Shattered Trust (Colorado Trust 4)

“I’ve decided to present it to the board this week, and if the internship is approved, we’ll pull you from your current job to focus on the Jenkins project.”

Mixed feelings assaulted her jumpy nerves. She didn’t want to leave the Forrester site without resolving the budget issues, but at the same time she wanted to leap from her seat and hug Dale for the internship.

She allowed a hesitant smile. “That would be great. I can’t tell you what all your help means to me.”

He stared at her, and his eyes took on a far-away look. “You remind me so much of your mother when you smile.”

Marley blinked in surprise. “You knew her?” He’d never mentioned it before.

Dale nodded. “Annette was beautiful. I met her right after you were born, when I returned from Harvard.”

“Dad never talked about her,” Marley said quietly.

Dale straightened, cleared his throat. “Your father loved her very much. He was devastated when she was killed.”

Her father had actually loved someone? She didn’t remember that time, having been only three when her mother was killed during a home robbery. Marley had vague, fuzzy memories of someone warm and kind, of feeling loved, then nothing. No mother, a man she called Daddy and couldn’t please no matter how hard she tried, and a revolving door of babysitters.

It didn’t take long to recognize the babysitters were actually her father’s girlfriends and she and Nate were nuisances they tolerated until they figured out her dad was only using them.

Old memories of rejection swelled and threatened to beat down the fortress she’d constructed around her self-confidence.

“Oh, look at the time,” she exclaimed.

Dale reached over and covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry I brought up bad memories.”

“You didn’t. I don’t remember her, really.” His touch made her uncomfortable in a way she didn’t understand and she pulled away to stand up. “I have to go or I’ll be late.”

“Need me to write you an excuse?” Dale asked with a joking smile.

She couldn’t hold back a grin, and felt her confidence rebound. She wasn’t that insecure little girl anymore. “I’ll be fine if I leave now.” And speed.

“Why don’t we meet again tomorrow? Just in case I have any final questions before presenting your design.”

She suddenly felt bad for running out. He’d been nothing but kind to her. “Tomorrow would be fine. Thank you, for everything.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to help. It makes me feel better to know Mark’s children are taken care of.”

With a final smile, she hurried from the shop as fast as she could manage in her heels. The moment she shut the door of her truck, she kicked the damn things off. Some day she’d have to learn to walk in them, but right now she hated how they left her feeling unsteady and off balance.

She frowned as she drove from the parking lot, thinking of the meeting with Dale. The whole morning had been odd. Good from the aspect that her internship looked very promising, but the conversation about her parents left her feeling like her high-heeled shoes.

****

Hammer in hand by the west wall, Justin looked up when he heard Marley’s truck, then consulted his watch. She had one minute before she was officially late. He’d have to take the time to figure out where the hell she went in the mornings. Like tomorrow.

He watched her exit the truck, curious about…yep, barefoot again. But what was she wearing today? Black and white checkers?

“Hey, Justin,” Chuck Hager called. “Come tell me what you make of these measurements.”

He shifted his attention back to the job. Her obvious lack of fashion sense was no business of his.

When Marley approached in her work clothes five minutes later, Chuck had left to answer a question for Warren, and Justin compared his field measure to the numbers on the blueprints.

“Something’s not right here.” Annoyance that it hadn’t been caught earlier echoed in his tone. “Who authorized these plans?”

“My father did. What’s the problem?”