Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  Sweat

  Sweetbriar Lake Series, Book 1

  Rebecca Jenshak

  Blue Tulip Publishing

  www.bluetulippublishing.com

  Copyright © 2017 REBECCA JENSHAK

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  SWEAT

  Copyright © 2017 REBECCA JENSHAK

  ISBN-10: 1-946061-15-8

  ISBN-13: 978-1-946061-15-7

  Cover Art by Jena Brignola

  Formatting by Jill Sava, Love Affair With Fiction

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Front Matter

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  About The Author

  Acknowledgements

  Also From Blue Tulip Publishing

  For my grandfather, G.E. Moneymaker, whose writing continues to inspire me.

  PROLOGUE

  ELLE SHOVED THE last few items from her laundry basket into her already overstuffed suitcase and tugged at the zipper with every ounce of the anger and frustration she had been holding back. It didn’t budge, which was par for the course for how her week was going.

  The week had started out well. Great, actually. She’d graduated law school, been offered her dream job working as a junior associate for a large law firm in Kansas City, and had found a cute apartment to rent. Everything was coming together just the way she’d always planned.

  Graduate law school. Check.

  Find future husband. Check.

  That left only two items on her life-goal checklist.

  Make partner.

  Live happily ever after.

  She’d felt those two were as good as done, too, until she’d found out via Facebook that the man she’d lined up for the role of her future husband was making out with a freshman at a frat party. Rule number one of being a lying, cheating, scumbag: Make sure no one tags you in online photos when you’re making out with someone that isn’t your girlfriend.

  “Here, let me help you with that.” Brock shifted his weight to press down on the overflowing case with a large, muscular arm. He closed the black case then stepped back, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

  Well, at least the lying, cheating scumbag had the decency to look upset. She mumbled her thanks. It would help if she actually disliked him as much as she wanted. She kept waiting for the hate to kick in. She was mad at him. She was disappointed. But try as she might, oh and she’d tried, hence the lying-cheating-scumbag nickname, she didn’t hate him.

  “Look, I know you’re still pissed, but don’t go to Sweetbriar and throw away everything you’ve worked for just to get away from me.”

  “I’m not.” She huffed, pulling the final suitcase to the floor and rolling it to the door next to the others.

  The last three years of her life were packed up and ready for the thousand-mile journey out of Phoenix.

  “Besides, my parents have a friend there who owns a private law firm. He’s supposed to be a pretty big deal.”

  “Elle.” Brock cocked an eyebrow, his disapproval apparent. “The population of Sweetbriar is like ten thousand.”

  Five thousand, actually, but she kept that to herself.

  “No matter how good he is, you aren’t going to be working on any big, high-profile cases while you’re there.”

  She plastered a smile on her face and said the same thing she’d been saying since she’d agreed to take a temp job in the small-town of Sweetbriar, Missouri. “It’s gonna be great.”

  Brock stepped forward and ran his hands down her arms until he was holding her hands in his. She blocked the instincts that were screaming at her to forgive him, throw herself into his arms, and go back to their original plan of moving to Kansas City together.

  “I’m giving you this time because you said it’s what you need, but know that I want you in Kansas City with me.”

  Damn, she made the mistake of looking directly into his eyes. She’d been avoiding eye contact for days. She’d been avoiding him for days. She knew too much time in his presence, particularly gazing into his turquoise eyes, and she would give in to her desire to pretend the last week hadn’t happened. Her life would be so much simpler if she could.

  She didn’t want to want him. She wanted to laugh in his pretty face and tell him there was no way she’d ever take him back. Instead, she nodded and allowed herself only to think the ridiculous and cheesy thought she’d had since she’d altered her life path to put some distance between them.

  She would be waiting for him.

  Waiting for him to realize just how much he’d messed up. Waiting for him to actually apologize for what he’d done.

  She was confident that, with a few hundred miles between them, he would realize how great she was, how great they were, and come riding into Sweetbriar to sweep her off her feet so they could have their happily ever after.

  A girl could hope.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Six Months Later…

  JULIA BARGED INTO the small office and closed the door. Elle had known it was only a matter of time before Julia stalked in demanding a run-down of the weekend activities, or lack thereof.

  She plopped herself down on the corner of Elle’s desk and thrust a stack of papers haphazardly in front of her. “How was the romantic weekend with Brock?”

  Elle sighed and immediately straightened the papers into a tidy pile, matching several others, on her desk. “He had to reschedule.”

  She refused to look up, but Julia’s gasp was enough to picture her shocked face. At least one of them was still surprised by Brock’s flakiness.

  “That asshole stood you up again?” Julia asked with just a hint of the Southern drawl she tried so hard to hide.

  She forced herself to meet Julia’s intrusive gaze as she delivered her rehearsed line. “He didn’t stand me up. Something came up at work.” She hoped she’d applied enough concealer to hide her puffy eyes. The last thing she wanted was pity. It was mortifying enough admitting she’d been stood up to someone like Julia. Julia had probably never been stood up in her life, and if she had, the man probably had moved across state lines to avoid her wrath.

  Julia stood and crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up over the neckline of her low-cut dress. “After all the effort you went through to book the boathouse for the weekend, and you’re still defending him?”

  “It wasn’t that much effort,” Elle mumbled as she shuffled through the new stack of papers on her desk: a divorce petition, assets for a property-settlement agreement, and a handwritten, two-sided, thank-you note from a client she’d helped draft a last will and testament.

  She’d known coming to Sweetbriar that working at a sma
ll-town private firm was going to be different than the job offer she’d turned down, but the cases were even simpler than she’d imagined. Working for one of the most respected and distinguished private lawyers in the state of Missouri, Elle thought she’d have a chance to make a difference, help people in a real and meaningful way. Not mediate divorce settlements and help the elderly get their affairs in order.

  A knock at the door, followed by her boss’s head leaning in with a hesitant smile, saved Elle from Julia’s inquisition. “Elle, do you have a moment?”

  Clive Morgan motioned with his head to the hallway and Elle stood, running a hand over her skirt to smooth out a few errant wrinkles, and followed him across the hall.

  Clive’s office was large, spanning almost half of the one-story building. Elle took a moment to explore the recent changes as she entered his office, which had changed décor more times than Elle could count in the six months she had been working for him.

  The smell of fresh paint clung to the walls, and plastic runners still covered parts of the carpet. The office had been painted navy blue with heavy white moldings around the floor and ceiling. Black-and-white photographs of the town of Sweetbriar were framed and hung around the office.

  Elle sat in one of the two large, brown leather chairs placed against the window that overlooked the quaint downtown area. Only the heavy, wooden desk that Clive sat behind remained unchanged in the many updates.

  In his early forties, Clive was a tall and broad man with a full head of distinguished salt and pepper hair. He had built the law firm from the ground up, and now it was one of the most successful private firms in the state of Missouri.

  Clive loosened his tie and leaned back in his chair. “As you know, the Show Me Law Ball is coming up in a few weeks. As the host firm, we are in charge of all the details. I’ve got Julia handling the invite list, and Amanda is working with The Lake House on the food and decorations. You and I may need to pitch in as it gets closer to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

  Elle nodded enthusiastically and held back the smile that dared to break out on her face.

  “Is there anything else I can do to help?”

  She was thrilled about the ball. It would be a great opportunity to talk to other firms and shop around for a new job. She had already been in Sweetbriar longer than she’d planned.

  Clive ran a hand through his thick hair as he shook his head. “On that note, I know this was a temporary arrangement while you looked for a job at a larger firm, but I’ve grown rather fond of having someone to share the workload. The ball will be a great opportunity for you to talk with people from some of the best firms in Missouri, but I’d also like you to know I’d be thrilled to have you stay on here. You’re a damn fine lawyer,” Clive said as he flashed a big, white smile.

  Julia appeared in the doorway, a large basket in her hands. “Clive, you have a call on line two, and these are a thank-you gift from Betty,” she said, setting the basket down on Clive’s desk.

  Elle’s stomach growled loudly as she breathed in the sweet smell of sugar and blueberries.

  “I’ll take it, Julia. And Elle, think about what I said.” Clive pulled back the cloth covering the basket revealing a heaping mound of muffins. He gestured for Elle to take one as he picked up the phone.

  “Thank you, sir,” Elle whispered as she grabbed a muffin. She crossed the office floor to her own small office with Julia on her heels.

  “Still leaving us, huh?”

  Elle knew, without looking, Julia was sticking her bottom lip out giving her best pouty face. She sat at her desk and peeked up at Julia. Yep, there was the pouty face. She looked around the empty office. It was a stark contrast to Clive’s well-decorated and inviting space. It hadn’t made sense to decorate an office she wasn’t planning on occupying for long.

  “You were aware this was only temporary. I want to live and work in the city.”

  “Yeah, I know. You’re way too important for our little ole law firm,” Julia said with mock condescension. “Now, tell me more about Brock and his lame excuses.” She started to shut the door behind her.

  The main office phone rang out from Julia’s desk, and she let out a small huff before hustling to her desk to answer it.

  Elle turned back to her to-do list and added another item to the bottom.

  “I swear she gets more calls than anyone else, and she doesn’t even work here,” Julia grumbled as she returned to Elle’s side a moment later.

  “Amanda?”

  Elle knew the answer. They had each shared their confusion on why she insisted on treating the office like her personal hangout. Clive’s girlfriend, Amanda, was an interior decorator with hardly any clients and a lot of time on her hands. She had good taste, though, if Clive’s revolving showroom-of-an-office was any indicator.

  Julia nodded and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “It’s pitiful how she sits and waits for him all day. Shoot me if I ever become so pathetic.”

  Elle shrugged. She had thought the same thing, but she wasn’t about to question the boss’s girlfriend.

  Not unlikable, Amanda was sweet, beautiful, and incredibly poised. She sometimes went out for a spa day or had lunch with friends, but always returned to the office in time to ride home with Clive. Aside from the constant string of décor changes, she stayed out of the way watching TV in the shared kitchen or holed up in the conference room when it wasn’t in use, but her constant presence in the small firm was odd.

  “Hey, do you have the RSVP list for the ball? I want to see who is coming,” Elle asked casually, fidgeting with the hemline of her skirt.

  “You mean you want to see if Brock is coming.” Julia rolled her eyes but walked over and grabbed a piece of paper from her desk. She handed it to Elle without looking at the list.

  “His dad’s firm goes every year. I’m sure he will be there.” Elle scanned the list, quickly searching for his name. “There he is, Brock Macarthy,” she whispered in an unsteady voice, pointing to his name. Her hands shook visibly. She was finally going to see him.

  “And are we glad that he is going to be there or not?” Julia studied her carefully through narrowed eyes.

  Elle let out a deep breath. “I’m not sure.”

  “I think you should be excited.” Julia grabbed the paper from Elle’s hands and waved it in the air. “This is a chance to show that bastard what he has been missing out on. You’re a catch, Elle Hastings.”

  Elle slumped in her chair and picked up the blueberry muffin she’d taken from Clive’s office; she peeled the wrapper as her mouth watered. “Ha! I gained a good five pounds in the breakup, and every time I get near him, I fall back into old habits, letting him walk all over me.”

  “Don’t tell me you let him talk you into Skype sex again. You are so bad, Elle,” Julia said with a wicked grin.

  Elle felt her face grow warm. She was mortified that she had confessed so much to a coworker. Elle made a mental note to either keep in better contact with her friends back in Phoenix or make new friends in Sweetbriar. She was in desperate need of more girl time.

  “Well, my vote is you show up looking fabulous, maybe with a hot date on your arm, and make him regret cheating on you and breaking your heart.”

  Elle shook her head as she stuffed a piece of muffin in her mouth. It was an accurate overview of what had happened, but hearing it made her want to devour a dozen more muffins. Still, the idea of showing up to the ball looking irresistible had potential. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity she had been waiting for. She could win Brock back and land a new job all in one night.

  “Well, in case you change your mind or just want to prepare for the next Skype session…”

  Julia pressed a few buttons on her phone, and Elle’s cell buzzed on her desk. She opened the text to display a name and number.

  “What is this?” Elle asked, unable to keep the concern from her voice.

  Her stomach was in knots, as she ran through the possibilities and assumed Julia was
trying to set her up. Elle enjoyed talking with Julia at work and getting drinks at the occasional happy hour, but she steered clear of Julia’s circle outside of work. Wherever Julia went, trouble was sure to follow.

  Julia rolled her eyes at Elle’s worried expression. “Relax, it’s the name and number of my trainer.”

  “Fit Club? We’ve been over this. That is so not my scene.”

  Julia had been pushing her to join Fit Club since she had started working for Clive. Elle had to admit Julia looked amazing with her long, sculpted legs and toned arms, and men in Sweetbriar and several counties over were knocking on her door for a date.

  Fit Club seemed a little out of her league. According to Julia’s daily plugs for the local gym, it had become a hot spot for young professionals of Sweetbriar and the surrounding small towns. Elle’s palms were sweaty just thinking about walking into the gym among all the beautiful and fit people.

  “Just go! You’ll thank me later.” Julia waved with a perfectly manicured hand. “I’ll set everything up and send you the details. I’m walking away before you can say no,” Julia sing-songed as she sashayed out of the office.

  Elle’s calendar pinged, reminding her she was having lunch with her mother at the country club. One of the best parts of moving to Sweetbriar was living in the same town as her parents again.

  Elle’s father had grown up here in the small community, but his career as a chemical engineer had taken him to Phoenix where Elle was born and raised. She’d gone to school in-state to stay close to her parents, but in her final year of law school, they’d announced they were retiring and moving back to the small Midwest town.

  Elle strolled through the downtown square to the side street where she’d parked. The cobblestone streets were filled with lunchtime activity. There was a line out the door at the Taco Shop, the only sit-down food joint downtown, and shoppers were bustling in and out of the tiny stores and businesses that lined Main Street.

  It wasn’t the glamorous work environment she’d pictured when she decided to go to law school, but if she didn’t look too hard, she could almost imagine it was a small cutout of a big city neighborhood.