Hearts Under Construction. Diann Hunt

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      Ellie looked at her with a forced smile, then turned and walked toward her desk. She groaned when she realized she had left her mug in the kitchen. Jax and Cole had been standing near the counter by her mug when she left. She decided to get her spare mug from the drawer so she wouldn’t have to talk to them. Pulling out the bottom drawer of her desk, she reached in and lifted out a spare. Today, she decided, she needed her coffee more than ever. Mug in hand, she headed for the kitchen.

      She couldn’t understand why Jax hadn’t considered her for the position. Perhaps he had, but why then had he chosen Cole? She tried to deny her wounded pride. This would not be a simple hurdle to overcome. The more she thought about the whole thing, the angrier she got. With her mind fixed firmly on the matter, she didn’t notice someone else in the kitchen. Lost in thought, she all but plowed into the source of her distress and nearly bowled him over. Her coffee mug dropped from her hand, scattering into chunks of splintered fragments across the ceramic tile. As she teetered, Cole’s hands clamped around her upper arms. “Are you all right?”

      She wanted to plant her fists on her hips and say, “No, I’m not all right. If I were all right, my coffee mug would be in my hand, not shredded across the kitchen floor.” Instead she said with more calm than she felt, “I’m fine.” She brushed the flecks of white glass from her pantsuit. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Okay, maybe she did know what she had been thinking. Confident she had picked off the last speck, she glanced up. Cole smiled. That unnerved her. “I’ll just get the broom and dustpan.”

      “Here, let me help you.” He followed her toward a kitchen closet.

      She hurried to the door ahead of him and said firmly, “Thank you, no.” She had lost enough dignity for one day and didn’t care to appear the helpless female.

      “Oh, the independent type. Remember, we’ll have to learn to work together.”

      Searching for, but not finding, a civil way to respond, she clamped her mouth shut.

      “Excuse me, Mr. Preston. Jax would like to see you in his office.” Alexandra Cassle, or Alex, as she preferred to be called, pasted on her most beautiful smile. Now there was a woman who never had to diet. Alex could eat a full plate of fettuccini smothered in Alfredo sauce every day of the week, and it would never affect her slender figure in the least.

      Ellie struggled to keep her thoughts Christian.

      Watching Cole look Alex over with appreciation, Ellie expected him to start foaming at the mouth at any moment, just like every other male who entered the office. She watched the scenario with interest, wondering if Jax knew he might have some competition. After all, Jax and Alex had been dating for, what, six months now? This little scenario could have real humor potential.

      “Thank you. I’ve been there, but would you mind showing me where it is once more?”

      Alex swung her thick chestnut waves behind her shoulders, batted her lashes a couple of times and let out a feminine chuckle.

      Ellie stared in awe—at a true master at work.

      “I’d be glad to, Mr. Preston. Just follow me.”

      “Please, call me Cole.” His voice faded down the hall as he walked away without so much as a backward glance.

      Yes, real potential, indeed.

      Ellie mentally shook off the thought and shrugged. Maybe she was just jealous because she didn’t know how to hook a man. Her thoughts stopped abruptly. What was she thinking? Hook a man like that! The very man who had stolen her job promotion? Her dreams? Her future?

      She started to move and heard a crunch. Only then did she remember the puddle of broken crockery.

      Cole settled into the cranberry leather chair across from Jax’s desk. Alex walked out the door, closing it behind her.

      Cole let out a low whistle and smiled at Jax.

      “Careful, that’s my woman, you know.”

      Cole raised his eyebrows and hid a smile behind a drink of coffee. “You two serious?”

      Jax shrugged. “Alex is a nice girl. I’m not sure that it’s serious, but I’m not ready for someone else to cut in.”

      Cole held up his hands. “You’ll get no problem from me. I’ll have my hands full just learning this business and trying to keep your best employee happy.”

      Jax laughed. “You mean Ellie?”

      Cole whistled and rolled his eyes. “She’s got her hackles up, that’s for sure. Why didn’t you warn me? It’s obvious she wanted to be your partner.”

      Elbows on the desk, Jax dropped his chin into his hands. “I know. But she just wasn’t ready for the responsibility.” He thought a moment and leaned back in his chair, plopping his feet on his desk. “Now, don’t get me wrong, Ellie works hard. But, well, I’m not sure she could handle all the aspects of the job.” He looked away a moment. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, though. She’s not only my best employee, she’s also a good friend. I should have warned her.” He turned back to Cole. “Then she wouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

      “Yeah, thanks a lot.”

      “I think you can handle yourself.” Jax smiled. “As I told you, I’m taking some classes with an eye to teaching at the local college eventually. Right now, I need the business to help fund my education, but one day I’m hoping to be able to sell it, when I’ve completed the education requirements and when the right buyer comes along.

      “That means I need someone like you for the position, with more experience and a more forceful personality. Ellie’s too nice to deal with some of those tough guys on the home sites. And I just don’t think she could handle it alone.”

      Cole piped up. “Remember, this is a trial thing. I’m not sure I’m ready for a lifetime commitment. We’re just trying this thing out, right?”

      “I know all about you and commitments. That’s why you’re not married.” Jax laughed.

      “And your excuse is?”

      Jax shrugged. “Seriously, Cole, I appreciate you at least giving this job arrangement a chance. The business needs someone like you. We both know your reputation. You’re not afraid to let someone go, if need be. You’ve got a good business head on your shoulders.” Jax twirled a pencil between his fingers. “Lucky for me, the advertising company in Chicago had a corporate takeover. When you told me you’d lost your job, this seemed the perfect fit. For both of us. Of course, I know you’ll miss the adventure, the travels, the million-dollar clients.”

      Cole shrugged. “Those things have their place. But they come with headaches, too. I’m ready for a change.”

      Jax lowered his feet to the floor, laid the pencil on his desk, and picked up his coffee. “I’m glad to hear that. I was hoping you could manage to stick around long enough to make some money here.” Jax winked before sipping his drink.

      Cole shrugged. “Okay, so I’m not exactly Stanley Stability. You don’t have to go into my sordid past. I’m turning over a new leaf. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have accepted.”

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