Chapter 23 He Really Knows How to Guess
Leopold's words seemed to have cast a spell on Caroline. Ever since that day, she couldn't stop thinking about him.
Especially with her knee wrapped in the tape he gave her. It felt like it wasn't just the tape holding her knee together, but Leopold's hand.
You could call him a jerk, but he brought her medicine. You could say he was nice, but he also messed with Griffin, making him run all over the place. Caroline couldn't figure out what he was up to.
To keep him from messing with her emotions too much, Caroline volunteered for a field research trip with the company's tech department.
Caroline had proposed a wind power project, and this coastal village they were visiting had abundant wind resources year-round. If they could set up wind turbines there, they'd save a lot of money.
Mason Garcia, a seasoned pro at maintaining power lines, had been working for almost thirty years. He brought his apprentice, Owen Young, who had just graduated from electrical school and joined Seaside City's power company. Owen was hardworking, quick to learn, and good with technical stuff.
Owen was driving, and Mason turned to Caroline from the passenger seat, saying, "Ms. Tudor,"
Caroline replied, "Mr. Garcia, you can just call me Caroline."
Owen glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror. Mason explained to him, "Ms. Tudor was a billing clerk in the rural area I was in charge of when she first joined. That's how we met."
Caroline added, "Mr. Garcia, I remember you used to bring me fruit from the mountains after fixing the lines."
The mountains were full of wild fruit trees. After fixing the lines, they'd sit and pick some wild fruit to eat. Caroline had just been assigned to the town's substation. She was sweet and kind, got along well with everyone, so naturally, they all looked out for her.
Mason said, "You were what, twenty-four back then?"
Caroline corrected him, "Twenty-two."
Owen chimed in, "Same as me. I'm twenty-two this year."
Caroline looked at Owen, "Time flies. I've been working for three years already."
Mason reflected, "I've got three more years until retirement."
Owen said, "Don't retire too soon. I've got lots to learn."
Mason laughed, "You're so smart, you don't need me to teach you. You're a college grad, and I'm just an electrician who never went to school."
"Don't say that. The real tech experts who solve practical problems are people like you. What I learned from books doesn't always cut it in real situations," Owen sighed. "If I had half your skills, I'd be a big shot at the company."
Mason laughed heartily, "You sure know how to flatter. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
"Who's gonna laugh at me, right, Caroline? We're all in this together," Owen grinned at Caroline.
Caroline enjoyed this atmosphere. It was relaxed and took her mind off her worries.
"That's right, we're all power workers!"
Just as the conversation was going well, a WhatsApp message from Leopold came through. Caroline's smile froze, then faded.
North: [How's your knee?]
Caroline replied: [Much better.]
North: [Healing pretty fast.]
Caroline: [I'm young, after all.]
North: [That high school friend of yours hasn't asked me to play ball?]
Caroline frowned. Griffin asked Leopold to play ball?
She replied: [Why would he ask me to ask you?]
North: [He plays well. I told him if he wants to play again, he can ask you to set it up since you have my WhatsApp.]
Caroline typed: [If you want to play with him, you add his WhatsApp.]
North: [He said he left his phone at home and couldn't add me.]
Griffin had sent her photos from the court that day, telling her which badminton court he was on. Clearly, he didn't want to add Leopold and made up an excuse.
Before Caroline could reply, another message from Leopold came in.
North: [I bet he was too embarrassed to add me after losing.]
Caroline's lips twitched. He sure could guess.
Caroline: [I don't know.]
North: [Do you have any of that tape left? I used some, so the box I gave you might be running low.]
She had just used the last strip today and had meant to buy more at the pharmacy but forgot.
Caroline: [I've got some. I'm a bit busy now, talk later.]
North: [Okay.]
Looking down at her phone in the car made her feel a bit queasy, so Caroline put it away.
After about an hour's drive, they arrived at Thornfield Town. The substation there wasn't large, with an office building of about 1,600 square feet over two floors. The first floor had a payment window for the elderly who couldn't use mobile payments, and an office that doubled as a meeting room. The second floor had dorms and a bathroom. Since it was mostly male technicians, there wasn't a dorm for female staff. Mason cleared out a room for Caroline, and he and Owen shared another.
Once she was settled, the two men drove off to inspect the lines. Caroline planned to hike to the top of Shadowfall Mountain to take some photos for reference.
The mountain wasn't far from where she was staying. An old farmer driving a bullock cart recognized Caroline from last Christmas when she delivered gifts on behalf of the power company. He insisted on giving her a ride to Shadowfall Mountain.
Caroline couldn't refuse his kind offer and hopped onto the cart. It was a bumpy ride but fun.
She chatted with him about the weather, and he humorously described it:
"Thornfield Town only has two windy periods a year, each lasting six months."
Caroline laughed, "So it's windy all year round."
The farmer nodded, "Pretty much. We've had more typhoons these past two years. One blew through and tore the roofs off several granaries and collapsed quite a few greenhouses. It caused a lot of damage."
Wind power was great, but wind damage was not.
She planned to request a professional wind energy team to come and do a site assessment. If it met the conditions, Thornfield Town's wind power could significantly boost the area's electricity production.
The bullock cart stopped at the foot of the mountain. The farmer had to take another path, so after bidding him farewell, Caroline entered Shadowfall Mountain Park.
It hadn't been a tourist spot until a few years ago when the local government developed it into a recreational area. They paved stone steps and installed handrails, and even maintained the buildings at the top.
It took her less than half an hour to reach the summit, where the wind was noticeably stronger.
Caroline took a look around. Shadowfall Mountain was the highest point in Thornfield Town. One side faced the sea, and the other three sides were surrounded by mountains. The terrain was gentle, and the view was expansive. She took out her phone and started taking pictures from different angles. Based on her observations, this spot seemed ideal for installing wind turbines.
As she was snapping photos, Leopold's call came through.
Caroline answered, putting the phone to her ear, "What's up?"
She heard wind on the other end, and Leopold asked curiously, "Where are you?"
Caroline replied, "I'm on a business trip."