and said, "That's right. But you do need frontage if you want to build." She had their undivided attention now. "As you know, the land in this area is rolling or hilly in most places. And beyond your parcel it goes down quite a bit, enough that it would be very expensive to make it usable for building on, so that takes that whole area out of consideration for their project. They needed my land because it has great potential for golf courses. Pro class golf courses I was told, but I have to trust my source because I know nothing about golf."

"Faith," Kali said, "Why out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"It isn't anymore. With the connector road, we're less than twenty minutes from the interstate, and less than an hour from Williamsport, fifteen minutes from Renovo and so forth. We're in the middle of nowhere, but surrounded by people."

Buck said, "So what you're saying is, they really need my frontage to make their plan work as they want it to."

"That's right. Oh they have other options, but none nearly as good as your property. Now the rest is partly what I hear, and partly what just makes sense. I do know that the golf thing is the primary function. But it will have a golf academy too. I learned that's where people come to stay days at a time and take golf lessons. They also plan tennis, and of course, tennis training, swimming pools, spas, a whole resort fronting on the highway. That keeps the main traffic away from here and that's a good thing. But whenever you see big fancy golf courses you see homes built along the edges and they go for a premium every time. They want to build a whole line of homes along the north edge of your hundred acres, and I'm willing to bet on that. Oh and Mitch, I'll bet they'd love to buy the old water tower for their irrigation system." Before anybody could form a thought Faith added, "Buck, I'd tell them you want a million and a half for eighty acres, and you keep twenty in case you want to add homes to Phoenix Lane."

"Oh shit," Mitch said. "So if we build homes there they could either be for Phoenix Lane or for the golf course people."

"That's right, however you want to do it. I'm sure I can sell the old homes down from Peggy to the people that will be working at the...resort or whatever they will call it."

Buck leaned back and said, "Faith, you can't convince me you sold me a couple of million dollars worth of land for a hundred grand."

"I didn't know the details then. I knew about the resort plans, but it was only three of four days ago that I got the rest of the story. That's when I called you. There's a good chance that Phoenix Lane could be able to expand quite a bit before it was over. People could pay a membership to join Phoenix Lane and enjoy those benefits along with their view of the golf course or whatever. People that want to live in Phoenix Lane could pay for a membership to the country club. Each could benefit the other in other words."

"And you get what out of this Faith?"

She smiled and said, "Buck, you are more suspicious than I ever thought you were. It is my hope that over time, more people will live in the area and maybe the grocery store and Dwayne's gas station could be resurrected. Maybe the hardware store could be used for something else. Certainly a restaurant could come to life again if only for a few hours a day, with a liquor license of course."

"So you see Discovery reemerging."

"No, I see Comstock reemerging. The Discovery concept is dead. Just a simple small town offering the basics to the people, that would bring the outlying farmers back too of course."

Mitch was getting excited now. "So that means more interest in Phoenix Lane real estate almost certainly."

"Of course, with the clothing optional concept posted, nobody is going to jump in here unless they want to be a part of that lifestyle. Voyeurs will always be a problem, but maybe with a membership, the potential buyer would have to pass an interview process run by the association. The lawyers would have to sort that out first of course. The potential for growth is obvious."

Layla had been quiet through the whole discussion until she said, "Faith, didn't you build your warehouses so you could have a small store at the street end?"

Faith smiled and said, "You got me. Yes I did. I never finished that idea for obvious reasons, but that was my plan at one time."

"More potential for growth."

"I can only hope, but that would be one of the last phases, because my ego wouldn't handle another major failure."

Layla stood up and said, "So Casey's is still set up for retail. The motel is still in tact and could be a motel or be modified for a few small shops, and there's Ma's Kitchen. So if this ever took off we could end up with a little town again." "We could," Faith added with a smile. "Given a little time, Comstock could be reinvented.

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Five

Buck waited until their little meeting seemed over and everybody was standing up, before he grabbed Kali and sat back down with her in his lap. "So how would you feel being married to a millionaire?"

She stared at him and then jumped up. "Damn you Buck, you can't ask me to marry you, you're still married to Anita. Are you crazy? Why do you do these things to me when...," and he scooped her up in his arms.

He looked at the others, rolled his eyes and said, "Here we go again," and he headed for the bedroom, kicked the door closed and tossed her on the bed.

She tried to get off, but he caught her and then got onto the bed with her. "I suppose you're going to rip our clothes off again like some caveman or something."

"Nope, we're going to lie here and talk about getting married."

"We are not. Didn't you hear what I just said? You are still married to Anita."

"Yep, for another five weeks in fact."

"Then you want to be a bigamist?"

"I'd only be a bigamist if I married you before I divorced Anita. I wasn't planning on doing that."

"Oh, you weren't planning. Need I remind you there are two of us in this?"

"Oh no, I don't need to be reminded of that, you're too loud to ignore. For such a little thing you sure can make a lot of noise."

"Now Buck don't start that little..." and he kissed her.

"Now don't tell me you don't love me, Kali."

"Oh Buck, I love you so much."

"Then you will marry me?"

"You know I will."

"Now can I move in with you?"

She sat up and said, "So that's what this is all about, you just want to move in with me."

"No, I want to marry you, but you just said that I have to wait."

"Well, of course we have to wait." Oh God, we're talking in circles. Yes, you can move in with me if you're sure we'll get married."

I want the ceremony to be up here, maybe in the Playhouse."

"Buck, are you serious? Oh my God, you don't mean a naked ceremony do you?"

"Oh, that would be tacky. No, I was thinking more like your tiny skirt, no panties or bra of course, a sexy top and a veil. Oh, and tall sexy heels."

"Now be serious."

"I'm very serious. We can get naked after the ceremony."

"We have a lot of talking to do."

"We can make love on the stage after the ceremony."

"Buck, now stop making fun, this is serious."

"I'm being serious."

"I have to think about all of this...like, for about five weeks in fact. And I have to talk to Layla, Carly, and Brenda... I need help, and not from you."

"You never answered me. How will you feel being married to a millionaire?"

"I was before."

"You were?"

"Yes, how do you suppose I ended up with enough money that I don't have to work?"

"Well, why didn't you tell me?"

"What difference does it make?"

"I don't know."

"And remember, you won't be a millionaire until that land is sold. Until then you're pretty damn poor."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"Buck we better rejoin the others or they will think we're making love."

"Oh, horrors."

"Don't be a smart ass. I don't marry smart asses."

"What about your first husband?"

"That's why he's my ex husband," she lied.

"Oh...I guess we better go find the others so we can share our good news."

"By the way, where's my ring?"

"Oh, that. We need to do some shopping when we get home. Now I feel like maybe I can afford a little nicer ring."

"Not until you sell the land."

"We'll see," and they went out only to find the apartment empty.

Everybody was gathered around the tables or standing near them. As Buck and Kali appeared they all applauded and Kali even blushed. Layla asked her, "So what was your decision, Kali?"

She smiled like a virgin as she said, "I told him yes, of course." There was another round of applause and Kali said, "Buck wants us to be married in the Playhouse." That brought cheers and that's when Kali realized about half of the residents were there. Drinks appeared from homes and the talking and tasting continued.

It was close to six o'clock when Darren appeared in a borrowed van with two of the waitresses from Ethel's in Renovo. Faith announced, "Darren is bringing dinner for everybody and a large batch of Ethel's special iced tea. Dinner is on me," and everybody cheered and helped carry the food into the restaurant where Darren and the waitresses set it up and served everybody. Darren collected a long embrace and a kiss from Faith and they whispered back and forth, no doubt making reference to her sampling his long cock again some day.

It was past nine before people started to leave. One here and two there until the group was back down to just Faith, Mitch, Layla, Buck, and Kali. Even Darren left with the waitresses not long after dinner. Buck had been waiting, but he got the chance he was waiting for and put his arms around her. "Thank you for dinner, love, but you do have to cut down on your spending. I mean you just told me you were down to your last ten or twenty million." She laughed and kissed him and said, "Buck, thank you so much for calling everybody. You have improved my life a hundredfold."

"I'm glad. You know I owe you so much too. How could I ever repay you for selling me that land so cheaply and when you knew it was going to explode in value."

"I'm so glad that you and Kali will benefit from it. I just wish that Anita could be rewarded for her sacrifice too."

"She's probably going to marry Doug."

"Really?"

"It looks like it right now anyway."

"You okay with that?"

"You know I expected a lot of heartache because I do still love her. But it hasn't been bad. We still see each other and are the best of friends. All of this is just too complicated to ever understand. I'll just have to go along with it and enjoy my life."

"You certainly could have it worse."

"Most definitely so, now, we just have to find you some amazing guy, that is worthy of you."

Faith just smiled and said, "All of you amazing guys are taken I'm afraid."

He kissed her again and whispered, "You are one very special woman and you just get better every time I see you." They shared a light kiss and then she said goodnight to everybody and headed back to Williamsport.

There was nothing more they could accomplish there, so after coffee they headed for Ethel's and breakfast and then home to get on with their normal lives. Mitch was eager to get one more apartment built on the other side of Winnie and Jeff and that would be all for that side of the square, but Mitch was already making other plans for expansion once the golf resort was a sure thing and underway, but this time he would talk it over with Layla.

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Six

Even though it was four hours from Scranton, the day they announced the construction of the golf resort, it was headline news on every station and paper, but the construction data had changed a little. It would be a twenty seven hole golf development to start rather than eighteen, and then on it went much like Faith had described: Tennis courts and lessons, what they called modest accommodations of an unspecified number of rooms, and an upscale restaurant, and a coffee shop. Of course, there would be suites available and on it went. The artist rendering that was shown made it look like a world class development, but only time would tell how accurate that would be.

The first effects to be felt were quick in coming, an increase in traffic going past Phoenix Lane. The next one was a couple of weeks after construction began, when Mitch was approached to open the motel and Ethel's or Ma's Kitchen for the duration of the construction, which was estimated to be eighteen to twenty months. Mitch told Mark McGee, the inquiring representative from Omaha Development, that there would have to be a guaranteed minimum income for the restaurant and the motel. That sent Mitch scrambling to find Grace and to talk to Ethel. When Grace said no thanks, he just shook his head in disappointment. But then she said she knew somebody that could do it if they wanted to and she'd find out and get back to him. Ethel was more receptive and almost eager, but would have trouble covering her absence in town so she too would have to get back to him as well.

Mitch and Buck got together again and over coffee Mitch said, "Changes are going to come fast and have already started. Faith called yesterday and told me that we could use one of the empty houses past Peggy's for motel or restaurant workers. She's hot to see all of this take off, so she's going to do whatever she can to make it happen. I have to think that a free place to live would be a pretty attractive enticement for a waitress or a motel maid for example."

"I'll bet that the properties at Phoenix Lane have already jumped in value"

"I haven't looked into it, but I'm sure they have. Oh, and Faith was right, I was approached about the water tower and that deal was closed yesterday. That's one less piece of property that I pay taxes on and one less maintenance worry for me. Also, that means a few more dollars to put toward new apartments or other units. Have you heard from anybody about the acreage Buck?

"Not a word, but it has to be their move. I don't want to appear too eager or hungry."

"So true, want me to handle that for you, without fee of course?"

"Sure, have at it. You'd be better at negotiations than I would most likely."

"Okay. We'll start at what Faith suggested, because I think she had done her homework. The line of building sites all along the golf course would go for fifty grand apiece easily, and probably more. Twenty five of those would cover what they had invested in the whole eighty acres, and they'd still have fifty or more acres left to play with. Yeah I'd say a mil and a half is very reasonable."

"If I can get that I'll be very happy."

"Then what?"

"Well, my thought is, wait and see what the market is or becomes, but I'll have to trust you for a lot of that. We don't want to build a number of units only to have them sit empty."

"That's true."

The next two weeks were calm. No changes in their circumstances or plans, or calls from Omaha Development. No word from Grace or from Ethel either, and both Mitch and Buck were getting a little restless.

Mitch finally heard from Ethel and she had somebody to work for her at the restaurant so she was available to open the original Ethel's again. She just needed to hire a cook and somebody to help her with the other duties. But it was the call that Buck got that got them excited. "Mr. Andrews, this is Mark McGee from Omaha Development, how are you today?"

"I'm fine Mr. McGee, what can I do for you today?"

"I understand you own a hundred acre parcel at Comstock."

"Yes I do as a matter of fact."

"I might be interested in buying it if the price was right."

"Fine. I was considering developing it actually, but as you just said, if the price is right I might reconsider that. I'll give you the number of my real estate agent."

"Can't we just handle this and save you paying the commission?"

"No, he's like family to me. His name is Mitch Chandler," and Buck gave him the number and then said, "He's a good man to work with."

"Well okay, but this will cost you a lot of unnecessary money."

"I'll deal with that just fine. Have a nice day, Mr. McGee." Buck had to smile because he was pretty proud of himself. By acting nonchalant about Mitch's commission he sounded confident and not all that hungry for money. Then Buck quickly called Mitch and told him to expect a call from Mark. The games had begun. Faith had it figured out just right, or she had good spies, but either way he owed Faith in more ways than one.

It was another week before Grace called Mitch and they made arrangements to get the motel up and running again. It would be temporary just like the restaurant, but at least for the next eighteen months or so, Comstock would be much more alive and the visitors to Phoenix would have a motel to go to.

Things were progressing smoothly. Things like construction was well underway on the apartment next to Winnie and Jeff, and Mitch had plans for two more apartments on the other side as soon as the first one was completed. Peggy was now the association president, and they had set up a board to review potential buyers before they could sign on the dotted line. Things weren't perfect though. When the winds blew strong enough and from the right direction, dust from the golf academy construction would drift over Phoenix Lane and make the air about half brown looking. Having carpenters in the area interfered with the residents going naked, but it wasn't long before the women were at least going topless and wearing the obscenely small shorts. It was even money whether or not they would end up naked long before the apartments were finished.

Kali and Buck had dinner with Mitch and Layla the evening after Buck's divorce was final. They weren't celebrating the occasion, but they felt that it did deserve some recognition. That was also the night that Mitch told Buck and Kali that the eighty acres were sold for one point three million, payable in ninety days or less. Now they had a very good reason to celebrate.

Then Buck and Kali had announcements of their own to make. Buck started it with, "Kali and I have been talking about the twenty acres and how to develop it. We're afraid that to make it strictly part of Phoenix Lane would restrict it enough to possibly prevent some sales, so we've come up with a solution. There will be a gate across the entrance to the new section and only approved members will have codes to get into Phoenix Lane. That way, if people that live in the other eighty acres wish and are accepted by the board, they too can pay an outrageous sum and become members of our little community: More money for the coffers."

Mitch laughed and said, "You sound like Hank now. Good idea by the way. Now I have no doubt we can develop that twenty acres, but call it something other than an extension of Phoenix Lane."

"Okay," Kali said, "Now for our other announcement. Buck and I want to pick a date in mid August for our wedding and we do want to have it at the Playhouse, if you don't mind of course."

Layla's eyes danced and said, "Of course we don't mind, that will be wonderful and we can't wait for the event. Can I help you plan it Kali?"

"Of course, I'd appreciate your help." So more changes were on the way and to add to that, more construction would begin before the end of summer.

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Seven

Mitch and Layla had dinner with Anita and Doug the following weekend, and of course Phoenix Lane came up in conversation. Mitch didn't mention anything about Buck selling the property, but he did tell them about Buck and Kali's plans for an August wedding. Anita smiled and seemed to handle it with aplomb, because she had no doubt they would get married.