Once the window was up, Allie glanced over at Jillian. “That was pleasant.”
Jillian shook her head. “She’s a brat.”
Allie didn’t bother defending Paige this time. She’d done enough of that lately. They stayed in silence until they pulled in front of the high school. Jillian shifted the car into park and turned in her seat to face Allie. “I’m just worried about her,” she said. “I mean, Paige must be pretty miserable inside to be so mean all the time. It’s like she hates everyone.”
Allie nodded, feeling the weight of it herself. “I know what you mean. Divorce is ugly. And it’s a lot harder on some than it is others – ”
“It’s hard for me too,” Jillian blurted. “But I don’t go around punishing everybody else for it.”
“No,” Allie agreed, regretting the statement. “What I should have said is that everybody deals with grief differently. I guess that – for whatever reason – you seem to have better coping skills than she does.”
“I pray for her every night,” Jillian said. “And in the morning too when we drop her off at school.”
It felt as if Allie’s heart had sunk and soared all at once. She managed a smile, despite the quivering of her chin. “Thank you for that, hon. I mean it.”
Jillian reached out, looped an arm around Allie’s neck, and pressed her cheek to hers. “Love you.”
Allie wished she could bottle the warmth of her daughter’s embrace. “Love you too.” As Jillian stepped out of the driver’s seat, Allie pushed open her door as well, passing her at the back of the car.
“Oh,” Jillian said, spinning around at the curb. “Have a good first day at work. Are you nervous?”
About to shake her head no, Allie bit her lip and smiled. “Very.”
Jillian chuckled. “Well, good luck. Can’t wait to hear about it.”
Anxious energy seemed to build within her chest as she pulled on the seatbelt, her heart thumping against the strap in protest. The crowded lot didn’t help. Moving slowly forward an inch at a time only aggravated every thought running through her head. As her eyes wandered over the side of the school, a memory came to mind. She spotted the door Braden used to meet her at every morning. They always seemed to show up to school at the exact same time. He’d give her a smile over his shoulder, open the door for her, and ask if she was ready for another day in purgatory. The recollection made her laugh. He’d done that clear until Terrance started picking her up in the middle of senior year. She didn’t see him in the mornings after that.
Allie filtered into the merging line of traffic to exit the lot, wishing she could somehow exhale the worry she had trapped inside of her. Worry over Paige. Worry over Jillian’s worry for Paige. Worry about what stupid thing Terrance might do next to disrupt their lives even more. And a whole new concern about what this new job would be like. She refused to even think about the next item that came to mind, yet it weaseled its way in just like the blue truck sneaking in front of her out of turn. She glared at the license plate while entertaining the final thought: would Braden really be interested in her? She’d been certain – just yesterday as he stood in her home – that the chemistry between them still burned strong. But what if it was only one-sided? Was he even attracted to her, or did he only see some haggard divorcee who wore the struggles of her years on her aging face?
“Who cares?” she asked herself. She had a second chance with Braden Fox. Maybe. Whether he’d be interested in her or not – whether she’d still be into him after getting reacquainted – all of that would reveal itself over time. She just needed to focus on what he’d hired her for and let things play out how they might.
The traffic freed up as she came to that conclusion. In seconds she was out of the lot, heading down the street, and redirecting her mind to the day ahead. After grabbing a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, Allie killed the next half hour parked out front of the bakery, going over her lists. The grocery list was first, followed by the one she’d made for Paige. Allie would need to go over it with her as soon as school was out. At last Allie pulled out the list she’d made for Fox’s Custom Woodwork.
The morning sun shone bright across the page as she nodded her head in approval, confident with what she could bring to the business. Her heart skipped a beat when she eyed the clock – it was time to go. Jillian had said she’d be looking forward to hearing how her first day went; for Allie it was all the more. She couldn’t wait to see for herself just what it’d be like to work for Braden Fox.
~+~
Braden steadied the vice grip on his workbench before reaching for a plank of wood. Why anyone had to go requesting rosewood was beyond him. Not only was it hard to work with, but the dust of it was suspected to cause asthma among carpenters. He adjusted the bandana around his mouth and nose and repositioned the board. As he tightened the steel clamps against the board’s edge, Braden felt a similar pinch in his chest. An image of Allie floated to his mind for the millionth time that morning. He didn’t keep a clock in the shop, but by the look of the sky beyond the glass overhead, it was close to nine o’clock. Soon she’d walk back into his shop. And into his life. Soon Allie Emerson would secure that old familiar grip on him.
A wry chuckle fell from his lips. It was already in action. Like the beam of wood caught in his vice, Braden was trapped – a prisoner to her whether he liked it or not. The worst part was, he kind of did like it. Was looking forward to the days ahead nearly as much as he dreaded them.
With an irritated growl, Braden lowered the saw to make his cut. He was sick. Glutton for punishment of the worst kind. Getting rejected by the same woman over and over again. He wasn’t sure which was louder – the thoughts in his head or the saw in his hand, but as he lifted the grinding teeth on the screeching machine, another noise came into play.
“Hello?”
Holy smokes, she was there. He stood paralyzed as she called again.
“Braden?”
Boy did he like the sound of his name on her lips. A pool of warmth rushed over the sharp barbs that were piercing him only moments ago, numbing the pain with a tingling heat. “In here,” he hollered, looking up from his task. When she didn’t reply, Braden stepped onto the workbench to peek over the dividing wall. He caught sight of her just as she rounded the corner and headed toward him.
His pulse raced as he eyed her slender figure. No skirt and heels today. Instead, Allie wore a pair of black fitted pants with some sort of blazer to match. It buttoned up at the front and revealed the corners of a white-collar shirt. She looked powerful. Like she could bring a man to his knees with no more than a smile.
As if proving the point, Allie gave him a broad grin. He’d be damned if he didn’t feel the effects of it weakening him already. She glanced up at him through a set of dark lashes, those smoldering blue eyes causing his heart to thud wildly in his chest. “Hi,” she said.
“Hey.” Braden tugged the bandana until it rested around his neck. Was it just him, or was the color in her cheeks increasing? And why did it feel as if his were attempting a similar shift?
“So I have some ideas about where I could get started, if you’d like to take a look.” Allie retrieved a file folder she had tucked beneath her arm. Her eyes fell to the compartments as she pulled it open, removing a slip of paper before tucking the folder beneath her arm once more. When she looked back up to him, Allie cleared her throat. “Would you like to do this in here or at the desk?”
He shrugged. “Do what?”
“Discuss goals. Expectations. Agree on a game plan to get things organized and up to date.” The professional, businesslike approach made him wonder if that’s all this was to her – a job. While Braden had been up the night wondering what it might be like to work under the same roof, Allie had been getting right down to business. Just as he’d hired her to do, he reminded himself.
He glanced down at the list before looking back at Allie. Her gaze was running the length of the dusty saw table.
The list in her hand men
tioned a book report and an upcoming test. “Paige is your daughter, right?” he asked.
“What?” She looked down at the list in surprise. “Oh, yes. Sorry, wrong list.”
He watched as she shoved the thing back into her file folder and retrieved a second sheet. Braden tilted his head. “Is that something your daughter needs at school? You could run it out to her if you’d like.”
Allie only shook her head. “No, it’s actually my list. For her. To help her keep track of her work.”
He nodded. “How old is she?”
“She’ll be fourteen in a couple of months.”
“Jr. High?”
Allie’s shoulders fell. “Yes. So I was thinking about…”
But he was too distracted to listen just yet. “So why are you keeping track of her assignments?”
“Excuse me?”
He shrugged, recalling someone else he knew who’d done a similar thing for their child, unnecessarily, as he’d seen it – Terrance’s mother. “If she’s almost fourteen, she can do that on her own by now, can’t she?”
“She’s just irresponsible,” Allie said, looking exasperated.
“Hmm. Sorry, it’s not my business. I was just… go ahead.” He motioned for her to continue.
“Maybe the desk up front would be best,” she said. “Do you think?”
When he met her gaze, Braden slipped into the depths of those wide, questioning eyes. She looked so unsure of herself in that moment, uncharacteristically so; it made him curse himself for questioning Allie about the list she’d made for her daughter.
At once she broke from his gaze and headed toward the front office. Braden shook off the urge to explain and followed her, realizing with each move that he’d made a tremendous mistake. Inviting Allie back into his life was suicide.
He kept his gaze at the gritty floor as he walked, wishing he could rewind time. He’d lock the door to his shop on the day she’d come and never answer the thing again. Perhaps move out to the orchard house even. By the time his thoughts caught up with the present, Allie was seated atop the desk, flattening her list on the smooth surface at her side.
“I can type this up later, but I was brainstorming last night and this morning – based on what I saw yesterday – and came up with a few ideas. Feel free to add anything you’d like or…”
If she’d continued to talk, Braden hadn’t heard a word of it. He was too busy reading over her list. At the top she’d written the words scan invoices and make digital copies. The second line said something about filing the paper order forms. Create website was third on the list. “Hold up,” he said, pointing at number three. “I already have a website.”
Allie’s eyes widened. “Oh, you do?” She snatched a pen clipped onto her folder and crossed it out. “Perfect. What’s the web address?”
“Why?” He had the sneaking suspicion she didn’t believe him.
“So I can post it on Facebook. Along with pictures of your work.”
A groan rumbled in his throat. “No, I don’t want any of that … face page stuff.”
“But it could really boost your business,” she said, “I’ve seen it myself.”
Braden took a step back, seeing – what he imagined – the way she must’ve looked at Terrance. A man who was incapable, or a project that needed fixing. Well in her ex-husband’s case she may have been right. But here, where he’d run a successful business for all these years, Braden wanted Allie to know things were far from broken. Just merely out of line was all.
“Look,” he said, “I don’t want you telling me how to run this business, alright? I’ve done just fine on my own for nearly twenty years. I’d appreciate it if you just stuck to filing and phone calls.”
She recoiled for a blink, but then straightened back up and hopped off the desk. “Fine,” she snapped. “Where’s your restroom?”
Aw, heck. Was she upset? “It’s uh, through that door there,” he said. “Place has been remodeled since the last time you were here, but you’ll find it easily enough.” Allie seemed to flinch at the mention of her being there before. Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought it up.
With her face turned methodically away from his, she dashed around him and through the door leading to the house. The moments following burdened Braden’s mind with layers of guilt. Why had he snapped at her like that? She was only trying to help.
After pacing the office a few times Braden gave up on waiting. Chickened out was more like it. He had no idea how to fix the damage he’d just done. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Allie tore right out of that place and never came back. The idea caused conflicting emotions to storm within him. One part found relief at the thought of having her gone; he didn’t need all the heartache, best if he could bail out early and kiss his hopes goodbye. But the larger part of him was sick at the idea of never getting a second chance, or blowing it entirely by his stupid behavior. Here Braden had been fuming over the way Terrance had treated her all these years and then he goes and snaps at her the first chance he gets. He’d have to apologize, that was certain. It was just… how to go about it.
“You know,” Allie spoke from behind, her voice quiet but firm.
Braden spun around to see her leaning against the doorframe, her arms folded across her chest.
“If you speak to me like an adult,” she continued, “I’m confident we can make a decent team here. I don’t mind you telling me I’ve crossed the boundaries or that I’m doing something you don’t want me to do. But what you said – and the way you said it – bordered on chauvinistic if you ask me, and that’s something I won’t put up with.”
Chauvinistic? Now she’d gone too far. “Hold up. Just what was chauvinistic about it?” He couldn’t help but ask. Never once had he been accused of such a thing.
Allie tilted her head as her eyes narrowed. “Phone calls and filing?”
Braden coughed out a humorless laugh. “Isn’t that what secretaries do?”
“Sure. But they can do a whole lot more.”
“Well how about we just start out with the basics?”
Allie straightened her shoulders, sped right past Braden, and snatched her list off the table. “Fine. I’ll get started.”
“Fine.” With a wordless nod, Braden rounded the corner and strode back toward the work area. “Let me know if you need anything,” he added reluctantly over his shoulder. He slowed his pace then, straining to hear if she’d say anything more. She didn’t. Jeez. Would there be even one part of this situation that wasn’t complicated? Once at the workbench, he pulled the bandana back over his face, shaking his head in frustration. How would he ever focus on his work? Having Allie Emerson there was going to be a whole lot harder than he’d thought.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Wow. I can’t believe it.”
Allie hid a smile, trying to pretend she didn’t know exactly why her friend, Reese, was so surprised. “You can’t believe what?” she asked.
Reese’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe this is the same guy you were telling me about all those years ago.” Her southern accent was always stronger when she spoke about something big. And right now her drawl was unmistakable. “The one you said you had feelings for back in high school.” Reese sunk into another round of sit-ups, grunting as she continued. “Now Terrance is out of your life, and here you are, working for this guy you’ve always wondered about.”
“I wasn’t wondering so much about him while I was married, of course,” Allie said. She hadn’t really allowed herself to fantasize about what it might have been like had she married Braden instead of Terrance. Of course the question popped in her mind from time to time, mostly when Terrance was complicating things the way he did. But Allie had given her marriage all she had. “I guess I’ve just thought about the fact that he was still single. Wondered why he was and hoped he would marry someday. I always hoped that for him.”
Reese pulled into a final sit-up and nodded. “That makes sense. And I know you were faithful, Allie. We all know
how hard you tried to make that marriage work.”
Allie appreciated her comment; Reese was family after all, having married her cousin years back. Of course they’d shown plenty of support throughout the divorce as well.
“We lost count somewhere along the way,” Allie said, “but I’m pretty sure you’ve done well over fifty.”
“Whether I have or not, I’ve done my last sit-up for the morning, that’s for sure.” Reese eyed Allie. “You want to go another round?”
“No, thanks. I barely made it through the last set.” Allie pressed off the ground and followed Reese into the kitchen, admiring the photos on the wall. Pictures of Reese’s twin boys. “Does it feel strange, having them in school all day?”
“Very. If I didn’t stay as busy as I do I might get depressed.” Reese pulled a couple of water bottles from the fridge, handed one to Allie.
“Too bad Jade’s not feeling well,” Allie said, thinking of Reese’s sister-in-law. Married to another one of Allie’s cousins, Jade had been in the family for about a year now. As close to her cousins as Allie was, it had been like gaining two sisters, one after the other. And boy did she love it.
“I know. Jade was really bummed out this morning. She made me promise to dish the dirt once we’re through.”
“How’d she even know I had any dirt to dish?”
Reese gave her a smile. “Well you mentioned working for a carpenter.” She shrugged. “Jade and I were hoping there was a story behind it, though I didn’t know it’d be this good.”
Allie shook her head before cracking a smile.
“So,” Reese said, “you’ve been working for him for a week. How has it been? And how’d you get today off?”
“He wasn’t going to be in the office today,” Allie said, toying with the lid of her water bottle. “And I’m not sure how it’s been. He’s friendly enough, I guess, but it’s like he’s holding back or something. I go in and we talk for a minute or two, mostly about work. He does his job while I do mine, and then I leave.”
Rough Edges: Allie's Story, A Companion to the Sweet Montana Bride Series (Second Chances Book 1) Page 4