A Change of Heart (2 page)

“Langford & Lovejoy Heritage Furniture only hires veterans. Wes told me they’re looking for someone to take over maintaining their social media, website and stuff like that.”

The pervasive sense of detachment spread. Time to go back to bed.

“He told the owner about you.”

“What?” Cory blinked back to full attention. “Why?”

“Because you have skills. You
were
an IT specialist, and you’ve always been a whiz kid with anything having to do with computers and electronics. You’re perfect for the job.”

Shit.
“I’m not perfect for anything.” Not fit to serve and less fit to live, no way could she face a group of strangers inside an enclosed space. “I can barely get out of bed. I don’t think—”

“You can’t give up now, and spending the rest of your life in this trailer park is not an option.” Brenda shot up from the swing and came to stand in front of her. She grasped both chains of Cory’s swing and gave them a shake. “I won’t let you do this to yourself. I can’t stand by and do nothing while you slide down the drain a little bit more each day.” She glared. “In fact, I gotta tell you, I’m really pissed that you’ve been home for three weeks and you didn’t even bother to give me a call.”

“I’m sorry.” She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry, I…I can’t—”

“Nope. Stop.” Brenda shook her head. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to go take a shower and brush your teeth. Please.” She waved a hand in front of her nose. “Shave your legs and pits while you’re at it.”

“Well, that was brutal.”

“You need brutal.” Brenda stared a hole through her. “I brought my equipment with me. Once you’re cleaned up, I’m going to cut your hair and put in some highlights. Then we’re going shopping for something to wear besides those raggedy old sweats and baggy army-issue cammies.” She canted her head to study her. “And makeup. You need makeup.”

“I don’t think I can do the shopping thing.” Her mouth dried up like a sponge left out in the sun. “And I’m positive I’m not doing the makeup thing.”

“You’re going to do both if I have to drag you kicking and screaming. I’ll be right there beside you, and if anybody messes with you, I’ll lay ’em out flat.”

A choked laugh broke free, and memories poured through her of the way she and Brenda had always watched each other’s backs. Their friendship had been like a flower growing through a slab of concrete—tough and resilient, thriving against all odds in a barren landscape. They’d fought the trailer trash stigma together all through school, shared their secrets and dreams and been as close as twins. “I don’t have any money, Bren. I haven’t seen a regular paycheck since the army cut me loose.”

“I know. I’m floating you a loan, which I will not allow you to refuse. We’re just talking Target here, not Neiman Marcus. Jeans, a few pairs of shorts, blouses, T-shirts, shoes and a few new necessities. It’ll help you feel good about yourself again. I promise.”

“You’re still the same pushy bitch you always were,” Cory muttered affectionately.

“That’s right, and I’m going to help you reclaim your own inner bitch. Somehow you managed to get through your court case, testify before congressmen and senators, and have your picture and story plastered all over the media. You’re tough, my friend. Don’t crumble now.”

“Too late. I crumbled months ago.” Her jaw clenched. “I don’t know if I can do shopping, makeup or a regular job. All of that stuff you mentioned I did? It was fueled by rage. Rage was my sole reason for getting out of bed each day. It’s done. I’m out of momentum and reason.” She crossed her eyes and twirled her finger by her temple. “In more ways than one.”

“Then it’s time to find a new reason to get out of bed.” Brenda’s face took on a resolute, dogged expression. “You have a job interview tomorrow afternoon, and I’m here to make sure you look your best.”

“What?
No!
” Her blood turned to ice water, chilling her to the sludge-filled center of her bones.

“Yep. Let’s go. Hup, hup.” Brenda pulled her up and pointed her toward home. “Right, left, right, left. March. You stink, and your hair is a greasy, stringy mess.”

“I like my hair this way.”

“No, you don’t.” Brenda gave her a gentle nudge. “Ready or not, here comes your new life.”

“I’m not ready.” Panic sent her heart racing, tightening her chest and robbing her of breath. “I’m not
ready
, dammit.”

“I can’t believe you did it again,” Ted shouted, plowing both hands through his hair. “You swore I would be part of the hiring process. You swore.” He glared at Noah.

They had twelve employees now, split between two shifts. With the exception of Paige, all their staff belonged to the same exclusive club, sharing the bond of brotherhood their veteran status gave them. Ted didn’t belong. He was an outsider in his own business, a company that had been
his
idea from the start.

No one seemed to care that he was the Lovejoy part of Langford & Lovejoy Heritage Furniture. Despite Ted being half owner
and
the human resources director to boot, Noah continued to make staffing decisions without conferring with him first. That cut him deep, and in this case, completely severed his last tether.

“This was an emergency call on my part.” Noah widened his stance and crossed his arms in front of his chest—his commander stance. “Besides, I never swore. I said I’d
try
to follow the hiring procedures, and for the most part I have. Cory is an exception. We talked about it, and you agreed we need someone to take over the web maintenance, social media, and order processing. I’m adding shipping to that roster, which will ease up your load considerably. You can spend more time in production, which is what you said you wanted.”

“That’s beside the point. Did you post the job? Take applications? How about an interview with me included?” Restless and edgy, Ted couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be time for a change. Langford & Lovejoy flourished, while his discontent grew by leaps and bounds.

“Hey, kid. What’s got your boxers in a bunch?” Ryan strolled into the conference room for their usual Monday morning meeting. “We could hear you shouting from the first floor.”

“Maybe it’s the fact that you and everybody else around here still see me as a
kid
. It’s damn insulting,” he shouted again. “I have a master’s in business administration, and
I
sign
your
paycheck.”

Paige waddled in behind her husband, rubbing her distended belly. “Watch your language. I don’t want the baby to pick that stuff up.”

And there it was, the other exclusive club he couldn’t gain entrance to—the happily married and reproducing group. Ryan and Paige had just finished building their house on the west side of town and were expecting their first child. Noah and Ceejay were also expecting. This was number four for them. Ted rolled his eyes. “I doubt that pea in the pod is paying any attention to what goes on here.”

“They do.” She laid her folder on the table and settled into her chair. “Babies can hear things.”

“Whatever.” He took his customary place with his back to the door—something he always did out of deference to Noah and Ryan, who both coped with PTSD. They had to have their backs to the wall, and Ted didn’t care where his back faced. “Noah hired someone without consulting with me first. We’ve been having the same argument for five years now, and my bungee cord is just about out of stretch.”

He’d worked his ass off to get through school, worked around the clock to grow their business into a thriving success. What did he have to show for all that sacrifice? He’d become a twenty-four-year-old workaholic with a healthy savings account and pockets full of nothing but loneliness. No one respected or included him. He hadn’t even taken a vacation in all that time, and he was worn to a stressed-out frazzle. Did anyone bother to notice? Nope. “I don’t care if this Cory guy is a freaking genius. You had no business hiring him without my say-so,” he snapped.

Noah’s jaw twitched. “Cory is—”

“I’m sorry. Maybe I should leave,” a soft feminine voice said from behind him.

“Don’t listen to him, Cory.” Paige leaned back and smiled a welcome. “Come in and have a seat.”

Huh?
Ted whipped around, his eyes widening at the sight of the waif standing uncertainly in the doorway. Feathery layers of dark brown hair with lighter golden-brown highlights framed her wide-set, luminous dark brown eyes. She wore jeans and a peasant blouse that failed to hide how thin she was. He brought his gaze back to those alluring eyes of hers and stumbled right in. They held a sadness so profound it would take a deep-sea submersible to get to the source.

A throat cleared, decidedly male. How had he missed Wesley Holt and his three-legged dog hovering in the hallway behind their newest “emergency”? Wesley scowled at him. Ted scowled back, unintimidated by the big marine. What was Wesley to Cory anyway? His protective stance suggested close familiarity.

Noah cleared his throat and shot him a look that said he’d better make nice or else. “Ted, meet Cory Marcel. Cory, this is Ted Lovejoy. This is my sister, Paige, and her husband, Ryan Malloy. Cory is an IT specialist, and a whiz with computers.”

Ted shot up from his chair, almost knocking it over in his haste. It couldn’t have been pleasant for her to hear his rant. “Welcome to L&L. It’s good to have you aboard.” Their eyes met and held. Her brow creased, and she looked away, but not before he caught a glimpse of the alarm clouding her features.
I’m alarming? Great.
Lately he’d been unraveling like the edges of an old burlap feed bag, and he couldn’t deny being more than a tad alarmed himself.

Shifting his attention back to their newest employee, he wondered what it was about her situation that had prompted Noah
to disregard their protocol. He also wondered what it would take to coax a smile out of her. What would a full-on smile do to her delicate features? No doubt it would do a number on his heart. An inexplicable urge to be the one hovering protectively near her shot through him, sending him into a tailspin.
What? No.

Did he even want to get involved with a troubled waif? No. He had enough problems of his own. Besides, she’d soon become a member of the exclusive we’re-veterans-and-you’re-not club at L&L. “We can take it from here, Wes. Thanks for showing her to the conference room.”

Wesley reached out as if he meant to place his hand on Cory’s shoulder, and quickly pulled it back. “You gonna be OK, Squirrel?”

“Yeah, Bunny. I’ll be fine.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. Wesley nodded his head once and turned on his heel to leave, his dog trotting behind him.

Squirrel and Bunny? Lord help me, the two are a petting zoo.
Only someone very close would call a guy like Wesley Holt “Bunny”. “You and Wes are…” He clamped his jaw shut. None of his business.

“Wesley and I grew up in the same tr—er…
neighborhood
.” She slipped into the room and took the chair next to Paige. “His youngest sister and I are good friends.”

Ted nodded, sat back down and stared. Were she and Wesley a couple, or just childhood friends? Why should he care? He had no clue. He tried redirecting his attention, but his gaze kept drifting back to her, drawn by the mystery, no doubt. That’s all. She was pretty enough, but too thin for his tastes.

Noah cleared his throat, and he caught the odd look focused his way. Ryan wore a crooked smirk. Ted glared. “What?”

“Nothing, kid.” Ryan chuckled. “Nothing at all.”

Paige passed them each a sheet of paper. “This is the list I
made of Cory’s responsibilities.” She turned to face their newest employee. “I’ll be training you on the website and social media end of things. Ted will go over ordering and shipping.” She grinned. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have another woman in the building.”

“Thank you.” Cory skimmed the list. “Where will I be working?”

“You and I share the office at the end of the hall by the back stairs,” Paige told her. “The guys built a desk for you, and there’s a brand-new Mac still in the box. You can get that all set up once we’re done here.”

“Does the…” Color rose to Cory’s cheeks, and her expression closed up tight. “Is there a lock on the door?”

Paige leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table. “You’re safe here, Cory. The men who work for us are more likely to be overly protective than anything else, and most of them are happily married. As the only woman on this all-male staff for the past three years, I can personally vouch for every one of our guys.”

Mystified by the exchange, Ted frowned. “If that’s what you need, I’ll put a deadbolt on the door right after we’re done here.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, her gaze meeting his for a fraction of second. “I’d appreciate that.”

“I know you and Wes go way back, and you trust him, right?” Noah added.

Cory nodded. “I’ve known him for most of my life.”

“He lives in the apartment on the third floor. If you ever feel uncomfortable, he’s already sworn to stick by your side whenever you need him. Wes adopted his dog, Rex, through a program that matches veterans with retired military working dogs. If you want, he also said you can have Rex with you during the day.”