Hearts Under Construction. Diann Hunt

center. Most people gave in to the temptation, while Ellie preferred not to risk another choking hazard. The crowd offered their condolences to Ellie about her little episode before finally settling down to the business at hand.

      Coleman Preston stood and welcomed the employees, but Ellie heard very little of his speech. The man drove her crazy, but she had to admit something about him pleased her. Was it his blinding smile, or the way one look into his velvety brown eyes made her feel bundled in a thick fur coat? His wavy dark hair suggested he had had unruly curls as a boy. She wondered if one day his son would inherit the trait. The very thought made her face warm, though a shiver ran through her. She pulled her jacket tighter.

      The minutes clicked on in the quiet of the room as workers listened to what Cole had to say. Lack of sleep the night before placed Ellie in a hazy fog, caught somewhere between reality and dreamland. With her left elbow on the table, her chin rested in the palm of her hand. Just as the warmth of the room and the pleasurable rhythm of Cole’s voice lulled her to a peaceful state, the word Ellie broke through, causing her chin to slide off her palm and her mind to snap to attention. She glanced up to see smiles hiding behind cups and heard a few snickers ripple about the room. Mortified, she looked to Cole, wondering if he had said her name. He had.

      And he wasn’t smiling.

      “I’m sorry?”

      “You seem to be having a difficult morning, Ellie. Are you okay?”

      Adrenaline pushed her pulse to full speed. “I’m fine. I—I just didn’t hear what you said.”

      “Well, maybe we’ll let someone who was listening help us out.” Without wasting another breath, Cole moved on.

      Ellie felt her knuckles had been sufficiently rapped by that statement. She had been daydreaming. So sue her. His reprimand was all part of his little plan to undermine her authority in the office.

      “Which brings me to the most important item on this agenda, and the reason I called the meeting,” Cole said.

      Uh-oh, here it comes. She braced herself. Cole proceeded to tell the staff Jax had purchased a new computer system. He raved about all the bells and whistles while Ellie felt herself being sucked into a psychedelic black hole, a place where walls spun out of control and the floor rolled and swayed beneath her feet.

      Change, change, change.

      At the meeting’s end, the air snapped with excitement. The room buzzed with comments and laughter at all that the new system could and would do for their company. Ellie didn’t want to be a spoilsport, but what was wrong with their current system? It worked for them, didn’t it? Why did they have to have bigger and better, as long as they were getting the job done?

      She gathered her things from the table and with a heavy heart, headed toward her desk. Her stomach didn’t feel so good.

      “Hey, Ellie, are you okay?” Jax wanted to know.

      She turned. “Oh, I’m fine.” She rubbed her temple. “I’ve just had a rough morning.”

      “So I’ve heard,” he said with a smirk.

      She didn’t feel like being the brunt of a joke just now. Throwing him a weak smile, she continued on. He followed.

      “I tried to get together with you and tell you about the computer system, but every time I set up a meeting, something came up, remember?”

      She nodded. “It’s all right.” She didn’t have the strength to argue. Her stomach rumbled like Mount St. Helens. A queasy feeling followed. Really queasy. “I’m sorry, Jax, I don’t feel so good.” She dropped her things at her desk and made her way to the bathroom.

      Just in time.