Free Hearts Under Construction by Diann Hunt Page A

slightly paying attention as she glanced through a file.
    “Have you heard the news?”
    “No, Cole, what news?” She really didn’t feel like playing this game. And she definitely didn’t like the edge to his voice.
    “The tornado did extensive damage to the three homes in Woods Edge. Ripped roof sections off two of them, broke some windows, stripped off siding.”
    She closed the file and looked up with a start.
    “The one we started last week has to be totally reframed,” he said, clearly frustrated.
    Ellie gasped, pulling her hand to her mouth.
    He looked satisfied with her reaction. “Good thing we’re insured. Still, it’s going to put us behind in our deadlines. It will take a lot more effort on our part to get things up to speed.”
    Terrific. He was stressed. She knew what that meant. More changes.
    “I’m sorry, Cole. Is Jax okay?”
    “Oh, sure, Jax is fine. He doesn’t want to deal with this. He—” Cole looked around. Ellie followed his gaze to see sales associates Tim Owens and Chad Brunner listening in. “Come to my office.”
    Ellie grabbed a legal pad, pen and her coffee cup, then followed him to his office. Cole waited for her to step inside. He closed the door behind her. “Sit down, Ellie,” he said, nodding toward the chair.
    She complied.
    Cole walked over behind his desk, sat in his chair and began cracking his knuckles, a sure sign he was upset. She watched him for a moment, waiting for him to say what was on his mind.
    “Look, Ellie, I know you and Jax are good friends. Jax is my best friend, but the truth of the matter is, Jax wants out of this business. We both know that. He doesn’t want to deal with the tough things. That’s why he hired me.” He worked on a knuckle that refused to pop. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know that I want to handle this.”
    Interesting situation, she thought. Here he was pouring out his troubles to her, a mere employee, and he the partner of the firm. She stopped her prideful thoughts. “What do you mean by that, Cole? Are you wanting to quit?”
    His head jerked up. “No, I’m not a quitter,” he said, his voice sounding offended. “But I hadn’t expected Jax to ‘check out’—” he said, using air quotes, “—so soon.”
    “Well, he hasn’t exactly checked out, has he? I mean, he’s still around most of the time.”
    “True, but in body only. He sits in his office and studies for his classes. He leaves the decisions up to me, handling only the phone calls he’s forced to handle.”
    “Well, after all, Cole, you did agree to be his partner.” Her voice sounded a little colder than she had intended. Was she basically saying, “You made your bed, now lie in it”? She knew she should feel ashamed, but there was a teensy bit of “na-na-na-na-boo-boo” going on in the darkest corners of her heart.
    He glared at her. “Thanks for the reminder.”
    Against her better judgment, she went soft. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know why you’re telling me this. I mean, what do you want me to do?” Sounded to her like Cole and Jax needed to talk things over.
    “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not one to give up on a project without seeing it through to completion—”
    She threw him an oh-really look, which he didn’t miss. He held up his hand. “I know I have a reputation for having a commitment problem, but I do see my projects through to completion. I am professional.” His tone was slightly defensive.
    She shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. For the life of her, she tried not to enjoy this little moment of having the upper hand, but she couldn’t help herself. He was the partner, but he was asking her for advice. She settled into her seat, sipped from her coffee cup, and decided this particular Monday had definite potential.
    “But I’m a little frustrated by his less-than-enthusiastic contributions to help me. I know he’s anxious to do the school thing, but I feel as if he’s