Page 44 of Axe Backwards
“Not because I think all men are terrible. Sure, a good percentage of them are, but there are absolutely good ones.” I peeked over at him. “Great ones. But I’m not interested.”
He was one of them. He was selfless and loyal and the most caring parent I’d ever seen. As a friend, he was respectful and supportive. With any luck, he’d one day find his perfect woman and live happily ever after. He and Tess both deserved that.
The thought was slightly unsettling, but I ignored the sensation.
“On behalf of men everywhere.” In a ridiculously coordinated way, he put one hand over his heart,still steering the stroller with the other. “That’s a damn shame, but, having met your ex-husband, I get it.”
He gave me a wink, and I almost tripped over my feet.
We ran the rest of the way back in silence, waving to folks as we passed.
By the time we stopped outside the building, I was red-faced, sweaty, and smiling.
I’d woken up so out of sorts and exhausted from the wedding fiasco. But now? The world seemed right again. All because of Noah.
“Thank you,” I said, catching my breath. “I needed that.”
He unlatched Tess, scooped her up, and kissed her cheek. “Yeah, I could feel your pent-up rage all the way from upstairs. I’m always down to help you work it out physically. All you have to do is ask.”
His eyes widened at the moment my core clenched. We stood frozen, staring at each other. My brain instantly went to a very dirty place, and by the way his nostrils flared, I was certain his did too.
He blew out a loud breath and adjusted Tess in his arms. “Sorry. I made it weird, didn’t I?”
“No,” I lied, tucking my chin and inspecting my shoes. My face was hot, and it hit me then, just how sweaty I was. God, I needed a shower.
“I did. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes, when I’m nervous around a pretty girl, I default to flirting.”
My stomach flipped. Pretty? I had to exit this conversation before it got even more cringey.
“I gotta get to work.” I scurried to the door, digging my key out of the small zipper pocket at the back of my athletic shorts.
“See you tonight?”
I nodded, then gave Tess a big wave goodbye. Once I was inside my apartment with the door shut behind me, I fell against it and heaved in a deep breath.
Chapter 14
Victoria
Since I’d gotten nowhere with the Huxleys so far, I focused all my energy on planning the summer fundraiser. Last year, we’d done a wood chopping competition where I’d pitted the Gagnons against the Heberts. In a town that was home to two large timber companies, a town where a large percentage of the citizens worked in the timber industry or a related field, we liked to honor our traditions. Gagnon Lumber and Hebert Timber had been business rivals for generations, and the families were just as competitive. The feud between them had been going for as long as either company had been in business, so it made sense to let them duke it out with axes. We’d raised a good chunk of money during the event, and this year I planned to step it up a notch.
Since begging the most well-connected businesspeople in town hadn’t been as successful as I’d hoped, I’d have to rely on the power of lumberjacks to push past the fundraising finish line. Despite how much help I had, I was still nervous about the turnout.
When I was a kid, the people of Lovewell hosted festivals every other weekend. Tourists came from all over to sample ourblueberry pie, race canoes in our lake, and hike to the myriad of hidden jewels in our mountains.
But the past decade had been hard on the town, and when the inn closed, the rest of the tourism businesses had folded.
Last year, our outlook had begun to improve. RiverFest, a fun fall-themed event that brought people from the entire region together, had been revived. Several new businesses had opened in the past couple of years. The salon was newer, as was the coffee shop, and the pizzeria would be open any day now.
The inn had recently been sold at auction. With any luck, the new owners would remodel and reopen. That property was exquisite. A facility like that could change things for this town.
We’d all worked hard to boost the local economy, and I was doing my part by providing opportunities to ogle muscular men with axes. All for a good cause, of course.
As I walked into the diner, Denis Huxley, dressed in a sky-blue polo and sharply pressed chinos, stood and waved. I had to suppress a shiver. For hours, I’d been reminding myself that I needed his help. A big grant from the Huxleys would go a long way. They hadn’t explicitly said no, so there was a chance. But it felt as though they weren’t taking me seriously. Denis was like a bored cat, tossing me around like a toy.
He’d called me in twice for meetings and asked me for data, only to admit that he hadn’t even looked at my prospectus. Now he was demanding we meet for lunch. I had actual work to do, and these bozos were only causing me to fall behind.
Still, I couldn’t alienate the richest people in town. I pasted a smile on my face and forced myself to think of the folks who were currently waiting for the Monday produce delivery to arrive. Our clients were mostly seniors, single parents, and babies who needed formula. I couldn’t let them down.
