She hadn’t thought about what she’d do tomorrow. She’d been focused on getting away, on putting as much distance between herself and Nick as possible. The picture of him standing in front of her, holding out a check, was burned into her brain.
She’d fled from the images and retreated to her condo on the North Side. Then she’d gathered empty boxes and forced herself to drive back downtown. She had to do this tonight. To make a clean break.
As she sorted through her drawers, she dropped her own belongings into a box and made a neat pile of office supplies on top of her desk. She focused carefully on the job to make sure she didn’t take anything that had come from the supply closet.
The last drawer held her files—plans for the buildings she’d worked on, the projects she had pending. As she thumbed through them, the names brought back memories. Working with Nick on an office building. Designing one on her own, with him looking over her shoulder. The first house she’d designed by herself.
They belonged to the company, but she would take copies of some of them. She’d need them in her portfolio when she looked for another job. She picked out five projects that showed different designs, different uses of space, and set them on her desk to copy. As she was closing the drawer, she saw the Barnes file.
The manila file folder was new and still uncreased. She’d finished the preliminary drawings and had planned to drive to Otter Tail sometime in the next week and show them to Jen and Walker Barnes.
The folder slid easily through her fingers as she studied it. Wondered. Had a flicker of an idea.
There was nothing left for her in Chicago. Her job had helped her get through the days since her parents’ death, but now that was gone, too. All that was left were raw memories.
Maybe later, being in the city wouldn’t be so painful. Right now, walking into her condo reminded her of the day her parents had helped her move in. Riding the El past Wrigley Field reminded her of all the games she’d attended there with her mom and dad. Running along the lakefront path reminded her of the days she’d spent sailing with them in the summer.
She’d cleaned out her parents’ house and put it up for sale. She’d spent weekends sorting through everything, storing what she wanted to keep and donating or selling the rest. She’d found her mom’s journals, but hadn’t been able to read them yet.
Sierra turned away from the beautiful skyline. She loved Chicago. She’d come back eventually. But right now, everything she saw or did reminded her of her parents. Coming into the Loop every day, to work at another architectural firm, would be a daily reminder of Nick. Of the fact that he didn’t want his child.
She needed a change.
Ignoring the flicker of guilt, she set the Barnes file in the pile to be copied.
AS NICK GOT OFF THE ELEVATOR that morning, his gaze went immediately to Sierra’s office. She wasn’t there.
That meant she hadn’t delivered her resignation letter yet.
He ignored the uneasiness that stirred. He’d gotten into the habit of looking for her when he arrived every morning, and she was almost always at her desk, her head bent over her work.
Last night had been…difficult. She’d probably over-slept.
With a last glance over his shoulder at her empty office, he stepped into his own. Janet followed him in and closed the door.
“What’s up?” he asked. “Did you get those estimates from the alternate contractor for the Willis job?”
As he dropped his briefcase on the couch, a mental picture of Sierra sitting there the night before flashed through his head.
“No. I don’t have the Willis estimates.” She picked up a piece of paper that had been centered on his desk. “What’s this about?”
He took it from her. Two lines on the firm’s letterhead stationery confirmed Sierra’s resignation. They were followed by her signature, the date.
Nothing more.
She’d gotten to the office before him, after all.
“What does it look like? Sierra resigned.” His hand tightened on the sheet of paper, then he dropped it onto his desk.
“You knew this was coming, and you let her go?”
“What was I supposed to do? Chain her to her chair?”
Janet raised one eyebrow. “Was there a problem? I thought you liked her work.”
“I did, but we’ll hire another associate. We get a couple of applications every week, don’t we?”
“Why did she resign, Nick?” His admin assistant looked at the letter, as if hoping it would provide a clue.
“It was personal. She’s still recovering from her parents’ deaths.” And he’d just caused another wound. He ignored the guilt. “She needed a change.”
Janet held his gaze. “Really? She told me that this job was helping her cope. Giving her something else to focus on. So what happened?”
“How the hell should I know?” He crumpled the letter and tossed it in the trash. “She resigned. She’s gone.”
Janet stood backlit in a patch of sunlight that left her face in shadow. But he knew what he’d see if she stepped closer. Disapproval. Disappointment. “Fine,” she finally said. “You’re the boss.”
“Bring me the applications we’ve saved. I’ll work on finding someone to take her place. And I’ll need her files to reassign her work.”
“I’ll get on that right away, boss.” Janet headed for the door.
When she started calling him boss, it meant she was seriously pissed off. “What? What’s wrong?”
She spun around to face him. “Even you can’t be so dense. What did you do?” She waited a beat. “Did something happen between you?”
“Why would you think that? I’ve been nothing but professional with her in the office. Strictly business.” Out of the office was a different story. One that his admin didn’t need to hear.
Janet sighed. “Sierra is a beautiful young woman. Generous. Friendly to everyone. She lights up a room when she walks in.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve seen you watching her lately, when you thought no one was looking. It’s not hard to connect the dots.”
“There are no dots.”
“Then why are you yelling?”
“I’m not…” He snatched Sierra’s letter out of the trash and smoothed out the creases. “Bring me her employment file so I can add this and make a few notes.”
“Sure, boss.” Janet headed out of the office.
“And cut out the boss crap,” he called after her. The only answer was the clicking of the door as it shut behind her. Nick sighed as he dropped into his desk chair.
He knew all the architects in Chicago. It shouldn’t be hard to find out where Sierra had gone. He’d make sure she took that check. Whatever she decided to do, she would need money. It was all he had to give her.
SIERRA LEANED AGAINST the back of the booth at the Harp and Halo Pub in Otter Tail, sipping the ginger ale the blonde woman had given her. Delaney. She was the drummer in the band playing tonight.
When Sierra told Jen and Walker Barnes that she had something to discuss with them, they’d suggested meeting at this pub. Jen would be working, she’d said, but she could get away for a while to discuss Sierra’s design ideas. And as a side benefit, the band was really good.
Sierra had been here a couple days already, although Jen and Walker didn’t know that, and this was the first time they could both meet with her. Sierra was so tired of being cooped up in the sterile, too quiet motel room that she’d ignored the nausea churning in her stomach and driven over early.
Only to end up on her knees in front of the toilet in the ladies’ room.
She shouldn’t have told Delaney she was pregnant. Delaney had told Maddie, the owner of the pub. Maddie could tell someone else. Jen and Walker could find out before Sierra was ready to let them know.
The alternative had been letting Delaney think she was drunk. Jen and Walker would probably have heard that, too.
“Hey, Sierra.” Maddie put a baked potato on the table. “Early in my pregnan
cy, I couldn’t eat much, either. But a baked potato always seemed to settle my stomach.” She smiled as she patted her huge belly. “It’s on the house. Maybe it will help.”
The potato had been split open and steam rose from the fluffy white interior. A small dish of butter sat next to it. Surprisingly, Sierra’s stomach didn’t revolt when she smelled it.
“Thanks, Maddie.” She managed a weary smile. “I’ll try it.”
“Are you visiting someone in town?” Maddie asked.
Sierra poked at the potato with her fork. “I’m hoping to be working for Jen and Walker Barnes. Do you know them?” It wouldn’t hurt to gather some information about her prospective employers. She’d met with both of them a couple of times, but she’d been Nick’s employee then. Now she needed any advantage she could get.
“Jen is one of my best friends.” Maddie slid into the booth across from Sierra. “You don’t mind, do you? My feet are killing me.”
“Of course not,” she managed to say. “It’s nice to have company.” Maddie was one of Jen’s best friends? Sierra’s stomach began to churn again. Maddie would definitely tell Jen she was pregnant.
Before she could ask her to keep the news to herself, the other woman said, “Mind if I ask what you’re going to do for Jen and Walker?”
Sierra sighed. She’d already told Maddie she wanted to work for them. She might as well tell her the rest. “I’m an architect. I’m hoping they hire me to design and help build their house.”
“Cool. So you’ll be here for a while?”
“I hope so.”
“I go to a prenatal exercise class in Sturgeon Falls twice a week. If you’d like to come, I’d love company on the drive.”
“Thanks. I’ll think about it.” As soon as Sierra’s stomach stopped lurching at the though of exercising.
“No pressure,” Maddie said with a smile. “But it’s fun to be around other pregnant women. We compare symptoms and curse our husbands for getting us in this condition.”
“No husband to curse.” Sierra tried to smile.
“Boyfriends, too,” Maddie said with a laugh. “They’re all fair game.”
“No boyfriend.” Sierra’s hand tightened on the fork as she realized she’d spoken out loud. She stared at the potato, wishing Maddie would disappear.
Instead, the other woman leaned closer. Sierra felt her gaze, but concentrated on stirring the butter into the potato.
“If you’d like to talk, I’m always here,” Maddie said after a moment, her voice soft. “I’m a good listener.”
“Thanks,” Sierra said. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She stared at the plate, willing her to leave.
After a moment, Maddie nodded and slid out of the booth. As she walked away, Sierra stared after her. That was it? No lecture? No prying questions? Only sympathy?
Sierra’s gaze swept over the already crowded pub. People leaned against the bar or stood in small groups next to it. Most of the tables were full of couples and families, and she heard a lot of laughter.
Delaney had helped her when she got sick. Maddie had offered compassion and a ride to a prenatal exercise class. For the first time since she arrived in Otter Tail, Sierra took a deep breath and let some of her tension go. Maybe this would work out. She was good at what she did, and she already knew Jen and Walker liked her design. She could convince them to hire her. Two people had reached out to her. Maybe this small town in northern Wisconsin would turn out to be a good place to stay.
The murmur of voices, the clinking of glasses, washed over her. Instead of annoying her, it was comforting. Sierra took a bite of the potato. Her stomach didn’t rebel, so she took another bite. Then another.
Fifteen minutes later, she’d finished almost the whole thing. Maddie was right; it had helped. As Sierra sipped on her ginger ale and watched the band prepare to play, someone slid into the booth across from her.
Jen. And Walker.
Jen wore white pants and a white shirt with The Summer House embroidered on the pocket. Sierra had already found out Jen was owner and chef of the restaurant on Main Street. She settled in the booth with a smile.
“Hey, Sierra,” she said, glancing at the remnants of potato skin. “Is that all you had for dinner?”
“I wasn’t very hungry,” Sierra answered.
Walker smiled as he linked his fingers with his wife. “Jen is a chef. Her mission in life is to feed people.”
“I’ve heard wonderful things about your restaurant,” Sierra said. “I can’t wait to try it.”
Walker released his wife’s hand and studied Sierra. “Is there a problem with the house?”
“Not at all.” She took a deep breath and folded her arms on the table. “I’ve resigned from Boone and Associates, but I took a copy of your house design with me. I put together a proposal for you to consider.” She picked up the packet lying on the seat next to her and edged it toward the couple. “I would love to work directly with you to finish the design and supervise the construction.”
Walker glanced at the report cover, but didn’t touch it. “You’ve left Nick?”
“I didn’t leave Nick. I left Boone and Associates,” she said, a little too sharply. She swallowed. “You seemed to like what I’ve done so far, and I could devote all my time to your project.”
“Why didn’t you just call us?” Jen asked.
“I felt our conversation would be better in person than on the phone.” It was harder to say no that way. “I wanted to show you what I’ve done since last time we talked.”
Walker’s gaze sharpened. “Always smart to do business face-to-face,” he murmured with a nod. He opened the folder and glanced at her drawing of the exterior of the house, then flipped the pages to the renderings of each room. “You’ve done a lot of work on this.”
“I want this job.”
Walker closed the folder. “Do you mind if I ask why you quit?”
She’d expected him to ask. “That’s a fair question.” She pressed her fingers into the table, watching the tips turn red. It was harder to answer than she’d expected it to be. She didn’t want to sound weak. Or emotional. Even though she’d never been more emotional in her life. “My parents died three months ago. They were killed in a plane crash.” She swallowed. “I’ve had…it’s been very hard. Selling their house, going through all their things…”
She blinked and stared out the front window. Darkness had descended since she arrived, and she couldn’t see beyond the pub. “I needed to get away from Chicago, at least for a while. There were too many memories there.
“I thought working on your house was the perfect solution.”
“You couldn’t do that and still work for Nick?”
“Nick wouldn’t be able to let me stay up here for the entire construction. I’d be working on other projects at the same time.” She shrugged, hoping it looked offhand. “Nick focuses on commercial work, and I’ve found I prefer to concentrate on residential projects. It seemed like a good time to part ways.”
“And you took a client with you,” Walker said, watching her.
“Yes, I did.”
“Does Boone know?”
“Does it matter?”
“I’ll take that as a no. He’s not going to be happy.”
A rush of irritation flooded her nerves. “With all due respect, Walker, designing your house isn’t quite the same as designing a skyscraper in downtown Chicago. Nick will be annoyed, because he’s a competitive guy. But the amount of money he would have made on your house is minuscule compared to his other projects. I don’t think he’s going to lose a lot of sleep over it.”
Jen’s lips twitched and she leaned against her husband. “I guess she told you, big shot.”
Walker’s serious expression eased as he wrapped his arm around her. “I guess she did.”
“Not many people stand up to Walker,” Jen confided. “A little attitude is good for him.”
Sierra felt her face redden. “I didn’t mean you’re not important
. Of course you are. You’re a big deal in Chicago, and I’m sure Nick wants your house in his portfolio. All I meant was that he’s not going to go broke because he lost this job. He won’t flip out.” She hoped he didn’t, anyway. And if he did, it would be her he’d resent. Not Walker and Jen.
“We’ll take a look at your proposal,” Walker said. “I assume you’ve included your fees and cost projections?”
“Of course. They’re very fair. You’ll be paying less than you would have paid Boone and Associates.”
“But more than you’d be getting from Nick.”
“Yes. You’d be getting a full-time supervisor on site. That’s more than you would have gotten from B and A.”
Walker tapped his fingers on the proposal. “We’ll take a look at it and let you know in a day or two.”
“Thank you,” Sierra said. The churning in her stomach steadied. They hadn’t said no. And when they had a chance to study her proposal, they would say yes.
Maddie stopped next to the booth. “Hey, guys, how’s it going?”
“Good,” Jen said. “How are you?”
“Hanging in there. Counting the days,” Maddie answered with a smile. She took the plate with the potato skin off the table. “And happy that I’m not still eating only potatoes.” She glanced at Sierra. “Did it help?”
“It did. Thank you,” she managed to say.
Jen and Walker went perfectly still as they stared at her. Walker’s mouth was a hard line.
“You’re pregnant,” he said, his voice flat. It wasn’t a question.
“That’s not relevant.”
His eyebrows snapped together. “You’re going to be spending time at a construction site. Crawling up ladders, working around dangerous equipment, doing physical work. Of course it’s relevant.”
Sierra gripped the edge of the bench seat. “I’m fit and healthy and perfectly capable of doing this job. My pregnancy isn’t a factor.”
“It’s a liability issue for both me and the contractor,” he retorted, drumming his fingers on the tabletop.
For Baby and Me Page 4
