Page 18 of A Family Affair: The Vow
“If you’re going to make comments like that, then let’s just be done right now. I’ll ask Nate for help.”
A frown furrowed his forehead. “No, you won’t. He asked me to train you and damn it, I’m going to do it.” Pause and a somewhat less harsh “I shouldn’t have laughed. Sorry about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, sighed again. “It’s just hard to believe this is your family’s business and you have to refer to a canned description to talk about it. Can I ask a question? No attacks, no accusations?”
Rae squared her shoulders. “Fine.”
“Why didn’t you ever take an interest in this place?”
That was an easy one. “My parents never encouraged it. They told me it was no place for a little girl and the few times I did come, I just visited the candy machines or spun around on Dad’s office chair. All I saw of the company were the dirty clothes, the heavy boots...so attractive.” She rolled her eyes, made a face. “I guess it’s all perspective and maybe it’s true what people say about kids and the formative years. I could have been the one running the company if my parents had exposed me to it, shared their experiences and why they loved it so much. But they didn’t. They were determined I was going to sit in a fancy office, wear nice clothes, and never get my hands dirty. Steel-toed shoes were definitely out.”
Vic’s dark gaze pinched her brain with questions. “Looks like they got their wish.” Pause and a curious “Did you get yours?”
That question was about a lot more than finding a career in an office.Didshe get her wish? Six months ago, she would have said absolutely, her whole life was on track, couldn’t be better. But now? Now all she knew was that there was an awful lot she didn’t know, especially about herself and what she wanted. “I can’t answer that.”
“You don’t have to...” Those blue eyes shifted to silver. “You already did.” Vic cleared his throat, checked his watch. “Let’s take a tour of the shop first and I’ll show you the layout, introduce you to a few people, and you can see how this place works.” He spotted the steel-toed shoes on her feet. “Are those Leah’s?”
She nodded. “I figured I can wear them for now and then get my own if I need to…” Were steel-toed shoes required in the office or just in the shop area? Would she be expected to venture into the shop area? Rae had no clue, but no doubt, Vic would provide the “do’s and don’ts” of shop life.
“Good idea. And about the jeans?” He pointed to the faded designer jeans she’d chosen for today—the oldest and least expensive pair in her wardrobe that were still several times the price of an average department store brand. “You might need to buy a pair. Leah’s jeans are definitely not going to fit.”
“Why do you say that?” How would the man know something so personal?
“She’s a whole size smaller than you—” his gaze swept from her legs to her thighs “—less…”
“Less?” She eyed him, frowned. “Please do not finish that thought.”
A dull flush crept up his neck, slid to his cheeks. “Sorry, it’s a hazard of the occupation.” A clearing of his throat, followed by “I’m very good at details and dimensions.”
“Aren’t I just the lucky one? Please try not to use your occupational skills to further analyze me.”
His lips twitched, broke into a full-blown smile. “I’ll try.”
“Do that and just so you know, I’m also a detail person. I home in on all sorts of things other people might not notice. Like how you tap your pen against your thigh when you’re agitated or suck in a few extra breaths when you don’t agree with something but have to comment. Very telling.”
“I do not do either one of those things.”
“Yes, you do, but I won’t tell anyone as long as you explain the different shapes of steel we carry...channel, I-beam, angle, etc.”
He stared at her, sucked in three breaths, which confirmed her second observation and responded. “Deal. Let’s take a walk to the shop so you can learn about the world your parents lived in a good part of their life, the one your sister really enjoys.”
A twinge of guilt pinged her. For most of her life, she’d ignored the place that had provided her food, clothing, a place to live, and an education. What did that say about her? That she thought she was better than the people who worked here? Above manual labor? That she could take what this place had to offer and pretend it came from somewhere else?
Those possibilities made the coffee she drank this morning churn in her belly, threaten to lurch to her throat. She swallowed three times, sipped air. It was too late to make it up to her parents, but she could do the next best thing; work with Vic Tramont to learn the ins and outs of the business and keep it going until Leah got back. Was it going to be easy working with this man? No, it was going to be a pain, but apparently, he was the most qualified next to Nate and pretending otherwise or letting her personal feelings get in the way was foolish. It was time to think of her family and if that meant depending on the last person she wanted to ask, then she’d do it.
Vic handed her a pair of safety glasses, motioned her to follow him as he began the tour of the warehouse. He showed her some of the different shapes:channelwas shaped like a,C,I-beamwas shaped like anI, andanglewas shaped like anLThe bars were so big and oily! Vic said the oil coating was to keep the bars from rusting. He explained that the channel and angle bars were used to build metal boxes and similar structures, while I-beams were used in construction of houses and commercial buildings.
As she walked through the shop, Vic introduced her to the forklift driver and the machinist, explained their jobs, and told them Rae would be covering for her sister until Leah could make it back to Magdalena. He spoke with confidence, as though Rae actually knew what she was doing, instead of the truth—she needed a website description to explain the business.
The man certainly knew a lot about these employees as he commented on their kids, their dogs, their parents. When he asked after the dog who had ACL surgery, the young man on the forklift lit up. Rae observed Vic, noted the way his voice shifted when he spoke of serious subjects, and how his eyes sparkled when he inquired about the machinist’s birthday celebration for his sixteen-year-old daughter. This wasn’t even his company and yet the connection with these people was undeniable. Had she ever taken the time to inquire about someone’s children? Or their dog? Oranythingthat wasn’t 100% business related?
Yes, she had, but they’d always been her superiors or people she’d been trying to impress. But what about the ones who worked for her, or the receptionist? Other thanplease, thank you, good morning,andgood night? Have a nice weekend?She’d even stopped sayingMerry Christmasbecause she didn’t want to offend anyone, but she’d forgotten to substituteHappy Holidays.
While she’d not been unkind to others, she’d also not been kind. Would it have been so difficult to spend a few minutes chatting once in a while? She’d been chatty with the new hire one level up from her position and had even purchased specialty jams when she learned the woman possessed an affinity for them. Of course, that person could put in a good word for her, make her life easy or not. What if she’d done that for the receptionist? Maybe even bought her a cup of coffee? Why had she never even considered it? Vic had called her selfish. Was that true?
“Rae?” Vic’s deep voice pulled her back from all of the “why” and “what ifs.” “You’ve got to pay attention when you’re on the shop floor.” He studied her from behind his safety glasses. “You okay?”
“Yes. Fine.” She adjusted her own safety glasses, squinted at the rows of different-shaped bars. “It’s just a lot to take in.” That was for sure, though she didn’t just mean trying to understand the materials or how they tied into jobs. When she saw the way Vic related to the employees, treated them with respect and dignity, she realized how much she didn’t know about him, and also how much her former employer had been lacking in that area.
She bet the employees who worked for Vic at ND Manufacturing produced quality work because they were proud of what they did and felt appreciated. Why hadn’t her company believed in that philosophy? Why had they subscribed to a culture that pushed employees hard, demanded late nights and weekends to get the job done? Their philosophy had always been that employees should be available as needed, Saturdays and nights included, because they were well compensated.
