Page 16 of Elevating Eve

“Oh, Eve.” So much understanding and compassion filled those two words.

Blinking away tears, she tried for a nonchalant shrug. “By the time I realized how much of myself I gave up for him, there was hardly any of me left anymore. And look what I have to show for it. No job, no home, no anything. Just this.” She held up her right hand.

“The ring was your dad’s?”

She nodded, finally giving in to her tears.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her gently against his chest. “No wonder it’s so important to you,” he said as he traced a gentle pattern on her back. “But it’s not the only thing you have.”

Her laugh was bitter. “Oh, yeah. My life’s just peachy.”

“I mean it.” He pushed her out to arm’s length, waiting until she met his gaze before continuing. “You may not have your job at DHFT anymore, but you still have every single thing your dad taught you when you worked with him. You’re the only person at that whole damn company I trusted to know the answer when I had a question. Did you know that?”

Emotion clogged her throat, keeping her voice trapped inside. She shook her head instead.

“That’s why I wanted your opinion today. You know more about the construction business than anyone I’ve ever met.” Reaching up, he brushed her tears away with his thumb. “And that’s something Frank fucking Talley can’t ever take away from you, no matter what company you work for.”

God, she really wanted to kiss him now. She’d never wanted someone more in her whole life.

Soon, she promised her raging libido.

Stepping back, she took a moment to compose herself. “Thank you,” she said when at last she had her tears under control. Her voice still shook slightly, but it would have to do. “That really means a lot to me. I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

“Don’t let yourself forget it,” Jonathan said, voice kind but firm. “I obviously didn’t know your dad, but he must have been a hell of a man for you to admire him so much. A man like that would be proud of everything you’ve accomplished. He’d want you to be happy.”

“Oh, God, I’m gonna cry again.” She covered her eyes with one hand and took several deep breaths. “Change the subject before I completely lose it.”

Without missing a beat, he asked, “Why do both companies suck?”

Eve smiled as her hand dropped back to her side. She couldn’t help herself. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“It’s the first thing I could think of,” he said with a rueful smile.

She rolled her eyes. Of course it was. “Okay, okay. You win. LGF is too small for the project. They’ll hire a bunch of people really fast the second you give them their first check, but this is northern Vermont. They won’t have a talent pool deep enough to get actual skilled laborers, and they’ll have to take anyone willing to come all the way up here for the next several months. In the end, they’ll do a piss-poor job, and it’ll end up costing you a fortune to fix it.”

Jonathan’s eyes grew wider and wider the longer she talked. “Wow. Okay. LGF is out. What about Crane & Faber, though? They’re the largest construction company in the region. They were on our short list the first time, infact.”

“Cole Faber is a decent guy, and he knows what he’s doing. If it was him who came today, and he’d be overseeing the project, I’d have no objections.”

“But?” he prompted.

“But Larry Crane is a raging alcoholic who can’t keep his hands to himself when he’s had too much to drink.” She’d been at the receiving end of his drunken advances more than once at conferences over the years. The fucker. After the first time she put him on his ass, she never went anywhere alone when she knew he was around. “That’s the last thing you want at a resort full of beautiful, half naked women. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“Jesus.” Jonathan raked a hand through his hair. “That’s putting it mildly.”

She sighed. “Sorry. I know you want to get a new crew in here as fast as possible.”

“I want to get therightcrew in here as fast as possible,” he corrected. “Trust me, I appreciate the info. Is there anyone you would recommend?”

A few names popped into her head immediately. “Maybe.” She’d need to do some research and make a couple phone calls first. “Let me think on it. I’ll have some options in your inbox by tomorrow morning.”

Jonathan’s smile was more than a little smug once he finally got his way.

She wanted to kiss it right off his stupid, gorgeous face.

Soon,she told herself again. If he could be patient, so could she.

Enough lusting after someone she knew she couldn’t have yet. She had a shattered life to piece back together. First step: find a new job.

---