Page 50 of Caught in the Axe
“I can chip in with whatever you need,” Mom said.
Finn tapped out a message on his phone. “I’ll ask Alicia to help with legal stuff.”
“And if you need to go back to Boston for a bit, do it. We’ll hold down the fort here.” That from Gus. “We need this sale, but we also need a fair price or we won’t even be able to pay off all our debts.”
He was right, and until my trip to Portland yesterday, I’d cared more about unloading the company so I could be on my way. But this was a family business, and even thoughwe’d lost the majority of our force, its sale would still affect many in the community. Nothing would be simple or easy.
“You don’t have to stay.” Jude pushed his glasses up his nose. “Come back and forth if you need to. Gus and I chose this life. You didn’t. I don’t want you to lose your job or give up your life in Boston for this. It’s not worth it.”
I considered him for a moment while I worked out how to respond to them all. Jude and I had never been close, but every time I spent time with him, I was impressed by his maturity. Where Gus could be a hothead, Jude was always thoughtful and calm. I tipped my chin, grateful he was on my side.
“We’re struggling, as well,” Gus said, roughing a hand through his hair. “Jude and I are working with a skeleton crew so we can fulfill the last of our orders. But the roads are shit this time of year, and the soft ground is slowing us down.”
“Okay,” Mom said with a firm nod. “Cole can help. He needs to spend his time productively.”
“Cole?” Finn laughed, stroking his beard. “In the woods?”
“He won’t have to operate heavy machinery,” Jude said. “There’s a ton of grunt work to get done. Checking loads, taking measurements, cleaning equipment, that kind of stuff.”
Cole scoffed and slumped back against the cushions.
“We can’t default on our outstanding contracts,” I reasoned. “The last thing any buyer will want is a company in litigation for a breach of contract.”
Mom rubbed her hands together. “Okay, that settles it. Cole will report for work tomorrow. Jude will teach himwhat he needs to know. We’ll all chip in if Gus asks. That includes Finn and Owen.”
I spun to face her. “Me?”
“Yes, you. What good is all this work you’ve been doing if things fall apart at the last minute?”
She had a point there. So with a long sigh, I nodded.
“Now,” she said, scanning the room. “You are my boys, and I will say this once. Cut the shit. Work together and support one another. When things are hard, that’s when we learn who we really are. And I raised scrappy fighters who aren’t afraid of hard work.”
She’d perfected the mom look years ago. The one that made us fall in line. And it was just as effective as ever. Every one of us was nodding and acquiescing by the time she put her hands on her hips and said, “Who wants pancakes?”
Chapter 17
Owen
“The printer needs more toner,” Lila said, drawing me out of a daydream that involved her, a lake, and a sunny summer day. To say my head was not in the game was an understatement.
I’d been a mess since we returned from Portland, questioning my life choices and completely ignoring my responsibilities in favor of obsessing over a woman I couldn’t have.
My outlook on life had shifted in a way that I still couldn’t articulate.
The flirtation and the sexual tension were only growing by the day, and I had no idea how to manage it. I was an idiot.
Despite being ten years younger than me, Lila was the mature one here. She was starting a life elsewhere and wanted a fresh start. She deserved that. What she didn’t deserve was to be followed around by an almost forty-year-old man who begged for scraps of her attention and affection.
I needed to get my shit together. I’d taken theGagnons up on their training offers and had been heading up to Henri’s to chop wood and share a beer with them regularly. Adele’s due date was getting closer, so Finn wasn’t around as much, but the Gagnons were good people.
Despite the prejudice that had been drilled into me as a child, I liked them. Tucker continued to bust my balls, but woodchopping was a good workout and made me feel less useless. Things at Hebert Timber were as frustrating as ever, so an hour spent chopping wood relieved some of the pressure I felt there as well as when I was doing my actual day job.
And since I hadn’t boxed in weeks, if I didn’t get involved in some kind of strenuous exercise, when I returned to Boston, Enzo would absolutely kick my ass.
“Is the toner in the supply closet at the end of the hall?”
“Probably.” I stood from my chair and raked a hand through my hair. “I’ll help you find it.”
