Chapter 13
This might not be the best time to interrupt his boss.
Aaron slowed his pace as he approached the window-rimmed office that allowed Martin to keep tabs on the floor of the mill below.
The owner was in front of the open laptop on his L-shaped desk, his back to the expanse of glass that overlooked the debarker, his shoulder toward the door. But his attention wasn’t on the screen. It was fixed higher, on a blank wall beside a row of filing cabinets.
It almost looked like he was daydreaming.
Not likely, though. Martin Fisher’s focus was always razor sharp at work.
Maybe he was deep in thought over a mill issue. Contemplating a new equipment purchase, perhaps, or strategizing how to eke out higher productivity or clinch a sale with a new customer.
But he could do all of those things swiveled ninety degrees and facing the door, as he usually did.
Could his unusual behavior have more to do with the news circulating through town that his wife had left him?
Again, not likely. Martin never let personal matters interfere with business.
Whatever the reason for his uncharacteristic posture, it might be smart to come back later. Broaching a personnel issue was always tricky, and recommending that someone be let go was even trickier in a market where skilled, reliable workers were hard to find and the mill was already shorthanded.
Aaron stopped his advance.
He should listen to his gut and retreat. Martin might be less inclined to shoot the messenger this afternoon.
Unfortunately, as he started to turn away, Martin swiveled around. Waved him forward.
He was stuck.
Psyching himself up for what could be a testy exchange, he continued to the office, opened the door, and stepped inside. “Morning, Martin. If you’re busy, I can come back later. I know Mondays can be crazy.”
“No crazier than usual. What’s up?”
No sense beating around the bush. The news wasn’t going to get any better by putting it in cold storage for a few hours.
“The drug test we had Wade take after the band saw accident last week came back positive. Opioids.”
Martin’s eyes narrowed. “Prescribed?”
“He says no.”
“Sit.” He waved toward the chair across the desk. “Is he willing to get help? Clean up his act?”
“Our conversation didn’t get that far. I sent him home an hour ago with paid leave while we decide what to do.” Aaron took a seat.
Martin pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re short-staffed as it is.”
“I know, but I don’t like risking the safety of anyone at the mill. And Wade’s been on my radar.”
“Why?” Martin’s gaze sharpened. “What else happened?”
“Nothing on the job, but some of the guys told me he got into a fight in Bandon at a bar a couple of weeks ago. I verified the incident with the owner, who told me Wade got drunk and was belligerent and surly. Apparently he tried to hit on a guy’s date, and the guy didn’t appreciate it.
No charges were filed, but two back-to-back examples of irresponsible behavior raise a red flag. ”
“Why am I only hearing about the other incident now?”
“I hoped it was a one-off. As shorthanded as we are, I’m willing to cut the crew a little more slack than usual. But safety breaches cross the line.”
Martin frowned. “You should have alerted me to your concerns.”
Despite the churn in his stomach, Aaron rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, linked his fingers, and maintained a level tone.
“I just did . . . at what I considered to be the appropriate time. As your mill supervisor, I’m paid to handle day-to-day issues so you can concentrate on the bigger picture.
I bring you in if problems escalate. If I misunderstood my role when you promoted me two years ago, we should discuss that. ”
After a moment, Martin raked his fingers through his hair.
Blew out a breath. “Sorry. You didn’t misunderstand.
I know I can be heavy-handed, especially if my stress level is high .
. . like it has been lately.” He straightened the brass paperweight on his desk, modeled after a stack of logs, his cheeks taking on a ruddy tinge.
“I’m sure you’ve heard that my wife moved out. ”
Aaron had to hold his jaw in place to keep it from dropping.
Since when did his boss bring up personal matters at work?
This was new territory . . . and best entered with extreme caution.
“I’ve picked up a few comments about that in town and here at the mill.”
“I’ll bet.” Martin rose and walked over to the window. Surveyed the floor below. “Keeping a marriage going while dealing with a demanding job can be tough.”
“I know.” Case in point, him and Olivia.
Except the demanding job in their marriage had been on her end. He’d ditched his to return to the mill, where regular, predictable hours were the norm except in emergencies.
Martin turned back to him. “The job you had in Coos Bay before you came back here took a toll?”
“Yes. That’s one of the reasons I changed careers.” No need to mention Olivia. Their situation was history at this stage.
“That’s harder to do in a family business.”
Especially if the next generation didn’t want anything to do with that business, as rumor suggested was the case here.
“Would more management assistance ease the burden?”
Martin shoved his hands into his pockets. “Probably—if I could learn to delegate. No small challenge for someone like me who tends to micromanage.”
That was a comment safer left unaddressed.
His boss hiked up one side of his mouth. “Your silence speaks volumes.”
Warmth crept up Aaron’s neck. “I didn’t mean to—”
“No need to say anything.” Martin held up his hand, palm forward. “I know my faults. Now more than ever.” He returned to his desk. “Wade’s been here less than six months, right?”
They were back to a business discussion.
“Four.”
“What’s your recommendation?”
“I believe in giving people a second chance, but his pattern isn’t promising. And his attitude about the drug test was more defiant than remorseful. I think we should let him go. Would you like to talk to him, do your own assessment, and see if you concur?”
Martin picked up a pen. Tapped the end on the desk. “No. I trust your judgment. Why don’t you and Peg meet with him to pass on the bad news?”
His boss was giving him the authority to work with their HR/office manager on a personnel issue instead of handling it himself, as usual?
Martin must be seriously rattled if he was ceding some of his control.
“Okay. I’ll take care of it.” He rose and started toward the door.
“Aaron.” At this boss’s summons, he angled back.
“In case I’ve been remiss in telling you, your work here has been outstanding.
I was worried when Harv retired two years ago, but you’ve more than filled his shoes.
To tell you the truth, I don’t know what I’d do without you these days. You’re a natural for this business.”
At the words of praise from a boss who tended to criticize more than compliment, Aaron’s spirits took an uptick. It was always heartening to have hard work acknowledged.
“I appreciate that.”
Martin waved his thanks aside. “It was long overdue. And I’m sorry if I’ve been more short-tempered than usual lately. If you run into any issues with Wade, let me know. But I expect you and Peg are more than capable of dealing with this situation.”
“Tag-teaming it with her will help. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
He exited, closing the door behind him, and strode down the hall to get the termination process rolling.
Bad day for Wade.
But a good day for him. One that reaffirmed his decision to leave the corporate world behind.
This was where he belonged.
It was where Martin belonged too. Sap ran in the man’s veins.
But a job didn’t have to control your life.
And maybe, if his boss could figure out how to better balance the competing demands of mill and marriage, he might be able to convince his wife to give him the second chance Wade wasn’t going to get.
“This is delicious, Lauren.” Devyn forked another bite of lasagna. “You’re a fabulous cook.”
Though she waved off the compliment, a flush spread over her sister’s cheeks. “Lasagna is easy.”
“Not for me.”
“You could learn. I did, after you and Mom left. Dad tried to cook, but he was a disaster in the kitchen.”
“Mom wasn’t much better.” Devyn twirled a string of cheese around the tines of her fork. “Remember the day she tried to bake cookies and forgot about them after she put them in the oven?”
Lauren snickered. “Who could forget? There was smoke everywhere, and the house reeked for weeks. Cooking definitely wasn’t among her skills.
But Dad never complained. And he never stopped loving her, even after she divorced him and married the rich guy from France.
” She stabbed a green bean. “I guess the till-death-do-us-part vow doesn’t mean much anymore. First Mom, now Dennis.”
From what little Lauren had revealed about her marriage, her ex didn’t seem to be a great loss.
But she left that unsaid.
“I think that vow still matters to a lot of people.” She let a beat pass. “You know, I never understood how Mom and Dad ended up together to begin with. They were nothing alike.”
“I can’t speak to what Dad saw in Mom other than the aura of glamour she cultivated, but I think she was just desperate to get out of a bad situation at home. Her mother died young, and her father drank too much.”
Devyn stopped eating. “She told you that?”
“Not directly. I learned a little from Dad, and I put the rest together from offhand comments Mom made while I was a kid.”
“You know more about her history than I do. Mom and I spent a fair amount of time together, but she always shut the conversation down whenever I tried to ask about her past.”
“I got the impression she wanted to forget it.” Lauren dropped her voice as she chased a piece of ground beef around her plate. “Just like she wanted to forget me and Dad.”
Devyn’s stomach clenched at the hurt in Lauren’s voice, but she stifled the impulse to reassure her that wasn’t the case. Because evidence suggested it was.