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“Ah, no, Eric is just a little rattled at times, is all. Hard worker, real fast on the pinner. Why? Everything good?” Dave asks with a cocked brow.
“Mmm, not so sure. I’m gonna take him to surface for a bit. He won’t be long.”
“Sure, boss. I’ll man the pinner while he’s out.”
“Thanks, Dave. I’ll send him back shortly.” I shake Dave’s hand, then turn back to find Eric. I need to pull him from underground and get a feel of what’s going on with him. Can’t tell much about his over-all appearance down here in the dark.
In my office, Eric is shaking like a leaf, jumping at every damn sound, and rattling off about everything under the sun. It’s clear the man has an addiction to something, and I can’t have the hazard around my men. But before I do anything hasty, I’ll talk to him about his situation to see what I can do to help.
“Eric, what’cha on man?”
“Boss, I ain’t on nothin’,” Eric says tapping the desk.
“Nothin’ huh?”
“Not a damn thing.” He shakes his head from side to side.
“Now, Eric, you’re seriously sittin’ there tellin’ me that if I piss your ass right now, it’ll come back clean?”
“Boss, you ain’t gotta piss me. Trust me. I’m good. Just ain’t been sleepin’ much, and it’s got my nerves all rattled up.” Eric’s voice is shaky now, his eyes darting from one thing to the next quickly. I rake my fingers through my hair and think of my options. I’ve been on the other side of the fence. I’ve been the addict dying for my next fix. I have two choices, and neither one’s easy. I can piss Eric now and most likely fire his ass, leaving me in a spot for a new roof bolter. Or I can give him the same chance Big John gave me. Either way it goes, I’m screwing myself over.
“Eric, I’m gonna take your word for it for now. But I’d better not suspect you of bein’ high at work again. If I do, I won’t even consider pissin’ ya. I’ll fire your ass on the spot, then I’ll beat the damn brakes off ya for puttin’ my men in danger. So you can man up and get off the shit that’s gotcha strung out, or you take a hand at fate. Your call. Are ya good to finish out the night?”
“Boss, I’m good, just need some sleep; that’s all. I’ll be good as new when I come back tonight. You have my word.” I shake his clammy hand and give him a little extra warning for good measure. We take the man trip back underground together. Eric’s settling down now, only on the jittery side.
Once we reach the crew Eric returns to the pinner, sending a suspicious Dave in my direction.
“Boss, everything alright with Eric?”
“Everything’s good. Just keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t look right with anyone. Big boss will kick all of our asses if we screw anything up, slow down production, or more importantly—cause any safety issues. Gotta keep that shit in check. Ya feel me?”
Dave rubs his hand across his scruffy chin and nods in agreement before stalking off to his crew.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I shake my head because something ain’t right with this entire situation. I know that Eric’s battling addiction, but how is it none of his other crew members have noticed anything out of sorts?
I watch the crew work for the last hour of their shift, then ride back to surface with them. By the time we reach the portal of the mines, Eric’s eyes are bloodshot, and you can’t make heads or tails of what he’s actually saying. He keeps rubbing his face and sniffling.
I wait for the men to finish up in the bath house before pulling Eric aside one last time and give him a final stern warning about whatever the hell is up with him. He sticks to the story that he’s lacking sleep, so I drop it at that and send him home so he can catch up on his rest.
Making my way through the gravel lot to the main office, I see that Carly Jo’s cherry red Camaro is parked in the front spot by the building. It may have been one hell of a rough start to the day, but knowing she’s here spreads a wide smirk across my face. I climb the stairs two at a time to get to her office.
Walking straight passed Shelly, I don’t even knock on Carly Jo’s office door before entering. She’s sitting at her desk, with her back turned from the door looking in a filing cabinet. Hearing the door click closed, she swivels the chair, and her hazel eyes flicker up to meet mine. She has the phone pressed to her ear and pulls her index finger to her lips, willing me not to interrupt her conversation. I nod and sit in the chair in front of her desk, and wait for her to finish the phone conversation. She mumbles in agreement to the caller, then sighs before speaking.
“Bill, I can’t find the contract. I know that Daddy had James keep copies of his contracts as well. I’ll call right now and get a copy emailed over to me, then I’ll forward it to you. Yeah. No, just calm down, and I’ll handle it. I’ll call ya once I have a copy of the contract. Okay, thanks.” Carly Jo hangs the phone up, then pinches the bridge of her nose before stalking to the counter to fill her coffee cup. She turns back to the desk and places a cup of coffee on the desk in front of me.
“Morning, Colton. Noticed you were in a little early this morning. Everything okay?”
“Mornin’, darlin’,” I reply with a wink and a smooth smirk. “Yeah, everything is fine. Just like to have a look in on the night crew from time to time. What was that about?” I ask, nodding toward the phone.
“How was Thanksgiving in the Smokies?”
“Great, stop avoidin’ my question. What was that about?”
“Just random company shit. How’s Kylee Jo?”
“She’s fine. Why are you bein’ so damn evasive?” I know she’s hiding something. What would she be doing on the phone with my old man talking ’bout company contracts?
“What makes you think I’m being evasive? I don’t have to tell you every damn dilemma the company faces,” Carly Jo scoffs.
