The Secret Billionaire At The Commune

Chapter 8

High up in a surprisingly well-appointed treehouse less than three miles from Anavrin, Jason showered off a hard day’s work. After Amber called him a creep and a burden on his birthday, Jason thought it’d be best to lay low for a while and decided to call his boss, Dave, to accept the repair job on the farm. What Dave had failed to mention was that the job was actually on a commune, not a farm and the guy who had hired them, Charlie, gave Jason some serious Charles Mason vibes. Charlie had bragged to Jason about living in a house with all girls and the only other men were either elderly or gay so he had no competition. Jason understood and respected the free love concept of their community but it wasn’t for him. The only person he loved was Alexis, who had no idea where he was or how to get ahold of him. He felt increasingly guilty about leaving without telling her or Nana where he was going and he had also left his phone because he felt guilty that he was still on Nana’s family plan. He hoped that Alexis and Nana didn’t share Amber’s sentiments but agreed with Amber that maybe it was time to leave the nest.

Jason knew he was welcome at the main farmhouse for meals but he was also welcome to pillage the sandwiches and lemonade from the farmstand so he opted for the latter. Though the commune members were very hospitable and welcoming, he was homesick for Nana’s trailer and the solitude of the treehouse did grant him some comfort. The entire farm needed work so he knew he’d be there for a while but it paid well and Jerry, the other man who had hired him, was basically a dream client - laid back and paid well and on time. He couldn’t really beat the location of his temporary home - a luxury treehouse that was built as a vacation rental but as Jerry had said, the commune members became a tourist attraction so they stopped renting it out. It was shaped like an octagon, with the massive oak tree trunk at the center of the room. A spiral staircase boasted a twisted branch banister, exactly like the fencing Nana had in her gardens. It was complete with a bathroom and tiny kitchenette and the wraparound porch overlooked a crystal clear lake, with the water stretching around the mountain and not another house in sight. He sipped his morning coffee, taking in the view and resolved to call Alexis soon to let him know where he was.

***

Gazing across the same shimmering waters was Alexis, on her hands and knees, weeding one of the many vegetable gardens. She was settling in well; being the only apprentice of Megan the Michelin star rated chef was turning out to be a better experience than any fancy culinary school in the world. Though it had only been a few days, she had already learned a lot from her. Mornings usually began with baking, a routine that Alexis was already used to, followed by sunrise yoga with Strawberry then helping feed the commune members their breakfast. Caitlin was the keeper of the chickens and supplied fresh eggs to the kitchen and Megan usually whipped up frittatas using whatever vegetables they had on hand. Everyone went about their day, pitching in wherever help was needed, but it became increasingly evident that the younger members of the group treated the experience like being at a music festival long term rather than living on a working farm community. They partied at the house every night, which was nice as there was always someone around to talk to, but Alexis had always been a quiet introvert and missed the hushed existence of living with Jason and Nana in the trailer. Since they partied each night, they were seemingly useless the following day, with Strawberry proclaiming her sunrise yoga lessons were her one chore then spending the rest of her day meditating away her hangover. Alexis realized she was one of those people who did stick to the stereotype of living in a commune - free love, yoga, vegan - but was kind of an asshole about it.

Alexis sat back on her knees and wiped the sweat from her brow. Caitlin and Brian passed her on their way to the meadow for their morning romp. They shared a one bed yurt with their two children and while the kids were at the commune’s school, they jumped at the opportunity to jump on each other. School is a term used loosely, as today’s lesson was being taught by Tom the self-proclaimed crazy Vietnam vet who was ranting to a group of stunned looking toddlers about ‘hunting Charlie in the boonies.’

Alexis found the experience to be cathartic. Living as Nana had lived was comforting in a sense, as though she were weeding away her grief. She still missed Jason desperately. The free love attitude of the community led to Charlie being overly flirtatious with her, much to Strawberry’s chagrin and his advances were unwelcome. It felt like he was building a harem in the yellow farmhouse; all of the other girls her age didn’t exactly seem dedicated to the principle of working towards a common good but seemed more like they were biding their time there by reluctantly taking turns in the master bedroom and reluctantly taking turns working at the farmstand. Her roommate, Sunny, had been wonderful, though. She was a talented and creative seamstress and crafted Nana’s old tee shirts into a quilt for her, for which Alexis was extremely grateful and she knew that Nana would have appreciated her things being repurposed in such a way.

Sunny was in charge of that evening’s activities where she planned on teaching everyone how to crochet. There was never a dull moment at Anavrin; something was always going on. Alexis participated in learning the hobbies that interested her and spent any other free time she had deep cleaning the old bakery. Sasha and Megan loved the idea of her selling baked goods at the farmstand - any community member who sold their wares there did keep a share of the profits as well. Alexis would be glad for a revenue stream, as she didn’t think Anavrin would be her home long term and needed a cushion to fall back on, or as Nana called it, a runaway fund.

Megan approached her, coming from the dairy barn and holding two overflowing buckets of fresh milk.

“Want to learn how to make fresh mozzarella?” she asked. Alexis jumped up, grabbing a bucket and following her into the yellow farmhouse. She was adjusting well to commune life, Alexis thought as she arranged the freshly made mozzarella with homegrown tomatoes and basil around a platter for dinner. Jerry joined them in the massive farmhouse kitchen, asking Alexis and Megan about their days and if they needed any help.

“And Alexis, don’t forget to ask Percy Jenkins or your sister about Elenor’s will and whatever deeds she may have had,” he reminded her. Alexis wondered why Jerry was so adamant about Nana’s will, it’s not like she had a ton of money. She assured him she would call her sister in the morning.