My Missing Puzzle Piece (Creekside Falls #1)

by Kristin Hoepfl

  The first time Elle worked for Trevor she came to respect him and his company, she liked the employees that she met, and more importantly, she liked him. He was adorable, nice, and everything else she wanted, except he never made time for her so in turn she became more distant and less friendly with him to prove that she didn’t need him to notice her. Her experience with men was limited since she only had three boyfriends. There was Rob, the guy she dated in high school; he was a friend before they started dating. They went out for a few months but she could never see him as more than a friend. She felt a ‘special’ connection to him as her high school boyfriend, something she didn’t take lightly. They dated from May to November their junior and senior year. They went to prom together, mainly because neither had anyone else to go with. The second guy was Andy, they met sophomore year of college in Business Ethics but it was basically over before it even started. The last guy, Tom was a serious boyfriend and that relationship lasted almost a year, but he hurt her. He broke up with her to date an old friend of hers, right after he and Elle started sleeping together. The worst part was that she thought he could have been ‘the one’ but it turned into a giant clusterfuck instead of happily ever after. She never thought she’d find a guy she needed that way again, let alone want to take the leap with, emotionally, until she met Trevor.

  Elle walked across to Taylor’s office. Taylor was her best friend since forever; she was staring intently at her computer.

  “What’s up? And why do you look more pale than usual?” Taylor asked as she looked up from her work.

  Elle ignored Taylor’s pale comment since her friend always picked on her for being so pale, not that Taylor was much darker. Elle’s forehead puckered and she said, “I just got off the phone.”

  “I know I heard you talking.” Then silence for a second, before Taylor said, “spit it out already you’re killing me.”

  “It was Trevor Cavanaugh, he just hired us again. I have a meeting with him on Monday morning.”

  “What?! The Trevor you couldn’t stop talking about when he was a client last time and have brought up on more than one occasion since?” Taylor said with a huge smile.

  “Yep that’s the one,” Elle said as she sank back into a chair in Taylor’s office.

  “Well I’ll be damned. Maybe you two will be able to pull your heads out of your asses long enough to give it a shot this time.”

  Elle laughed but had to agree with Taylor and just said, “Yeah, maybe...” then she thought about it a minute and gave Taylor a doubtful look when she remembered what his employees said about his record with women, he was a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy.

  Taylor said, “Don’t give me that look! I know what you heard about him since you harped about it at the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s true or the whole story. Give him a chance.”

  After talking to Elle earlier in the day Trevor decided that, he would take a much-needed break and go out on a Thursday for beers with his friends. The guys asked him to join them all the time but he rarely did because his schedule was all over the place. He didn’t have a normal nine-to-five job. Trevor met up with a few buddies, including his best friend Jake, who had been in the Air Force until about two years ago; he was working with Trevor, he said, until he found something else. Trevor was happy to have him home and working with him for however long Jake wanted. He was also the only one Trevor ever mentioned Elle to; he was glad he’d be there; a night out with friends would give him something to help clear his head. His other friends Sam and Drew were going to be there as well. They were meeting at McDuckers, their regular bar.

  Elle was thankful she already had plans for that night; talking to Trevor earlier in the day had made her crazy. She was going to Taylor’s place; they usually had dinner at each other’s house every Thursday. They had been close since high school, even though they’d had different groups of friends. Taylor was friends with everyone but Elle was shy so she kept to herself more. Taylor was Elle’s business partner, consultant and go-to person for everything. She had a degree in nursing but didn’t have luck on the job front so did a one-eighty and was now with Elle. Everyone loved Taylor, which didn’t surprise Elle one bit and helped with client relations. Elle thought about their friendship and how much they’d been through and was glad they still had each other; it meant the world to her. Since Taylor was more outgoing than Elle, they balanced each other out pretty well.

  When Trevor got to the bar he saw Jake right away sitting on his usual barstool with his usual beer, Miller Lite. Jake was usually early for things and he definitely didn’t like it if someone was late, it must have been something he got from his time in the Air Force because he wasn’t like that before he joined the military, now Jake was a “time is of the essence type of guy”.

  He walked up and took the seat next to Jake. “Hey buddy how long you been here?” Trevor said to Jake.

  “Hey, just long enough to get myself a beer.” As he tilted his beer Trevor’s way.

  The bartender saw Trevor and asked, “What’ll it be?”

  Trevor said, “Same as him,” as he pointed to Jake then asked, “Need another one?”

  Jake said, “Nope I’m good for now but thanks.”

  Once Trevor had his beer he glanced at his watch and noticed his other friends were late, he turned to Jake and said, “Where are Sam and Drew, they’re late. They usually beat me places.”

  Jake turned and said, “Yeah, you think they forgot?”

  “Nope, I think their just running late; I mean I hope that’s what it is. It’d be a shitty thing if they bailed and didn’t say a word. But since they’re not here yet I want to ask you something.”

  “Yeah sure, what’s up? Everything okay?” Jake asked taking a sip of his beer.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Trevor said as the bartender brought him his. “Okay well, no I guess everything’s not fine, I called Elle this morning about something at work and starting Monday she’ll be at the office for a while and I don’t know what to do man.”

  “You did? Why, what’s going on that you needed to hire her? Is this a good idea after the way she made you bat-shit crazy for her last time?” Jake said with a smirk and took a pull from his beer.

  Trevor let out a deep breath and took a long gulp of his beer before explaining to Jake. “Someone is messing with the schedules so guys aren’t showing up to jobs. I don’t know who it could be but it will hurt business big-time, thankfully it hasn’t yet, so I called her in. I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not because she’s been on my mind and the thought of seeing her again has me both nervous and excited. Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?!”

  “Dude…..”Jake said as he just drank from his beer. “You got it bad, but I guess you have no choice, she and her partner seem to be the best around at helping business owners deal with this kind of problem. How long has this been going on? Who do you think would do that?” Trevor shook his head that he didn’t know as he took a swig of his beer, Jake offered, “I haven’t had any problems with my schedules, but if you need anything from me, let me know.”

  Trevor nodded at his friends offer. “It’s been going on a few weeks that I can tell; thought I’d get a handle on it but apparently not. I appreciate the offer, if I need you to help me out I’ll let you know.”

  Jake thought back to earlier that day when he saw Becky on the phone at her desk with the scheduling module on her screen. It looked like she was clicking on dates and names and moving them around but he wasn’t sure. She did have reason to look at the schedule, especially if someone was asking about an appointment. He wasn’t sure if he should mention it to Trevor but figured to let it go for now, he couldn’t imagine Becky ever doing anything to hurt Trevor. Everyone but Trevor knew she had a thing for him.

  Trevor let out a slow breath, “I do have it bad don’t I? I have no idea what I am going to do,” he said in an annoyed tone.

  “I think you just need to play it out and see where you both end up and
how things roll with you guys, because when she’s not being bitchy I think she could be good for you and you for her. Just let it happen and try not to over think it. I’m here to listen if you want.”

  “Thanks. I’ll probably need to vent since I can’t her outta’ my head and if I do I’ll give you a call, no need to suffer alone.” Trevor said with a grinned around his beer and he finished it off.

  “Gee thanks man,” Jake said with a grin of his own.

  With that, Sam and Drew showed up. Time for guys’ night to begin and he was definitely ready for the distraction.

  Elle drove from her place to Taylor’s for their weekly dinner with her mind all over the place but mainly on Trevor. She was extremely frazzled; she almost forgot the wine and dessert she was bringing. As she walked up the path to Taylor’s apartment she was even more glad than usual to be spending the night with her best friend.

  She knocked on the door and Taylor swung it open and gave her a big hug, “You’re here, good. The food just got done let’s eat.” Taylor said as she practically dragged Elle inside.

  “Good I’m starving!” Elle said trailing behind Taylor on the way to the kitchen.

  After they finished Taylor’s homemade lasagna and half a bottle of wine, Taylor looked at her friend and asked, “Ok, what’s the deal with Trevor?”

  Elle nearly choked on her sip of wine, she slowly swallowed and said, “Honestly, I don’t know. Its his business, well that’s why he called but….”

  “But what?” Taylor asked.

  “He didn’t seem interested in me last time but I was in him…still am and now he calls needing help so I have to see him. It’s just a situation I’d rather I wasn’t in.”

  “Didn’t you say last time you were mean to him though? Ever think that may be why he wasn’t interested or why he didn’t show it if he was?” Taylor asked.

  Elle just shot her a look but considered what she said. “I was but I couldn’t help it, it just happened, he didn’t seem to have time for me or what I was doing until the job was done, it made me aggravated. Plus it wasn’t my rudeness that made him not interested; he just wasn’t interested in me. I’m going to be nice this time, I promise and I’m not even going to discuss your last comment because it’ll get my head going and I’ve had enough of that for one day.”

  “Okay you be sure to do that and remember you’re awesome. I’m here if you need me, or any of my amazing advice.” Taylor said with a smirk.

  “Thanks. Amazing advice huh?” Elle said around a fit of laughter.

  “You know what? Fine pick on me but remember who you’ll turn to when you need help. Now let’s have some of that chocolate chip cake. It looks amazing!”

  Sunday night Elle was finishing up cleaning at her house when her phone rang, a quick glance at the caller ID showed it was Taylor. She answered, “Hey! How are you?”

  “Hey to you too. I’m good just got home and thought I’d give you a call. I wanted to say hi but also check in on you and see how you’re feeling about tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, but I’m okay I guess…nervous, worried, excited and…aw hell who am I kidding I am petrified and way too excited at the same time. That’s not okay is it?”

  “Sweetie, it is okay and given how you two were last time, so up and down, it’s natural. Just let it all play out and go from there. Try not to pull him out either, that won’t help anything. You’ve got this and it will be fine. You know I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks, I needed that big time. You’re the best. I’ll let you go but I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon when I get to the office.” Elle said before Taylor hung up.

  Trevor just finished walking his chocolate lab Bruiser, who definitely didn’t live up to his name…he wouldn’t have hurt a fly, when he heard his phone go off. He walked over and saw Jake texted him. He opened the message and read it; “Dude, good luck tomorrow. Give me a shout if you need me. It’s just a chick you can do this.” Trevor just smiled and shook his head at the screen; well he might need the luck so he’d take it where he could find it. He wrote back, “Thanks man. See you at the Sullivan job tomorrow afternoon.”

  onday morning rolled around, after what seemed to be the fastest weekend either one of them had in a long time. It was a gorgeous early April morning; sunny and warm with a slight breeze -spring was officially blowing in. However, it had already been a long morning for Elle and Trevor, who were both awake and functioning way before dawn thanks to the day they had ahead of them. Despite the magnificent weather neither seemed happy. Elle couldn’t even eat breakfast she was so nervous. The time had come for them to face each other and see if the spark was still there.

  Trevor was running late for work somehow despite being up for so long. He did manage to make time for a run, which was something he tried to do with Bruiser every morning, but he couldn’t always squeeze it in. Even though he was the boss he hated running late. He thought it would send a bad message to his guys. His head was just all over the place today -- thanks to Elle.

  Elle pulled up to Trevor’s office building. The outside of the building looked the same except this time the trees were getting their leaves back and the flowers were starting to bloom. She wondered if Trevor did the landscaping for his own office building. His company took up the entire first floor of a five-story building; he needed the space for his current and future employees. Last time they worked together he had only been in the space about six months. Elle remembered Trevor saying he loved the building and the location, since it was right across the street from the garage where they kept their company trucks and their equipment. The offices were painted an ivory color including Trevor’s office. The front desk was frosted glass and elevated to eye level, so no one would miss it. The front was all glass to allow the natural light inside and to display the landscape that created a picturesque view.

  Elle sat in her car in the parking lot for almost a half hour steeling herself for what was to come, good thing she was early for their 8:30 meeting. She knew Trevor was here because she saw his truck parked two spots down in the parking lot. Elle made it a habit to arrive early for any meeting but today she did it to give herself time to gather her strength. The fear and nervousness at seeing him again made her body feel like lead.

  Trevor saw Elle’s car pull into the parking lot from his office window. He managed to get to work about five minutes before she pulled in, thank God. He checked his voicemails and emails, figuring she’d be there in a few minutes. Twenty minutes later he looked out and saw she was still sitting in her car. What was that about, why wasn’t she coming in? Finally he saw her get out of the car and head towards the building. He headed out of his office to meet her in the lobby. When he got to the front of the building, he saw her and thought she still looked just as good as he remembered…damn it. His heart started to pound in his chest while nerves fluttered through him, how did she manage to do that to him?

  As Elle got to the building’s entrance, her phone pinged, which meant she got an email. She glanced down to read it but continued to walk, right into someone. She was annoyed even though it was her fault; it was Trevor. Why did this keep happening? She really needed to stop walking and emailing. She cautiously stepped back and said, “Hi. Sorry about that…again.”

  Trevor looked slightly anxious probably because she seemed annoyed. He was surprised she even bothered to say “sorry” to him. “Hi. I saw you getting out of your car and figured I’d come meet you out here. How are you? How’s work going? I know you’re busy so thanks for coming on short notice.”

  “I’m good and work is going really well thanks. Not a problem, that’s my job. How are you?”

  He was surprised she asked how he was, given that she never gave even the slightest impression of caring before, hmmm. He just blinked for a second and then said, “I’m good. Just can’t believe this is happening but glad you were available and are here to fix it.”

  Elle who was slightly flushed, said curtly, “Then let’s get to it, lead the way.
” She couldn’t believe she just blushed in front him, she felt like an awkward twelve-year-old that couldn’t talk to boys. One look at Trevor and anyone would see he was far from a boy; he was all man. That thought turned the blush from slight to full on, nice job!

  “Okay, so I guess we’re done with the small talk.” Trevor murmured coolly to Elle as he turned to lead her in. He had misunderstood her flushed face for agitation, rather than embarrassment.

  She turned to follow Trevor inside and nearly stopped breathing because she smelled his incredible cologne, plus he looked amazing, even from behind. Plus she was mad at herself because she had already been rude to him, “Great job Elle, now he’ll really never see the real you and this is gonna be it,” she said angrily to herself. “You are going to have to be nice to him if you want him and if you want his business again.” When they walked through the doors Elle noticed Becky Nobel sitting behind the front desk, she smiled and waved to her but didn’t miss the glare in Becky’s eyes and the scowl on her face when she looked up and saw Elle behind Trevor.

  Trevor was aware of her presence behind him but was irritated that she started off by being short with him; he was also irritated at his attraction to her that was even more magnetic than before, how was that even possible? If they ever got together he’d probably spontaneously combust. He didn’t know why she was rude to him and he didn’t like him. He was definitely going to try and not only change that, but also find out why. He started to lead her towards his office but someone yelled Elle’s name. They both turned and he saw one of his guys heading their way.