Hearts Under Construction (6 page)

Cole was older than Caed—only by a few minutes—and had always been the responsible one. He had pretty much taken care of his brother in their growing-up years. Sometimes Caed had resented it, especially as a teenager, but eventually they’d worked through it. Cole was always glad they had each other.

He made a left turn. He didn’t like all the memories that flooded his mind today. Sure, some of them were happy memories, the ones with Grandma, but he wanted to forget his past, though Grandma was unfortunately caught up in the mix.

He had a future to make. That’s one thing he didn’t like about this town. Too much time on his hands. In Chicago, he didn’t have time to think. He worked, he played, he worked some more.

This town had a different pace. Too slow for him. He wasn’t at all sure this job would work out. He’d get Jax up and running, maybe groom Ellie to take over his position, so he could get on with his life. A life filled with noise and activity. Big-city life.

Yes, that was the life for Cole Preston….

C
ome Monday morning, Ellie felt great. She had planned to start a new diet, some kind of egg diet, but since she’d lost a couple of pounds from the flu, she rewarded herself by packing for lunch a generous helping of lasagna that her mother had brought over.

The weekend was great, too. Though the tutorial didn’t answer all her questions, Ellie felt she had learned a great deal from her weekend study. Regardless of what Cole Preston thought of her, she was no dunce.

Reaching for her purse and keys, she went through a mental checklist. Purse, check. Keys, check. Lasagna. Bingo. She reached into the refrigerator and grabbed her pasta container. Stepping through the kitchen door into the garage, she remembered something. Walking back to the refrigerator, she pulled out the bag holding the garlic bread and stuffed the container and bread in a lunch bag. With a kick in her heels and a song in her heart, she happily made her way to the car.

The sun greeted her as she pulled into the traffic. It promised to be a beautiful summer’s day. She switched on her radio, her fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel as the music bounced through the car. She normally didn’t feel this happy unless she was winning the fat fight, but she felt so much better after battling the flu. It was all she could do not to step in an elevator, turn to the strangers on board, and announce with a wide-toothed grin, “I’m all better.” Well, why not, that guy on the TV commercial told strangers that his cholesterol was lowered, after all.

By the time she made it to work, her mood had peaked, and she all but skipped her way into the office. She looked around. Too bad they didn’t have elevators.

“Well, someone is in a good mood,” Cole called behind her.

He must have caught her swinging her purse. She lifted a smile and plopped her purse on her desk. “I feel great. I’ve got lasagna for lunch—” she patted her lunch bag “—and—” she pulled out her bottom drawer and searched for a moment, then victoriously pulled out a chocolate bar “—this for dessert! What more could a girl want?”

Amusement touched his eyes. “You got me there.”

She smiled. Switching on her computer, she stuffed her purse in the bottom left drawer of her desk and looked up to see Cole still standing there.

“Oh, I, uh, just wanted to say, number one, I had a great time with your family on Friday night, and, uh, number two, it’s good to have you back.”

Speechless, she stared at him. Had he actually complimented her? Who was this man and what had he done with Cole? She got up in his face, as close as she dared, and said, “Is there an alien life-form in there?” She meant to be funny, but when she felt his breath on her cheek, her legs turned limp.

“Has anyone seen Cole?” Ellie heard Jax’s voice call from around the corner, bringing them both to their senses. “Oh, there you are,” Jax said, looking from Cole to Ellie, then back to Cole. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Oh, no, no,” Cole blustered.

Heat climbed Ellie’s face. Whatever just happened between her and Cole left her feeling rather unsettled. She watched the guys walk away. Suddenly her giddy mood turned a bit more serious, but something about it felt good. She wanted to linger there just a little while.

By the end of the day, Ellie’s mood had taken a definite nosedive. The computer software was giving her fits. She couldn’t input anything without causing a major problem, and she had to call Cole every few minutes, which didn’t help matters. She hated to admit she wasn’t getting it. At least he didn’t gloat. If he had shown the slightest inkling of—well, unfortunately, she was discovering she had a dark side.

She had lost count of her trips to the vending machine. Okay, she needed to face facts. One more candy bar, and she’d OD on chocolate. Once again, she was out of control. She blew out a sigh, turned off her computer, and grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer.

“You doing okay?” Cole wanted to know.

Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? One minute, he seemed to care as a real friend would. The next minute, he charged through her calm world like hot sauce on a burrito.

“I’m doing fine.”

“Come on, Ellie. Work with me here.”

She jerked her head to look up at him, surprised by his words.

“I know it’s been a tough day. These things aren’t easy. We’re all struggling, but we’ll get through it. You don’t have to pretend you’ve got it all under control, when you don’t. None of us do.”

“I’m not pretending, first of all. And second, I never said I had it all under control, did I?” She wanted to be stubborn, and yet wanted to give in, all at the same time. This man made her crazy.

He gave a tired sigh and shrugged. “I just didn’t want you to feel you were in this alone. That’s all.” He walked away.

Okay, now she felt horrible. He was kind. She was a jerk. She was the Christian, he was—well, what was he? She didn’t even know. One thing she did know, she wasn’t representing the Lord very well. With the fire out of her, she picked up her purse and trudged toward her car.

Opening the door, she settled into her seat and took a moment to think. Why did she struggle with change? Some people could just go with the flow, nothing seemed to ruffle them, but not her. When they took her favorite chocolate coffee flavor off the market, she walked around dazed from caffeine withdrawal. She just couldn’t make herself change to another flavor. Of course, her love for chocolate won out, and she finally did switch to a new chocolate brand, but not without a bad attitude.

She didn’t want to be inflexible, but, well, that’s who she was. It wasn’t as if she could change herself. It would take counseling. Or, more likely an act of God.

She wanted to relinquish the matter to God, but she was tired and just couldn’t think about it. They’d talk later.

For now, she needed to get home and check out the Internet for more information on the egg diet on which Tim Owens’s wife had lost fifteen pounds. Ellie would find out what she could and then start it on Saturday. After all, she could handle it. She liked eggs. And besides, things just seemed to go better for her when she had at least
something
in her life under control….

By Saturday evening, Ellie’s spirits were better. She decided to hold off on the egg diet until Monday. Why ruin a perfectly good weekend? She had planned to meet her friend, Cheryl, at the Tasty Grounds Coffee Shop, but Cheryl had a sore throat. Ellie decided to go anyway. She hadn’t downed a mocha in almost a week. It was time to get one before things turned ugly.

Pulling her car into the parking space, Ellie locked her door and headed for the shop. The rich smell of coffee beans greeted her the moment she stepped inside. Coffee scents were her downfall. Once, she had spotted a mocha candle in a store and purchased it. Every time she burned it, she had to run out and buy a mocha to drink. That candle had cost her a fortune and at least five pounds. It ended up in the trash.

She sucked in another breath. No, it’s better to leave the scents here and come visit once in a while.

“May I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked, revealing a crooked smile behind her braces.

Oh, please. The girl looked twelve. Ellie wondered why her town wasn’t enforcing the child-labor laws. “I’d like a decaf, skinny mocha.”

“It’s called ‘what’s the point?’” the girl said dryly.

Ellie didn’t understand.

“What’s the point? You know, no calories, no caffeine, what’s the point?” she repeated. As in, “duh.”

The little twerp. Ellie felt like an eighty-year-old on a restricted diet. “Add some whipped cream,” she snapped, showing a spark of rebellion.

Brace Girl smirked and wrote something on a cup, handing it to the next worker in line.

When she received her mocha, Ellie settled into her seat and allowed the rich drink to warm her insides. Though July in Indiana could get quite warm, the wind stirred up a good breeze tonight. The hot mocha tasted good. She gazed out the window. Dark clouds hovered in the distance. Ellie couldn’t tell if it was a threatening storm or nightfall on the horizon. Another drink of her mocha made her forget about the weather and nightfall. She just lingered in the moment.

“Well, well, you just never know who you will run into.”

Luckily, Ellie had just swallowed her sip of mocha before she heard Cole’s voice, or she might have spasmed into another choking fit. Trying to stay calm, she turned to him. “Hello, Cole.”

Blinding smile. She couldn’t imagine how he could drink coffee and have such white teeth.

“Okay if I sit down?” he asked, cup in hand.

Like she had a choice. “Sure,” she said, pointing to the chair.

“I thought I was destined to spend another boring night in Walker, Indiana, but I see my luck is improving.” He smiled and took a sip.

Her estimation of him went up a few notches. “Thanks.”

“So what are you doing here?”

Ellie shrugged. “I was supposed to meet my friend—”

“Oh,” he said wide-eyed, looking around. “He might get upset if he sees you here with me.”

Ellie laughed. “No, my friend Cheryl Butler was supposed to meet me for coffee, but she wasn’t feeling well tonight. I decided to come anyway.”

“Oh, good, I was afraid I had competition.” He stared at her.

“Nope.” She laughed good-naturedly and grabbed her mocha.

“No competition tonight or in general?” he pressed.

She squinted her eyes. “What are you digging for?”

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Just curious, that’s all.”

“These conversations always get us in trouble, you know. I’ve been warned that you’re a flirt.”

He sat up, feigned shock, then made a face. “Jax ratted me out.”

She laughed.

Cole shrugged. “So, do you think I’m as charming as they say?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

She nearly choked on her mocha—which would have been a real waste. Putting her cup down she stared at him, tilting her head this way and that to get a better look from all angles. He squirmed just a tad under her direct gaze. She picked up her cup again. “Well, you maybe have a smidgen of charm about you,” she said matter-of-factly.

He sat perfectly still a moment, then seemingly satisfied with that, his lazy grin widened, and he settled back into his chair once again.

She thought a moment. Jax and Alex were probably out together tonight. She hadn’t stopped to consider Cole really didn’t know many people in town. When Jax was unavailable, that most likely left Cole pretty much on his own.

“So where do people go around here for fun?” His eyes held a teasing spark.

Ellie shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know, there’s the neighbor’s backyard to watch the fireflies, throwing tin cans at bats and then in July we’ve got the annual cow-dropping contest.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“Yeah, it’s as good as it sounds. The winners are the ones with numbers closest to where the cow, um, delivers droppings in the field.” She laughed at the face he made.

“You’re kidding.”

“Cross my heart,” she said, drawing an
X
with her finger along her heart. She took a drink of mocha. “Then, of course, you have the usual standbys: movies, restaurants, bowling, shopping, just like most places, I suppose.”

“Chicago has its own offerings of city life.”

“Oh, Chicago,” she said with the air of a socialite, lifting her pinkie finger as she drank from her cup.

“Now, hold on. It’s not a slam against Walker. After all, Chicago doesn’t have the annual cow-dropping contest, to my knowledge.” A smirk tinged the corners of his mouth. “It’s just that in Chicago there are plays, big-name stars that come to town, that kind of thing.” He took a drink.

Ellie lifted herself up an inch. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Walker has a great civic theater. The finest names on the circuit show up at the Walker Civic.” She was teasing him now. “There’s Penelope Peppers and Petunia, her dancing potbellied pig.” She tapped her index finger against the side of her face for emphasis. “And then of course there’s Lettie Johnson’s juggling act. She’s a whiz with tin cans.”

He smirked.

“What?” she asked incredulously. “It’s a show not to be missed!”

His palm smacked his forehead. “How could I not know that?”

“It’s beyond me.”

“Maybe you’d like to take me to what’s playing, say, next Saturday?”

Uh-oh, now he was going too far. So much for keeping things on a professional level. Still, she couldn’t deny the compassion and, really that’s all it was, that tugged at her heart at his solitary state.

“But, of course, if you’re ashamed—”

Oh, smooth, she had to give him that. “I’m not ashamed, I just don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to be seen together, um, in that way.”

“Two friends going to a show is wrong around here?”

“Well, no, it’s not that—”

“Okay, what is it then?” His eyes challenged her.

Oh, she hated it when he trapped her like that. He hadn’t meant it as a date, of course, still it would look like a date. But then she couldn’t say that, because she would be “assuming,” and she’d already made that mistake in the past. “Nothing,” she said with defeat.

“Great. Find out what time the show starts next week, and I’ll pick you up.”

“You’re something else, you know that?”

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Ellie couldn’t help but laugh. Before they knew it, they were knee-deep in talk of work and some of Cole’s past work experiences, which Ellie had to admit she found fascinating.

“Hey, you two,” Brace Girl called.

They looked up with a start.

“Notice anything?” she asked, making a sweeping gesture of the room with her hand.

“Oh dear, are you closed?” Ellie asked, glancing at her watch.

“No, we’re not closed, but the place cleared out because there’s a tornado warning for this area.”

“Tornado!” Ellie squeaked the word. “What are we going to do?”

Brace Girl had nerves of steel. “My boss says we have to go in the bathroom till it blows over.”