Hearts Under Construction (16 page)

To make matters worse, Jax and Cole didn’t believe her. She could tell by their expressions. They probably thought she had messed up and didn’t want to admit to it. She wanted to prove her innocence but had no idea how to do it.

Somehow, Ellie had managed to get through the day. Feeling an injustice had been done but finding no way to absolve herself of the accusations left her feeling heavyhearted. What hurt most of all was knowing that Jax and Cole doubted her integrity. After all this time, she would have thought they would know her better. Obviously, she was wrong.

No one bothered to come and talk to her any more about the matter in the afternoon. Work continued as if nothing had happened. She could almost see Jax in a long, flowing judge’s robe, gavel in hand, and Cole sitting in the witness stand, pointing at her, his dark eyes flashing with judgment, charging “Guilty! She is guilty!”

Condemned without a fair trial.

Okay, so maybe she was overreacting. She just wanted to go home where life was safe and chocolate was in abundance.

C
ole shoved the paperwork from his desk into a file and decided to call it a day. He felt tired. Bone-tired. He couldn’t imagine what the mix-up had been with the carpet, but maybe he had come down a little too hard on Ellie. He found it hard to believe she could have messed up like that. Still, he had no clue what had really happened.

He stood and stretched. Not much he could do about it now. Maybe he’d grab a sandwich and stop by Ellie’s on the way home, make sure she was all right.

By the time Cole pulled into Ellie’s driveway, dusk had settled upon the quiet neighborhood. A light from the living room spilled onto her lawn. Good, she was home. Cole walked up to her door, pushed the button and waited for her to answer.

“Hi, Cole,” Ellie said with surprise when she opened the door. Her hair was disheveled, dirt smudged her face and jeans, and she held garden gloves in her hands.

“Um, may I come in or is this a bad time?”

“Oh, no problem,” she said, stepping aside. “I just finished planting my tree. Have a seat.”

He walked over to the sofa and sat down. “So you got your tree planted?”

“Uh-huh.” A pleasant smile lit her face.

He couldn’t help noticing how the smudges gave her the appearance of childlike innocence. She pushed a stray hair from her face, leaving another smudge behind on her forehead. He smiled.

“Oh, I’m forgetting myself. Would you like some tea?”

“That would be great,” he answered, getting up and following her into the kitchen. “Let me help.” Seeing Ellie wash her hands with the hand soap at the sink, Cole decided to follow suit. His hands felt sticky after having eaten French fries at dinner. “Okay if I wash my hands?”

“Sure, help yourself,” she said, dropping ice cubes in glasses.

Cole looked through the kitchen window as he washed his hands. “Hey, your tree looks nice.” Okay, so he exaggerated. The tree was only about two feet tall and was the scraggliest-looking thing he had ever seen. Reminded him of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.

Ellie looked as proud as if she’d just given birth to a seven-pound baby boy. “Yep, that’s my maple. I told you I was going to plant one.”

Cole looked back at her and smiled. “Roots.”

“Roots,” she said, simply. Yet the word seemed to hold much more meaning than either was saying.

“So, you’re committed to this tree now, you know. You won’t be able to just up and move. You’re stuck.”

Ellie looked positively glowing. “I know. It’s wonderful to belong.” She handed him his iced tea and they walked back into the living room.

“I don’t think I’ve stayed in one place long enough for flowers to bloom, let alone trees,” Cole said, taking a drink of his tea.

Ellie laughed. “You should try it sometime. It’s not such a bad thing to have roots.”

Uh-oh, he didn’t want to get into that. He cleared his throat and drank some more tea. “Look, I just wanted to apologize for what happened today. I didn’t want you to think you were being called on the carpet, um, so to speak.”

She looked up and made a face.

He groaned. “Okay, so that was bad,” he said with a chuckle. “Seriously, we’re just trying to get to the bottom of what happened.”

“I understand,” she said in a way that made him wonder if she truly understood at all.

“It’s a hard one to figure out, but, well, what’s done is done.”

“Honestly, Cole, I have no clue what happened. I’d like to get to the bottom of it myself. I don’t like it that they used my name, and I don’t like it that someone has our credit card number.”

“Well, they don’t anymore. I canceled it.”

“Good idea,” she agreed.

Silence stretched between them, while they enjoyed their tea. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you,” he said, though he didn’t rise. “I just wanted to make sure you knew we weren’t blaming you.” He finished the remainder of his tea.

“You think I’m still pouting over you getting the partnership?” she asked with a tease in her voice.

“A guy can’t be too careful.” He laughed it off, though he had to admit the fact she even brought the partnership thing up surprised him. The mere mention of it made him think it must still be on her mind. He had thought they were way past that.

They talked awhile longer. Then Cole finally stood. “Well, Ellie, I thank you for your hospitality, but I’ve kept you long enough. I’ll just put this in the kitchen.” He headed for the kitchen before she could protest. She followed him and placed her glass in the sink right behind him.

He turned suddenly, his face inches from hers. She looked up at him. Smudges and all, she looked…inviting. Before either of them could blink, his arms wrapped around her and his lips claimed hers. He pulled her tighter against him, each lost in the sweetness of the kiss, lost in one another, as if they had been waiting for this moment. His hands worked through her hair, his skin tingling at the silkiness of it. The heady scent of her perfume filled his senses. He lingered in her fragrance, the softness of her skin, the sound and feel of her breath upon his face. When at last Ellie pulled away, he was dazed. And angry.

With himself.

They stood in an awkward silence, still inches apart, both breathless. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I don’t know what came over me.”

She looked up at him. Still desirable, still too close for him to think straight. He had to get out of there—and fast. He took two steps sideways. “I’ll—I’ll see you tomorrow,” he stammered, heading to the door as if to a getaway car.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

Practically jogging to keep up with him, she followed him to the door and watched him with those big, green eyes. Eyes that seemed to say—no, he couldn’t think about it. “Bye, Ellie,” he said, not daring to look back.

“Bye.”

He heard her door close behind him and only then took a breath, thankful he couldn’t see her anymore. Once inside his car, he started the engine and backed out of the driveway. When he pulled onto the road, he finally felt safe. The thought struck him that it was funny that he would feel unsafe around that little wisp of a thing. “Ellie Williams.” Just saying her name felt good on his tongue. It wasn’t only the kiss, though he couldn’t deny a definite physical attraction between them. Still, he knew things had been happening in his heart toward her. And he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

Commitment. Roots. The tree. Those thoughts continued to chill him to the bone. Yet, when he said Ellie’s name, a shiver of another kind ran through him.

“Ellie, what are you doing here?” her mother wanted to know when she opened the door.

“Well, you are, after all, my parents. Can’t I come by for a visit?” Ellie stepped into the house.

“Of course, dear, but it’s eight-thirty. You don’t usually stop in this late. Everything all right?”

“Yeah, I was just bored and thought I’d see what you two were doing.”

Her mother laughed. “Well, come on in and have some tea with me. Your father is at a worship committee meeting.”

Ellie’s eye started twitching. Good grief. She didn’t think a person could develop tics later in life. Thanks a lot, Cole, she thought with a bit of malice. Then the memory of the kiss played across her mind. She absently touched her lips.

“Are you all right, Ellie, you look a little flushed,” her mother asked with a worrisome edge to her voice.

Ellie practically gulped out loud. “Oh, I’m fine, really. Just a little, um, warm. That tea sounds good.” She couldn’t change the subject fast enough.

Once the drinks were prepared, Ellie and her mother settled into chairs in the living room.

“You want to tell me about it?” her mother finally said, stirring her tea, but keeping her gaze fixed on Ellie.

It took every bit of willpower she could muster not to squirm under her mother’s gaze. Conditioned response, Cheryl had called it—something she’d learned in psychology class. As a child, usually when she was hiding the truth, Ellie had seen that look on her mother’s face many times. It had always made her squirm. This time Ellie refused to budge, though her eye rebelled and twitched anyway.

“Ellie?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, well—” She struggled to find the words. Her mother patiently waited. “Do you have any chocolate?”

“Eleanore Rene Williams. Chocolate is not life’s answer for every problem,” her mother half scolded, already rising for the chocolate.

“No, but it sure helps,” Ellie teased.

Walking back into the room with a bag of miniature chocolate bars, she tossed it to Ellie. “Now, spill your guts.”

Ellie’s head jerked up to her mother who never talked like that. Her mother laughed. “Well, out with it.”

“Okay, okay,” Ellie said, unwrapping the first chocolate bar. “It’s like this, um, I think I’m—well—” she swallowed hard “—I think I’m in love.”

“Why, Ellie, that’s wonderful, honey.”

Ellie was astounded. “Really?” Ellie stared at her a minute. “Why aren’t you surprised?”

“I’ve been expecting it.”

“You have?”

Her mother nodded. “Cole Preston, right?”

Ellie frowned. “How did you know?”

“I knew it from the first day you complained about him going to the carpet place to talk to your clients.”

Ellie’s mouth gaped. “How do you know these things?” She shook her head. “I’ll never be a good mom. I don’t catch on to things like you do.”

Her mother smiled. “You will, when the time comes.” Debbie Williams stood and walked over to the sofa to sit down at the opposite end to Ellie. “Now, tell me all about it.”

Cole pulled up to the drive-through and ordered a drink. He needed something cold to wake him up, bring him to his senses. He gave his order, dug the money from his pocket, and edged his car to the take-out window. After getting his pop, he stuffed the straw into his cup and drove away. He took a couple of swigs of his drink and decided to drive awhile, heading toward the country roads. He needed to sort through things.

Suddenly, he wanted to push aside his emotions and get practical. The fact that Ellie had mentioned the partnership unnerved him a little. It still weighed on her mind, or she wouldn’t have brought it up, teasing or not.

As he drove down one country road, then another, his mind worked through the problems at the office, his feelings for Ellie, everything. By the time he had returned home, he was no closer to settling anything, but one thing was certain. His feelings for Ellie Williams were definitely changing.

The next day, Ellie walked past Cole’s office just as he slammed the phone down. She glanced in. “Everything all right?”

With frustration, his hand brushed through the side of his hair. “That man makes me crazy,” he said, staring at the top of his desk, as if something important lay there.

“Who?” Ellie slipped into a chair.

“Bob Emerson.”

She groaned, knowing full well how the man liked to complain. “What is it this time?”

His head jerked upright. “Oh, this time he has a list. Wants to go over all the problems with the house, at the house, at three o’clock this afternoon. He’s bringing his attorney.”

“Oh, Cole, I’m sorry. Does Jax know?”

He shook his head. “Emerson just told me on that phone call. Jax won’t even be in today, he’s at the Persons’ job site.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah. Pray.”

Ellie glanced at the clock. With her house closing scheduled in half an hour, she decided she’d better scoot. She grabbed her files, stuffed them into her briefcase, and headed for the door. “Alex, I’m going to my closing, then off to lunch. After that, I’m going over to one of the job sites. Be back around, say, three-thirty.”

“Okay,” Alex said sweetly.

Though things were still a little strained with Alex, Ellie felt they were getting better around the office. Alex seemed to have finally accepted Jax’s rejection and moved on.

By the time Ellie got back to the office, it was close to four o’clock. As tired as she felt, she probably should have just gone home.

“Hi, Alex,” she said, walking past Alex’s desk and heading for the kitchen. Alex looked odd, as if something was wrong. Great. Just what Ellie needed, one more thing to deal with today. Things probably hadn’t gone well in Cole’s meeting with Bob Emerson. Wait, it was just now four o’clock. He wouldn’t be finished already.

Ellie grabbed a diet drink from the fridge and headed toward her desk. When she rounded the corner, she saw Cole standing at her desk, a frown on his face. He held a slip of paper in his hand. Worry lined the faces of her coworkers or was it fear? Ellie couldn’t imagine what was going on.

“Ellie, will you come to my office, please,” Cole asked.

“Sure.” She dropped her briefcase, grabbed a pen and paper and her drink, then followed him.

He closed the door and motioned for her to sit down. She did. He held up a telephone message and handed it to her. The message was to him from Bob Emerson, saying simply, “Change appointment. One o’clock. Ellie.” It was typewritten on the only electric typewriter in the office that everyone used.

“You want to tell me why I didn’t get this?” He was breathing heavily, as if trying to stay calm, though he could blow any moment.

Ellie was confused. Though the message had her name on it, she couldn’t remember taking it down. She looked at it once more. It was puzzling, but she’d just tell Cole the truth. “I didn’t take the message.”

“Just like you didn’t order the carpet, right?”

“What?” Had she heard him right? Okay, she could feel anger rising.

“Just what do you mean by that, Cole?” she asked in measured tones, trying to calm the shaking in her voice.

“Well, come on, Ellie, what am I supposed to think? Do you have any clue how mad this guy is? I missed his appointment. He still has to pay his attorney for his time in going there. Of course, he’s billing
me
for it. He said you told him it would be no problem for me to get there.”

“Let me see that again,” Ellie said, practically yanking the paper from him. “Oh, of course there’s no time on here. How convenient. I’ve been gone since before my closing. When did he call?”