“Breakfast is at eight tomorrow morning. We’ll be leaving for church around nine for the early service, but if you’d like, you could catch a ride for the later service with Tristan when he leaves around ten-fifteen.” Steve turned to his son. “Right, Tris?”
Tristan nodded as he finished off the cupcake he’d been eating when they’d found him in the kitchen.
“We’ll have dinner here after church then I’ll take you to the airport in time for you to catch your flight.”
“Thank you very much for all you’ve done for me while I’ve been here.” Ethan paused. “And I would like to go with Tristan in the morning to your church service.”
The smile on Steve’s face as he clapped his shoulder told Ethan he’d said the right thing. Though they hadn’t come right out and asked him about his faith, Ethan knew that it was very important to their family. But thankfully, he didn’t have to fake his interest in attending church since that was something he and Sierra did each Sunday.
Up in his room a few minutes later, Ethan placed a call to Sierra to tell her the good news about his job. He didn’t plan to tell her it was on a trial basis. All she needed to know was that he had a job and would be there for her in Winnipeg. He made plans to see her one last time before she and her parents moved. It would be at least a few weeks before he’d see her again between when they’d be moving and when he would be. It would be the longest they’d gone without seeing each other in quite a while. And he’d be lying if he didn’t say it made him a little nervous.
Once he ended the call, he used his phone to do a search for apartments in Winnipeg. Though he’d initially been nervous about the fact that it was a job with a trial period, Ethan found himself excited at the prospect of the move and the challenge that the new job offered him. And he would do his best to prove not just to Steve and Bennett but also to Makayla that he was the man for the job. He had no idea how he would do that, but he wanted to work for C&M Builders so he was going to have to figure it out.
6
A t the knock on her door, Makayla looked up from the pile of receipts she was organizing. Ethan Collins stood in her doorway, a file in one hand. He wore a pair of dark gray pants with a light gray collared shirt and a dark blue tie. His brown hair looked shorter than the last time she’d seen him, and he looked a bit more like a businessman and less like a site supervisor. As she looked at him now, Makayla could see that both ways worked well for him.
“Sorry to bother you, Makayla, but Bennett said I should bring these papers to you,” Ethan said as he stepped into her office. “I need to talk to you about a couple of things, if you have a minute.”
It had been almost a month since she’d last seen him. The day after the barbecue he’d returned to Calgary to presumably do what was necessary to tie up his life there. Today was his first day at work for C&M Builders and the beginning of the changes Makayla still wasn’t too keen on.
However, she was a professional, so she motioned for Ethan to have a seat. “Did you have some questions about the forms?”
Ethan laid the file on her desk. “Sort of. I don’t have a permanent address here yet, so is it okay to just leave that blank? Hopefully, I’ll have something soon and can give you the updated address then.”
Makayla nodded as she took the file. “That should be fine.” She skimmed over the forms he’d completed, making sure that all the mandatory fields were filled in and signed correctly. “How about your banking information?”
“Oh right.” Ethan’s brows drew together over his light gray eyes. “I haven’t had a chance to get my bank accounts switched over yet. Is it okay if I give you my account information from Calgary and then update that as well as my address when everything is set up here?”
It wasn’t a situation she’d run up against before, but Makayla didn’t think it would be a problem. “I’ll just confirm it with our payroll company, but I think it should be okay to use your old bank information for now.”
Relief showed on Ethan’s face. “Thanks. I’ve never moved between provinces before so all of this is kinda new to me.”
From things her dad and Bennett had said, it sounded like Ethan hadn’t changed jobs before either. If Makayla was honest with herself, she would have to admit she found him rather intriguing. She’d expected something a bit different from reading his resume. He’d worked on crews doing renovations—had been a crew leader, in fact—so it was a little weird to get a somewhat naive vibe from him. Even though her dad and Bennett tried to run sites that weren’t riddled with bad language and inappropriate humor, they couldn’t always control the sub-contractors or their crews. That’s why it surprised her that Ethan didn’t seem more rough around the edges than he did. Twelve years working in environments like that should have rubbed off on him.
“Have you found a place to live yet?” Makayla wasn’t sure why she asked, but when Ethan glanced away and rubbed his chin, she frowned.
“I’ve got a couple of possibilities. Just need to get the time to see them,” he replied, his gaze back on hers.
“I’m sure Dad and Ben would understand if you needed to take some time off to go check them out,” Makayla said. “Just let them know.”
Ethan nodded then got to his feet. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for your time.”
Makayla watched him leave her office and continued to stare at the empty doorway once he’d disappeared. As she sat there, she realized that she was trying to measure him against her brothers to figure him out. He didn’t have the “in control” confidence that Bennett exuded, but he also didn’t have the more reserved timidness of Tristan. Well, maybe Tristan wasn’t timid really, but his confidence wasn’t as apparent as Bennett’s. With Ethan, she got the feeling that his confidence wasn’t as all-encompassing as Bennett’s, but Makayla didn’t doubt that if she observed Ethan on a worksite he would exhibit total confidence. However, in a new city with a new job and looking for a new place to live…yeah, that might not inspire confidence in a lot of people.
*
Ethan returned to his office and fought the urge to close the door behind him. He’d had a lot thrown at him in a short amount of time, and he was questioning his ability to handle it all. The past month had been a whirlwind of activity for him, and it hadn’t stopped even after leaving Calgary.
He’d returned to Calgary and had immediately started to organize himself for his move even while he was still putting in long days on the job. He’d originally planned to rent a trailer to pull behind his truck, but as it became apparent he wouldn’t have anywhere to unload the trailer once he got to Winnipeg, he’d decided to try to sell off all but what he could fit in his truck. So his evenings had ended up being filled with people responding to the ads he’d placed to sell his stuff. What he’d gotten for his furniture would in no way cover what he’d likely have to pay to replace it, but he’d felt he had no choice.
After working a full day on that last Friday, Ethan had spent Saturday packing his truck and cleaning the apartment to the landlord’s specifications. He was losing two months in rent since his lease wasn’t up for another couple of months, but he hadn’t had the time to find someone to sublet it. At least he hadn’t just signed a new lease. He couldn’t imagine what that would have cost him to end.
Early Sunday morning, he’d left Calgary behind and began the long fifteen-hour drive east. By the time he’d pulled into the parking lot of the motel he’d reserved a room at, Ethan’s body had ached with exhaustion. Though the motel was a bit rundown, it was cheap and close to work, which were two very big points in its favor. He’d made sure the truck cap was locked and secure then pulled his duffle bag containing what he’d need for work the next day from the passenger seat of the truck. Once inside the motel, he’d taken time for a quick shower, downed a couple of Tylenol and fallen into bed.
And now here he was, sitting behind a desk for the first time ever, trying not to allow doubts to undermine his confidence in doing the job he’d been hired for even as al
l his earthly possessions were sitting in the back of the truck parked outside. He’d thought about dragging his stuff into the motel room that was his for the next week, but he wasn’t entirely sure that would have been any more secure.
Ethan looked down at the pile of files on his desk. His gaze lost focus for a moment. His desk. He still couldn’t believe this was his desk and his office. And the stack of files was part of his job.
With that in mind, Ethan flipped open the first file and began to read its contents. He quickly felt some of the tension ease as he found familiar terms and concepts that he had no problem grasping. This was his world. What he’d done for the past twelve years.
It only took him reading through a couple of files before Ethan realized that C&M Builders was a little more high-end than Bob’s company. The materials they used and the prices they charged were a pretty good indicator of that. Though he hadn’t had time to really observe the worksites they’d visited when he’d come for his interview, Ethan had no doubt that people paid the prices C&M Builders quoted because they knew they were getting quality product along with quality work.
Not that Bob had provided less than quality work. Ethan had always pushed for the guys to produce to a certain standard, but when they were working on homes that were on the lower end of the real estate scale, they couldn’t be installing granite counter tops in kitchens or heated floors in bathrooms. He found himself excited at the prospect of working on projects with a larger budget.
Ethan worked his way through each file, taking the time to jot down notes for each project. Usually, his memory was pretty good, but he wasn’t going to trust it completely until he felt more comfortable with the job.
As he flipped open the last file, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t used to this much inactivity. If he was going to be at a desk for a large chunk of each day, he was definitely going to have to find a way to stay in shape. He pushed back and stood, stretching from side to side to try to ease the ache in his back. It had started after the long drive from Calgary and sitting for the past couple of hours had only made it worse.
“So how are you finding things, son?”
Ethan glanced toward the door to see Steve standing there. Immediately, he straightened and gave the man a smile. “I’ve enjoyed reading through the files and familiarizing myself with the current projects.”
Steve came into the office and settled on one of the chairs opposite Ethan. Reluctantly, Ethan lowered himself back into the chair he’d been so relieved to get out of just minutes earlier.
They spent the next hour talking about the projects he’d read about. Ethan wasn’t sure if Steve was quizzing him or just wanting to discuss things, to flesh out what had been in the files. One thing was for sure, the man may have owned the company, but he hadn’t been removed from the day-to-day running of it.
“Have you found yourself a place to live yet?” Steve asked.
Ethan had to mentally change gears at the question and just blurted out, “Not yet.” He hesitated. “But I have a couple of leads I’ll follow up now that I’m here.”
“If you don’t mind living near people you work with, I own a small apartment building where a few of the kids live. I have a vacancy there. A two bedroom. If you’re interested.”
Ethan wanted to jump at the offer. He was stressed about trying to find a place to live. At least when he’d moved in Calgary, he’d known which parts of the city were safe and which weren’t. He had absolutely no clue when it came to the city of Winnipeg, but with Sierra spending time with him, he wanted to make sure they were in a good neighborhood. Which was why he was seriously considering Steve’s offer. Ethan couldn’t imagine that Steve would have his kids living in an area that wasn’t safe.
“Really?” Ethan asked. “But what if the probation doesn’t work out?
Steve shrugged. “We will cross that bridge when we get to it. I wouldn’t hold you to a lease, and you’d be welcome to stay there until you find some place new.”
The offer was definitely tempting. It would give Ethan time to familiarize himself with the city, so if he did have to move, at least he’d have a better idea of where to look. Plus, there would be less pressure to find something while he was adjusting to the job and everything else. “If you’re sure it’s not a problem, I would be very interested.”
Steve got to his feet. “Why don’t we go grab some lunch, and I’ll run you over to have a look.”
“It’s nearby?” Ethan asked as he got up from his chair as well.
“Yep. I decided that if it was going to be for the kids, I wanted it close so they had no excuse for being late to work.” Steve grinned. “I’m just going to go see Bennett. I’ll meet you out front.”
Ethan checked to make sure he had his wallet and phone then made his way to the foyer. If the place was close, that was just one more point in its favor. Eventually, he’d have to learn his way around the city, but having the two places he’d be at most close together was a definite plus early on.
“Hey, Ethan,” Grace greeted him, a bright smile on her face. “How’s the first day on the job going?”
Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets. As he felt the crinkle of plastic beneath his fingertips, his thoughts went to Sierra. Ever since she was a little girl, he’d always kept candy in his pockets for her. Out of habit, he’d shoved some in his pockets before leaving that morning even though he’d known he wasn’t going to be seeing her. “Pretty good, I think. For it being my first day and all.”
“I think you’re going to fit in just fine around here,” Grace said.
The expression on her face gave him the feeling that she was confident in what she said. He could only hope that she was right. Before he could respond, Steve and Bennett both appeared.
“Bennett decided to tag along,” Steve said as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. He glanced over at his son. “I hope you cleaned up this morning.”
“I’m a bachelor.” Bennett grinned. “You can’t expect perfection.”
“Whatever,” Grace said with a roll of her eyes. “Your place has always been spotless.”
As Ethan followed the men out of the building, he realized that Bennett was one of the tenants of the apartments. He wondered if Makayla was another.
When they reached Steve’s truck, Bennett got into the back, leaving the front seat for Ethan. He hesitated a moment before climbing in next to Steve. True to Steve’s earlier words, it wasn’t very long before they were pulling up in front of a three-story apartment building. It looked like a well-maintained place with a stone exterior and nice bay windows on each floor.
“There is a parking lot at the back of the building,” Steve said as they walked up the sidewalk. He pulled open the glass door leading into the building and held it for Ethan and Bennett.
“We have a monitoring system in place,” Bennett said as he gestured to the wall to the left of them. Ethan saw a camera in the upper corner as well as a panel on the wall. Also, he was glad to see that someone had to be buzzed in by a resident in order to get through the second door. “The mailboxes don’t have our names on them, so be sure to give your apartment number to anyone stopping by or for any mail.”
Steve used his keys to open the second door. “We have four two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom. Mitch has one on the main floor here. Bennett’s is on the second floor while Makayla and Tami have the three bedroom apartment on the top floor. Grace used to live with them, but she moved out when she married Franklin.”
Over the next half hour, they gave him a tour of the building starting with the basement where there was a gym and a pool table. As he walked through the apartment, Ethan found it to be surprisingly large and airy. He could picture himself there with Sierra.
“And you won’t have to worry about noise or anything,” Bennett assured him. “We made certain this place was solidly built.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind me renting from you, I would definitely be interested,” Ethan sa
id when they once again stood on the main floor.
Steve nodded as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “I had a feeling you would.” He held out the key ring. “This has a key to the front door on it as well as the apartment on the second floor.”
Relief flooded through Ethan as he took the keys, and—just like that—he had a place to live. Hopefully, it would be long term, but even if it wasn't, it would give him some breathing room. Of course, he didn’t have a bed or any other furniture to put in it yet, but that was nothing compared to actually having a place to call home.
As they walked back to the truck, Ethan couldn’t stop from glancing back over his shoulder to the window of the apartment that was now his. He was so grateful that, for whatever reason, God had chosen to answer his prayer in such a big way. Part of him felt it was all too good to be true.
At what point would the other shoe drop?
7
A fter he had returned to the office, Ethan went right into a meeting with Bennett and Mitch. He found that the meeting, like reading the files, gave him more confidence in his ability to do the job—at least that part of it. The problems arose when he allowed himself to think of the larger scope of his responsibilities. He just kept trying to remind himself that they had hired him knowing what his experience was with Bob’s company.
Once the meeting was over, he headed down the hallway to the foyer to see about grabbing a cup of coffee. His mind was going two million miles a minute and his thoughts regarding the job, the apartment, and Sierra were all a jumbled mess. He needed a coffee and a few quiet minutes to think through it all.
“What do you mean you’re renting the apartment to him?”
Ethan’s steps faltered, and he came to a stop just shy of the door to Makayla’s office. It didn’t come as a big surprise that Makayla wasn’t happy about her dad’s decision regarding the apartment. And once again he was left wondering what he needed to do to gain Makayla’s trust. He still wasn’t sure if her objection to him was something personal or just the fact that he was stepping into her family’s company.
A Change of Heart: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 1) Page 5