Page 33 of Wood Riddance
Paz called Mitch Hebert, looking for assistance. Hebert Timber was the only one of the four logging companies in the area with planes and a pilot. Without an ounce of care, Mitch insisted his equipment was not available to help us.
The second Paz relayed that information, I called Finn. Forty minutes later, we were in the air, headed to find Remy and Hazel, who had hiked to meet us at a remote lake. He didn’t hesitate when I called. Didn’t ask questions. I told him my family was in danger, and he showed up for us. I don’t remember much about the flight, aside from my terror and how comfortable and capable Finn looked piloting the plane.
That night, after Remy and Hazel had returned safely, Finn and I stood outside Henri’s cabin. Few words were spoken. Hell, we’d barely spoken that entire day, but something passed between us. Gratitude. Or maybe some kind of deeper understanding. Whatever it was, it hit me hard. My hatred for him melted away and was replaced by respect.
“Let me get this straight,” Liv said, sitting a little straighter in her seat. “Your family was in danger, and his father refused to help. So you made a phone call to the lumber Viking with a pilot’s license, and he defied his family and took you out in his plane to rescue Remy and Hazel?”
“Yes,” Hazel and I said in unison.
“And you have not banged this guy?”
“No.” I shook my head and took another gulp of my wine. “There was a time when I considered it, though.”
“Of course you did. You watched him pilot a plane into the wilderness. On a rescue mission, no less. If your panties didn’t melt off, then you need a doctor.”
I laughed. Liv was a fun addition to our little group, but she did not get it. “It’s irrelevant.”
“Help me out,” Liv said, eyeing Parker.
“He’s stupidly hot,” Parker said with a smirk. “He works out at our gym, and he spends the entire time drooling over Adele. The man is obsessed. And can you blame him? Have you seen her ass? I swear she does extra squats just to punish the poor man.”
My face flamed, and my chest squeezed so tight I thought I might suffocate. “Stop. I will always be grateful for his help that day, but it doesn’t erase all the horrible things his father has done.”
“Hmm.” Liv pressed her lips into a line. “So now you’re stuck with him?”
“It’s temporary.” I ducked my head and sighed. “I’ll get through it.”
“Do you really want to onlyget through it?” Liv asked, her green eyes dancing. “Or do you want to get under him?”
My stomach twisted at the implication. With a low growl, I threw a cube of cheese at her. Naturally, she caught it and popped it into her mouth.
“It’s okay to be attracted to him and still hate him. That dynamic could actually make the sex hotter.”
I chugged the rest of my wine and snatched the bottle off the table so I could pour myself another glass. It was time to check out of this conversation.
Just the thought of that man made all my insecurities rise to the surface, and I wasn’t interested in confronting any of them. Especially after what he had shared about his daughter. As much as I was content to torture him for the rest of our shared existence, his child did not deserve to be treated the way she had been.
For so long, I’d been angry. And I’d felt entitled to that anger. I’d been wronged. My father had been taken away from me. My family had been put in danger. Our world had been rocked, and I’d used that to justify a lot of the rage that clung tight to my very being.
But lately, a niggle of doubt had formed and crept its way into my consciousness. We Gagnons weren’t the only ones hurt by the events that had taken place over the last three years. And my pain was no more or less than anyone else’s pain.
I wanted to see things in black and white, good and evil. But there was so much more nuance. I just wasn’t ready to face it.
Hazel left soon after I changed the subject, eager to tear Remy’s clothes off—though I threw a cube of cheese her way too as I gagged at the image she painted by announcing that sentiment to us. Shortly thereafter, Liv fell asleep on my pink couch with He-Man as a pillow. That left Parker and me to clean up.
“I know how much you love a good pity party,” she said, loading the dishwasher, “but it may be time to get back out there. Get on the apps. Try again.”
My stomach sank, but I kept my attention averted and wiped down the countertops.
“Just saying. It’s been a while, and your comments have been feeling more bitter lately. Why not see what’s out there?”
“There’s nothing out there,” I said. “Men don’t want women who push them and challenge them and demand equal treatment. They want compliant idiots.”
“You sure about that?” She cocked one brow in a smug way that infuriated me.
“Yup. They want a second mother. A woman who will tell them they’re amazing no matter how lazy or messy they are. Who’ll be up for mediocre sex any time their man feels like it.”
Was I being totally overdramatic and bitchy? Yes. But I was tipsy and feeling sorry for myself. Parker was my best friend. That was the only reason I allowed her to see me like this. She loved me and wouldn’t hold it against me or gossip about my sulking. Also, she’d kick my ass back in line.
