Axe Me No Questions by Paula Charles

Author:Paula Charles [Paula Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paula Charles
Published: 2024-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Monday morning, I set to work restocking 2-cycle oil and bar oil on the shelves at Carpenter’s Corner. 2-cycle oil was mixed with gasoline and used in chainsaws to keep the engine lubricated and protected from the rigors of a small engine working at high speed. Bar oil kept the blade running smoothly and lubricated the chain to prevent buildup that could slow down the cut. The lumberjacks had depleted my stock of the various oils needed for their chainsaws in the days leading up to the logging competition, which was a good problem to have in my opinion.

April had been in early to load down a metal cart with the items I needed to stock and had sliced open the box tops for me so the task would be easier with my one good arm. As soon as she got me set up, she’d deftly dodged my questions about her hot date the night before with some lame excuse about needing to get to the on-site design job she was working on.

April was working for a local couple who’d hired her to update a three-bedroom bungalow they planned to use as a rental. She’d insisted she didn’t have a minute to spare, but the girl was full of baloney; there was plenty of time. Her main goal was to avoid my questions. Unfortunately for her, not only was I her mother, but we worked together. She wasn’t going to be able to dodge me forever. I’ll get you, my pretty. I cackled to myself.

I’d emptied one box and started unloading a second one when the members of the morning coffee klatch started to show up for their daily rendezvous. The first to arrive was Ernie Ford, Evonne’s husband. Clad in his signature blue striped shirt and smelling slightly of mechanic’s grease, Ernie ambled to the coffee pot and poured himself a steaming mug. At over six feet tall and wearing size huge-by-large clothing, Ernie took up more space than the average man.

“Morning, Dawna,” Ernie greeted me after taking a sip of coffee. “Evonne came home chattering about the play last night. Didn’t think I was ever going to get any sleep.” He chuckled. “Glad you folks had such a great turnout.”

“Me too. I was worried when the logging competition got pushed back, but they ended up finishing on time and the crowd exceeded our expectations.”

The bell on the front door jangled as Bill Wilder, Bob’s old business partner, and Rick Montgomery filed into the store. The men chattered like a trio of rowdy crows as they poured their coffee and plopped into chairs around the small table I kept near the coffee pot for them. These three men had been Bob’s closest friends for more years than they could count. They’d been meeting at Carpenter’s Corner in the mornings since the day we opened for a cup of my traditionally bad coffee and to solve world problems before they went off to their respective days. Even with Bob gone, they’d kept up the tradition.

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