Page 1 of Wood Riddance
Prologue
Adele
2 years ago
This could not be happening.
I sat up straight and tried to control my breathing. It was a technique I’d learned in therapy after my dad died. There weren’t many things I could control in life, so I focused on box breathing. In for four, out for four.
Because the rage that was usually set to a low simmer inside me was threatening to boil up again.
“I think there’s a mismatch here,” he said, sitting back in his seat with the kind of unearned confidence that made me homicidal.
I clenched my fists. How was this happeningagain? I’d date someone for six months or so, and then they’d dump me. For any number of lame and questionable reasons.
I just wasn’t worth hanging on to.
As he explained, ad nauseam, why his work was so important and why he was so special, I zoned out, studying his face for clues as to how things had gone so wrong.
Weak chin, patchy stubble, and beady eyes. Long ago, I had learned to never go for the hot ones. They were always full of themselves and thought they could do better. I had liked Blake. He was quirky, and I enjoyed his dry sense of humor.
“I think we have different values, goals,” he said expectantly.
Licking my lips, I racked my brain for an appropriate response and came up empty. “Sorry?”
“I’m ambitious, and academia isn’t for the faint of heart,” he said slowly, like I was a child.
I snorted. I wasn’t sure what academia was for most of the time.
“And I’m in my thirties now. I need a partner who will be an asset when it comes to my career.”
God, I was such an idiot. I’d left work early and curled my hair, excited for a night out. We had made plans for him to spend the weekend, so I had deep cleaned my house and stocked the fridge in preparation.
In all these months, we hadn’t gone out much. Only to the annoying pub near campus where he and the other junior professors would drink cheap beer and one-up each other, each trying to establish themselves as the smartest of the bunch.
We had been dating for six months. Sure, we’d kept it casual. I met him a few months after losing my dad in a truck accident, so I wasn’t in a place for serious. But we’d been exclusive and having fun. I’d also spent those six months driving to Orono to see him because, apparently, coming to Lovewell was “inconvenient.”
I owned my own gorgeous home, while he lived in a dingy apartment with the other junior faculty. But according to him, staying close to home was important because he needed to ensure he was rested and focused. You know, because his job was so important. Talking to bored, hungover freshman about the fucking Crusades.
And I was “just a mechanic.” Novel, sure, but ultimately unimportant to fancy fuckers with PhDs like him. I was less important, despite my higher income, my position leading a large team, or the level the responsibility I was tasked with. The entire point of my professional life was to ensure the safety of dozens of employees at Gagnon Lumber.
I could sense it, the anger and rage bubbling up inside me. It had taken thirty-plus years to learn to control. But right now, I wasn’t sure I could stop it, and I wanted to preserve my dignity.
“Just so I understand,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. “You’re dumping me?”
He nodded, looking way too calm for someone who might be swallowing his teeth in the next few minutes.
“Then why are we here?” I hissed. “Why did you drive to my house and pick me up and take me to one of the nicest restaurants in the state?”
He shrank back. “I planned to do it when I arrived, but you looked pretty, you know, like you made an effort. I felt bad, so I figured we could have a nice meal.”
My eye twitched and bile rose in my throat. “Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t want to make this messy, Adele. It’s one of the things I really liked about you. How no-nonsense you are. Not like other women. I assumed you’d understand.”
And now I was ready to explode. It was how I operated. Once wronged, I’d hate you forever. So despite how excited I’d been to spend the weekend with him, the switch had flipped. I now despised him and wanted to throw him into the ocean. “Understand what? That you think I’m not good enough for you?” I snarled.
He paled, leaning forward. “Keep your voice down.”
