Page 24 of Load Bearing
It was ridiculous of him to think she would.
He put the truck in gear and drove away, following the now-familiar roads to the sterile hotel.
He had an email from Baxter:
When did you start watching soap operas? Carthridge and the Coalition for Nature are top notch drama. Carthridge is a multi-billionaire who could probably give Dad a run for his money. Got his riches in the travel industry when it was booming and then got out before the restrictions got heavy. He’s had a string of hot young wives, including his latest ex, Mrs. Tiffany Amberly Carthridge… who is a major donor for a certain environmental group that will not shock you. You were right that it was personal.
She’s in Florida. He’s got residences in South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, and Washington State that make the place you’re building look like a hovel. The divorce looks like it hurt him pretty badly. Two of the places are on the market with million-dollar pricetags.
How’s Alaska? Staying warm?
There were links to Tiffany’s social media, Carthridge’s public trust listings, and some lawsuits that Carthridge had been involved in, including three paternity suits.
Hunter typed a brief answer, knowing that because of the time zones, Baxter wouldn’t see it until morning.
Thanks.
Tiffany, in her glammed-up selfies, definitely didn’t look like the type who was up here doing the damage personally. She’d probably paid someone, and getting that kind of information would require a warrant, but none of this was enough information to bring in the troopers yet.
Hunter leaned back in his chair. Keith and Kyle were still his first suspects. They’d mentioned working odd jobs, and this definitely qualified. If money was tight and the offer was right, they were both young and dumb enough to try something. And they were shifters. Hunter just didn’t know what kind.
Nap?his bear said wistfully.
It had been a long several days of hard exertion. Trixiedrove him hard on the jobsite, and he returned the favor in bed. He was sated and tired.
These clues would last until morning, and tomorrow was going to be another long day.
20
TRIXIE
“Hey, boss.” Dylan was the first to arrive, and he went straight for the coffee. “Truss truck still coming this morning?”
Trixie frowned at her phone. “Yeah, they’re on their way from Fairbanks and should be here in about thirty minutes. Sam’s texted in sick.”
She looked up just in time to see a flash of something she couldn’t identify cross Dylan’s face. Concern? Trixie didn’t usually care about gossip, but she had a lot of unanswered questions about their history that she was dying to ask. Did they fight over a girl? Tok was a small town with an even smaller dating pool.
“Good thing we got Hunter,” Dylan said with a shrug. “He’s turned out okay.”
Trixie was pretty sure her face gave away exactly how okay he’d turned out, because Dylan grinned. “Sure,” she said, as blandly as possible. “It’s good to have the extra hands.” It was almost like hedidhave extra hands when they were making love.
Dylan nodded knowingly, and they both turned as Keith and Kyle drove up, Hunter right behind them. “Speak of the devil.”
Trixie told herself to be professional and play it cool as she waved to them to park well out of the way. It wasn’t long before Noah pulled in, too.
“Big day, crew!” Trixie said, when they all had their coffee and were milling about ready for directions. “Most of you have done this before, but here’s a rundown of how it works for the new folks.” She pointed up. “The trusses for each wing will be delivered all bundled together on a crane truck and set up right on the walls. They’ll be laid down flat at the end and we’ll be lifting and walking them one at a time down the length of the building to put them in place from the far end. This is a risky operation, I don’t want to see anyone without a hardhat on atanypoint today. Slow down if you have to. It’s not worth meeting a deadline to take a tumble; we are absolutely not rushing this. I’ll be on the walls with Keith and Kyle. I want Hunter and Dylan with ladders on the floor to help support and fasten the trusses in place. Noah, I’ve got the wet walls on the first floor measured out. Sam’s out for the day, but you can get some of that done solo and once the trusses are tacked in, I can leave Keith and Kyle to do soffits and come give you a hand. Any questions?”
Everyone nodded their understanding and scattered to prepare.
Trixie caught several sly looks as she showed Hunter how to place the pre-cut blockers snugly between the trusses and tack them into place. She reminded herself that she wasn’t showing any favoritism; she always trained the newbies herself so they didn’t learn any sloppy habits. “You’ll be doing all the sill fastening with a nail gun andwe’ll be putting up purlins—the boards that run along the top between the trusses—with hammers. You don’t want to be dragging heavy hoses up there before everything is secured. This, believe it or not, is one of the most dangerous points of construction. A lot can go wrong.” Noah watched the demonstration, nodding along approvingly and looking slightly smug.
The truss truck came exactly when they said they would and Trixie clambered up to the top of the walls to take point while Noah took the dangling guide line and helped maneuver it into place.
“Boss?”
Trixie ignored the first call, but not the second.
“Boss!!”
