“Wait,” I said, not understanding. “You’re saying Fate is a woman?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “You know, she has a robe and a scale, I think. She’s blind.”
“I think you’re thinking of justice,” corrected Ash. “But I think Fate is a woman, right?”
“I thought she made that clear,” added Alder.
“It’s just a weird analogy,” I said. “Fate as a woman. You mean like the Three Fates in the Greek Mythos?”
“Who?” asked Oak.
“They were in that movie,” remembered Teak. “They shared an eye and were really creepy.”
“Yeah, they were all women,” she said. “Witches, but women.”
“But you said bitches,” I countered.
Oak rolled his eyes. “Can you let anything go?”
“I’m just trying to get into her thought process,” I countered.
“Ah, so you’re interested in me,” Lila’s voice went low and teasing.
“Ah, no. No-no-no,” I assured her. “We have to keep this professional. You’re an employee of this company and this is a–I just realized.”
“What?” Ash became alarmed.
“We can write the entire thing off as a business meal.” I announced. “Now I totally don’t feel bad about all the food you made. Can we make more? Just cook it and I can add it to the total.” This would save us a bundle.
“I think we’re good,” assured Ash.
You see, this is why I’m here. I’m always thinking ahead.
Chapter 6:
Alder
“Jesus, Elm,” I said. “You were just born without empathy.”
“What?” said Elm, not understanding. “I just saved us money!”
“I’m sorry about my brother,” I said to a watchful Lila.
“You don’t have to apologize for me,” insisted Elm.
“I do. You are too tightly-wound, man.”
“It’s why we tried to get him to stop drinking Red Bull,” whispered Ash.
Dinner was delicious. The turkey, even though frozen, was cooked just right. Even with our extra guest, we had way more leftovers than normal. The boys didn’t eat as much as they normally do. I think I read somewhere that guys trying to get with a girl tend to eat less. Well, I have to admit, I was doing it too. I really wasn’t hungry…for food.
“Hey, I have a suggestion,” I said over coffee. “We should watch that movie I picked up in town. What’s it called? Geostorm, I think.”
“Oh, that’s going to be good,” said Elm sarcastically.
“I’ll watch it with you guys,” said Lila.
“I’m in,” said Oak.
“Me too,” added Teak.
“Well, I probably shouldn’t judge a movie before seeing it,” said Elm, backing off his earlier statement.
“This is really good coffee by the way,” said Lila. “But I wouldn’t expect anything less from…tree farmers.”
We all broke out laughing. It was great to hear a female laugh in the house again. The truth was, none of us had had very meaningful relationships. It was just our lifestyle, I guess. Living on the mountain, working all the time– There just wasn’t a lot of time or opportunity. But now, seeing Lila, things felt different. I mean, it was obvious my brothers were interested in her too, even Elm, but– We were always competitive. One of us would have to come out on top, right? Or was Elm right when he said we should keep it professional?
Quite frankly, I didn’t care. I was going to take my shot.
We got down to the TV room. Oak and Teak rushed down to grab a good spot, but I stayed next to Lila on the way down. When she finally chose the love seat and sat down, I was right there beside her. The boys shot daggers at me with their eyes. Teak tried to get me up to get the movie, but I told him where it was. He set up the DVD anyway, so he had to start the movie. Elm, who was too impatient, ended up getting up and doing it as always. I had my spot, sitting right next to her.
Teak dimmed the lights and I thought about putting my arm around her. I looked in her direction and we smiled at each other. I figured that would be too much. We’d look like a couple and if she decided I shouldn’t put my arm around her– Well, that would be a rejection and I had to avoid that. My moment would come. I had to bide my time.
The movie started. There was a lot of wind up. A lot of acting, big noises and special effects. Honestly, it wasn’t a very good movie. I mean, it was all about weather, but we had our fill of extreme weather on the mountain. The boys weren’t paying attention to the movie, they were paying attention to her.
Ash got up and made popcorn, which gave him a chance to interact with her. Fortunately, since I was sitting next to her, I got to share the popcorn with her. Our hands brushed together in the bowl. I noticed she had thin, long feminine fingers. She was dainty and beautiful.
Halfway through the movie, it became just ridiculous. Fortunately, no one was really riveted to the screen. Lila had fallen asleep and she rested her weary head on my shoulder. Ash reached over and brushed her hair off her face. She didn’t wake up.
Looking around the room, I could see that my brothers were more interested in Lila than the movie, not that I blame them. I wouldn’t move and didn’t get up. I had to go to the bathroom, but I waited. If I left this spot, one of my brothers would find an excuse to sweep in and take my place.
Lila had soft skin and silky hair. She had this natural smell to her that wasn’t perfume, it was just– Well, I guess it was just her. She had asked us about our relationship status. Quite frankly, I hadn’t given it a second though in the last few years I was up here. Now, looking at her, with the soft light of the television on her face, I could see us together. I wanted to see us together. There was something about her that was so captivating.
“I gotta say it,” I whispered to the room. “Could she…be for one of us?”
“Not professional,” hissed Elm. “We would face a huge liability.”
“Jesus, Elm, back off,” insisted Ash. “We all like her.”
“Well, ya know…” said Oak trying to deny it. “Okay, yeah. I do.”
“I saw the way you grabbed the seat next to her,” I whispered to Elm. “You’re into her.”
“Okay, yes, I am,” Elm admitted. “But there’s five of us and we just hired her, okay?”
“I don’t see why it couldn’t work for one of us,” said Teak. “I mean, she could choose. By the way, I appear to be closest in age. Just putting that out there.”
“Guys, realistically,” said Ash. “We’ve all been living on top of this mountain a long time. Maybe we just have to cool our jets and see where this goes, okay?”
“Probably the most sane thought I’ve heard tonight,” said Elm.
“I mean,” continued Ash. “She probably wouldn’t be into all of us, right?”
“What are you saying?” asked Elm. “All of us date her? How would that even work?”
“Let’s just put her to bed and think on this,” I suggested.
Chapter 7:
Lila
I woke up in the guest room. Guess I fell asleep during the movie. It wasn’t very good anyway. The weird thing was I had a dream. I dreamt that the guys talked about sharing me.
No one does that, right? I mean, that would be like a movie. Although, admittedly, a pretty awesome movie when I think about it. Five rugged guys all wanting me? It makes you tingle.
No. I had to put that fantasy aside. These guys were brothers and pretty traditional. It must’ve been a dream.
I cleaned up and got dressed. I still felt pretty weird about wearing their mother’s clothes, but what choice did I have? Besides, it wasn’t that I looked like their mother. The reality was, her clothes were just clothes, not the person.
I went downstairs and saw the boys were ready with breakfast. It was laid out just like a giant buffet! Eggs, potatoes, sausage, pancakes, toast, butter, syrup, jams– Pretty much everything you can think of. Alder came out of the kitchen with an apron on.
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“I can make you an omelet if you want,” he offered. “I’ve got ham, peppers, onions and cheese. Make you a nice Western one.”
“That sounds great, thanks,” I said. “Now this is what I expected from lumberjacks!”
“Ah, ha!” said Elm, feeling victorious that I called them by the right word.
“A hearty breakfast to start the day,” said Ash. “It’s what my father always used to say.”
“Well, with all the work you guys do, I’m sure you need it,” I agreed. “What time do we start work by the way?”
“Nine o’clock sharp,” Elm informed. “I assumed you wouldn’t be late for work today.”
“Be kind of hard to,” I laughed. “Although I imagine at some point we should go find my car.”
“That’s probably going to be a lot of work,” warned Elm.
“A few cups of this coffee and I’m ready to go.” I smiled. “Your brothers are worried about the Red Bull, they should be worried about this.”
“Yeah, right?” laughed Elm.
Elm, worried that he might be fraternizing with the employee, I guess, suddenly got serious.
“It, uh, will probably require a tow truck and a couple of guys to pull it out,” said Elm. “We’d outsource something like that, obviously.”
Alder brought me my breakfast. The guy makes a mean Western omelet, I’ll give him that. I hadn’t eaten this good in a while. Most of the time on the road, I just ate to keep going. It’s like you eat because you have to, not really to enjoy it. But this was good and this was living. The boys finally finished up and I tried to help clear the table, but they wouldn’t hear of it.
“Okay then,” I said, turning to Elm. “What’s on the agenda today, boss?”
“Training,” he replied. “Let’s go.”
The boys had set up an office to handle their furniture orders. They had filing cabinets and handmade desks. The computers were pretty recent. I was actually surprised they already had a desk for me.
“Sometimes the other brothers try and help me,” explained Elm. “And I emphasize try. The filing cabinets are mostly for show now. We don’t have a tremendous amount of paper. Although some of our customers are from our parents’ day, so they still use paper invoices. Once in a while, you might have to use one.”
“Okay, standard office stuff,” I said, nodding.
“The main thing I need you to do right now is answer the phone. You’re going to be doing a bit of customer service, so it’s important you’re kind, patient and pleasant with all our customers. Keep in mind, some of them are mountain folk. They can get a little gruff,” explained Elm. “They don’t mean to be rude, but until you get to know them, they may come off as abrupt. Just be prepared.”
“Sure. How would you like me to answer the phone. Do you have a tagline or something?”
“Barrett Handmade Furniture, this is Lila will be fine,” assured Elm. “And then something like, how can I help you? Or, could you please hold? Depending on the circumstance. Got it?”
“Got it!”
“Okay, good. While you’re waiting for calls, you can tidy up this room. It’s gotten a bit out of control. Just, you know, neaten it up for me?”
“Sure thing.”
It’s always weird when you start a new job. You don’t know where anything is or where anything goes. You have to make guesses, hope you’re putting things in the right place and just stop asking questions after a while. I answered the phone, but mostly Elm would just say, “Here, let me talk to them.” I listened what he would say. Elm would ask the person what kind of furniture they wanted or would talk about the piece they had ordered. It seemed like a lot to remember, but I knew all it would take was time.
The interesting thing was, he seemed to know everyone. Elm was a lot more friendly to the customers then he was in real life! Guess that was just the way he was wired. He was extra nice to them, but could drop the façade for his family.
After a few hours of me bumbling around the office, I finally was getting a very basic idea of what the job entailed. Most of the customers seemed pretty nice. They were happy to talk to me. I have a pretty pleasant speaking voice. Once customer was kind of angry. His furniture was taking a long time and he was impatient. After the call was over, Elm debriefed me.
“That’s okay, let them get mad,” he said. “You handled it fine. They’re going to get mad once in a while. Making furniture by hand takes time and if you order something really complex, then it takes a loooooong time, believe me. Quality over quantity here.”
Teak popped into the room.
“Guys, I got lunch ready,” he announced and popped back out.
“Teak made lunch? I thought Alder was the cook,” I said.
“We take turns,” explained Elm. “I make a mean paella.”
“I’m pretty good at cooking,” I told them. “I’d be happy to do some.”
Actually, I wasn’t all that good. I was including food I microwaved. But I really wanted to try. These guys were giving me room and board and I felt the need to give a little back, go the extra mile.
“Okay, I’ll put you on the rotation,” said Elm, getting out his tablet and making a note of it.
“You’ve got a chart for everything,” I noticed. “You guys do a lot of planning.”
“Mmmm, actually, I do a lot of planning,” laughed Elm. “I’ve always been the numbers guy. The other brothers, deep down, are artists in their own way. Souls of artists anyway. C’mon, let’s get some lunch.”
We entered the kitchen where Alder was mixing a salad.
“Except Alder,” joked Elm. “He does the marketing, so he doesn’t have a soul.”
Alder glared at him. Elm shrugged. It was nice to see Elm get his licks in. It was almost like he was relaxing.
“See what happens when he doesn’t drink Red Bull?” noted Alder. “He jokes around like a human being.”
Lunch was a mix of turkey sandwiches, leftover sides from dinner, turkey salad and salad. It was a bit redundant, but good. The bread was especially tasty.
“This bread is amazing.” I said. “Who made it?”
“I did,” Oak’s broad chest expanded proudly. “The key is letting the dough ferment a little. Gets some good air pockets in it. It’s basically the same recipe I use for making pizza dough.”
“Homemade pizza?” I exclaimed. “Is there anything better than homemade pizza?”
The brothers agreed. Pizza was the best. You had to love these guys.
“You know, you haven’t gotten a proper tour of this place,” said Ash. “Elm, if you can spare her, I’d like to show Lila the workshop.”
“Uh, oh,” said Alder immediately. “He’s not going to like that. Work stoppage on the first day?”
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind at all,” said Elm a little indignant. “I think Lila can best serve this company by having first hand knowledge of our product. By all means, give her a tour of the workshop. Show her everything. The entire process.”
“Okay, good,” said Ash.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” said Alder.
“That’s because you underestimate me,” said Elm. “I, on the other hand, use logic and intellectualism to get through life. You just use jokes.”
“Boys, boys! Must you bicker?” I joked.
“I am not bickering,” assured Elm. “I am quite calm.”
“They’re bickering,” said Ash, smiling.
After another hearty meal, I followed Ash out back. The workshop sat apart from the rest of the cabin and was almost as large as the house itself. Most of it was covered in snow and blocked by trees also covered in snow, so I didn’t see it the night I pulled up. Of course, I was in a panic that night. I doubt I would’ve seen Godzilla if he’d been standing next to the cabin.
We walked inside the large work area that smelled of sawdust and wood stain. Half finished pieces of furniture littered the space. There were tables, sofa frames, headboards, nightstands, dressers, stools, chairs and e
vening a dining table. The dining table was just about finished. It had been stained and was drying in a corner.
The far wall was lined with tools and a couple of work benches. Drills, hole punchers, saws, hammers, plus a bunch of tools I didn’t recognize. I was awed by the amount of tools. And they were different tools. I guess some of them were for upholstery too. I think I owned maybe four tools my entire life and two of them I never used.
“It starts over here with the wood,” explained Ash. “One of things we try to do is pick a real solid piece of wood. Then you carve it down. It can take a few hours to get the right shape. Unfortunately, sometimes you spend those hours and it turns out the wood is no good.”
“What? Like it’s rotten inside?” I surmised.
“Yeah, sometimes,” explained Ash. “Or sometimes it just has a knot in the wrong place or a weird coloring or it just cracks during the process.”
He took me over to a wood pile. It was full of unfinished pieces that had broken or been discarded for not measuring up to their standards. There were broken stools, pieces of table, knobs, table legs and several unidentifiable pieces.
“What do you do with all that? Throw it in the woods?”
“No. That’s good firewood.” assured Ash. “There’s always plenty of mistakes to throw on the fire.”
“This place is huge,” I noted. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so large. How much stuff do you guys actually make in a day?”
“Well, not much in a day. But we have a waiting list that goes two years into the future,” explained Ash. “So we’re pretty booked solid. Can’t interrupt the process. Things have to happen on schedule, but we’re always behind. When you make stuff by hand, that’s always an issue.”
“Wow, it’s really impressive,” I said. “It must be nice to have two years of work lined up. Where do you keep the finished pieces?”
Ash showed me back room. Inside, boxed up and ready to go, were four boxes. There were also a table of tools and piles of wood to build crates. There was also a huge roll of plastic used to wrap the furniture and boxes of packing peanuts to makes sure the pieces weren’t damaged.
Loved by the LumberJacks_A MFMMMM Reverse Harem Romance Page 5
