Not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation, Ethan reversed his steps and took the long way around to the coffee in the foyer. Grace looked up as he passed her desk and smiled. She seemed to have no objection to his presence there.
“I hear you’ve got one of the apartments that Steve owns,” Grace said as Ethan poured himself a cup of coffee, hoping it was good and strong.
He didn’t bother doctoring it up with anything before making his way to Grace’s desk. “Yes. Steve agreed to let me stay in the apartment for the next three months. The probation period.”
Grace smiled. “I think you’ll really like living there. It’s a great neighborhood, and it’s close to a lot of things. I enjoyed it when I lived there with Makayla and Tami.”
“It looks like a nice building. The apartment is larger than I had anticipated. I’m grateful that Steve is giving me a place to stay for now.” Though Ethan really hoped that the apartment would be his home long term, for the time being, he was going to view it as a short-term solution to his housing problem.
Someone came in through the front door, so Ethan took his coffee back to his office, once again making sure he avoided Makayla’s. Once there, he shut the door and sat down behind his desk for a bit of a break. He reached for the pad of paper he’d had earlier and grabbed a pen. He quickly began to jot down all the things that were in his mind regarding his personal and his business life. It was the only way he could seem to get a handle on the chaos he was feeling right then.
All of this was so new to him. From the day he’d started working and earning his own money, he’d felt more in control of his life, and there had been very little upheaval over the next twelve years. He’d fallen into a pattern with Sierra that worked for both of them. He knew how much money he was making, and he knew how much he needed to spend on all of his bills and on food for him and Sierra. There had been some confusion at times on jobs, but he had always been able to take them in stride and make sure that the projects were finished on time.
But now, everything seemed to be in so much chaos. And it all made him feel very much alone. He was going to have to figure out these little details by himself. There was a part of him that longed to have a partner in all of this. Someone to help choose the furniture he needed. To help him stock his kitchen since he’d thrown away most of what he’d had in Calgary. He needed to make sure that Sierra was registered for the following school year. He hoped that his dad and stepmom had moved into an area of Winnipeg that had a good school.
Which reminded him…he needed to make sure that she was doing her assignments to finish her school year in Calgary. When he’d gone with her to talk to her teachers about what was happening, they’d been surprisingly willing to work with her. It had all been just one more reason he’d been so upset with her parents. With a month and a half left in the school year, they still hadn’t been willing to wait to move. He’d asked them to leave her with him to finish the school year, but they’d refused.
Pushing aside his anger, he jotted down the reminder to ask Sierra about her assignments then continued to add to the list. Once the notepad was filled with everything that had been going through his mind, Ethan sat back and picked up his coffee and took a sip. Now that he had it all on paper, he could begin to prioritize things. And that would start with going out after work to find a bed and a table. And maybe a couch.
Feeling more in control of the personal side of his life, Ethan turned his attention to the notes he’d taken during his meeting with Mitch and Bennett. There was a lot there, but both men seemed more than willing to help him out during this training period.
*
Makayla let out a sigh as she swung her car into her parking spot behind the apartment building. She grabbed her purse and laptop bag and climbed out of the car. With each step she took to the third-floor apartment, she thought about the conversation she’d had with her dad.
She wasn’t even sure why she was upset about the fact that Ethan would be staying in the apartment on the second floor. It really had been no surprise when her dad had told her that he’d taken Ethan to look at the apartment. She knew how her dad’s mind worked and to him, it only made sense to offer the empty apartment to a man who needed a place to live.
Arriving at her door, Makayla unlocked it and breathed out a sigh of relief as she stepped inside. She kicked out of her shoes and wandered down the hall to her bedroom to put her things away and to change into something more comfortable. Tami wouldn’t be home for another couple hours, so Makayla went to the kitchen to see what they had to make for supper.
“I see we have a new neighbor,” Tami said when she arrived home around seven thirty.
Before giving Makayla a chance to reply, her roommate disappeared down the hallway to her room. Makayla knew it would be another ten or fifteen minutes before her friend reappeared as she liked to take a quick shower when she got home from work.
When Tami finally did join her in the kitchen, Makayla had two plates of food ready for them. She set them on the table while Tami got them drinks. Once they were finally seated and had said grace, Tami brought up the neighbor situation again.
“Yeah, Dad told me that he had rented the apartment beside Bennett to Ethan today.” Makayla stabbed at the lettuce in the salad bowl next to her plate. “How did you find out?”
“I ran into him in the parking lot, and he asked me for some ideas on where he could pick up some furniture.”
Makayla frowned. “Wouldn’t he have had stuff to bring with him from Calgary?”
Tami shrugged. “I asked him about that. He said that since he hadn’t had a place nailed down before he left Calgary that it was easier to not bring all his stuff with him. Doesn’t really make sense to me, but then he’s a guy and sometimes their logic can be way different than ours.”
Not for the first time, Makayla found herself thinking about how difficult it would be to be alone in a strange city. Ethan didn’t strike her as the type to ask for help. Mitch and Bennett would gladly give the guy a hand, but if Ethan didn’t ask for it, they wouldn’t know what he needed.
“Actually,” Tami said as she twirled her fork through her pasta, “I think you should make a batch of brownies to share with the man. You know, welcome him to the neighborhood and all that.”
“If you’re so interested in making the man feel welcome, I think you should do it yourself,” Makayla said, a grin on her lips. She could almost guarantee what Tami’s response to that would be.
“That man—cute though he may be—is not my type.” Tami emphasized each word with a stab of her fork in Makayla’s direction as if to make a new point instead of one she’d made about pretty much every guy Makayla had suggested to her since things had gone south with her last boyfriend.
“One of these days, you’re going to have to tell me exactly what your type is so I’ll know if I happen to run across him somewhere.”
Thankfully, their conversation moved away from their new neighbor onto subjects Makayla was more comfortable with, and she found herself relaxing for the first time all day.
That relaxed feeling stayed with her even after she got to work the next day. She wasn’t sure if she was just coming to terms with the fact that her dad was retiring and, whether she liked it or not, there would be someone new in their company, or if she was just realizing the futility of fighting it.
“Makayla, do you have a sec?”
Makayla looked up to see Grace standing just inside the door to her office, a young girl at her side. “Sure, what’s up?”
“This young lady is here asking for Ethan. I told her that he was out on a job site for a little while but that she could wait for him. Would it be okay if she waited here with you?”
Makayla worked to keep a frown from her face as she tried to figure out what Grace was trying to tell her. Finally, she just gave up and held out her hand towards the young woman. “Hi. My name is Makayla.”
The girl hesitated just a moment before taking Makayla’s outstretch
ed hand and giving it a quick shake. “My name is Sierra. Sierra Collins.”
Grace had left the two of them alone, so Makayla gestured to the chair next to where the girl stood. “Why don’t you have a seat?” Once the girl was settled, Makayla couldn’t keep her curiosity in check. “So are you related to Ethan?”
The girl nodded, her light brown curls dancing against her shoulders as she did. “He’s my older brother.”
Makayla remembered hearing something about him moving to Winnipeg because of his sister, but for some reason, she had assumed that it was someone closer in age to him. This girl didn’t look to be any older than Dalton or Danica. “So you’ve just moved to Winnipeg as well?”
“Yes. We moved here about three weeks ago.” The girl spoke softly, and she held herself perfectly still in her chair.
“How old are you, Sierra?”
“I’m fourteen. I’m just finishing grade nine.”
So she was a couple of years younger than Danica. “What kind of things do you like to do?”
Sierra’s head dipped to the side. “I like to draw and read. But I’m really most interested in hair and makeup stuff.” She hesitated for a moment. “I love your makeup.”
Makayla lifted a hand to touch her fingertips to her cheek. Her makeup was such a part of who she was now that she didn’t think much about its application anymore. “Thank you. I was about your age when I first started getting interested in things like hair and makeup as well.”
She’d actually been interested in it way before that point, but her mom had made sure that she’d waited until high school to be able to wear it.
“I watch a lot of videos on YouTube to learn about how to put it on. But when you don’t really have anything to practice with…” The girl shrugged as her words faded away.
Makayla wondered about the girl’s mother and why she wouldn’t be willing to help her daughter out. Her mom hadn’t been as much into makeup as Makayla had been, but she’d helped teach her how to use it properly and to not wear more than was necessary for a girl her age.
Before Makayla could say anything further, Ethan appeared in the doorway of her office, his eyes wide with apprehension.
“Sierra? What are you doing here?” He took two steps into her office and reached to pull Sierra up from her seat. His arms wrapped around the slight girl, and she returned the hug, her face buried in Ethan’s chest. After a moment, he stepped back but didn’t fully release her as his hands grasped onto her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”
Sierra reached up to wrap her hands around Ethan’s forearms. She tilted her head back since there was almost a foot of height difference between them. “I got scared. I didn’t know where else to go.”
“You got scared?” Ethan’s brows drew together. “Where are Dad and your mom?”
“They said they needed a break after the move, so they left yesterday and said they’d be back in a couple of days. I know you don’t have a place yet, but can I stay with you wherever you are until they get back?”
Makayla watched as several emotions crossed Ethan’s face, the most recognizable one being anger.
“Why didn’t you call me last night? Or even earlier today?”
Sierra’s head dipped. “I knew yesterday was your first day at work and that you didn’t need to be distracted by me. But after last night alone, I needed to see you. I tried to call but it went right to voicemail, so I found a bus schedule on my phone and came here.”
Ethan let out a harsh breath as he leaned forward to press his forehead to hers. “You don’t ever have to worry about me being distracted, okay? If you need me, you call me. And, of course, you can stay with me. I’ve missed you.” Ethan reached into his pocket and held out his hand. With a smile, Sierra reached to take something from him. Only then, did Ethan turn to look at Makayla. “I hate to impose on you further, but could she just stay here for a few more minutes?”
“Absolutely,” Makayla said with a nod of her head. Once Ethan had left the room, she returned her attention to Sierra, who had lowered herself back into the chair. The girl’s head was bent over whatever she had taken from Ethan. “So what do you have there?”
Sierra glanced up and smiled as she held out her hand. “Ethan always carries my favorite candies in his pocket.”
Makayla told herself that the sweet gesture did not matter. “That’s nice of your brother. What kind is it?”
“Strawberry.” Sierra took the candy between her fingers and began to unwrap it. “I’ve always like strawberry candies. When I was little, he would get me soft ones that I could chew, but my favorite ones are the hard ones.” She popped it into her mouth as she leaned back in the chair once again. “For some reason, they always make me feel better.”
Makayla smiled at her. “I kinda feel the same way about chocolate.”
8
E than was not at all surprised when his phone call went straight to voicemail. And that just made the situation even worse. It was bad enough that they’d left her on her own, but to not have a way for her to be able to contact them? That was the last straw.
He knew that they had left her alone on occasion in Calgary, but he hadn’t thought they’d do that to her in a new city. He left a strongly worded message for his father, stopping just short of calling him a few names. That was how his father dealt with things, but he had always tried to be different.
He clenched his phone in his fist and pressed it to his forehead. What made this all so ridiculous was that they could have called him any time to have Sierra stay with him, and he would’ve said yes. But for some unknown reason, they chose to leave her by herself. His heart was still pounding from when Grace had informed him that Sierra was there when he’d walked in the door with Bennett. Ethan took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before going back to his sister.
If Makayla McFadden needed any more reasons to resent his presence in the office, having her babysit his little sister was just the icing on the cake. With a sigh, he left his office and headed back to Makayla’s. He wasn’t sure what to do with Sierra while he finished out his workday, but he wasn’t going to send her home.
Ethan was surprised to find Sierra chatting with Makayla as if she’d known her forever. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly they were talking about.
“I don’t really want full coverage,” Sierra said. “I really just want to cover up a few freckles.”
“At your age, you really don’t need anything like that. Light coverage is fine. Just use lots of sunscreen if you’re going to be outside. And drink lots of water and get enough sleep. That’s key to building up good skin.”
Skin? They were talking about makeup? As he looked from his sister to Makayla, Ethan realized that, of course, they were talking about makeup. He knew his sister was very interested in all things makeup and would immediately see that Makayla was as well.
Ethan cleared his throat, and both of them looked in his direction. “Thank you for letting her hang out with you for a few minutes, Makayla.”
“You’re welcome. It was no problem at all.”
“Why don’t you come with me now, Sierra?” he asked as he turned to his sister.
Sierra got to her feet right away then turned to Makayla. “Thanks for talking with me.”
Makayla smiled warmly at Sierra. “Anytime.”
When they returned to his office, Sierra settled into a chair in the corner of the room. She assured him that she had plenty to do and proceeded to pull out her sketchpad from the backpack she carried. After slipping a set of earbuds into her ears, Sierra pulled her legs up into the chair and bent over her sketchpad, pencil in hand.
Ethan watched her for a minute, hoping it was okay for him to keep her with him in the office. He knew that she wouldn’t be any trouble, but it might seem a bit unprofessional to Steve and Bennett.
With a sigh, Ethan returned his attention to his job. He found an email from Bennett in his inbox that he had been expecting. They had
met earlier to discuss a new job that they had received that needed a quote prepared for it. Bennett had gone over how they created the quotes and then sent the information on to Ethan to complete. They would meet again once Ethan had finished working up the quote to discuss it before returning it to the customer.
Ethan knew that this was a test of sorts. This was the part of the job that he didn’t have a lot of experience with, but he was determined to show Bennett and Steve that he was a quick learner and would do his best with this as well as with the rest. He just needed to maintain his focus. Sierra was fine, and he would make sure she stayed that way. But right now, he needed to be focused on the job.
By the time they left the office shortly after five, Ethan felt a wave of relief. He’d been able to finish the quote and meet with Bennett. Hearing the man say that the quote was done correctly and was ready for the customer gave Ethan a sense of accomplishment. Now, however, it was time to deal with the personal side of his life.
Armed with directions to a thrift store not too far away, Ethan and Sierra climbed into his truck and left the parking lot of C&M Builders. After finishing the quote and before meeting with Bennett, Ethan had taken a few minutes to talk with Sierra about the things he would need for his apartment. He told her to make a list of anything she thought he should buy that he hadn’t brought with him and wasn’t already on the list he’d made.
Thankfully, the thrift store was huge and had lots of different options when it came to furniture. They carried new mattresses so he was able to purchase two double beds. He would have liked a queen, but he just didn’t have the room for one in his truck bed, especially with the cap still on. The frames would have to wait until another time since there were more pressing things for him to purchase. He found some television trays and a couple of folding chairs that would do until he could get back to pick up a table.
A Change of Heart: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 1) Page 6