Marielle just laughed. “It’s okay. I’m twenty-eight. Sam and I were sixteen when we met.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine.”
“It’s not that uncommon around here. People match up at a young age and just stay together. That’s the way it’s done.”
“That’s nice.” Audrey wasn’t entirely sure she meant that. If she’d stayed with the person she was dating when she was sixteen years old, she’d be married to Mike Walker. What a nightmare that would have been for both of them, considering he later started dating boys around the same time she started dating girls. Still, there was something to be said for the simplicity of first love, for doing everything to make it grow and last rather than tossing it away to keep shopping for better options. Putting her thoughts of Mike aside, she envisioned what may have happened if she’d worked on her relationship with Sharon instead of dumping her to move to Manhattan for bigger and better things. It wasn’t difficult to imagine them being happy together. Instead, she was now single at the age of thirty-four.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Marielle declared, “Now that I think of it, this is the first weekend I’ve been alone in my whole life. I moved straight from my parents’ house to live with Sam, and we’ve never been apart until now. That is so strange. And sad, really.”
“Well, you’re not really alone.” Audrey smiled at her and stood up, offering Marielle a hand up. “Let’s get moving now. We’re not getting in shape by sitting on our asses.”
Marielle laughed and took her hand. They’d been walking hand in hand for a few steps before Audrey released her grasp, embarrassed. Her fingers tingled long after she let go.
As they walked uphill to the suspended footbridge, Marielle started panting again. Audrey clipped the lead on Ralph’s collar before they reached it. Seeing her dog fall eighty feet to a certain death wasn’t something she wanted to risk. They stopped in the middle of the bridge for a few minutes, admiring the beauty of the water falling down the cliff.
“Sam and I used to swim there, on top of the fall.” Marielle pointed to the quiet body of water on the very top of the hill.
“Isn’t it prohibited?” Audrey pointed at a sign near the water. She didn’t know French, but she’d always assumed the words written on several signs that had a big X over the image of a swimmer meant no swimming was allowed.
“Oh yeah, but nobody takes those signs seriously. I bet you can still find teenagers swimming here on hot days.” Her smile was nostalgic and Audrey chuckled.
“Well, I guess you did show me something new after all. Now we’ll have to come back when it’s warm enough to swim.”
She didn’t expect Marielle’s eyes to light up as they did, showing the same excitement she was getting used to seeing in Felix’s eyes. “And maybe we could have a picnic?”
“That’s a great idea.”
They got to the other side of the river, and Audrey let Ralph go free again. They started walking downhill, and this time Marielle was able to keep pace. Every now and then Marielle would point out different spots where she used to hang out with Sam and their friends. When they arrived at the first fall, Ralph ran to the river to get a drink of cold water.
“This is my personal favorite spot,” Audrey said, realizing Marielle was the first person with whom she’d shared that information. That fact felt more important and intimate than it really was for some reason. “It’s so peaceful.” She turned to Marielle and met an understanding smile.
“I see what you mean. This is where we should have our picnic, then.”
They walked slowly along the river until they came to another staircase, and Audrey had to laugh at Marielle’s expression. “Forgot about this one, huh?”
“Hell, yeah! I thought we were done going up, damn it!”
“Oh no! This is the highest one yet. Two hundred steps!”
“I think I’m going to cry.” Audrey laughed even louder, and Marielle lightly punched her shoulder. “Stop it, it’s not funny!”
Audrey laughed so hard she had to wipe away tears. “Oh yeah, it’s funny, but you know what?”
“What?”
Audrey walked closer to Marielle to whisper in her ear, “We don’t have to climb the stairs. I know a shortcut.”
Before she could pull back, Marielle grabbed her around the neck in a tight hug, and she was trapped against the shorter woman’s warm body, breathing in her scent. “Oh thank God, I could kiss you!”
Audrey’s laugh was nervous this time as she led the way to the side of the staircase along the river.
The shortcut led through rough terrain, and she often had to hold Marielle’s hand to help her over a few large rocks and fallen trees. At one point Audrey caught Marielle in her arms, barely saving her from falling flat on her butt.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Marielle straightened up and flashed her perfect, charming smile. “Absolutely. This is still better than climbing those stairs.”
Soon they arrived at the playgrounds and snack bar, and Audrey stopped to buy two bottles of water because hers had been emptied and discarded into a recycling bin. She handed a bottle to Marielle and they sat on a bench. Exhausted, Ralph lay down at their feet.
“What about you?” Marielle’s question was as sudden as it was unclear.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been talking about my relationship for over an hour, but what about you? Do you have anyone here?”
“Oh no. I’m definitely single.”
“Okay. Was there someone in Manhattan that you miss?”
Audrey snorted a laugh. “No, actually, I kind of ran away from someone.”
“Really? Was he abusive?”
She felt Marielle’s hand on her arm and turned to eyes filled with sincere concern. Oh shit. The realization hit Audrey heavily. She could hardly breathe. Marielle had no idea she was a lesbian. Why would she? She hated coming out, but she didn’t have much of a choice, did she? If she came clean now, she could argue the issue simply never came up before, which was true. If she didn’t correct Marielle’s choice of pronoun right away, she would officially be a liar and would be misleading her new friend. She couldn’t do that.
“No…She wasn’t abusive. She was my roommate, and it was just easier to run away.”
Marielle took her hand off Audrey’s arm but immediately tried to correct her reaction with a smile. “She?”
“Yeah. I’m gay, Marielle. I’m sorry, I should have told you before, I know. It’s just, well, it’s been a very long time since someone new came into my life. Since I made a new friend that was important enough to know this about me. I’m so used to everyone close to me knowing about my sexuality, I guess I just forgot it’s not written on my forehead.”
She smiled and was slightly reassured when Marielle widened her smile and put her hand back on her arm. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re telling me now.”
“I hope it won’t change anything between us.”
“No, of course not.” Marielle squeezed her arm as she had before and stood up to start walking again. Audrey clipped the leash back onto Ralph’s collar before following her. “Why would it? I won’t lie, Audrey. I’ve never had a friend who’s gay. I don’t know anyone who’s gay besides Sam’s cousin, but he moved to Montreal a long time ago, so we’re not close. I don’t see why it should change anything though. You’re the best friend I’ve had in all of my adult life, and I don’t want to lose you.” She stopped walking to face Audrey and put her hands on her shoulders. “Promise me something, okay?”
“I promise I won’t hit on you.” Audrey was glad Marielle got the joke and started laughing. In the back of her mind, however, she was very seriously making the promise to herself.
“No, not that, silly. I’m not scared of you.” The look in her dark eyes was so genuine and trusting, Audrey felt dirty. “I want you to promise me that if I ever say or do something that makes you uncomfortable or hurts your feelings, you’ll let me know.”
“I don’t understand. What could you do or say?”
“I don’t know, Audrey. I told you I’ve never been around homosexual people before. I may be prejudiced without even knowing it, and I may ask a stupid question or make a dumb assumption, and I want you to promise you’ll tell me instead of getting mad at me. I couldn’t stand it if you were mad at me. Okay?”
“Okay, I promise.”
They resumed walking toward their homes, and Audrey replayed the way Marielle had said the word homosexual over and over in her mind. How did her French accent make everything sound so sexy? And then she felt dirty again. This wasn’t going to be easy.
* * *
After her hike with Marielle, Audrey took a quick shower, a cold one, and drove her Subaru to the tiny mall to purchase a new wardrobe that would be suitable for the office. Less than two hours later, she was organizing the formal business suits and slightly more casual but still elegant slacks and blouses in her closet while Ralph watched, perched on her bed.
“Don’t get too close, mutt. I don’t want your white hair on my new clothes.”
Of course, the dog chose that moment to sprawl out on her new favorite jacket. It was fitted at the waist with leather trim on the sleeves and collar and made her look both professional and sexy. And it was black.
“For fuck’s sake, Ralph, you can be such an asshole!” She grabbed the jacket and proceeded to carefully remove the few white strands of hair from the fabric as Ralph retreated to the other side of the bed. Audrey hung the jacket next to the other business suits and placed her new black leather pumps on top of her shoe rack.
“I could’ve been perfectly happy never wearing heels again,” she growled before taking a step back to consider her new wardrobe. Not too bad. Either way, it would have to do for now. She would make a trip to Montreal soon to complete the new look with more stylish accessories she knew she would never find in this town.
She had another reason for visiting the big city in the near future. An urge she hadn’t experienced in a long time was rapidly building inside her, a craving she couldn’t ignore much longer. She needed to touch a woman and to be touched by one. She needed to get laid, plain and simple. When she’d first moved to St. Georges, she made such trips on a regular basis. Montreal had several gay clubs where she could lose herself in dancing and find a warm body to enjoy for a night or even a weekend. She went every month, then every other month, and now as she tried to pinpoint the exact date of her last expedition, she could only say with certainty that it had been over two years.
She’d been telling herself and her brother that she was perfectly fine on her own, and it was the truth. She hadn’t been missing sex at all, and the few times she’d felt any kind of want, she’d been satisfied taking care of herself while fantasizing about her ex’s body. Marielle had ruined her serene celibacy. With her perfect smile, her dark, seductive eyes and her sinful curves, she’d awakened primal desires in Audrey. Worse, with her nurturing essence and her vulnerability, she’d revived a much more complex longing: an eagerness to comfort, to support, to protect; a need for companionship, for partnership, for—dare she say it?—love.
Audrey sighed heavily. This uninvited yearning would have to be content with their new but quickly deepening friendship. Her sexual urges would be easier to fulfill; the gay clubs of Montreal would suffice to soothe them. She closed the sliding door of her closet, wishing she could do the same with her thoughts. For the hundredth time she started analyzing Marielle’s reaction to her coming out as a lesbian. She immediately came to the same conclusion she had earlier that it had been mostly positive. After a normal initial reflex to pull away, Marielle hadn’t appeared too disturbed by the news. She seemed mostly worried about hurting her new friend’s feelings, which was nothing but endearing.
Audrey took Ralph’s face in her hands and scratched his ears the way she knew he enjoyed so much. “Sorry I yelled at you, my man. Are you coming to work with me for a few?” He followed her out of the bedroom and up to the loft, where he took his spot on the round bed at her feet while she turned on the computer.
Dale had promised to send her three trainees’ résumés on Wednesday, and she was still waiting for them. She logged on as usual and winced when she saw fifty-seven unread emails. She would clean that up tomorrow because she would be stretched too thin to see to it during working hours starting Monday. She browsed through the subject lines and finally spotted the one for which she’d been waiting for three days. She opened the attachments, not really interested in the résumés but more in the notes the HR director had included with each file.
Trainee number one: Marjorie Poulin. Ms. Poulin is twenty-two years old and has just graduated from Laval University with a bachelor’s degree in administration. She’s originally from the region and knows the company very well. Her father works in shipping, and her sister works in the printing department. She has very good proficiency in English.
Audrey quickly translated: the kid has no experience but she speaks English and has contacts, so we’ll give her a shot. She didn’t mind as long as the kid in question showed interest and proved to be a quick learner. The truth was there was no college program to prepare someone for this job or industry, and molding an unspoiled mind was probably the best way to go.
Trainee number two: Véronique Jolin. Ms. Jolin is thirty-five years old and worked as an account manager for a marketing firm located in Quebec City for the past three years. The company had to downsize, and Ms. Jolin was laid off because she was the last hired in her department. Her supervisor recommended her services, stating she wished she could have kept her on board. The firm’s clients were Canadian but mostly Anglophone, so Ms. Jolin is used to a working environment where the primary language of business is English.
Promising, Audrey mused. This trainee already knew how to deal with clients but would have a lot to learn about their industry. She was a mature woman with experience who would have a lot to contribute to the training, which Audrey found comforting.
Trainee number three…Oh shit. No fucking way. She hit her desk with a closed fist, and Ralph turned to her with a questioning expression on his sleepy face. She sighed and resumed reading.
Trainee number three: Samuel Pomerleau. Mr. Pomerleau is twenty-eight years old. He’s been working in the assembly department for six years and expressed interest in growing within the organization. After careful consideration, he was promoted to the position of account manager thanks to his extensive knowledge of the industry, his remarkable problem-solving skills, and his proficiency in both spoken and written English.
How was this possible? This situation was definitely getting better and better. Audrey turned off her computer and let her head fall onto her folded arms, ready for a crying fit.
Chapter Four
On Monday morning, Audrey arrived at the factory just before seven thirty a.m. She knew factory workers started their shifts at seven a.m. sharp, but she was surprised to see so many cars already lined up on the office side of the building. She’d been told working hours in the office were eight to five. She’d come early to locate the four cubicles she and her trainees were assigned and the conference room where a large portion of the training would take place. Michel Quirion welcomed her, looking stylish in charcoal-gray trousers and a green V-neck sweater that matched his eyes perfectly.
“Hey, Audrey. Found the place okay?”
“Yes, no problem at all. It’s been a while but I remembered. I didn’t even need the GPS.” She shook his hand and acted as though she didn’t notice his quick but thorough and appreciative scan of her entire body from her hair down to her high heels. For her first day she’d chosen a black pinstripe pantsuit with a white shirt. Both the jacket and the shirt were fitted at the waist, and she was wearing her favorite black leather belt, which had a large silver buckle. She’d folded the white cuffs of her shirt over the sleeves of her jacket for a slightly more casual look. Her hair was partly tied back so it would be out of her f
ace, but heavy blond strands fell to her shoulders. Her makeup was understated: a touch of blush strategically placed to accentuate her cheekbones and just enough eyeliner and mascara to highlight her blue eyes—a technique she’d learned from Victoria. Audrey was satisfied with her overall appearance, confident she’d achieved exactly the look she wanted, one that showed she owned her attractive physique but she meant business. She had no doubt she would command respect. At least until she opened her mouth. She was still nervous about that part but no one would know. Audrey had a knack for looking cool, calm and collected even when she was jittery and suffering from mild social anxiety like today. She was also apprehensive about her meeting with Sam. The day would be exhausting.
Michel didn’t have time to continue their conversation before the rest of the office early birds joined him to welcome Audrey. She recognized the HR director, Nancy, who warmly shook her hand and promised to introduce her trainees personally as soon as they arrived before excusing herself and going back to her office to complete the necessary paperwork. Next was Caroline, the order manager who had been taking care of Audrey’s projects for the past ten years. She relied on Caroline to keep her informed of new products, to suggest ways to save on costs and to be her eyes in the factory, making sure every order met her high standards. Audrey really appreciated Caroline. Like Audrey, she was in her early thirties, but she was married with three children. Once a year Audrey received official school photos of the kids and a Christmas card, which made her feel like family even though their daily conversations were mainly job related. They were a team, and having to work with a different order manager after all these years would be akin to a breakup.
Audrey pulled Caroline into a tight hug and promised to take her out to lunch later that week to chat about everything but work. She wondered why that idea had never crossed her mind until now, but before the thought could grow, a man she’d never met took her hand and introduced himself as Benoît Drouin, Ben for short, production manager. Ben was in his late fifties and acted very friendly. She liked him immediately. She’d requested his help to tour the factory with her trainees and to spend time in each department with Marjorie and Véronique as they would need a basic knowledge of how their products were made before they could actually sell them successfully.
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