Hearts Under Construction Read online

  Thoughts of the new soup diet came to her. She’d only been on it for two days and already the thought of cabbage made her want to pulverize the pale green heads when she passed them in the produce section of her grocery store. She never told her mother when she went on diets. Her mother always complained about today’s women being too thin. According to her mother, unless a woman carried an extra twenty pounds, she looked sickly.

  Ellie loved her mother.

  “I heard cabbage is good for you.”

  Her mother eyed Ellie warily. Nothing gets past Mom. Ellie closed her eyes in hopes of stopping further discussion about the cabbage.

  “Sounds like you’ve got a few things to pray about.” Her mother rubbed a warm cloth against Ellie’s forehead.

  Ellie smiled. Her mother’s answer to everything: “Pray about it.” Ellie knew she was right, but something stopped her when she tried to pray about Cole. She dismissed the thought that her attitude was wrong when she approached the matter with the Lord.

  Her mother said something else, but the words were lost in a hazy dreamworld. A world of stability where things didn’t change, where she felt safe.

  A world without Cole Preston.

  Chapter Three

  The next week passed in a blur. Chaos in the office kept Jax and Cole busy. Ellie worked hard to avoid them both. She was tired by the time Friday arrived, and felt relieved when five o’clock rolled around. With a glance at the clock, she grabbed her purse and walked from the office toward her car. The afternoon’s winds had swept the sky clean as evening settled upon the city. Ellie pulled in a deep breath. The air smelled sweet with summer. Though she felt tired from a full day’s work, stepping outside had revived her spirits.

  Jax walked up beside her. “So, will you go with us tomorrow?”

  She frowned.

  “Come on, Ellie. It will be fun.” He lifted puppy-dog eyes to her, which always made her give in.

  “Isn’t it enough that I have to work with him every day, Jax? Must I see him on the weekends, too?”

  “It’s not like we do this every weekend. A trip to Chicago, a day of sailing on Lake Michigan. Please? I could use some relaxation, and Alex wants to go with another couple.”

  “Look, Jax, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, they are a couple. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, they are a couple. Cole Preston and I work together. We are not a couple.”

  He stepped back and held up his hands. “I know, I know. I didn’t mean you were a couple.”

  Ellie took a deep breath. “I hate like everything to do this, but I will do it for you, Jax. That is the only reason.”

  He smiled like a dieter who’d lost another pound—a smile she hadn’t worn in weeks. He grabbed her with both hands and promptly placed a kiss on her forehead. “You’re the best, Ellie.”

  She shook her head and smiled in spite of herself. “Just you remember this the next time you need a partner.”

  He groaned.

  “Seriously, Jax, I’m doing this for you. The last thing I want to do on a Saturday is spend my day off with Cole Preston.”

  “Why don’t you like him?”

  She wasn’t sure how to respond. After all, Cole was Jax’s best friend. “Besides the fact he’s got an ego the size of Texas?”

  Jax threw back his head and laughed. “I guess he does at that. But then I need someone with confidence in the business.”

  Climbing into the car, she rolled down her window and looked up at him.

  “We’ll pick you up at seven o’clock tomorrow morning,” he said.

  With a reluctant nod, Ellie turned on the engine and pulled her car into gear. She waved goodbye and looked in her rearview mirror in time to see Cole join Jax in the parking lot. Her stomach knotted. With a glance at the glove compartment, she decided even the hidden candy bar could do little to calm her spirits. Just one day, she told herself. No big deal, right? She would go along for Jax’s sake.

  She took a deep breath; the tomato-juice diet wasn’t working and it made her too edgy. Someone at the office had told her about a new low-carb diet. She decided she’d like to try that one. Once her car pulled up at the traffic light, Ellie glanced again at the glove compartment. Her fingers danced lightly on the steering wheel. The light stayed red. Finally, she reached over and pulled out the candy bar. Maybe she’d try the low-carb thing next week.

  The doorbell rang much too soon. Ellie grabbed her canvas bag and purse then headed for the door.

  “Good morning.” Jax and Alex met her with a smile. She wondered why they both came to the door. Probably afraid I would back out and it would take two of them to haul me, kicking and screaming, to the car. She smiled with the thought.

  “Hi.” Although Ellie did not want to go on this outing, she had to admit she felt a twinge of excitement. The day already boasted of warmth, sunshine and fun. She followed Jax and Alex to the car, taking note of their appearance. Ellie decided Jax looked nice in his navy shorts, a white pullover with a navy collar and stylish sandals.

  Auburn hair fanned across Alex’s shoulders in waves. That color was reflected by a chunky necklace of browns and tans nestled at the throat of her cream-colored blouse. Brown shorts with a matching belt and sandals completed her outfit. At her side, she carried a cream wide-brimmed hat. She appeared to have just stepped out of a modeling shoot.

  Ellie glanced down at her own sensible shorts outfit. They say you can tell a lot about people by the clothes they wear. She imagined her clothes said she hadn’t glanced at a fashion magazine in months. Besides, the inside of a person was what really counted. She tried to ignore the storm gathering around her heart. Come to think of it, she wasn’t exactly model material in that department, either.

  “Beautiful day,” she said, pulling on her seat belt.

  “We’re going to have so much fun!” Alex said with more enthusiasm than Ellie had ever seen from Jax’s date. Ellie had to admit she was glad she had come after all.

  Jax put on his sunglasses then edged the car out of the driveway.

  “Did Cole already make arrangements to rent the boat, or will we have to do that when we get there?” Ellie asked.

  “Oh, it’s all taken care of. Seems he has a friend there who is loaning us his sailboat.”

  “Of course, he would think of everything,” she muttered under her breath. She looked around the car then up at Jax through the mirror. “Did you bring any chocolate?”

  Jax shook his head. “Eat your energy bar.” He pulled into the blur of traffic.

  Finally, at Cole’s house, Jax went up to the door to let Cole know they were there. Alex chattered about what fun they were going to have, but Ellie didn’t hear much once she saw Cole step outside. She watched as he lifted a cooler, placed it on the porch, then closed the door behind him. He caught up with Jax and walked toward the car. His long legs sported khaki shorts and he wore a comfortable shirt, revealing the strong arms of a disciplined man.

  After some small talk, Jax turned on the radio and they settled into a comfortable ride. Ellie took a deep breath and decided now was as good a time as any to get things straightened out with Cole. She whispered so the others couldn’t hear. “Hey, about the other day—”

  “Forget it. I stepped out of bounds and I’m sorry.”

  The apology surprised her. “Me, too.”

  Cole smiled and winked, chasing the dark mood from her heart. She thought the day might turn out all right after all.

  Once settled on the boat, a warm breeze carried them a good ways onto the lake. Ellie sat with her eyes closed, willing herself to relax in the comfort of the summer sun. Though the temperature rose to an uncomfortable degree on land, the wind lifted mists of lake water around them, making the air perfect.

  Hearing Alex laugh, Ellie peeked over and saw Alex playfully jabbing Jax. Ellie turned away, not wanting to intrude upon their private moment, and glanced at Cole. His head was back, his face tilted heavenward. Golden sunlight sprayed across his already bronze body, causing his ski
n to glisten.

  Confusion plagued her. She closed her eyes. Cole drove her crazy at work. Always changing things, putting new policies into place, new rules, new guidelines. Sometimes she thought he did it because he knew she hated change. Why would he want to make her life miserable? Was she miserable? Yes, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe she needed a new job. She loved working for Jax, but she knew he wanted to go into teaching someday. Why couldn’t things stay the same? Why couldn’t Jax be happy in the business? Then they wouldn’t have this mess with Cole. Why couldn’t people be content? Changes, changes and more changes. Nothing stayed the same.

  Lord, help me to stop looking at things through negative eyes. I’m sure my attitude has been less than pleasing to You, and I’m sorry. Whatever You want for my future, Father, help me to leave that in Your hands.

  “You still with us?”

  Ellie opened her eyes to see Cole. Her heart jumped like a playful fish on the water’s surface. “Uh-huh.”

  He opened a can of pop. “It’s a great day for this.”

  “It’s absolutely wonderful.” She closed her eyes again.

  “You hungry?” Cole asked. Ellie straightened, attempting to shake off the lethargy. He obviously didn’t know her well.

  “Trust me, she’s hungry,” Jax piped up before she had a chance to answer. They all laughed.

  Alex and Ellie pulled the sandwiches and soft drinks from the cooler while the guys checked the boat’s course.

  “Are you having a good time?”

  Ellie thought for a moment. “Yeah, I really am.”

  Alex chuckled. “You said that as if you’re surprised.”

  Ellie smiled. “I guess I did.”

  “And are you?”

  “What?”

  “Surprised that you’re having a good time.”

  Ellie shrugged.

  “You work too hard, Ellie. What fun is that?” Alex pulled the tab on her pop and took a drink.

  Ellie watched her but said nothing.

  Alex wiped her mouth. “You know what they say, ‘All work, no play makes Ellie a dull girl.’”

  Ellie knew there was truth in what Alex said. Not only that, but Ellie’s hard work hadn’t exactly paid off. She pushed the thought away, not allowing it to spoil her day. “You and Jax seem to be having a good time.”

  Alex lifted a haughty smile. “And why not? We’re practically engaged.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well, not officially, but I’m sure he’ll pop the question soon.”

  Ellie knew Jax pretty well and didn’t think he was quite ready for that step. In her own spoiled way, Alex seemed to contribute more to the relationship than Jax.

  The rest of the day passed as quickly as the gentle breeze. Weary, but happily so, they finally settled into the car as Jax headed the car toward home.

  “It’s been a great day, Jax. Thanks for driving,” Cole said from the backseat. Everyone agreed.

  Cole looked at Ellie. “I had a great time with you, too.” Before she could linger in the sudden warmth that sprang up at his words, he added, “Oh, by the way, we need to go over the list of contractors next week. Deleting a few, adding some others.”

  The impact of his words hit her with full force. “Deleting?”

  “Yeah, I’m letting some go.”

  “Why?” She knew the answer before she asked. There were a couple of men who always showed up late. But did Cole realize these men had legitimate excuses? One had to drop off his children at the daycare, another had to wait until his wife got home from work to pass off their only car. He came in usually twenty minutes late. She could live with that. After all, he didn’t get paid for the time he wasn’t there. Didn’t Cole have any compassion at all?

  “Let me just say I have my reasons.”

  Oh, fine, he didn’t feel he owed her an explanation. He was, after all, her supervisor. Who was she kidding? Coleman Preston infuriated her. If she’d been a dragon, she’d have turned him to toast. “I’m sure you do.” She scooted herself farther away from him and closer to the door, turning her gaze out the window.

  The man was insufferable.

  Cole had been out of the office most of the day on Monday. Ellie assumed he was dealing with the contractors. She had to let it go.

  On Tuesday morning, she sat at her desk and pulled open the first file needing her attention.

  “Ellie, do you have a minute?”

  Swiveling her chair around, she saw Cole standing in front of her. “Yes.”

  He pulled up a chair. “I just wanted to let you know the Wilsons called last night. Mrs. Wilson wanted to check on a couple of wall measurements for furniture placement or something. Anyway, you were gone and the matter seemed urgent to them, so I met them at the house last night.”

  Ellie felt her defenses going up. She tried to stay calm. After all, he’d done her a favor. She should be grateful.

  “Thank you,” she managed to say with some effort.

  “They’re nice people. Had a good visit with them. We started talking about carpeting, and well, I laid carpet when I was in high school and told them a little about what I know. They asked me if I could help them pick the carpet for their home.”

  Is there anything he hasn’t done? Anger scorched the pit of her stomach. “Cole, I’m supposed to help them do that.”

  “Yeah, I know, that’s why I’m telling you. I figured you wouldn’t care since we all want what’s best for the customer, right?”

  “Are you what’s best for the customer?” She kept her voice low and controlled, though inside her emotions ran rampant. He had gone too far. He might be her boss, but they were her customers. She knew she didn’t trust him for a reason.

  “Look, I know a little about carpeting, that’s all. What’s your problem, anyway?”

  She took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. There had to be another way of dealing with this besides acting like a crazy woman. She needed to prove herself. Show Jax he had made a mistake in hiring Cole. She thought she had already proven herself; what more could she do?

  “Ellie?”

  She looked at him.

  “I thought we had settled this whole thing between us. What’s the deal?”

  “The deal is I would appreciate you letting me handle my own clients, Cole. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

  “You know I didn’t mean to get in the way, it just sort of happened.”

  Yeah, like you getting in the way of my partnership offer, she wanted to say, but for once, she held her tongue. She glanced at her watch. “I have to go.”

  His eyebrows lifted.

  “If it’s all right with you, I have an appointment to talk to a couple about building a house.” She lifted her chin, refusing to blink her eyes.

  He bowed, stepped aside and made a grand sweeping gesture with his hand.

  They would discuss the matter again.

  He could be sure of that.

  That evening, Ellie sat on the couch in the living room at her parents’ home. She tried to look through a magazine, but felt too restless to enjoy it. Giving up, she plunked it back on the coffee table.

  Ellie looked up to see her dad watching her.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Dad, I can’t help it. Cole makes me so mad I can’t think straight.”

  “Come on, Sunshine, you really think he’s trying to steal your clients?”

  She didn’t want him to call her by that name just now. It didn’t fit. “Well, I told you what he did. What do you think?”

  “Could it be he really was just trying to help?”

  “Oh, I don’t know what to think anymore. I feel like I’m the only one who can see through him.”

  “Is that how it is?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re the only one who can see this matter clearly?”

  She realized how ridiculous she sounded. A long exhale escaped her.

  Her mom entered the room with a tray of d
rinks. “I understand how she’s feeling, really.”

  Ellie grabbed her drink from the tray. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “No, I mean it.” She offered Ellie’s dad his drink and settled into her seat with her own. “He did seem to overstep his bounds with her clients.”

  Her dad took a drink of his pop. “Men don’t think that way. I see it as him trying to help. You know we’ve tried to teach you to look for the best in people. Have you done that with Cole?”

  Her dad always knew how to go straight to the source of the problem and pluck the truth right out. His eyes searched hers. She kept silent.

  “Something to think about.”

  “What am I supposed to do, let him take over my clients while I sit and do nothing?”

  “Why not go along?” With a straw, her mother stirred her ice cubes, causing them to rattle against the glass.

  “Great idea, Debbie.”

  “What’s a great idea? I don’t get it.”

  “Go with Cole when he meets with the Wilsons to talk about their carpet. That way, you’re both represented, the clients get what they want, and your position stays intact. He gets what he wants by pleasing the clients, if indeed that truly is his motive.”

  Ever so slightly, Ellie brightened with the idea. “I’ll do just that.” She stared into the distance and rubbed her chin. “He won’t be able to take over, and I’ll be there to monitor his activities and conversation.”

  “Right,” her dad added. Her parents relaxed into their chairs, seeming pleased with the discussion.

  Ellie looked at them and smiled. She would call the Wilsons when she got home to schedule a meeting, then she would inform Cole at the office in the morning. If he couldn’t meet them, so be it. If he could, fine. She’d be there, too. She drank her pop and allowed herself to relax a little. Maybe it would work.

  Cole Preston might try to get the better of her, but she was not about to make it easy for him.

  Chapter Four