Drive and Determination (27 page)

            Will rolled his eyes. “I figured we’d just do some things together.”
            “Will, are you sure you know what to do on a date. All you’ve ever done recently was attend one of those gala affairs or posh extravaganzas that you’re obliged to attend with a lady attached to your arm.”
            “I’ve got some ideas.”
            “You better. After all, you’re one of the top 50 bachelors in the whole US!”
            “Not that I ever desired that title!”
            “No, not you. Now me? Hey look, I’m the confirmed bachelor! Why didn’t they ever give me some consideration?”
            “I’d gladly pass it over to you.”
            Will pushed his chair back and stood up. Walking over to the window and looking out at the lake, he said, “I just want to go out on a regular date with her. I mean, well, something simple, but maybe not ordinary.”
            Richard picked up his briefcase. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out!”
            “Thanks, Richard. Thanks for understanding.”
            Richard held up his hand to stop him. “I never said I understood, but I do have one more question, Will.”
            Will raised his eyebrows. “I can hardly wait.”
            “Have you gone by the house to see it? I mean, of course, when she’s not there. How do you know she’s not designing it with some appalling décor?”
            “I trust Elyssa’s taste. Besides, I haven’t wanted to take the chance that she’d show up and see me there. I did just talk with her about my going out to see her and the house. I’m planning to go by some time this week.”
            An expression on Will’s face suggested to Richard that he had done something foolish.
            “What was that look for?” Richard asked.
            “I almost blew it again after you walked out. I asked Elyssa if I could see the house and then didn’t ask for the address. Fortunately, she reminded me. It would have been terribly awkward showing up and her realizing she hadn’t given it to me.”
            Richard laughed. “Like I said, Will, you’re not made for this kind of thing. I suggest you tell her before she finds out some other way!”
            Richard raised his eyebrows and turned to walk out. As he passed through the door, he yelled, “But I don’t want to be anywhere near you two when she discovers the truth! You’ve experienced her wrath before; I suggest you prepare for it again!”

Chapter 26

            Elyssa could barely contain her joy as she took the trains back to Lamstone. She was fairly certain that her smile never left her face. Holding the folder with the pictures and plans for the memorial tightly against her chest, she couldn’t help but feel gratitude and admiration for Will Denton.
            As she scrutinized her feelings, she wondered also if there was something more. Her one hand slid up to her neck and as it rested there, she could feel the pulsating of her heart as she considered whether she had fallen in love with him.
            She was rather surprised to realize such strong, unexplainable feelings had been with her for quite a while. A soft chuckle escaped as she pondered exactly when this ailment called love had overtaken her.
            Was it when he dragged her out to the bumper cars so she could take out all her anger against him? Or was it when he lifted her out of the rain-swollen street and carried her to the other side before running off after her wayward sandal?
            Her smile deepened as she thought of how he had cared for her when she had taken ill, but she cringed when she recalled her conduct at the airport. Although he had graciously forgiven her, she still felt the shame of her actions.
            Elyssa leaned her head back and closed her eyes as the rattling and swaying motion of the train tried to lull her to sleep. It proved futile, however, as her mind actively sought an explanation to what she considered this most unlikely happenstance. She had fallen in love with the one man she had once been so determined to hate!
            When the train stopped at Lamstone, Elyssa hopped off and hurried to the car she had left at the station earlier. She was anxious to get to her aunt and uncle’s home and relay to them the events of the day. She pulled her sweater tightly around her as a blast of cool air teased her as she walked across the parking lot. She hurriedly slipped into the car and drove the short distance back.
            When she arrived, she burst through the door, her eyes bright and smile endless.
            “I’m back!”
            “I’m in here,” her aunt replied from the kitchen.
            As Elyssa walked in, Maddy looked up from chopping some celery. “How was your day?”
            Elyssa picked up a piece and sat down with it. “Fine,” she said as she took a bite.
            Her aunt tilted her head toward Elyssa and smiled. “Is that all? Just fine?”
            Elyssa stood up and walked to her aunt, giving her a hug. “I guess you could say it was wonderful. Let me freshen up and then I’ll come back and help you with dinner. I’ll tell you all about it once Uncle Edward comes home.”
            Over dinner that night, she told her aunt and uncle about her visit to the Jones’ store and the Merchandise Mart. They sat patiently and listened, waiting eagerly to hear about her visit to the Pemberleo offices.
            Elyssa finally pulled out the packet of pictures and conveyed to them all that had been done and would be done, as Will had related to her.
            They poured over every picture with profuse words of admiration. Elyssa waited for the right time and the right words to tell them what all had transpired between her and Will. She didn’t have to wait long, however, for her aunt, provided her with the opportune opening.
            “And how was William Denton?”
            Elyssa inwardly chided herself for the blush that most infuriatingly appeared. She was quite certain both her aunt and uncle noticed.
            She turned quickly to distract herself with little Lillian, helping her with her meal as both Edward and Maddy kept their eyes on Elyssa.
            “Well, there is much to say on that matter. I guess I need to tell you a little about what happened in Guatemala.”
            As if on cue, they put down their forks with a clang and sat back in their chairs, eager for a confirmation of their suspicions.
            Elyssa cleared her throat and began. “When he came down to Guatemala, he did a lot for me. Of course, I was loath to see him -- at first. I did everything in my power to convince myself and him that his meager attempts to appease his guilt -- and my indictment against him -- were useless.”
            Elyssa looked up sheepishly to see that Edward and Maddy were both leaning toward her now, as if wanting to hear more. “I assumed that was why he had come all the way down to Guatemala. I felt certain he must have felt a great deal of guilt, for he certainly wouldn’t have come down there just to pay me a friendly visit. Before he arrived, I had made plans to visit some of the sights around Guatemala City and when he showed up, he took it upon himself to accompany me.”
            Elyssa softly laughed. “I was quite discourteous to him on more than one occasion, but I found myself -- at times -- enjoying his company. In fact, by the end of my time there, I think…” Elyssa paused and took in a deep breath, causing Edward and Maddy to hold theirs.
            “I think I had fallen in love with him.”
            Maddy clasped her hands together. “I just knew it! Elyssa, I knew there was something between you. And Will? How does he feel?”
            Elyssa winced. “Well, that’s where it gets a little tricky. You see, I did something rather foolish the day I came home.”
            “What was that, dear?” Edward asked.
            Elyssa looked down at her plate of food, stirring a mound of mashed potatoes with her fork. She finally answered, “I adamantly refused his offer to fly home in the company jet and accused him of all sorts of horrid things.”
            “But why?” Maddy’s face exhibited the shock she felt.
            Elyssa shook her head. “I was misinformed and mislead. Anyway, needless to say, in addition to going today to see what he was doing with the memorials, I needed to go see him alone so that I could apologize.”
            “And?” her aunt asked.
            With teasing eyes, Elyssa scooped up some mashed potatoes and slowly brought the fork up to her mouth. Just as she was about to take a bite, her uncle put up his hand and stopped her.
            “Don’t you dare take that bite until you tell us what we’re dying to know!”
            Feigning ignorance, Elyssa shook her head. “What do you want to know?”
            “What happened!” they both declared at the same time.
            Elyssa smiled as she put down the fork. “I think things went well. He doesn’t seem to be harboring any anger or resentment toward me. He even asked if he could come out and see me at the house I’m working on.”
            Elyssa waited to share a little more about her time with Will for later in the evening while she was alone with her aunt. She gave her a more detailed explanation of what had happened in Guatemala, and in particular, about George Westham and how she had been deceived by him.
            When Elyssa went to bed that night, she was kept awake by a rapidly beating heart and a mind full of anticipation about the next time she would see William Denton.

*~*~*

            The week proved to be a very demanding and frustrating time for Elyssa at the house. As work continued and more furniture and accessories were delivered, she found her days quite full. The one consolation that kept her going was anticipating Will’s visit. He had called and told her he would stop by on Thursday. She wanted as much accomplished by then so she would be ready for his visit.
            Elyssa was one who paid attention to detail and therefore she insisted that work be redone if it didn’t satisfy her. By Wednesday, when two suppliers had not been able to meet her shipping deadline, something had been delivered wrong, and a painting job had not been done to her expectations, she was ready to pull her hair out.
            She had come to the house that morning truly hoping for a respite. She desired for nothing more than for something to go right! She tied up her hair in a ponytail with a bandana and put on an old oversized shirt that had been in her uncle’s give away pile. She was planning to use a lot of her own elbow grease as she added some texture to a couple of the walls that had been painted to give them an aged look.
            It was an exceptionally busy day with sub-contractors coming and going. At one time she must have counted at least twelve in the house, side-stepping one another. Occasionally, she had to answer a question or give some helpful, yet firm, direction to the workers.
            As Elyssa painstakingly began working with the paint, glaze, and some other tools of her trade, she hoped there would be no further interruptions.
            She had just put the final touches on the wall when a worker called out that there was someone to see her. She wiped her face with her shirtsleeve, brushing back some wayward strands of hair that had escaped from her bandana. A few splotches of paint dotted her face, but the delivery man certainly wouldn’t care.
            When she walked toward the front, the worker told her he was outside on the porch.
            “Thanks!” Elyssa called, wiping her hands on an old paint-laden rag that she carried tucked in her jeans pocket.
            When she stepped out, her eyes looked out on the long, circular drive for a delivery truck. When all she saw were cars, her gaze drifted down the long porch.
            Elyssa froze when she saw that the
someone
to see her was Will and he was now seated on the porch swing. She reached for the doorframe to give herself support as she pondered why he had come a day early. Despite the fact that she was not expecting him and knew that everything from her clothes to her hair was in disarray, she had the most incomprehensible feeling that he belonged there. He was the last person she expected to see right now, but oddly, it seemed so right.
            As Elyssa watched him, his long legs stretched out before him gently propelling the swing to sway, he seemed a most contradictory subject. Elyssa knew he had to be a busy man; she had determined early on in their acquaintance that Pemberleo was his whole life. Yet here he was, idly sitting in the porch swing as if he had nothing better to do. She smiled at the picture he made and she finally willed her feet to move and walked toward him.
            As she drew close, he heard her footsteps and turned, quickly bringing himself to his feet. “Hello, Elyssa.”
            “Hi!” she answered as she continued toward him. She ran her fingers up to her hair and upon feeling the bandana, she quickly pulled it off, and shook her head to loosen her hair. “How are you?”
            “I’m fine. I was just enjoying the view. I like how the swing is positioned in the corner here so you can look out both directions. Most swings would be either looking directly to the front or to the back.”
            “Well it helps that it’s a wrap-around porch,” Elyssa laughed as she waved her hand in a partial circle.
            She tilted her head at him. “I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”
            “I hope it’s not an inconvenience. I see that you’re pretty busy in there. I was coming out this way and thought I’d stop by. I left you a message on your phone.”
            Elyssa reached into the pocket of her large shirt and pulled out her phone. “I’ve been on my cell phone so often today that I neglected to check whether I had any messages. Someday I’ll get used to having one of these things.” As she looked down, a sharp huff escaped. “It appears I have
three
messages.”
            “Do you want to check them? I only left one of them, so you’ve got two others to deal with.”
            “No, that’s OK. They can wait.”
            Will extended his hand to the swing. “Would you care to sit down?”
            “Sure, but don’t you want to see the house?”
            He smiled. “We’ve got time.”
            She sat down next to him and let him guide the swaying of the swing with his feet. He seemed content to enjoy the view and the silent camaraderie between them.
            “Are you enjoying the work?” he finally asked.
            “Oh, yes! At times, however, it can be quite a monumental task overseeing everyone and everything.” Elyssa couldn’t stop herself from looking down at her phone as she wondered what those other two calls were.
            “I can certainly relate,” Will assured her.
            As much as Elyssa was enjoying the reprieve from her work and most certainly, Will’s company, she felt restless, going over in her mind what needed to be done and whether or not the workers inside were doing what they needed to do. She looked down at the phone again, held tightly in her hand.
            Will looked over at her. “Are you sure you don’t want to check on those calls?”
            “Do you mind? I’ve had a few problems that I’m trying to iron out.”
            “Go ahead.”
            Elyssa stood up and walked over to the edge of the porch as she retrieved her first call. She rolled her eyes and a look of exasperation permeated her features. As she pressed for the second call, she relaxed and a smile appeared. She turned to Will. “This is your message.”
            Elyssa felt a wave of giddiness flood her as she listened to his voice. She turned away from him so he wouldn’t be able to see the delighted smile on her face.
How silly!
 she thought, to be feeling this way over a simple phone message when he was sitting no more than a few feet away!
            She rather liked the way he said her name, however, and smiled as she furtively pressed “save,” so she could listen to his voice at a later time.
            Unfortunately, the final message brought back the scowl to her face.
            When she had finished, Will asked, “More bad news?”
            Elyssa sat back down, determined to enjoy her visit with him. “I am having trouble with one particular vendor. The store I ordered from has been so helpful, trying to get to the bottom of it. This last call was Janelle, who owns the store with her husband. She has been trying to track down something I ordered. She told me that she wasn’t getting anywhere with the company; that they didn’t seem to have a knowledgeable person anywhere that she could talk to.”
            Elyssa pocketed her phone and folded her hands in her lap. Will had stretched out one arm along the back of the swing and she could feel its presence touching softly behind her head. He appeared so calm and serene and the mere presence of his arm near her had a calming effect on her. As they fell into an easy conversation of light topics, Elyssa became more relaxed.
            “Are you encountering a lot of problems on the job?” Will asked, somewhat apprehensively.
            “It’s like a dream job, but it hasn’t gone as smoothly as I would have liked.”
            “I’m sorry to hear that,” Will commented as Elyssa’s phone rang.
            She offered a quick, “Excuse me,” and reached for it.
            “Hello? This is Elyssa Barnett.”
            Will watched and listened silently as Elyssa grew more frustrated. Her tone and color heightened as she stood up and walked to the edge of the porch, leaning against the rail. As she began to demand immediate resolution to the problem, she turned and noticed Will watching her.
            She stopped in mid-sentence as she wondered what he must be thinking of her. She couldn’t help but recall their time in Guatemala and how irritated she was at him when he took all those phone calls and sounded so harsh.
            Her voice immediately softened. “Please just try to right this situation as quickly as possible. Thank you.”
            Elyssa ended the call and sat down again next to him. He said nothing and that made her feel more ashamed.
            “I guess it’s easy to get a little… consumed by a job,” she said haltingly.
            “When you want it done right, sometimes people need a little… prodding.” Will stood up and reached for her hand. “Why don’t we take a look inside the house, now?”
            Elyssa lifted her hand to his and he gave it a gentle tug, helping her out of the swing. As she came to her feet and he turned to walk toward the front door, his hand fully surrounded hers. She didn’t remember taking any steps; she was quite sure she was floating.
            When they reached the front door, she realized that Will just now had the perfect opportunity to defend himself against her accusations that he was consumed with his work -- and yet he didn’t. He merely offered that when you want a job done right, you need to put a little effort into it. She wondered how she had come to deserve even his friendship. It was something she was beginning to treasure.
            Once they stepped indoors, Elyssa’s attention was drawn away from him by one of the workers needing her advice on something. Will took it upon himself to wander around the living room, looking at everything with great interest.
            He was very pleased with what he saw. It had been difficult for him to envision a home when this house was being built, but even with only a portion of it finished, he felt a sense of belonging in it. She had done a brilliant job and he wouldn’t have wanted anything different. As he waited for Elyssa, he walked over to the corner of the room where a collection of furniture had been delivered and was out of the way of the workers. As he examined it, he appreciated that she had ordered furnishings that were practical as well as pleasing to the eye. She had incorporated a mixture of fabrics, dark woods, and an occasional touch of suede or leather.
            He knew that, God forbid, if she chose to return to her life in Santa Ynez without him, this house would still suit him perfectly. He knew it would be because Elyssa had been the one to decorate it. Now in seeing it, he truly appreciated her and her talent. But more than that, he hoped she would stay.
            He walked over to a large reclining chair and sat down to wait until Elyssa returned. He gave in to the urge to lean back and stretch out in it, bringing his hands together and clasping them under his head.
            He momentarily closed his eyes, and when Elyssa returned, she laughed to herself when she saw where he was. It was, after all, the memory of him in the recliner at the village that prompted her to buy this one. She walked over and he opened one eye.
            “Caught me sleeping on the job!” he teased.
            “I’m sorry, Will. This must truly bore you.”
            Will brought the chair to its upright position and stood up. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”
            The look he gave her sent shivers throughout.
            “So what do you think?” she forced herself to ask him.
            While keeping his eyes on her, he answered, “I like what I see very much.”
            It took every ounce of strength for Elyssa to mutter, “I’m glad you like it.”
            Their attention was solely fixed on one another, but the movement of the workers inside suddenly caught Will’s attention.
            Will took Elyssa’s arm. “Come. Let’s step back outside.”
            They walked out and when they came to the steps of the front porch, Will stopped and turned to Elyssa.
            Taking in a large gulp of air and an even bigger step of faith, Will asked, “Would you like to go out with me on Friday night?”
            Elyssa turned and looked up at him, her eyes widened in surprise. “You mean on a date?”
            Will let out a nervous chuckle. “If that’s what they still call it these days, then yes, a date.”
            “Oh,” Elyssa said softly, her mind having difficulty comprehending this.
            Elyssa’s pause gave Will reason to experience a slight alarm, but he quickly added, “I thought we could go to Old Town, eat dinner and take in a movie. Nothing fancy.”
            “Sounds wonderful. I’d like that very much,” Elyssa said as she broke into a disarming smile.
            Will breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’m very glad to hear that. I debated between that and bumper cars.” A smile widened on his face, matching Elyssa’s, and they both chuckled.
            “I’ll come by and pick you up at your aunt and uncle’s around seven o’clock, if that’s OK. Can you give me their address?” At least he remembered to ask for the address. He really did need it this time, although he’d be able to find out easily enough merely by asking Emily for it.
            Elyssa wrote it down for him and he tucked it into his shirt pocket. “I’ll see you on Friday, then.”
            Elyssa nodded. “Yes, Friday.”
            The two stood staring at each other, neither seeming to want to move. Will only managed to take one step backwards down the first step of the porch.
            “Well,” said Will finally, “I suppose you ought to get back to work.”
            Elyssa sighed. “Yes, I suppose I should.”
            When Elyssa still didn’t move, Will reached out and took her hand. He drew it towards him, prompting her to take a small step forward. He looked down as his fingers closed around it.
            With a pensive gleam, he lifted his eyes back up to Elyssa and they stared silently at each other, the warmth of his hand enfolding hers. Ever so slowly, he brought her hand up, bending his head slightly as he brushed the very tip of her fingers with his lips.
            He smiled at her and reluctantly released her hand. “I couldn’t be happier that you are here, Elyssa. I couldn’t be happier.” He reached out and with the back of his fingers, he gently stroked her cheek. “I’ll see you on Friday.”
            He turned to walk to his car and Elyssa couldn’t move as she watched him leave, reaching out for the porch rail to keep her balance. She brought her hand up and pressed her fingertips against her cheek, feeling a lingering warmth from his kiss and touch that pervaded deep within her very soul.