Love Under Construction

by Britney M. Mills

“Oh, good. Becca, there you are. Do you have time to help me with the decorations for the Founder’s Day Festival?” The woman who’d introduced herself as Susie before the subdivision meeting stood to Becca’s right, trying to send Colton vibes he wasn’t feeling. She reminded him too much of the women who hung around Adam at the company parties, and Colton didn’t want to give any indication of interest.

  “You’ll be fine. Just let me know what flowers you need, and we’ll go from there. Don’t you need to be setting up for the wedding tomorrow?” Becca’s tone came out irritated, and as much as Colton tried to read what was going on between the two of them, he couldn’t figure out their relationship.

  “Larissa only bought her dress from me. Her mom hired some out-of-town designer, so I’m trying to get a jump start on the festival.”

  Becca nodded, turning her attention back to the fountain.

  Something about this interaction was off as Becca’s figure grew stiff against the back of the bench. But maybe Colton didn’t know her well enough yet to figure it all out.

  She’d sat on the bench, trying to figure out what to wish for. It had been so long since she’d hoped for anything for herself, mostly just that things wouldn’t change from the easy-going pace it had been for the last few months. Knowing herself, she’d finally wished that she could be happy no matter what changed in the next few months.

  Of all the times Susie could pop up, why did it have to be right now? The night had been close to magical, and while Becca wasn’t sure she trusted all the emotions flowing through her, she’d had a feeling that Colton was starting to like her a bit.

  As much as she tried to tamp down those feelings, a giddiness flowed through her. He’d pulled her closer, helping her warm up a bit against the wind. Maybe she should have said she needed to get home since it was getting late and colder. But she found she wanted whatever it was she was feeling to last a bit longer.

  Now, with Susie standing there in her perfect outfit and runway-ready hairstyle, Becca realized her chances were slim. Susie had admitted the other day how she had her eye on the stranger, and Becca was bound to come out on the losing end. Not that she was bad-looking, but flirting wasn’t something she was a master at.

  Susie had taken over the assignment of directing the Founder’s Day Festival this year, giving Becca a break after the last four years. Becca was grateful for the extra time. Or, she had been until Mr. Carpenter came to town.

  Susie shook her head. “No, seriously, we’re in trouble. I’ll admit it. There’s a lot of pressure since you pulled it off without a hitch for so long. Can you please just give me your opinion on a few things? Your eye for placement and style is flawless.”

  Heat brushed up Becca’s neck, and she made sure to avoid eye contact with Colton. Being good at things outside of making money had been something Peter thought was a waste of time. He’d enjoyed it the first year he’d come to the festival, but once he got his job with the big construction company in Denver, all he ever talked about was work. Was that when he’d begun to change? With the new job?

  Shaking her head, Becca knew now was not the time to dissect her past relationship.

  “I don’t know what I can do to help, Susie. You have some great skills for planning events too. I mean, you plan weddings. Those are way more intense than the town festival.” Becca was surprised the words came out of her mouth, but she realized they were true. Susie had a natural flair for things that came easily enough for Becca, but she was able to capitalize on it enough to create a wonderland.

  Susie bent over and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a standing position. “Just indulge me, please. I know how big of a deal this is to the town, and I don’t want to ruin it. I need someone to bounce ideas off of, and Marcy Baker hasn’t shown up once.” The girl stuck out her bottom lip and clasped her hands together.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll help you. Just stop whining.” Becca nodded in Colton’s direction, mostly to politely say goodbye.

  “I can come help too if you need.” Colton’s voice floated over Becca’s shoulder, and she turned and gave him a look of exasperation. If he thought he was helping, he wasn’t. This was probably exactly what Susie had hoped for, that he’d tag along and fall for her charms.

  But then again, maybe it would be better for him to spend time with Susie. Then Becca could seal her heart back up and not worry about falling for the wrong guy once again. The one who’d tell her everything she wanted to hear, only to leave her humiliated in front of the entire town.

  “Perfect!” Susie cried, fluttering her long eyelashes a bit more than normal. “The more the merrier.”

  The Community Rec Building was only a block away, but Susie kept pulling on Becca’s arm so hard she felt as if they were sprinting to get there. Colton just chuckled as he strolled next to her, hands in his pockets and looking more than attractive at the moment. Becca whipped her head around to make sure he wasn’t in her peripheral anymore, hoping to quell her thoughts by focusing on the decorations.

  They walked inside, and Becca was surprised to find it so empty. “Have you checked on all the decorations in the shed? I made sure we had each box labeled and put together on the shelves to make it easier to find this year.”

  “There’s a shed for your town festival decorations?” Colton’s eyebrow lifted like she was crazy.

  “You laugh now, but just wait until you see what we’re in for. If you’re here long enough for the festival, that is.” Becca couldn’t help but tap him on the chest with the back of her hand. The hardness of his chest caused her to bite her lower lip. She should probably make a rule to avoid touching him at all costs if she was going to keep from being hurt.

  “When’s the festival?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, making his muscles stand out even more.

  Becca shook her head. “It’s, uh, in two weeks.”

  “I might just have to extend my stay no matter what the vote is. I’m curious to see what all the hype is about for this festival.”

  A group of butterflies took off in Becca’s stomach, and all she could do was smile and turn away. She shouldn’t be excited at that thought. What she needed was for him to go so she could walk around the town in peace, not having to guard her heart against the numberless charms and good qualities he had.

  Becca knew how excited people got for the festival, and it was one reason she was relieved not to have to worry about it this year. There were several paintings and sculptures displayed every year as tradition for some reason or another. Every once in a while, a few new pieces were put up, but for the most part, it was up to the planner and her committee to decorate the cultural hall.

  “Okay, Susie. What are you thinking?”

  Susie’s eyes went wide, and she bit her nail, looking around the room. “I was thinking we can have a big time frame set aside for singing and acting. I know we always have the town choir sing in the evening, but why not have some slots earlier to allow people to do a solo or sing with a group? There are several good actors and readers, and I thought we’d give them the chance to display those talents.”

  Becca’s initial reaction was no, seeing as how they hadn’t done that kind of thing in the past. But a few people popped into her mind, and she knew they would love this opportunity. “I think that would be really fun. Where are you planning to put the food?”

  The girl moved into action, walking to the middle of the room. “I was thinking about putting up folding walls or something to divide the room here in the middle. There would be an opening so people can still hear the performances, but that way, the tables won’t be scattered throughout the entire hall. The food will be over at the far end, near the kitchen, and the displays will be against the wall.”

  All of it sounded pretty good to Becca, and she wished she’d thought of it in years past.

  “The biggest change I want to make is that once dinner is over, we’ll have people gather up the chairs in front of the stage so we can have a dance.”

  Sw
allowing hard, Becca squeaked out, “A dance?”

  “Yes, I think it would be so fun. After playing all day with the parade and events, we could have a dance for the adults.”

  “What about the kids?” Colton’s words caused Becca to turn toward him, surprised he voiced the same thing she was about to.

  Susie smiled. “I’ve already talked to some of the younger teenage girls, and they’d be hanging out with the kids in the large rooms upstairs. Adults can have a night out and not have to worry about babysitting.”

  Becca laughed. “Girl, I don’t know what you needed me for. It sounds like you’ve got the night covered.”

  “You think it will be okay?” The insecurity in the woman’s eyes caused Becca’s heart to soften toward her somewhat.

  Reaching out a hand, she placed it on Susie’s shoulder. “I think it’ll be great. Keeping traditions from the past and starting some fun new ones. The town will love it.”

  Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Becca turned and saw Colton at the door. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve got to take this call, but I’ll head over to Tanner’s store and pick up some stuff tomorrow to make the bifold walls, unless you’ve already got them stashed in that shed of yours.”

  Susie clapped her hands together. “Oh, that would be perfect. I hadn’t quite figured out that part yet.”

  Becca frowned. “Wait, you know Tanner?”

  Colton turned to look at her and gave her a half-smile. “I’m a builder. The hardware store is to me as the mall is to most girls.” He winked before walking out the door.

  Becca stood there, stunned, staring at the door as if he would come back in at any moment. Why couldn’t the somersaults in her stomach stop? When he’d said he was trying to get to know people in town, she’d thought it was some line to get her to trust him. Maybe there was something a little different about him than she’d originally thought. She wished it didn’t interest her as much as it did, and the differences between Colton and Peter seemed to diverge more and more every time she and Colton were together.

  Wrapping one arm around Susie, Becca said, “I think this will be our best year yet, Susie. Are there some decorations you need to create in the next week or two?”

  Susie smiled and stared at the door. “Yes, most of it is in the back conference room. He’s a looker, isn’t he?”

  It took a moment for Becca to make the jump from decorations back to Colton. Her ears burned, and she licked her lips, hoping to bring back some of the moisture. “If you like that type of guy, yeah, I guess he is.”

  “What are you talking about? Besides a few changes in his face, he’s basically the body double for Peter.”

  Becca winced and turned, pretending to pick up a piece of paper from the ground. She’d hoped everyone had forgotten about Peter, even though she tortured herself almost daily with thoughts of him, the what-might-have-beens and what she would have changed had she seen the signs sooner. But at least she hadn’t wasted her life married to the guy. At least he’d saved her from that.

  Turning around, Becca lifted her chin a bit. “Maybe my taste in men has changed. I’m going for blonds now.”

  Susie scrunched her face like she didn’t quite believe her, but she didn’t say anything more, for which Becca was grateful.

  Appearance-wise, Susie had hit it on the head. Body type and hair color, even eye color, were the same. Colton’s nose wasn’t as sharp as Peter’s, and his jaw looked more firm.

  Just another reason to avoid him as much as possible. Getting involved with a guy like that would only end up with her heart in pieces again.

  Chapter 14

  Tanner knew exactly what they needed when Colton explained the concept Saturday afternoon. He’d tried to get an early start, but it seemed the only thing that stayed open during a town event like a wedding was the grocery store.

  “That’ll be a nice change,” Tanner said. “Becca made some good changes when she first took over, but the town can’t handle too many at once, especially with a time-honored tradition like the Founder’s Day Festival.”

  Curious, Colton asked, “What did Becca change about it?”

  “Everything, if you think back over the four years since she took it over. We used to play Bingo and have a two-hour program about the founding of Sage Creek. She was able to condense it down to a ten-minute program and then made it so we have raffles and other contests. My favorite is the pie contest. If you can be a judge of that, you’ll be in heaven.”

  With a grin, Colton nodded. There hadn’t been many pies he didn’t like.

  He took the bag Tanner handed him, waving goodbye as he walked out of the hardware store. He drove his truck around back where he loaded the pieces of wood he would need to create the bifold walls.

  When he arrived at the center, he unloaded the supplies, bringing them into the building and leaning them to one side. He heard talking and moved to the doorway on the far wall, finding the girls tangled up in tulle and ribbon.

  “Oh, you were so fast!” Susie said, batting her eyes at him. He had to hold in a laugh as her eyelashes looked more like a butterfly flapping its wings than anything attractive to him.

  “I think I have all the supplies needed for the bifold walls. When do you need them done by?”

  “Before the festival in two weeks. Will you have time to finish them before you leave us?”

  With a nod, he said, “They won’t be too hard to build. I’m not the best painter in the world, so if you want something other than the color of those boards out there, you’ll have to figure that one out yourself.”

  “That should be fine. One less thing on the list if I don’t have to paint.” Susie laughed, tying a piece of ribbon around a large section of tulle. “You don’t have to work on them tonight. It’s already late afternoon.”

  Becca walked into the large room, pieces of fabric slung over her shoulder and something else in her hand. When she saw him, she gave him a warm smile. “I didn’t see you at the wedding this morning. Did you do anything fun?” She looked back at the fabric in her hand, pulling a needle and thread through it.

  She took a seat at the table where Susie was working, pulling the fabric a bit tighter to make a ruffle. Unfolding a chair against the wall, Colton took a seat at the table, watching as Becca’s fingers moved with ease. “I took a little hike behind the pond. It’s beautiful up there. Is there something I can do to help you two?” he asked, looking between the women.

  Susie smiled. “Sit there and talk to us. What do you like to do besides building back in Denver?”

  Colton wasn’t sure what to say. His life had become building, and since he didn’t have any family close, he didn’t feel guilty about working late. Until he arrived in Sage Creek, that is. It seemed like he should have ten extracurricular activities, or so the people had commented.

  “Not much. In the winter, I coach junior hockey for one of the clubs there.”

  “You must be so good with kids. I wouldn’t know the first thing to say to them. I’m not good at motivational speaking.” Susie stroked her hand up and down his arm.

  He moved, trying not to whip his limb out of her grasp, and leaned back in his chair, intertwining his fingers and resting them behind his head. “I don’t know about that. It’s more fun for me to be there.”

  Susie finished tying the next ribbon and said, “Did you play in high school or college?”

  “High school,” he said quickly. This was turning down a road he wasn’t used to, but they may as well know now.

  “Hockey’s fun to watch. I went to a few games when I was in college.” Becca gave him a half-smile, and he felt like his insides were ablaze.

  Susie’s head whipped back in his direction. “Where did you go to college, Colton?”

  “I, uh, didn’t go anywhere. I started working in construction my senior year of high school and found I loved it.”

  Becca looked up, a curious expression on her face before her focus turned bac
k to the fabric in her hands. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke up, a determined expression causing Colton’s attraction for her to grow in a leap.

  “There’s something about finding something you love and being able to support yourself with it.” She grinned at him before looking back to the project in her lap.

  He couldn’t agree more. But along with that, he was beginning to realize that even though he loved his job, he was missing someone to love. Thinking over his occupation, he noted that by becoming a project manager, he’d have the freedom to stay in one place more often than as a finish carpenter. But he’d only get that job if he was able to secure the subdivision in Sage Creek.

  He and Becca hadn’t talked much about it over the past couple of days, and he wondered if her feelings toward the subdivision had changed at all. His heart was more open to the idea of love than it had been in probably his entire life, but he was falling for a girl who would be hurt by him getting his promotion.

  He took a breath and blew out, trying to relax. Nothing was certain until the vote on Wednesday, so he might as well not let his mind get out of control just yet.

  Chapter 15

  Becca was surprised to hear Colton admit he coached little league hockey. Somehow it fit, and a part of her warmed to the idea, especially when she thought that he did it for fun, without a boy on the team. And then the fact that he already knew Tanner. Colton was surprising her around every turn.

  “We should head to Grillo’s for dinner,” Susie suggested as they wrapped up for the night. She piled the decorations on the table and put her scissors back in the bag on the floor.

  “What’s Grillo’s?” Colton asked, picking up several scraps of ribbon on the table and placing them in his palm.

  Susie’s face beamed. “It’s this great restaurant and bar just down the highway. It’ll be the perfect place to celebrate getting things back on track.”

  Becca watched Susie, who watched Colton, and then turned so the girl wouldn’t see her smirk. It was obvious she was going for the builder, and even though a small tug of jealousy pulled at Becca’s chest thinking about it, she knew it was better that than falling for the guy only to find out he liked someone else.