“Ethan hasn’t really spent much time on things like movies and fun stuff. He’s always been pretty focused on work and taking care of me.”
“And I’m pretty sure that he would tell you that he wouldn’t change that at all,” Makayla said. “I think it’s built into the genetic makeup of big brothers to take care of their little sisters.”
Sierra seemed to consider that for a moment then her expression further saddened. “But shouldn’t it also be built into the genetic makeup of moms and dads to want to take care of their children?”
Makayla realized she’d backed herself into a corner with her comments. She reached out and covered Sierra’s hands, waiting for the girl to look up at her. When Sierra’s head finally lifted, Makayla felt her heart clench at the pain in her damp gaze.
“I think that when God made us, He did make us want to take care of each other. But things changed when sin came into the world, and with it came selfishness. That’s what I believe is wrong when parents choose not to take care of their children. They’re being selfish by putting their own needs ahead of those who need them the most. It’s never the child’s fault. So I hope you don’t ever think that’s the case with your mom and dad.”
“I just feel bad sometimes. Ethan has worked hard ever since high school, and I know it’s because of me. He never went to university or ever really dated much. And even when he did, he would date girls that weren’t right for him because he didn’t have time to find one that was.” Sierra gave her a sad smile. “I just wish that I could repay him for everything that he’s done for me.”
Makayla squeezed Sierra’s hands before she released them and straightened. “I think the best way that you can repay him is by becoming a young woman who is caring and loving. In fact, I think you already are that person.”
As she watched the emotions play across Sierra’s face, Makayla wondered if this was how her mom had felt at different times with her, Sammi and Danica. Not necessarily the subject matter, but just the feeling of needing to encourage a young heart. Though Makayla had thought off and on about becoming a mother someday, as she talked with Sierra, she found herself hoping that she’d have that opportunity sooner rather than later.
Sierra cleared her throat, and Makayla looked at her once again. “I was wondering if maybe you could help me with something.”
“As long as it’s something that your brother will be okay with, I’d be happy to,” Makayla said with a smile.
This time, when Sierra smiled, her eyes sparkled with humor. “Oh, I’m pretty sure that he would be more than okay with it.”
“Oh, really?” Makayla leaned a hip against the counter and crossed her arms. “So what exactly do you need my help with?”
“Well, I’ve been saving up my allowance for a while now, and I’m wondering if you could tell me what might be the best makeup products to buy.”
“Oh, this is about makeup?” Sierra nodded at Makayla’s question. “Well, I’m not sure if I know that much about it.”
Sierra’s eyes widened then they both started to laugh. When they finally settled down, Sierra said, “I can guarantee that you certainly know more than Ethan.”
That started them both laughing once again. After they had themselves under control once more, Makayla finished putting away the rest of the food then motioned for Sierra to follow her. Ethan gave them a quizzical look as they walked past him.
“We’re going to talk about makeup,” Sierra informed him. His eyes widened in a way that was very similar to Sierra’s, but he only nodded and continued on with his conversation with Mitch.
When they came out of Makayla’s room a short time later, Sierra was clutching a makeup bag full of product that Makayla had felt would work for a teenager. She figured why let the young girl spend her savings on makeup products when she had more than enough to share. It was definitely her point of weakness when it came to buying things, and sometimes—often—she bought stuff she only used once or twice.
And as Sierra and Ethan got ready to leave, Makayla promised her that they would get together soon so that she could help her learn how to use each of the items Makayla had given her. Ethan’s expression remained unreadable as she and Sierra talked, but as she opened the door to let them out, he thanked her.
“If I thought you were the more conniving type,” Tami began once they were alone, “I’d think you were using that young girl to get to her brother.”
14
M akayla wandered into the kitchen and picked up a cupcake out of the box that Erin had brought just for her and Tami. She didn’t take offense at her friend’s words. They were too close and had known each other for too long for that. She took her cupcake and settled onto the couch and waited for Tami to join her.
“I’m not sure how I feel about Ethan, but his sister is a real sweetheart, and I enjoy talking to her,” Makayla said as she peeled the paper away from the chocolate cupcake.
Tami nodded. “And I think she enjoys talking with you as well. I just hope you’re ready if she decides that you and her brother would make a cute couple.”
Makayla licked the frosting off her fingers and shook her head. “I’m pretty sure Ethan will squash that idea pretty quickly and, given that we work together, I can’t say that I blame him.”
“As if,” Tami said with a laugh as she tossed a pillow at her.
Makayla protected her cupcake and glared at her friend. “What do you mean as if?”
“You’re a family company. You are all related to each other. I think the company could handle a married couple.”
Makayla stared at Tami in shock. “Who on earth said anything about marriage?”
Tami waved her hand in the air. “I just figured I’d jump over the dating stage and head right for marriage.”
“You do know, right? That just because I’m dating less doesn’t mean I’m skipping over that part completely.” But now that Tami had mentioned marriage, she found her thoughts moving in that direction in a way they never had before. In the past, she’d barely made it to the dating stage with a guy and had certainly never thought about any of them popping the question. But Ethan…
“Yeah. I know. I’m just teasing you a bit. Ethan does seem like a really nice guy.”
“So why don’t you date him yourself?” As soon as the words were out of Makayla’s mouth, her gut tightened.
“Maybe I will,” Tami said.
Makayla knew her friend well enough to get that Tami was just testing the waters and trying to get a reaction out of her. And she’d almost succeeded.
“Changing the subject slightly,” Tami said as she shifted on the couch to draw her feet up onto the cushions. “Did Franklin bother you again tonight?”
Makayla wrinkled her nose. “I kinda tried to avoid being around him. He didn’t get any chance to talk to me. How about you?”
Tami’s sighed and tipped her head back, her gaze on the ceiling. “Well, I wasn’t as lucky as you. I seriously don’t understand why he is the way he is. It’s not like either of us is going to flirt back with him. He’s married to our best friend, for goodness sakes.”
Makayla nibbled on the cupcake, her thoughts on Grace and Franklin. She still didn’t understand how they had ended up married. Worse yet, it seemed like Franklin didn’t care that they were married. Grace had been surrounded by a lot of strong Christian men, so Makayla really didn’t get how she’d ended up with a man who didn’t seem to deserve her.
Between bites of her cupcake, she and Tami discussed the rest of the evening before calling it a night. She saw Ethan and Sierra at church the next day, but since the group had made no plans for the afternoon, she didn’t talk with Ethan again until Monday morning. And even then, it was just a brief greeting as they passed in the hallway.
Makayla told herself that she should be happy that Ethan was keeping his distance from her. She didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but it was probably for the best.
*
Ethan rubbed his eyes with t
he heels of his hands and then stretched his arms up into the air. He had been spending too much time in the chair in front of his computer, but it was a necessity if he was going to get a firm grasp on how he needed to do things. He wavered back and forth between feeling confident he could do all aspects of the job and being overwhelmed by it. It was like being on a roller coaster that never came to a stop.
He had just gotten to his feet to fill his cup with coffee when there was a knock on his door.
“Hey, Ethan,” Lee said as he sauntered into the office with a large flat box in his hand. “Do you have a few minutes?”
Ethan settled back down in his chair and nodded. “What can I do for you?”
Lee set the box on the chair next to the one he sank down into. “This is actually more about what I can do for you.”
“Okay.” Ethan lifted his brows at Lee’s comment. This was the third time he’d seen the man since they were introduced at the dinner and movie night. He found that he liked the guy. He always seemed to have a smile and an upbeat attitude. Even the thought that he was with Makayla couldn’t make Ethan dislike the man. “What can you do for me?”
Lee grinned and patted the box on the chair next to him. “So I noticed that you’ve been putting in some pretty long hours.”
Ethan frowned. “How would you know what kind of hours I’m putting in?”
“Well, in addition to doing the computer network here, I also set up their security system. Each time you use your card swipe to get into the building, the system makes a record of it. The early time on a card swipe got my attention initially, then I noticed that you’ve continued to come in around six most mornings.”
Ethan wasn’t sure how to respond to Lee’s observation. “Yes, I have been coming in early, but what does that have to do with you?”
Lee turned and began to open the box. “I’m not sure if you’re coming in early because you like to work early or if you might like to have the option of being able to work from home.”
Ethan straightened then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “When you say work from home, do you mean that I would have access to everything that I have access to here?”
Lee nodded, his attention on the contents of the box. Once he’d worked it free, he lifted a laptop out and set it on Ethan’s desk. “Basically, you would remote into your desktop here, and you would be able to access everything just as if you were sitting at your computer. It won’t be quite like working here obviously since you’d only have a single monitor with the laptop, but it would give you the option of being able to work from your home.”
Ethan really liked the sound of that. Though getting up early wasn’t a hardship, there were times he wished in the evenings that he had access to his work.
Lee opened up the laptop and began to show Ethan how it would work. Thankfully, Lee seemed to understand that computers were not really his thing. With just a few clicks, Lee had his desktop showing on the laptop monitor. It was a simple enough process that Ethan figured even he could manage to figure it out.
“Thank you so much for doing this, Lee. This will help me out a lot.”
“Everyone else in the company has a laptop, so I figured that you should have one as well, and Bennett agreed.” Lee leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers over his abdomen. “If you have any questions at all, feel free to give me a call. There’s a file on the desktop named Lee. It has my contact information, including my personal cell.”
Ethan thanked him again, relieved to have another tool that he could use to learn the job that he desperately wanted to keep. At times, he was convinced that they would keep him on even if he still was struggling to learn things by the time the ninety days were up. Then there were other times, he reminded himself that he was not family. They didn’t have to keep him on if they felt there was someone out there who could do the job better. So he was determined to give them as few reasons as possible to end their working relationship.
After Lee left, Ethan got to his feet and grabbed his mug. As he headed to the foyer, he remembered that he needed to check something with Makayla. He rapped on her open door and waited for her to look up from her computer.
She looked toward the door and smiled when she spotted him. As usual, she looked beautiful. Her hair and makeup were impeccably done, and the soft pink blouse she wore with her suit was flattering on her. But it was her friendly smile that had his heart skipping a beat. Reminding himself that she could never be anything but a co-worker, Ethan stepped into her office.
“I was just wondering what the protocol is if I need some time off for an appointment. I’ll try to make it as late in the day as possible, but I’ll still probably need to leave a little bit early.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Makayla said. “Usually, we just try to make up the time by coming in early or staying late. From the look of the security login report, you’ve come in early enough to more than make up for any time you might need to take off.”
Ethan wondered exactly how many people had access to the information about his comings and goings at the office. He was going to just assume that anyone who actually worked in the office knew about it. “So do I just need to send an email letting people know when I’ll be out of the office?”
“Yep. And it’s more just so people will know if they need to get hold of you, not for the purpose of tracking your hours.”
“Okay. Thank you for clearing that up for me.” Ethan gave her a nod and then continued on his way to get coffee. He would’ve liked to have stayed and chatted some more with her, but though his heart might have been on board with that plan, his mind was focused on a different one.
On Friday afternoon, he left the office around three o’clock. He’d planned for Sierra to stay at the apartment for the afternoon since he wouldn’t be able to take her home before he left for his appointment, but Makayla had offered to take her, so she still came to the office to hang out with Danica while she worked.
He was nervous about the appointment, but he figured that if he didn’t at least get information, he’d never know if it was possible to gain custody of Sierra. When James had mentioned that he worked in family law, Ethan figured that perhaps it was God’s way of opening the door. He hadn’t told Sierra about the appointment because he wasn’t exactly sure how she would feel about it. There was no doubt that she preferred to live with him, but it was something completely different to be taken from one’s parents.
Once he had more information from James, he would sit down and have a talk with her to see if this was something she wanted him to pursue. If not, he would drop the idea and never broach it with her again. However, if she was open to the idea, he would do what he could to make it happen. Best case scenario would be his dad and stepmom agreeing to sign over custody of Sierra without any hassles. He would no doubt still need James’s expertise, but at least it would be less stressful for all of them.
When he got to James’s office, the receptionist had him wait while James finished up with another client. Once he was free, the man welcomed Ethan with a smile and a handshake.
“Ethan! It’s good to see you again.” The man motioned for him to come into the office and then closed the door behind him. “Why don’t you have a seat and tell me what I can do for you.”
By the time Ethan left an hour later, he had a better idea of what he’d need to do to gain custody of Sierra. He was encouraged, but cautiously so. Part of what James had discussed with him pertained to having full-time, permanent employment. With all things basically being equal, having proof of that would be a point in his favor. It was too bad he didn’t have that just yet.
When he got home, the apartment was empty so he sent a text to Sierra to find out where she was.
Sierra: I’m upstairs with Makayla. We’re making supper so come up when you get home.
Ethan let out a long sigh. Eating supper with Makayla would not help him in his efforts to maintain a professional distance from her, which seemed even more n
ecessary now. But he couldn’t turn down an invitation without appearing rude.
15
E than set his laptop bag on the table in the dining room then headed to his bedroom to change into something more comfortable. Even though it had been a little more casual at work that day since it was Friday, he’d still put on a tie since he was going to meet James. Now, however, he was more than ready to exchange his business clothes for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
After getting changed, Ethan again wondered if it would be possible to get out of the dinner at Makayla’s. It would be awkward being the only guy there, plus it would just make his resolution to not interact with Makayla too much outside of work that much more difficult.
In the end, despite wanting to plunk down on the couch and phone for pizza, Ethan found himself waiting outside Makayla’s door. He could hear muffled voices then the door was flung open. Thankfully, it was Tami who stood there with a welcoming smile on her face.
“Come on in, Ethan. Your timing is perfect. We were just about to sit down to eat.” Tami closed the door behind him and walked by his side toward the dining room.
Ethan felt a rush of relief when he spotted Bennett, Mitch, and Lee sitting at the table with Makayla, Danica, and Sierra. As soon as his sister spotted him, she jumped to her feet and came to give him a hug.
She looked up at him, her expression earnest. “I hope it was okay that I said we would eat with them. It’s just when I mentioned that it was your turn to cook, Makayla said maybe we should give you a break.”
Ethan pressed a kiss to the top of her head and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “It’s fine, sunshine. And I am glad to not have to cook tonight.”
Thankfully, his seat was at the far end of the table from Makayla’s. Or at least his mind was thankful. His heart, on the other hand, really wanted to be closer to Makayla so that he could talk to her, to find out how her day went and what her plans were for the weekend. And that was just the start. At the oddest times of the day, he’d find himself wondering things about her. He already knew about her penchant for chocolate, but he wondered about her taste in music and what types of movies or TV shows she enjoyed. Did she like to read? What did she like to do in her spare time?
A Change of Heart: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 1) Page 11