Barefoot and Pregnant?

by Colleen Faulkner

  “Sorry about that,” he said, brushing the hair out of his eyes. “Got a little carried away.”

  She laughed realizing their relationship was heating up a notch. “You didn’t hear me protesting, did you?” She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “See you in the morning?”

  “You bet.”

  For a second he didn’t let go and he acted as if he wanted to say something else. As she gazed up into his blue eyes, the “L” word was on the tip of her tongue again. She wondered if it was on his and her heart gave a little trip.

  He released her and walked out of the kitchen. “I’ll let myself out.”

  “Thanks for the spaghetti,” she called after him as she reached into the microwave wondering where “brings you homemade spaghetti when you’re starving” was going to fit on the checklist.

  Chapter Seven

  Don’t adapt your lifestyle to his. Focus on who you are and your self-worth. Changes in your lifestyle to suit a man should set off alarms.

  The first week of August, Mr. Gallagher called Elise into his office.

  “You wanted to see me, sir?”

  A small man in his early sixties with graying hair and an angular face, Joe Gallagher looked up from his desk. “Sit down, Elise.” He gazed at her over the rims of his bifocals. “How’s your week going?”

  “Excellent, sir. I sold a condo at Mallard Lake and the Brenner property at Lake Shore.” She eased into one of the leather chairs in front of his desk, feeling a little nervous. One didn’t get called into senior partner Joe Gallagher’s office often.

  “That the three bedroom with the purple kitchen?”

  She smiled. “One and the same.”

  He nodded. “Listen, Elise, I’ve gone over July’s numbers, your July numbers, in particular.” He grabbed a sheet of paper from a stack on his desk. “You were going so strongly the first five months of the year that I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.”

  She could almost feel her shoulders sag. “Business has been a little slow.”

  He looked over the rims of his glasses at her again. “Everything all right at home?”

  “Fine. Yes, of course.”

  “It’s just that you seem a little preoccupied. I haven’t seen you in on Saturdays and Sundays the way I used to.” He smiled kindly. “We don’t close this joint down together the way we used to.”

  She smiled back, but when she spoke, her tone was testy. In Joe’s chair, she saw her father and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like the way she let him make her feel. “I hadn’t realized we had required weekend hours, Joe, unless we were hosting an open house. I’m here Monday through Friday, nine to five. I’m in the office or out showing property.”

  “No, no, no, I wasn’t suggesting you weren’t putting in your required hours, only that you…well, honestly, Elise, with Marshall’s retirement and selling out his share of Waterfront, the remaining partners have been discussing offering one of our agents a piece of the pie, shall we say?”

  She glanced up, not as pleased at mention of the partnership as she thought she would be. This was what she wanted, what she’d been working her butt off for five years for, wasn’t it?

  “I’d be very interested, Joe.”

  “I know you would, but so are Liz and Ralph. Now all three of you are in contention, and my favorite has been you all along. But I have to tell you, Liz took the July top sales award. That’s two months in a row. You don’t want her pulling too far ahead of you.” He chuckled.

  She didn’t. “No, sir.”

  “So how is that property transaction for Farmer in the Dell going?”

  She twisted her foot in her loafers. She’d bought a new suit with pants rather than a skirt and it had become her office “uniform.” She couldn’t get over how much more comfortable pants were than a skirt. She wondered why she had ever switched in the first place. Was she crazy? Sure, the male clients liked the long legs under the table but it was hard for her to believe that had been her prime reason for purchasing an entire closet of skirts and jackets.

  “The city zoning commission is really dragging their feet, and we’ve still got this family feud going on between the seller’s heirs and our client’s deceased great-grandfather,” Elise told Joe. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to swing this one.”

  He glanced at the sales figures in his hand. “If you want to be considered for the partnership, you need this sale, Elise, to even continue to be considered. Another big sale—” he winked “—and I think I can convince the other partners that you’re the man for us.”

  Elise rose from her chair. “Is that all you wanted to see me about?”

  “That’s it. Now, you need any help on the Farmer in the Dell deal, you give me a ring. In the meantime, do a little research on this company.” He scribbled on a stick-it notepad, tore off the sheet and handed it to her.

  She read what he’d written and glanced up. “Lindsborg Associates? Don’t they build golf courses?”

  “Could be coming to town. If they do…”

  “They’ll need a nice chunk of property,” she said looking down at the paper in her hand again. “Thanks, Joe.”

  “You bet.”

  On the way out of his office, Elise ran into Liz. Since they’d gotten into the heated discussion over Zane, their friendship was no longer what it had once been. Elise was hurt that Liz wasn’t happier for her. She couldn’t understand why her friend was so caught up in what they had read in The Husband Finder. After all, it had been Elise’s pet project to begin with. Liz hadn’t even wanted to give it a try.

  “Hey, congratulations on the July sales award,” Elise said, feeling awkward.

  “Thanks.” Liz hugged her leather portfolio to her chest. Her pale yellow suit skirt was very short, and her heels very high, showing off her long legs to perfection. “So how have you been? I’ve…I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to give you a ring, and you know how crazy it gets in here.”

  “Sure I do.” Elise smiled at her. “Especially when you’re reaching for that sales award. It takes a lot of extra hours.”

  Liz nodded. “That it does. Of course it’s not like I have anything else to do with my time. Anyone else to spend my time with.”

  Elise frowned and then looked up and down the hall to be sure no one was approaching. She took a step closer to Liz. There was something about what Liz said that made her realize she might have misread her. Was Liz jealous of her relationship with Zane? Or could it be something else? Had the competition for partnership in the firm become personal?

  “I’m sorry, Liz, but I have to ask,” Elise said quietly. “Have I done something to upset you.”

  “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.” Liz gave her a professional smile, and put her hand on Joe’s door. “I better get inside. He’s waiting for me.”

  Elise gave a nod and stepped back. “Sure, okay, but if you want to talk.”

  “Liz? That you out there, my number one salesman?” Joe called from inside his office. “Time is money.”

  Liz ducked into the office and closed the door behind her. Elise walked back down the hall to her own office and sat in her chair. But instead of starting to return her morning’s messages, she called Zane. He’d told her last night he’d be out of the office all day inspecting, so she knew he was at one of the farms that produced eggs for his company.

  “Zane Keaton,” he answered the phone.

  “Hey, Mr. Farmer in the Dell.”

  “Hey, real estate woman.”

  She could hear him smile.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” She twirled the phone line around her finger. “Does something have to be up for me to call you?” She kicked off one shoe under the desk and wiggled her toes.

  “In the middle of the day? Yeah, pretty much. You okay, Ellie?”

  She appreciated his concern and the fact that he already knew her pretty well. “Sure, just having a lousy day, and I guess I
wanted to hear your voice, but if you’re busy—”

  “Never too busy for you. Actually, I’m sitting in my truck at the Quickstop. I just grabbed some lunch. Now tell me why your day is so lousy.”

  She sighed. “The sales numbers came out and Gallagher called me into his office to chew me out in the form of a little pep talk.”

  “That mean you weren’t the queen bee last month?”

  She bristled. “This is a very competitive business, Zane. I’ve told you that.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You told me your sales were down, but I got the idea that that was okay with you.”

  “It was,” she confessed, “until Joe printed the numbers in black and white and plastered Liz’s name all over our Web site where mine used to be.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’m not sorry that you’ve been spending your time with me and not them.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Any time.”

  “I better go,” she said. “Phone calls to make.”

  “I’ll call you tonight.”

  “I’ll have to work here late, but I’m leaving at nine whether I’m done or not so call after I get home.”

  “You bet. Talk to you later.” Zane made a kissing sound on the phone and then hung up.

  Elise closed her eyes, savoring the moment. No one had ever made kissy sounds on the phone to her. Definitely not Husband Finder approved communication.

  “I think I’m in love,” she said to the empty room.

  Elise worked until twenty after nine, spending more than an hour reading up on Lindsborg Associates so that when she called them to ask if they were looking into putting a golf course in the area, she’d sound reasonably intelligent.

  As she stepped out the front door of the realty building and locked it behind her, she heard a car engine start and headlights flashed against the brick building. Who the heck was that? She wondered if she could find her pepper spray in her purse as she turned around to see who was in the parking lot.

  Zane? He was in his BMW sedan and not the truck. She walked up to the car as he pulled up next to the curb and put down the window on the passenger side.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked leaning in the window. “Everything okay? Pops?”

  “Fine. You hungry?”

  “Starved,” she admitted.

  “Get in. We’ll grab something to eat and I’ll bring you back for your car.”

  She didn’t even have to consider his offer. She climbed into the car and tossed her briefcase in the back seat. “You been out here long?” She leaned forward and met his lips.

  “Not too long.”

  “You should have called the office number and let me know you were out here,” she said. “I always pick up. I feel bad that you were sitting out here waiting for me.”

  “It’s okay. You told me you were going to work late. I just came by on the off chance you wanted to go out to eat with me when you called it quits for the night.”

  She covered his hand with hers. “Always.”

  He grinned and pulled out of the parking lot. “Burgers or pizza. Name your poison.”

  “Pizza.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  One look into Zane’s eyes and the way he smiled at her and the sales numbers, Liz and the partnership slipped from her mind.

  A week later, running late, Elise pulled into the parking lot of Pops’ nursing home and grabbed the wrapped gift off the back seat of her car. It was already getting dark, and she was so late. She had promised Zane she’d be here. Practically running up the sidewalk, she flung her purse over her shoulder and flew through the automatic doors into the lobby.

  “Good evening, Elise,” the nurse at the front desk said cheerfully.

  “Hi, Sue, could you buzz me in?” Elise hurried to the locked doors that led into the Alzheimer wing. “Thanks!”

  The doors opened and she rushed through. She went straight to the family room where Zane said they’d be having cake and ice cream. The Keaton clan would be celebrating at Meagan’s this coming weekend but Zane wanted his grandfather to have a “party” with the other patients. The room was empty.

  “Oh, no,” Elise groaned. She’d been stuck in a meeting at Waterfront. A mandatory meeting. Joe and the other partners seemed to have no respect for other people’s time. Didn’t they have family who depended on them? Needed them? Didn’t they want to go home at the end of the day?

  Elise turned down the hallway, headed for Pops’ room. Halfway down, she ran into Meagan carrying baby Alyssa on her hip. “He’s in Pops’ room,” she said. “Getting him into bed. Any kind of exertion seems to tire him nowadays.”

  Elise stopped in front of Meagan and reached out to grab Alyssa’s hand. The little girl was the first baby she had ever known and she was so darned sweet. She clasped her chubby hand around Elise’s finger.

  “I can’t believe I missed the party,” Elise said, wiggling Alyssa’s hand.

  The baby laughed.

  Meagan met Elise’s gaze with a disapproving one. “You need to get your crap together, Elise.”

  Elise eased her hand from Alyssa. “Pardon me?”

  “He called the office looking for you. He kept saying you wouldn’t be late, not to this. They told him you were in a conference and couldn’t be disturbed.”

  Elise rolled her eyes. “This meeting, it went on forever. I—”

  “If you’re going to break his heart,” Meagan said. “I wish you’d get on with it and get it over.”

  “What are you talking about?” Elise demanded, tired of trying to be polite. “I was in a meeting and I couldn’t get out.” She gestured.

  Alyssa began to fuss and Meagan jiggled her on her hip. “I have to go. Feeding time.” She walked away.

  “Meagan,” Elise called after her. When she didn’t turn around, Elise gave a wave of disgust. “Forget it,” she muttered.

  The truth was, Meagan’s opinion hadn’t changed since that chat in Zane’s kitchen. She’d made up her mind that she, Elise, was a workaholic who could never be what her brother needed. Of course, according to Zane, Meagan hadn’t liked Judy either. So maybe she was taking this too personally, Elise thought. Maybe Meagan would never be happy and she needed to stop trying to make Meagan like her.

  Elise walked into Pops’ room. “Hi, I’m sorry I’m late.”

  Zane was dropping clothes into the basket, his back to her. Pops was already in bed.

  “We couldn’t wait,” Zane said with no emotion in his voice. “The other residents wanted their cake.”

  “No, it’s all right. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to a phone to call you and then by the time I got in the car, I thought there was no need to call your cell. I’d be here in a minute.” She walked over to the bed and offered Pops his present. “Hey, handsome.”

  He glanced up. She could have sworn he smiled.

  “Look what I brought for you. A present.” She wrapped his wrinkled hands around the brightly wrapped gift box that she’d actually wrapped herself. No gift wrap service here. Of course the dollar store didn’t have gift wrapping, but they had plenty of tape and bright-colored ribbons—at bargain prices.

  “You need help opening it?” Elise asked, making herself busy while Zane fussed around the room. She could tell he was angry with her, but how angry, she wasn’t sure.

  “Here we go,” she said. She pushed Pops’ finger in through the opening in the paper and pulled back, getting a satisfying tearing sound.

  Pops smiled.

  “Look what’s in here,” Elise said. She opened the lid. “Let’s see…your favorite toffee. A red handkerchief because I know you like red. And look, it’s a little stuffed dog that looks just like Scootie.” She pushed the stuffed animal into Pops’ hand and he looked down at it with interest.

  Zane stood by the door, arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his face.

  “Look, I’m sorry I was late,” she snapped, balling
up the wrapping paper and tossing it in the trash. “But I had a long lousy day in a series of lousy days, and I don’t need you to make me feel worse. Don’t you think I wanted to be here?” She indicated his grandfather who was still looking at the stuffed dog.

  “I haven’t said a thing,” Zane said coolly.

  “You don’t have to. Your sister did.” She pointed to the hall.

  “I really wanted you to be here.” He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets.

  Elise tucked the candy and handkerchief into the drawer beside the bed. “And I wanted to be here, but I couldn’t get up and walk out in the middle of the meeting. Zane, my job could be on the line here if I don’t step up to the plate. Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to acquire that land for you? Do you have any idea how many hours I’ve spent on that project?” Her voice trembled with the last words.

  Zane balled his hands into fists at his side. “Damn it, Elise. I was counting on you.”

  She looked up at him. “I was late.” She threw up her hands. “I don’t understand how that’s a crime.” She grabbed her purse off the bed and leaned over to kiss Pops’ dry cheek. “Happy Birthday,” she murmured.

  “Where you going?” Zane demanded.

  “Home!” She brushed past him in the doorway.

  “I thought we were going out to dinner after Pops went to bed.”

  “Then I guess you thought wrong, Zane,” she threw over her shoulder. “I’m tired. I’m going to take my thoughtless self home, take a hot shower and go to bed.”

  He watched Elise stomp down the hall, turn and disappear, then glanced back at his grandfather.

  Pops was still holding the stuffed dog she had brought him. It was a nice gift. He obviously liked it. But Pops wasn’t looking at the toy, he was looking at Zane.

  “What?” Zane said “She was the one who took off. I had a right to be angry. She said she would be here and she wasn’t.” He flung his hand as he walked toward the bed. “She obviously cares more about her career than she does us.”

  Pops just stared, but there was something disapproving in his eyes. Even in his face.