“Tell me about Conner.”
Slam got that look of hero worship in his eyes that he did every time he talked about Conner. “This town wouldn’t even be around if it wasn’t for his family. They built it, and Conner keeps it running now that his parents are gone.”
“What do you mean he “keeps it running”?”
“He puts money into everything. He barely keeps any of it for himself. He says he doesn’t need much, so he only keeps what he needs to survive. Everything else he puts back into the schools and libraries and parks, stuff like that. There’s an animal refuge outside of town that he funds as well. The economy here is real bad, if it wasn’t for him, a lot of people would have had to move. If the people who work for him lose their jobs…well, that would be terrible.”
Selena felt a little bad, but she had a hard time seeing that arrogant, rude man as some kind of philanthropist. “Is he married?” she asked, wondering as the words came out of her mouth why she would care.
“No, he hasn’t found his mate yet,” Slam said. There it was again, that reference to something not quite human.
“Can I ask you a personal question, Slam?” she said.
“Sure.”
“What’s with all the wolf references?”
He didn’t look her in the eyes. “What do you mean?”
“The business is called Wolves Eat Fish, you just said, “mate” instead of wife, Conner said something to me about a wolf being at the door earlier, and my boss wanting to be the Alpha. I was just wondering, is it an Alaska thing?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said.
The waitress brought their food then, and when the menu said a “platter” of ribs, they had really meant it. She sat more meat in front of Slam than Selena would eat herself in a month, then she said, “Slam, will you ask Conner to call my mom? She’s been having some trouble with the bears and…”
“I’ll tell him, Cassie, thanks.” he said, glancing at Selena and then back at her. The waitress looked at Selena. “Are you from out of town, hun?”
“Yes,” Selena told her. “I’m from New York.” This town was beginning to make her feel more like she was from Mars, however.
“Welcome to Lazy River,” Cassie told her. “Thanks, Slam. Ya’ll enjoy your lunch.”
Slam began digging into his right away, but Selena was still wondering what that little exchange was about. He suddenly realized she was still looking at him, and he dropped the rib he had in his hand back onto his plate. “I’m sorry; did you want to say a prayer?”
She laughed. “No thank you, Slam. You enjoy your meal. I’m just intrigued with the position Conner has in this community. I’d like to hear more about it when you finish your…meat.”
“You want some?” he asked.
She laughed again. “No thanks, you go ahead.”
Slam was about halfway through his meal when a young lady stopped at their table and said, “Hey, Slam.”
He looked up with barbecue sauce rimming his lips. “Hey, Twyla. How are you?”
“I’m good. Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. This is Miss Selena Ortiz. Miss Selena this is Twyla Baker. Her daddy works for Conner.”
The girl smiled at her. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No,” Selena said, saying once again that she was from New York. The girl smiled politely, but her eyes told a different story, one of complete disinterest as she turned back to Slam. “How is Conner? I haven’t seen him around for a while.”
“He’s good. Conner’s always good.”
“Yes, he is. Tell him I said “Hey” and that he should call me. I’m sure he could use a shave and a trim by now. It’s been so long.” Then she looked at Selena and said, “Nice to meet you.”
“Thanks,” Selena said. “You, too.” She watched the girl walk away, and she realized that as she swayed across the diner most of the men in the place were watching her as well.
“Twyla’s daddy is a supervisor over at the manufacturing plant. She runs the barber shop in town.”
“Barber shop?” Selena asked. “She only does men’s grooming?”
Slam smiled a shy grin. “Twyla’s better with the men than she is with the women…if you know what I mean.”
Selena had known plenty of “Twyla’s” in her lifetime. “Slam, can you take me over there to the plant when we finish eating?”
Slam glanced at his watch. “Um, I don’t think tonight’s a good idea, Miss Selena. Can we wait until morning?”
“Why’s that?” she asked.
“It’s a ways up the mountain, and it’ll be dark soon.”
“If you don’t like to drive at night, I wouldn’t mind driving. My boss is supposed to have a car ready for me to pick up tomorrow, but I’d really like to see it tonight.”
“I just don’t think I should take you up there at night, Miss Selena. It’s not safe.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“He means there is a lot of wildlife in the area at night. We generally try and keep our distance when the sun is down and the moon is up.” Conner had come in the door behind her.
“Wildlife, really? It must be pretty far out.”
Conner, without waiting to be asked, sat down next to Slam and took a rib off of his plate. “Not really. I wouldn’t walk through town when the moon is full if I were you.”
“Why? Is a werewolf going to get me?” she asked, jokingly.
Slam looked at Conner with wide eyes.
Conner said simply, “You never know.”
***
As Selena got dressed the next morning, she thought over the strange events of the day before. First of all, she was completely snubbed by Conner, and then almost as quickly, he was on her doorstep to apologize. Then there were all the wolf references, and the fact that she was practically being warned to not go out at night. It was all really strange.
She wanted to get to that plant this morning and see what kind of mess she really had on her hands. She had already spoken with Daniel, and he was having a car that Lloyd had purchased for her from a local dealer brought over this morning so she could come and go as she pleased. She also had an appointment with the realtor, Becca, to look at the house Lloyd had arranged for her. It was going to be a busy day.
Just as she was putting on her shoes, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was the man with her car, she pulled it open…to again find Conner there. He looked much better today, if that was even possible. He had shaved, and without all of the facial hair, he looked ten years younger. Although still stylishly mussed, it looked like he had gotten a haircut. Slam must have told him Twyla was asking about him. Selena briefly wondered what other services the girl offered.
“Still opening doors to just anyone I see,” he said.
“I guess I’m addicted to the danger,” she said, sarcastically. “I was waiting for my car to be delivered so that I can go look at your plant.”
“Lloyd’s plant,” he said.
“Patato, potato…” she said. “What can I do for you this morning, Conner?”
“Nothing,” he said. “I’m here to go with you. I’m at your service today.”
“Wow, I feel honored that the town benefactor has time to spend with me.”
Conner grinned. “Slam’s been telling tales, has he?”
“He seems really proud of you,” she said. “It’s cute, honestly.”
“Slam’s a pretty cute guy,” he said with a laugh. “Are you ready to go?”
“I really should wait for my car,” she said.
“I’ll call Trent and tell him to leave the key at the front desk.”
“Who’s Trent?”
“The guy who works for Lazy River Motors. He’s the one that Cecil will send over with the car.”
“Oh, okay then,” she said. This guy really did have his finger on the pulse of this town. She grabbed her bag and on the way down Conner called Trent as promised. He led her out to a white Jeep. It w
as so tall that even with the running board Selena had trouble climbing into it.
They drove upward in elevation and further out of town and toward the mountains. She noticed again how beautiful this place really was.
Trying to make conversation she said, “So how long have you lived here?”
“Forever,” he said, simply.
“It’s a beautiful place.”
“Yeah, it is,” he said. “You need to see the mountains to get how really beautiful it is though. If you get up there on a clear night, you can see all of our little town and all the way across Anchorage. It’s really something.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way. It seemed to her after a while that Conner might be taking her to the top of the mountain. At last, he pulled off the main road and took a long, gravel path up to a parking lot in front of a large plant with a sign that read: Wolves Eat Fish. He parked, and they both got out. Selena noticed there weren’t many cars in the lot for a Tuesday morning during work hours. She also had to notice that the road they had just taken wouldn’t be the easiest path for an eighteen wheeler and wondered how they got their product out of here. Once they got closer to the plant, that question was answered. The river ran right alongside the plant, and she could see a dock where things were being loaded onto a large boat.
“Do you distribute most of your product by river?” she asked.
“Yes, not most, all.”
“Doesn’t the river freeze over in the winter months?”
“Yes, it does,” he said. “Everything freezes here in the winter months. We manufacture like hell all fall, winter and spring and then we haul it out as fast as we can during the summer.”
“Hmm,” she said.
“Hmm, what?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering if that’s the best way to do business,” she said.
Conner didn’t say anything, but his weird eyes changed color again, and he had a “Who asked you?” kind of look on his face. He led her into the plant, and they were immediately greeted by a beautiful young woman.
“Good morning, Conner,” she said. “We didn’t know you were coming by today.”
Conner gave a seductive smile. It wasn’t even directed at Selena, but she could feel the heat of it, and her stomach did a silly flip-flop thing that it hadn’t done since high school.
“I have to check up on you every once in a while,” he said, reaching out to cup her chin. “To make sure you’re staying out of trouble.”
“I am, I promise,” she said. The girl’s face was flushed red, and Selena could see that she was having a hard time catching her breath just from his simple touch.
“Gail, this is Selena Ortiz. She’s the executive from I Dream of Fishing.”
The girl looked at her then as if she’d only just noticed her. “Hi,” she said. It was a tone that said she wasn’t much happier about Selena being here than Conner was. Selena wondered why they all seemed so suspicious of her.
“Hello,” Selena said. She took out her book and pen. “What is your full name?” The girl looked at Conner as if for permission, and he nodded. She told Selena and then Selena asked, “What is your job title here?”
The girl looked at Conner again and he said, “My employees don’t generally use titles. Gail answers the phones and directs the calls and takes messages for the supervisors and executives. If you need a title, you can call her an Executive Administrative Assistant.”
The girl giggled and looked like she liked the title, but most definitely the attention that Conner was paying to her.
“We’ll see you later, Gail.” Conner led Selena to a wall near the plant floor. He took two hard hats off the wall and handed her one. She put it on, and he led her out onto the plant floor.
The first thing she noticed was that each worker, even the ones assembling things, had their own little cubicle. They were all decorated with photos of family or pictures of wild life. It was neat and organized though, and it looked like whoever ran the plant was doing a great job. It also looked like a happy place to work, and each person that Conner spoke to or introduced her to seemed genuinely happy to see him. There was a level of respect in their eyes when they addressed him that was quite impressive.
Not only did she know for a fact that would never be the case with Lloyd, she also knew that Lloyd would be hard pressed to know any of their names. In his defense, he had twelve manufacturing plants in all, and they were scattered out through the United States and the U.K., but still, she had to be at least a little impressed with Conner as she watched how he handled his employees.
After finishing the tour of the plant, he led her up a set of stairs to where there were four offices. It was like a loft, with glass doors they could use to close out the noise, but they could still be able to observe the floor. Selena thought it was a great set-up for a hands-on boss. He led her to the one nearest the stairs.
“Go ahead and have a seat at the desk by the computer there,” he told her. “What do you need me to pull up for you?”
She was surprised but happy that Conner seemed to have lost the chip on his shoulder about her being there. The other employees he had introduced her to, however, did not seem the least bit happy that she was there. It was that underlying suspicion that she had felt from everyone in town since she’d been there…except for Slam. She understood the people at the plant were concerned about their jobs, but she had felt it from others in town as well.
“Let’s begin with the balance sheets and the budget and go from there,” she told him.
He reached across her to input his password and his arm gently, and likely accidentally, brushed the side of her face. Selena felt a little shock when it did, and her whole body went warm. Her senses even seemed to be heightened, she could smell something…she wasn’t sure what it was, but it gave her a distinct tingling in her female parts. When he finished inputting and withdrew his arm, it took her a minute to stop the tingling sensation in her head and regain control of her breathing.
What the heck is your deal with this guy, Selena? All of a sudden you’re into the bad boy thing?
Luckily, Conner didn’t seem to notice the effect he was having on her. Either that or he was just so used to it.
“Thanks,” she told him.
“Sure,” he said. “I have some things to attend to downstairs. Just pick up that phone and dial one if you need me. Gail will find me.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said again. Once he was gone, Selena took another few minutes to get her bearings before delving into the report in front of her.
CHAPTER FOUR
Two hours passed quickly as Selena went through page after page of financial data. When she looked up at last, she was surprised to see how quickly the time had passed, and she was suddenly hungry. She realized that the smells of food were wafting up from the floor below her. It must be lunch time. She got up to stretch her legs and back just as Conner came back into the office.
“I came to see if you wanted to take a break. They have lunch set up downstairs.”
“Set up?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s a pot-luck kind of thing here. Everyone brings a dish, and they sit down to lunch together.”
“Wow, that’s…friendly,” she said with a smile.
Conner gave her a narrow-eyed look. “We are a friendly lot of people.”
“I’ve noticed,” she said, sarcastically.
He laughed. “Do you want lunch or not? I’m starving.”
“Sure, thanks.” She followed him downstairs to what must be a break room. It was huge, and contained all the kitchen appliances a person would need at home to prepare a gourmet meal. There was a huge square table in the center of the room that was filled with food, mostly meat. Selena was glad that she wasn’t a vegetarian; she might starve here if she were.
Conner introduced her to the people she hadn’t yet met, and she was met with the same suspicious stares that she had gotten from everyone else. Before they started making their plates, she a
sked Conner, “Is there a ladies room nearby?”
He pointed her toward the hallway. “Down the hall to the right.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be right back; don’t wait for me to eat.”
He grinned. “Thanks, my manners may have forced me to do that.”
She had to laugh at him poking fun at his own bad manners. She found her way to the restroom, and she found it to be obsessively clean. There were two stalls, and she went into the one closest to the door. There were a pair of feet under the other one, and after a few minutes she heard a flush, and then someone washing their hands. When she came out, the woman was still standing by the sink. She looked like she had been waiting for her.
“Hi,” Selena said.
“Hey,” the woman said. She was an older woman, probably close to fifty, but she was really nice looking for her age. She didn’t look like she should be working in a factory either. Her hair was curled nicely, and she was impeccably dressed.
Selena washed her hands and tried to pretend like she didn’t notice the woman standing there with her arms folded, staring at her. When she finished and stepped toward the door, the woman side-stepped in front of her.
“Can I help you?” Selena asked.
“No, but I can help you,” the woman said.
Selena raised an eyebrow. She was quickly tiring of these people and their backwoods version of social skills. “I don’t believe I asked for any help.”
“That’s okay,” the woman said. “You probably don’t know you need it yet. I want to make sure that you know a lot of women in this town are anxious for Conner to choose a mate. You won’t even be in the running as far as the locals are concerned, so if you had designs on that title, you may as well give them up now.”
Selena couldn’t help it, she laughed, out loud. “First of all, I have no interest in being Conner’s “mate,” although I have to tell someone that I find that a very odd way to put it. I’m here as the chief financial officer of this venture for my company.”
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