Page 49 of Wood Riddance
But then he grasped my hand and brought it to his lips. “Oh, Adele,” he said, scanning my half-clothed body with a look of pure, hot lust.
And then he pressed his lips to my knuckles, never breaking eye contact. I stood, frozen, confused, and turned on, while he gathered up his clothes and confidently strode out, leaving me to wonder who the true winner was tonight.
Chapter15
Finn
“What do you want?” Adele growled, flopping into an armchair in Henri’s office. Her hair was pulled back in intricate braids, and she was wearing her coveralls unbuttoned to her waist. Beneath it, her tiny tank showed more than a little cleavage. “I’m busy.”
“Take a seat.” Henri grunted. “Thanks for blessing us with your presence, my queen.”
“Better,” Adele said, sitting up straight. “Talk.”
“Finn is planning to fly out to Site 211 this week.”
I had been grounded for more than two weeks and was itching to get into the air. Even if it meant flying over former Hebert land. We had sold a little more than a hundred square miles to the Gagnons a few months back. It was on the northern edge of our holdings and hadn’t been touched in years. The cutting was excellent up there. My father would have known that if he had been doing his job instead of trafficking opioids, but at least we’d sold it at a great price.
I swallowed thickly, hoping to clear the lump that formed in my throat each time I was around Adele. We hadn’t spoken since our game of strip axe-throwing, and I was finding it difficult to form coherent thoughts, let alone sentences. “Probably Thursday. I’m waiting to see what the weather looks like.”
“There are a few structures out there, decent roads, and some equipment,” Henri said. “I think it may be helpful for you to join Finn when he goes.”
Adele shot her brother a withering look. “Why? I have a lot of work to do here.”
“Don’t lie to me. You’re months ahead of schedule on maintenance and you let your crew cut out early all the time.” He hid his smirk.
It was no secret that Adele treated her employees incredibly well. I’d witnessed it myself. They were loyal to her, and she mentored them, championed them, and fought for them when necessary. It was one of the many things I admired about her.
“Sorry I’m so good at my job. Should I be less competent to make you feel better about yourself?” she hissed. Henri and Paz may have been known for being grumpy, but Adele had them beat. Her scowl could scare away a moose at fifty yards.
“This land hasn’t been touched in a decade. The drone data is fantastic, so we’re making plans to add it to our cutting operations for the winter.” He took his hat off and ran his hand through his dark hair.
By the wary expression he wore when he put the hat back on—one I’d never seen on his face unless his sister was involved—I’d bet he’d be popping some antacids after this meeting.
“But I need to see what we’re working with on site. Can we store machinery? Can we house people? Since it’s so far from the main camp, what are the options? Roads are shit, but we can get a crew out there for repairs if it’s got the kind of resources we need to house and support the operation.”
“If this is so mission critical, then why don’t you go with him? Or send Richard. Isn’t he in charge of roads?”
“Can’t. Also, no one is more particular than you are. You can’t tell me you’d allow a single piece of equipment up there if it wasn’t up to your standards.”
She crossed her arms. The move would probably scare the literal pants off an average man, but her brother didn’t back down.
“You keep telling us you want to be a full partner in this business.”
“I am a full partner,” she retorted. “You and Paz collude to cut me out of the big decisions.”
“And here we are, making an effort to bring you in. This is your opportunity to oversee our expansion. Paz is up to his eyeballs with contracts and lawyers, and you and I both know you wouldn’t want him assessing road quality for your trucks anyway.”
Her eyes were narrowed to slits and her back was ramrod straight. Damn, she was furious. “No, I do not. Paz doesn’t even know how to change brake fluid.”
“Exactly my point.” Nodding, Henri dropped his elbows to the desk, clasped his hands, and pressed them to his mouth. From my vantage point, it looked like he was hiding a smug smile.
I hadn’t been here long, but I’d already discovered that Henri was shrewd and strategic. To run a multigenerational family business with his siblings, he’d have to be. All the Gagnon siblings, while smart and good at what they did, had vastly different personalities. Having witnessed a few meetings, I could only imagine what Thanksgiving dinner was like.
“Fine. I’ll spare a few hours.”
“Finn is going to teach you how to use some of the camera equipment so you can collect as much information as possible. This expansion is going to make us the largest and most productive timber company in the state.” He winced the moment the last word left his mouth and shot me a sheepish look. “Sorry, man.”
I shook my head. Damn if I didn’t hate the pity. I couldn’t escape it, even here. “I have no attachment to the land. It’s just trees to me.”
