Page 5
I played the clip once.
Even through the phone’s tiny speaker, the man’s voice made me draw a sharp breath.
I couldn’t ignore it.
I sent the file to Bridget with an explanation of where I’d found him and how I’d obtained the recording. Then I called her before she had time to mistake it for an authorized sample.
“Peyton?” she answered. “Please tell me you’re calling with good news.”
“That depends on how you feel about extremely promising voices accompanied by questionable decisions.”
There was a pause.
“I don’t like the second half of that sentence.”
“Neither do I. I’m at a public overlook near a logging road, and I overheard a man talking to one of his coworkers. Bridget, his voice is incredible. I recorded a few seconds without asking him, which I know I shouldn’t have done. I sent it to you because I thought he might be worth contacting, but I haven’t spoken to him or gotten his permission.”
“Peyton.”
“I know. It was wrong. I should have asked first.”
“Yes, you should have.” She sighed. “All right. Give me a moment to listen.”
I stared through the windshield at the gate in the distance.
A few seconds later, Bridget made a noise that sounded remarkably like someone sitting on a squeaky dog toy.
“Good Lord.”
“Right?”
“That’s his normal speaking voice?”
“As far as I could tell. He was discussing safety procedures, which is a sentence I never expected to find sexually interesting.”
Bridget laughed despite herself.
“I’ve been listening to auditions all morning, and that may be the best voice I’ve heard today. But we have to handle this properly. The recording can’t be used for anything beyond identifying a potential candidate, and Oliver will have to tell him exactly where it came from before discussing an offer.”
“I understand. I’d like to apologize to him myself if he’ll let me.”
“We’ll see whether he’s interested in talking to us first. What’s the name of the company?”
I gave her the information from the truck.
“Crosscut Logging,” she repeated. “I’ll get Oliver on it. In the meantime, go back to your cottage and finish your work. And Peyton?”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t secretly record any more lumberjacks.”
“I’ll do my very best to resist the temptation.”
I ended the call and rested my forehead against the steering wheel.
My plan for an inspiring woodland retreat had taken an unexpected turn.
I sincerely hoped I hadn’t just made things worse.
