Covered in Coal (Buried Secrets 1)

I wait for the men to finish up in the bath house, before pullin’ Eric aside one last time, and give him a final stern warnin’ about whatever the hell is up with him. He promises he’s just lackin’ sleep, so I drop it at that, and send him home so he can catch up on his rest.

Makin’ my way up through the gravel lot to the main office, I see that Carly Jo’s cherry red Camaro is parked in the front spot by the buildin’. It may have been one hell of a rough start to the day, but knowin’ she’s here, just spreads a wide smirk across my face. I climb the stairs two at a time to get to her office.

Walkin’ straight passed Shelly, I don’t even knock on Carly Jo’s office door before enterin’. She’s sittin’ at her desk, with her back turned from the door, lookin’ in a filin’ cabinet. Hearin’ the door click closed, she swivels the chair, and her hazel eyes flicker up to meet mine. She has the phone pressed to her ear, and pulls her index finger to her lips, willin’ me not to interrupt her conversation. I nod, and sit down at the chair in front of her desk, and wait for her to finish the phone conversation. She mumbles in agreement to the caller, then sighs before speakin’.

“Bill, I can’t find the contract. I know that Daddy had James keep copies of his contracts as well. I’ll call right now and get a copy emailed over to me, then I’ll forward it to you. Yeah. No, just calm down, and I’ll handle it. I’ll call ya once I have a copy of the contract. Okay, thanks.” Carly Jo hangs the phone up, then pinches the bridge of her nose before stalkin’ to the counter to fill her coffee cup. She turns back to the desk, and places a cup of coffee on the desk in front of me.

“Mornin’, Colton. Noticed you were in a little early this mornin’. Everything okay?”

“Mornin’, darlin’,” I reply with a wink and a smooth smirk. “Yeah, everything is fine. Just like to have a look in on the night crew from time to time. What was that about?” I ask, noddin’ toward the phone.

“How was Thanksgiving in the Smokies?”

“Great, stop avoidin’ my question. What was that about?”

“Just random company shit. How’s Heidi Jo?”

“She’s fine. Why are you bein’ so damn evasive?” I know she’s hidin’ somethin’. What would she be doin’ on the phone with my old man, talkin’ ‘bout company contracts?

“What makes you think I’m being evasive? I don’t have to tell you every damn dilemma that the company faces.” Carly Jo scoffs.

“You know that if we’re walkin’ into a shit storm, you need to give me a heads up, right?” I ask, as concerned as I possibly can sound. Her eyes turn cold as she shoots daggers the short distance across the desk at me.

“Colton, don’t sit there with your damn sexy ass smirk and friggin’ condescendin’ tone. That has nothing to do with you. I’ve got it all under control. If I need to inform you any damn thing, I will.”

“Fine, just don’t want you takin’ all of this on, all on your own. It can be overwhelmin’. That’s all.” I reply, swirlin’ my finger in the air.

“And what the hell is ‘this’, Colton?” She replies, mimickin’ me with her finger twirlin’ in the air.

“Whatever the hell you’re hidin! I’m your Superintendent. You ain’t been on the damn job for more than three damn months. All I’m sayin’ is think about things before you try to be a damn hero.”

“Be the hero for what exactly? I’m Carly Jo Simon, the damn CEO of this frickin’ company, and I’ll be damned if I will let anyone threaten that. I’m workin’ my ass off to run this damn empire as smoothly as Daddy did. If you don’t like the way I run things, friggin’ hit the bricks.” She shouts, her face flame red with heat.

“Whoa. Back it up. What are you talkin’ about? I come in here to see you, because I missed you. I haven’t seen you since Wednesday, and if you’ll remember correctly, we’re supposed to be workin’ on us.” I exhale a deep frustrated growl, and her eyes twist into slits. “Whatever I walked into has you more than stressed, it has you friggin’ terrified. I can’t help ya darlin’ unless you stop the bitchin’, and once again, let me the hell in.” My growl is fiercer than I intend, but seein’ Carly Jo obviously addled by somethin’, pisses me the hell off. I hate to raise my voice to her, but she needs to reel it the hell in, and calm her sweet ass down.

She looks up at me with wide fearful eyes, as she chews on the bottom of her lip. A clear sign that she’s upset with somethin’ more than our small argument. Moments pass, and not a word is exchange. I crack my knuckles against the palms of my hands, then stand up to leave. I turn toward the door, and just as I grab the handle, she speaks up. I hesitate, and listen to her whispery words. “Sales. They’re bad, and thanks to Drew Varney, they may possibly get worse.”

Chapter 25

Carly Jo

The first day back to the mines after Thanksgiving, and I’m immediately faced with a shit storm blowing hard enough, we’ll smell it for weeks. As soon as I come in, Shelly tells me that Bill Weston is on the line, and that it’s urgent. It takes me about five minutes to calm the frantic and highly pissed Bill. After he has stopped screaming, he explains that he needs a copy of the contract between Dalton Trucking Company and Simon Energy.

Bill and Daddy signed these contracts over twenty years ago and never looked back upon the written terms. They weren’t ever concerned with the legalities of their agreement. They had a verbal agreement that they stood in partnership, a unity, working together until one of the companies falter, meaning when coal supply dries up or a company bankrupts.

When Daddy died, Bill got a new co-partner in Dalton Trucking, Drew Varney. AKA-jackass of the year, AKA-my long lost brother. From what I understand, Drew is taking advantage of those terms and his new partnership with Dalton Trucking. He is trying to force Bill’s hand to signing a new exclusive contract to only haul coal for American Heritage Coal Company.

The contract between Simon Energy and Dalton Trucking is still very much viable, because both companies are striving. Losing Dalton Trucking’s business could truly hurt our coal sales. Sales are slow enough now, but if we lose the contract with Dalton Trucking, that’s fifteen trucks that won’t be making daily hauls of coal out of our mines. We have contracts with other companies, even the railroad, but losing fifteen coal trucks ain’t negotiable.

Bill is in fits, because he understands the damage that this could do, if he breaches contract with Simon Energy. He also would like nothing more than to wiggle out of the one partnership with Drew Varney, let alone diggin’ himself into another. I don’t blame him. Drew is a conniving bastard who can’t be trusted. Drew Varney, is just like his daddy…Big John Simon. Daddy did everything for his own personal gain, in his business life and personal life, and with each turn of the page, I see deeper into his twisted web of lies. The more I see, the more my love for my daddy turns to hate.

Colton comes into my office just as I am ending the call with Bill. As soon as he hears his dad’s name slide off of my tongue, his interest peaks. He has been worrying a lot about Bill’s business with Drew.

The few times that I’ve been there when Bill comes in from work, he’s always distressed and upset from his day at work. Business owners eat stress daily, but should never carry the burden of stress from the hands of their partner. Partners in any relationship are supposed to work together. And from the way Bill talks, Drew fights him on every damn thing. Daddy was a bastard, but he and Bill were friends, and even when they didn’t see eye to eye on a matter, they always worked the matter out quickly.

But filling Colton in on the details of Drew’s plans to screw Simon Energy over, is not my story to tell. I don’t know the specifics, all I know is that Bill is obviously upset over the plans that Drew hopes to set forth.

Colton can get pissy all he wants, he’ll get over it.