Love Remodeled (Seeking Providence #2)

Chapter 1

Happily ever after, here I come.

Paige put her car in park then used the rear-view mirror to check her hair and makeup. She fluffed her limp hair. She'd gone to extra lengths this morning to look nice for tonight's date, but keeping up with thirty second graders had taken its toll.

Her cell phone rang as she reached for the lip gloss in her purse. She pulled her phone out instead and grinned at the sight of her cousin's name on the screen.

"Hi, Riley. Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Guess what Daniel gave me for Valentine's Day?" Riley’s voice was positively giddy.

"Chocolate? Roses? A slinky nighty?” Paige couldn’t resist throwing in that last one.

"Well yes, but that's not what I'm so excited about." Riley's voice rose in pitch. "He gave me a new saddle!"

"Don't you already have a saddle?"

"Yes, but it’s twelve years old. My new one is so pretty. He even had my initials engraved into the leather."

"You're giddy because your new saddle has a pretty little H for Hamilton instead of a W for Winters?" Paige laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Isn't it the sweetest gift?"

"It's perfect. For you." Paige wondered if she'd get to change her last initial from Y to E soon.

Paige Ellis.

She liked the sound of that.

Paige wanted the kind of lovesick happiness Riley and Daniel had. She was already lovesick over the perfect man. She was just waiting on the promise of forever that she hoped was coming very soon.

"Please tell me Phillip made special plans for tonight," Riley’s voice pulled Paige from her daydreaming.

"As a matter of fact, I'm meeting him at Tulio's." Paige looked at the upscale Italian restaurant on the corner. It was one of the most popular restaurants in Seattle. "We're having an early dinner because he has a work meeting later tonight."

"On Valentine's Day? Seriously? His bosses should be fired."

"Such is the life of an international business consultant. He often has to cater to clients in other countries." Paige applied a coat of tinted gloss to her lips. "But he did say he has something important to discuss with me tonight."

Riley let out a little squeal. "Do you think he's going to propose?"

"I hope so." Paige bit back a squeal of her own as a rush of giddiness swept through her.

She melted every time she recalled the smoldering look in his hazel eyes and the husky timbre of his voice when he told her last month he couldn’t imagine his future without her in it.

“I can’t wait to hear all the juicy details,” Riley said. “Call me when you get home.”

"Deal."

Paige checked the time on her phone before dropping it into her purse and getting out of the car. She was a few minutes early, but Phillip had told her to ask to be seated in case he ran late, which he often did. His schedule was unpredictable.

A nippy breeze blew her hair across her face as she walked the twenty yards to the stop light at the corner. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill.

The friendly ma?tre d seated Paige in the already crowded restaurant without question. She sent Phillip a text saying she'd arrived and couldn't wait to see him. His prompt response said he was ten minutes out.

She slipped her phone back into her purse, intent on enjoying the soft music and tantalizing aromas that added to the ambiance of the classy restaurant.

"Are you…Paige Young?" A beautiful redhead with a death grip on the strap of her oversized handbag, sat across the table from her. Her red-rimmed eyes looked like she’d been crying.

"Do I know you?" Paige's head jerked back in surprise. She tried to place the woman as a parent of one of her students, but she didn't look familiar.

"No, but I know you." The redhead shook her head. "Well, I know of you." She grabbed the water glass in front of her with a shaky hand and took two large gulps.

Paige gasped. Her shoulders bunched as she scrambled for the words to tell the rude stranger to take a hike without making a huge scene.

Water dribbled down the woman's chin and onto her blue silk blouse.

She replaced the water glass, grabbed the napkin off the plate, and dabbed at her shirt.

"How embarrassing. Look at me. I'm such a mess.

I've been a wreck all day." A sheen of tears filled the woman's eyes before she quickly blinked them away.

"I never thought I'd find myself in this position. "

A twinge of sympathy pricked Paige's chest. The woman was obviously upset, but she couldn't fathom what it had to do with her.

"What position?" Paige asked slowly. Cautiously.

"I never thought I'd find myself sitting across the table from my fiancé's…girlfriend."

"Your what?" A chill swept over Paige as a lead weight settled in her stomach. Her mouth turned dry, but she resisted the urge to grab her own water glass. She'd probably be just as clumsy as the woman across from her if she attempted to take a drink.

Phillip's engaged?

"There must be a m-mistake." The words rushed out of Paige's mouth before she could even think about stopping them.

"Oh, there's been a mistake alright." The other woman's voice turned hard. "Lots of them. All made by Phillip."

Surely, she’s not talking about my Phillip.

The clank of silverware on ceramic plates and muted voices faded away as Paige's mind raced.

She recalled the times Phillip had canceled their plans because something came up at work.

How he always stepped out of the room to take work calls.

He even had to travel out of town over the weekend occasionally.

But that was just the nature of his job. Wasn’t it?

She’d wondered at times if he had commitment issues, because he had yet to take her home to meet his family in Colorado. But maybe he was already committed to someone else.

A squeezing sensation hit her chest, stealing her breath. She gripped the edges of her chair as she focused on drawing air into her lungs.

"I'm sorry. I'm probably doing this very poorly.

" The redhead twisted the napkin in her hands.

A large princess-cut diamond ring flashed on her left hand.

"I promised myself I wouldn't make a scene, but I had to say something.

And I must admit I'm crazy jealous. You're very pretty.

I can see why he likes you." She smoothed her hair back with a still trembling hand.

"Listen to me. I'm so nervous, I'm rambling.

" She drew in a deep breath. "I need to know how serious your relationship with Phillip is. "

"Wait a minute. What makes you think I'm your fiancé's girlfr—" Paige shook her head, unable to put those two words together in reference to herself. "That I even know your fiancé?"

"Phillip kept getting messages on his phone last night after falling asleep on my couch.

" The woman laid the napkin on the table and attempted to smooth the creases she'd created.

"I checked to see if it was something worth waking him up for, since he often gets work calls and texts all hours of the day and night.

" Her hands stilled. "I used to think they were work calls, anyway, until I looked at his phone last night and realized he's been communicating with you for months. " Tears filled her eyes again.

"How do you—" Paige shook her head in confusion. "Why would—" Her mind jumped tracks. "What do you mean?” A flood of questions swirled around inside Paige's head, but she couldn't seem to articulate them.

"I don't know what Phillip has told you about his job, but he's led me to believe that ever since he was made a supervisor at Emerson, he's had a lot more responsibilities that require his attention around the clock."

"Wait?" Paige held up a hand. "I think you may have me, or rather my Phillip confused with someone else. My boyfriend is an international business consultant with McKinsey."

"Is that what he told you?" The redhead's eyebrows shot up, then she shook her head vigorously. "Phillip Ellis is not an international business consultant. He works in sales and distribution for Emerson Office Supply."

Ellis. That's my Phillip.

Paige's stomach twisted as tight as the napkin the other woman had been mangling moments ago. If she had any food in her stomach, she would have lost it at the realization of what was happening.

"And it turns out, he wasn't made a supervisor at Whitlock eight months ago. I verified that with his boss today."

Eight months?

That's how long Paige had been dating Phillip after repeatedly running into him at the gym. He'd spent as much time flirting with her as he did exercise most days, yet he had a great physique.

"I think he lied about being made a supervisor, so I wouldn't be suspicious when he suddenly had late meetings and took calls from you at all hours of the day and night."

Still reeling and not wanting to believe this was happening, Paige scrambled for a way to prove the woman wrong. She recalled Phillip mentioning a crazy ex-girlfriend who had been stalking him for years and sabotaging his relationships. That’s why he avoided social media.

Or did he avoid it for other reasons?

"Are you Noelle?" Tamping down her doubt, Paige leaned forward and pinned the other woman with a stare. He'd said Noelle would try to drive Paige away if she found out they were dating.

"Goodness no. I've met Noelle." The other woman shuddered.

"That woman is psycho." She reached into her handbag and pulled out her driver's license and laid it on the table.

"I'm Avery Buchanan. Phillip and I have been engaged for almost a year.

We were getting ready to set a wedding date several months ago, but then he decided we should save for a down payment on a house first."

Paige thought of all the dates Phillip had taken her on. How on earth could he save for a down payment on a house with the kind of money he'd been spending on her? Or had he just told Avery that to string her along, like he'd apparently been doing to Paige for months?