Page 16 of Pain in the Axe
If I thought I was off the hook, I was quickly proven wrong. The townspeople clearly didn’t have any concerns about going far beyond the allotted meeting time.
So an hour later, I was still sitting in a metal folding chair, my ass numb, when Mayor Lambert got up.
“And now I’d like to invite Ms. Chloe LeBlanc of Strategic Timber to introduce herself.”
With a deep breath in, I stood and smoothed my skirt. As I walked slowly up to the podium, every eye in the room was locked in on me.
Despite being a born-and-bred Mainer, I was an outsider here. I’d been gone so long that I was “from away,” in local parlance. And given the history of Hebert Timber, suspicion was deserved. But I hadn’t considered that dozens of townsfolk would be here tonight, every one of them eerily silent as my heels clicked on the lacquered floor.
As I stepped behind the podium, I smiled weakly and adjusted the microphone. “Good evening,” I said, forcing my chin up and my shoulders back. “I’m Chloe LeBlanc.”
I scanned the crowd and was met with one angry face after another. Oh shit, this was harder than I thought it’d be. I gave a few brief remarks about my company, what we were seeking to do, and how I appreciated the value of the timber industry for this region and this community.
Once I’d gotten through my spiel, I let out a sigh of relief. It had gone more smoothly than I expected. But just as I stepped back from the podium, a man in the crowd stood.
“I’m not taking questions,” I said firmly.
The mayor, ignoring my comment, walked down the aisle between the chairs and handed the man a microphone.
“What are you going to do about the drugs coming in from Canada?” he asked.
I was taken aback by the anger in his tone, but I forced a smile to my face. “We work carefully with law enforcement.”
A woman leaned over and snatched the microphone from his hand.
“You gonna lay people off?”
Gasps went up around the room.
My goal was not to lay people off, but buying a company and making necessary updates sometimes involved personnel changes. It was the nature of business.
Before I could formulate a proper response, I was hit with a barrage of questions from all over the room.
“Do you feel as though you have a responsibility to the town?”
“Are you gonna take all your corporate profits outside of Maine? You should be investing locally.”
“What makes you think you can run a timber company?”
My eye began to twitch and my heart pounded in my ears. I was a seasoned pro, and I could handle questions, but the people here were so angry and suspicious, and most of this stuff was not any of their business.
But then, in my periphery, a solid wall of plaid moved straight at me.
My heart leaped, then bottomed out.
Gus.
Frowning, he walked slowly toward the podium. When he got close enough that I could feel his body heat, I stepped aside.
Angling forward, he spoke into the microphone. And if I wasn’t mistaken, the man wassmiling. “That’s enough, Doug,” he said. “Ms. LeBlanc failed to mention that she and Strategic Timber have decades of experience working with local timber businesses. My entire family is delighted to have her and her team here.”
An older man in the back stood. “But—”
Gus held up his hand. “We all know it’s in the best interest of the town to preserve the timber industry. Maine timber, harvested by Maine workers, will always be the backbone of our regional economy. And Ms. LeBlanc is here to help us modernize and optimize.”
Grumbles went up around the room, and I found myself joining in. I could handle this; he didn’t have to swoop in here.
“I’m so impressed by her vision and credentials that I’ve agreed to stay on as operations manager and help her grow the company.” He stood up straight again and looked down at me.
