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Chapter10
Parker
Gagnon Lumber was nothing like I expected. Not that my expectations were realistic. I had prepared for this job the way I always did—with copious amounts of internet research. But in this case, my research had been supplemented with far too many hours in front of the TV, watching shows about people who cut down trees. Sadly, those hours, while giving me ample time to knit, had not yielded a lot of helpful information.
But the employees represented the bulk of my initial targets. I had already ruled out several people, but there were dozens more to vet. Usually, the start of a new investigation was a rush. The endless possibilities, the leads to be followed. But this time the stakes were high, and my attachment to this family and this town was growing every day.
The headquarters was housed in a big, ugly building on the outskirts of town, with several industrial garages and an endlessly large parking lot filled with massive machinery.
But inside, it looked like any other office. Paper, coffee makers, people on the phone.
This was where I did my best work. Peeling back layers and digging under the surface to find what was really going on.
The first floor was busy and open. A series of giant whiteboards held tables and lists of deliveries, weights, and quotas, as well as the weekly transport schedule.
Several administrative types were set up behind large desks. They took phone calls, updated the schedules and weights, and handed out assignments to employees as they came in.
Every person we passed greeted us, but Paz didn’t stop to chat. Instead, he gave them tight smiles as he led me through the busy area and up the stairs to a catwalk that looked over the first floor. There were several offices up here. Each was small and beige. Henri was at the end. His office was cluttered with his dad’s photos and memorabilia, and there were several crayon masterpieces taped to his walls. One featured him riding a moose withDaddy and Clivein crude handwriting below it. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but Liv’s comment about moose fucking popped into my head, making me chuckle and destroying my professional demeanor.
“Have a seat,” Henri said, gesturing to the folding chair. He wore a plaid shirt and jeans. His physique was gruff and rugged, but he had kind eyes and a gentle manner. He was probably a great dad.
“I don’t want to draw too much attention to myself.” I smoothed my skirt and sank into the chair.
“Too late,” growled Paz, peering over his shoulder and looking down onto the main floor. “Everyone is already gossiping about you.”
“It’s not a problem,” Henri said. “They’re curious. And it’s not your fault, Parker. My brother has a certain reputation. And coupled with his shitty attitude, it means the appearance of a girlfriend is cause for chatter.”
“What my brother is trying to say is that Paz is a man whore with a bad personality,” came from behind me.
Turning, I found Remy in the doorway, eating a plump red apple. He was all long limbs and grace, and a lopsided grin split his handsome face. His jeans were ripped, and his T-shirt was rumpled, but it worked for him. Though their facial features were similar, he couldn’t be more different from Paz, who was bulky and strong, with perfect posture and designer clothes.
Paz glared at him with a look so rage-filled, tension blanketed the room.
Not wanting this meeting to go off the rails and feeling the need to defend my fake boyfriend’s honor, I interrupted. “I’m aware. Thank you. I am his temporary fake girlfriend, after all,” I said primly, “but he’s a reformed man, and he makes me very happy.”
Henri snorted and Paz rolled his eyes.
“Love you, stud muffin,” I said, blowing him a kiss.
Watching him squirm was one of my new favorite hobbies, and the look on Henri’s face was priceless. Clearly, they enjoyed messing with him too. The man had it coming. He was pathologically uptight. Constantly trying to control the world around him and the people in it. It had to get exhausting after a while.
“I like her,” Henri said, opening a drawer to retrieve a thick red accordion-style folder. “Too bad you’re not really dating. She’d whip your ass into shape fast.”
“Like Alice did with you?” Paz quipped.
Henri grinned behind his beard, the look almost frightening. “Yup. And I couldn’t be happier about it.”
Remy tossed his apple core into the trash can from across the room, then sauntered over and sat on the edge of the desk.
“We want to be helpful,” Henri said, nodding at his brothers. “But not too obvious. You have free rein of the office. You can go anywhere, chat with anyone. The admins will give you any files you ask for. Feel free to take as many photos and videos as you want.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“We let it slip this morning that you’re an author doing research. It’s probably already made its way around the office and back, so you should be covered,” Remy added.
“Any questions, come to me,” Paz added, still standing in my periphery with his arms crossed. “No one should give you any trouble, but people here can be a little closed-off about newcomers.”
I reached for the folder on Henri’s desk, excited to dig in. “It’ll be fine. My plan for today is to introduce myself and build rapport. I’ve got tons of records to keep me busy, but I want to make sure I know who does what here and who can answer which questions. Who’s the person who knows all the dirt? Every office has one.”
