Chapter Eleven #2
She glanced around at the half-eaten cake, the melting ice cream and the paper plates and plastic forks that hadn’t quite made it into the trash can. “Thank you, sir. I do believe I’ll accept your assistance.”
Brian flushed slightly, gave her a shy smile, then started clearing the tables.
“Do you want to take the cake home?” Heather asked.
The chocolate-frosted gooey confection had marked the celebration of two more employees going on to bigger and better jobs.
“We ordered a half sheet this time and about a third of it is left over. I think it would freeze well if your mom wants to do that.”
“Thanks,” Brian said. “That would be great.”
Heather found some plastic wrap in the cabinets on the far wall and wrapped up the cake.
As she did so, she kept glancing at Brian.
Although she didn’t spend much time with him, when she did, he always had a dozen things to talk about.
His job, how great Jim was, his girlfriend, school, his career plans, college.
But today he was strangely silent. The only sound in the hangar was the rustle of his broom on the cement floor.
Heather gave up all pretense of working and studied him.
He looked as tired as she felt. Diane had been up the past few nights.
The pediatrician and her mother had both said it was a precursor to teething and there was little Heather could do but try to make her daughter comfortable.
She wondered what was keeping Brian up at night.
“Is there something on your mind?” she finally asked.
Brian glanced up, stared at her for a second, then shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh.” Like she believed that. Maybe if she started a conversation, he would feel more comfortable joining in. She tried to figure out the most helpful opening. He talked to Flo about his girlfriend, so it probably wasn’t that. He talked to Jim about nearly everything else.
She paused in the act of closing an ice-cream carton. Was that it? Was there a problem with Jim? There was only one way to find out.
“These parties are great,” she said. “I like the chance to say goodbye to people who are leaving.”
She waited, but Brian didn’t do more than nod.
“Jim really takes the time to find his people a job where they’ll be happy. Not many employers would bother. Of course, he won’t have to do that for you, right? You’ll be heading off to college in a year.”
“I guess.”
She leaned against one of the tables while Brian started stacking the metal folding chairs into neat piles. “Have you talked to him about that?” she asked. “Depending on where you decide to go to college, I’ll bet he could help you find a job there working with helicopters. If you want to, I mean.”
Brian froze, then shuddered. “He doesn’t know me,” he said quietly. “I’m just the new guy and a kid. Nobody knows me.”
Heather didn’t know what that meant, but it gave her a bad feeling. “Brian, what’s wrong?”
He brushed his dark brown hair off his forehead and shrugged. “Nothing. I swear.” His gaze was intense. “I’d never do anything wrong. I need Jim to trust me on that.”
“Well, you’ve never given him reason not to trust you.”
Brian didn’t respond. Then he finished stacking the chairs and left without even saying goodbye. Heather was still staring after him when Jim walked into the hangar.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I just had the strangest conversation with Brian. I think something’s bothering him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.” She gave him a brief recap of their conversation.
“I don’t understand what he was trying to say,” Jim told her. “Brian’s work around here is helpful, but he doesn’t do anything strictly essential. He’s not allowed to work on the equipment, so he can’t make a mistake there. Why wouldn’t I trust him?”
“My point exactly.”
“Maybe he just has a lot on his mind.”
“Maybe.” But Heather wasn’t convinced. She decided she would try to speak to Brian in the next few days.
“Life is complicated at seventeen,” Jim said.
“I think it’s complicated at any age. If nothing else, it’s always changing.” She picked up the cake Brian had forgotten. “Two more employees leaving. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, I just hired three more from the college. They start on Monday.”
“So you bring them in, train them, then move them on. Don’t you ever miss anybody?”
“Sometimes,” he said easily.
“But you never think about keeping a few on permanently?”
“No. That’s not my style.”
His style didn’t amuse her, at least not under these circumstances.
She couldn’t say why it bothered her, but it did.
“Sometimes I think you—” The sound of crying cut through the air.
Heather looked at the baby monitor she’d brought with her into the hangar and sighed.
“She’s awake and she’s unhappy. I’d better get over to her. ”
Jim followed her back to the office. “Diane has been fussy these past few days. Is everything all right?”
“Yes. I almost wish there was a problem because then there would be a solution. Unfortunately, all we’re dealing with is her teething.
She won’t actually get teeth for a while, but according to the pediatrician, she’s starting to feel some pain.
I checked with my mother. She told me that I cried for three weeks straight, although I was fine when the teeth came in later. ”
Jim held the office door open for her, then walked inside after her. “You look tired.”
Heather had tried to cover the dark circles under her eyes with makeup, but obviously she hadn’t been successful. “Diane hasn’t been sleeping much at all.”
“You don’t have to come into work if you’re not getting any rest.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know if it becomes a problem.”
* * *
A week later, Jim knocked on Heather’s door. Even from the front porch he could hear Diane’s cries. He waited patiently, then knocked a second time. Finally, he heard the lock turn and Heather peered out.
When she saw him, she gave a weak smile. “Why did I know it had to be you?”