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And it was something he couldn’t fix? He was a decent mechanic—not an expert when it came to specialized systems like transmissions or starters, but he could make general repairs. She knew because they had to repair equipment here and there all the time, and he’d been a quick study for anything his father hadn’t already taught him.What’s wrong with your truck?
Radiator leak. Have to wait for someone to fix it. So we might not be able to get back until tomorrow or even the next day.
That meant she’d lose Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday, as well as the days he’d cost her last week?
Where are you?
In the middle of nowhere, somewhere along the road.
That was vague. Ellen was getting a bad feeling about this.You don’t have any idea where?
Does it matter? I’m nowhere near home. I know that.
Can you take a picture of the closest road sign?
While she waited for his response, she did what she could in the rig by way of returning calls and following up on various supply orders. She also scheduled a pump replacement job she’d bid on over a year ago that was finally coming through. That was a bright spot.
By the time she was done, an hour had passed, and she still hadn’t heard from Ben. She tried calling, but he didn’t pick up. Was he lying again? Had he let his girlfriend talk him into staying in Salt Lake for another day or two?
Her intuition insisted what he’d told her wasn’t the real story. But did it matter? He’d already lied to her once, causing her to arrive at a jobsite with no way to get started. She could’ve used the additional sleep, if only he’d shown her the courtesy of letting her know he was stranded.
Ifthat was true...
She’d have to go to Jay and reschedule, she decided. If she was lucky, he wouldn’t cancel the contract and take his business to Hendrix and her father. But if he could get the well drilled sooner, he might actually do that. He’d said his parents were coming on Friday.
That would be a financial blow. But it would be better than trying to drill the well herself and being unable to complete it, thanks to Ben. Letting go of it would save her that embarrassment, at least. And if she couldn’t rely on her driller, she might as well fire him now and start looking for someone else. She couldn’t continue to offer him the kind of flexibility he was demanding. Doing that would ruin her business.
Don’t worry about hurrying back. I’m going to hire someone else. I’ll mail you your final check.
She stared at those words for a full minute before squeezing her eyes closed and hitting the Send button.There, she thought when she opened them again.It’s done.She’d most likely lose the Haslem well, but she was too afraid to drill it now, anyway. She’d rather have Hendrix drill it than screw it up somehow and have him hear about it, especially after he kissed her last night. Somehow that seemed to give her even more to lose.
Ben responded immediately, which convinced her he’d been getting her calls and texts all along but was ignoring them because she was pressing him for proof of his story.
Are you firing me???
She drew a deep breath. She was this far in; she had to see it through.I’m letting you go, yes.
Why? It’ll take you a lot longer to train someone else than to wait for me. I’m only talking two days.
How do you know the truck will be fixed by then?
It will be.
Because there’s nothing wrong with it?She knew she shouldn’t send that but couldn’t stop herself. She was too disappointed, frustrated and embarrassed that she was going to have to give up the Haslem well.
Are you calling me a liar?
Yes, she was. And because she realized she’d be doing that before sending her last message, she felt she had to answer this honestly.
I don’t think you’re being truthful, Ben. That’s why I’m letting you go. That and I can’t afford your new salary.
Tossing her phone on the seat, she started the rig and drove off the property. It wouldn’t look good to Jay to see that the drill was gone when he got off work. But thanks to Ben, she couldn’t leave it. She had no other ride. She wouldn’t have any way to drill this week, regardless, so it didn’t matter. She’d just have to tell Jay the truth and recommend he go with Hendrix.
When she got home, she parked to one side of the barn, still trying to figure out how to salvage her day. Other than spreading the word that she was looking for someone she could train as a driller, she supposed she could finish up what little paperwork she hadn’t done yesterday. Then, if she had time, she’d start tearing out the old carpet in the other rooms of her house.
None of that would earn her any money, which would be a problem if she couldn’t make up for the missed time, but there was nothing she could do about it. Ben had left her in the lurch.
She picked up her phone before getting out and saw that she’d missed a flurry of texts from her former employee.
