Diann Hunt - Hearts Under Construction

“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 drinks. “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.

The next morning Ellie felt almost exhilarated with the challenge of facing Cole. She’d stand her ground and he would no doubt back out, not wanting her to go to Jax. He might be able to schmooze his way with other people, but she would not be so easily fooled. Besides, he was there to help Jax with the business, not gather his own list of clients.

She walked into the office with confidence and marched right over to Cole who was standing by Alex’s desk, chatting with her. “I need to talk to you, Cole, when you have a minute.”

Ellie watched as he shot Alex an oh-brother-here-we-go look. Her resolve started to melt. She caught herself. No, she couldn’t give in now. She was almost there.

They walked over to Ellie’s desk. She tried to ignore the curious stares coming their way. Dropping her purse down on her desk, she pulled a chair up for him, sat down, and waited for him to sit. “I called the Wilsons last night, and we are to meet them at Fine Floors at six-thirty tonight to talk over their selection together.”

Cole gave her a grin as if he knew exactly what she was doing. “Great. I’ll be there.”

His comment took her by surprise. She had at least expected some sort of confrontation.

“Do you want to work overtime and just leave together from here?” he asked.

She had to think quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was ride with him. “Um, no, I need to go home first.”

“Okay, rather than have two cars, I’ll swing by and pick you up at your house around six o’clock,” Cole said.

Great. This was not going at all the way she had planned. “You don’t know where I live.”