Lost and Found in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #2)

22. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

O ne afternoon, Laura and Toni sat on upturned crates for their break, chatting. Laura rubbed her aching arms.

“If I have to drink any more watered-down coffee, I’m going to cry,” Toni said, crossing one leg over the other.

“Have you tried Postum?” Laura asked. Although she liked coffee and tea, she didn’t care for the chicory substitute or for the war-time practice of reusing coffee grounds. She’d tried Postum and found she liked it.

“I have, but I didn’t care for it.”

Before Laura could comment, they spotted Les giving a young woman a tour of the plant. She was taller than Les by about an inch. She was also very pretty, with long hair the color of honey, which she wore parted on one side. Her neck was swanlike, and she had a beautiful pair of gams. She held a handbag in front of her.

“Look, he’s cornered a new recruit,” Toni noted.

“Ugh. It’s a curse to be pretty here. ”

“Wait for it,” Toni said as they kept their eyes glued to Les and the innocent-looking girl with the great legs.

“Coming up next, the shoulder squeeze,” Laura announced in a deep voice.

And sure enough, Creepy Les rested his hand on the girl’s shoulder as he swept his other hand around the plant, whispering something to her. The girl had a look of consternation on her face as she glanced at the unwelcome hand on her shoulder. Removing his hand, he placed it on the small of her back and led her away. She tried to step away to the side to put distance between them, but he kept the grip on her back firm.

“How does he get away with this? Why doesn’t Mr. Treadwell do anything? It’s a distraction.” Toni’s voice was tight with anger.

“Does Mr. Treadwell even know?” Laura wondered.

Toni sighed. “Good question, but if he doesn’t, he should. Come on, let’s get back to work. Breaktime is over.”

Within half an hour of resuming their drilling of rivets into the cockpit, Laura’s bladder became uncomfortable. She turned off the drill gun and rapped on the cockpit window. Toni lowered the bucking bar and lifted her goggles. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, Toni, I can’t hold it. I’ve got to run to the bathroom.”

Toni laughed. “Wasn’t pregnancy fun? To be left with all these problems we never had to deal with before: weak bladders, stretch marks, droopy bellies . . .”

“Uh-huh,” Laura said as she made a run for it. The restroom was empty as they hadn’t broken for lunch yet, and she used the toilet quickly and washed her hands before leaving.

As she exited the restroom, she ran into Les and the young woman, the former trying to escort the latter into an unused office. Laura had heard rumors about this office and the things Les attempted on poor, unsuspecting women. She’d always managed to avoid him, going the other way whenever she saw him coming.

“Oh hey, how are you?” she said loudly as Les opened the door to the darkened office.

The girl, startled, turned to look at her. She remained mute, staring at Laura with a look of confusion on her face. But Laura kept talking, closing the distance between them.

“Gosh, I haven’t seen you in a dog’s age. How’s your mother?” Laura asked.

Now the girl looked frightened. Les didn’t look too happy at being interrupted.

“Get back to work, Knickerbocker,” he said.

Good-naturedly, she said, “Come on, Mr. Stockton, it’s been so long since I’ve seen my friend.”

At that moment an alarm went off somewhere in the plant, and Les looked in the direction of it, clearly unhappy. To the young woman he said, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

When he was out of earshot, the young woman asked, “Do I know you?” Up close, she was even prettier. Her looks were almost sultry and her soft, quiet voice added to the intrigue.

“No, you don’t.” Laura held out her hand, and the younger woman shook it. “Laura Knickerbocker.”

“Diana Quinn. ”

Laura pulled the door closed on the office. “Look, we call him Creepy Les.”

The girl’s eyes widened.

“Here’s a piece of advice. Whatever you do, don’t be alone with him. And no matter what, don’t go into this room with him.”

Diana swallowed hard. “Gee, thanks for looking out for me.”

Laura gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t mention it. Just be careful around him.”

Wide-eyed, Diana asked, “Are all the men like that here?”

Laura shook her head. “Nope. Some will whistle at you, but that’s as far as it goes.”

Soon it became Laura’s mission to warn every new girl about the assistant foreman, ending with the caveat that they too should warn others coming in after them. The work was hard enough and important enough without having to deal with the likes of Les.