Page 25 of Wood Riddance
My knowledge of vehicles with wheels was limited, and I did not envy the work this team did. The shop at Hebert Timber was much bigger but far less organized. The walls were plastered with posters of half-naked women, and every surface was covered in cigarette butts and oil stains older than I was.
No wonder Adele was able to get all this work done earlyandunder budget with a limited crew. The workspace she’d created here was clean, efficient, and respectful.
It hadn’t occurred to me until now how much Merry could benefit from spending a little time here. This was a place where women worked in traditionally masculine positions and did the jobs far better than most men could. She’d seen the inside of Alicia’s law firm a million times, so I was grateful for the contrast.
Charlie sauntered up when she caught sight of us. She was in her early forties, with a gray streak in her dark ponytail, and was by far the friendliest of the bunch. “Good to see you, Hebert,” she said, offering a hand to Merry.
She was a single mom, and I’d seen her at school functions a few times with her sons, but I didn’t know much else about her. Unlike Estrella, who avoided me, Charlie made an effort, and that meant a lot to me. Being here was hard enough without the constant reminder of how unwelcome I was.
Merry wandered around the open space, munching on a donut and studying all the strange parts and tools in the shop. Her eyes widened when she saw an acetylene torch hanging on the wall, and she stopped in front of it, head tilted back so she could assess it.
Before I could steer her into my office with her books and art supplies, Adele came striding through the shop, ponytail bouncing and eyes narrowed.
I stood up a little straighter, not sure how to greet her after our interaction the previous day.
She ignored me. Instead, she zeroed in on Merry. Wearing a pair of bike shorts and a baggy Racine T-shirt knotted at the waist, she looked like she’d come from the gym. Even sweaty, she was insanely gorgeous. Her proximity alone made my heart rate tick up a little. This interaction felt important, somehow, and I couldn’t figure out why.
I needed today to go smoothly.
Adele squatted down and held out a hand. “Adele Gagnon.”
Merry smiled at her, delighted to be treated like a grown-up. “Meredith LaVoie Hebert,” she said in a very formal voice, but then she added, “everyone calls me Merry.”
Adele smiled at her.
“I hope it’s okay,” I said, stumbling over my words. “She wanted to tag along.”
“Not a problem. My niece and nephew are always running around here. I can’t help it that I’m so much more interesting than Henri.” She shrugged, a hint of a smirk tugging on one side of her mouth.
“So you’re hanging with us today, huh?” she asked Merry, scratching at her chin. “You look a lot smarter than your dad.”
Merry giggled at that, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.
“Even so,” Adele went on, “I’ll go over the house rules, just in case.”
Straightening up and donning a serious expression, my daughter nodded.
“You can ask anyone any question you want. We’ll teach you whatever you want to learn. But do not touch anything, lift anything, or jump off anything. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Welcome to the shop,” Adele said, avoiding my grateful smile. “It’s Monday, which means Charlie picks the music, and she’s all about boy bands.”
Merry’s face lit up. “Like BTS?”
“Hell yeah,” Charlie shouted from across the room. She gave Merry the finger heart signal. “I’m a member of the Army.”
Merry was in her element, looking around and studying all the tools, machines, and tables. And apparently Adele. “You’re tall,” Merry said, openly staring.
I cringed a bit, but Adele seemed entertained.
“Yup.”
“That’s so cool. I’m tall. Or at least I will be. That’s what Dr. Smith says. My dad is super tall, and my mom is short. But I think I take after him.” Merry sidled up beside me and stood on her tiptoes, marking her height on my chest.
“What about you? Do you have a tall mom or a tall dad or what?”
Adele laughed. “They are both tall-ish.”
