A Cherry on Top (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 7)

by Ashley Lauren

  “I got it, kiddo. I may be getting old, but I can see just as well as any hawk!”

  For a good minute, Chuck searched all around, even though the quarter was right next to his foot. The kids watching started to giggle and yell directions. Pops ignored them all and patiently continued his search.

  Faith smiled, knowing that he would find the quarter eventually and would never accept anyone’s help. She loved that about him—headstrong and independent.

  Finally, Chuck picked it up and placed it on his palm. Slowly, he pulled his spectacles off his head and stared at the coin. It was clear he was doing all this for dramatic effect, staring at the coin for much longer than necessary. “And it’s…” He paused, looking around with his great big eyes. “Heads!”

  Faith’s father thrust his fist into the air in triumph. “Emmitt, get over here.”

  Emmitt jogged off to his father, high-fiving him in preparation for the game to come.

  Uncle Jim picked one of his sons as well.

  In the end, the teams were pretty evenly divided, but with Travis and Emmitt on the same team, it was obvious they had a clear advantage.

  Faith stood between them, her eye on the ball, and her gaze intense.

  “You know what the funny thing is?” Emmitt whispered in Travis’s direction.

  “What’s that?”

  “The girls are actually our secret weapon. Faith used to play volleyball during undergraduate and Tasha was on her varsity high school team.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “I figured. Faith doesn’t like to brag.” Emmitt rolled his shoulders. “If it wasn’t for my height, I’d probably suck at this game.”

  “I’ve only played with friends. I’m no professional.”

  “You’ll do fine. Faith and Tasha will make up for us.”

  From the middle of the net, Chuck blew a whistle and tossed the volleyball right at Travis. Travis caught the ball before it could hit him the face.

  “Your serve, kiddo,” the old man said.

  Travis held the ball and threw it into the air, slamming his palm into it. He put all his force into it, but the ball was too low, hitting the net and bouncing back. Serving wasn’t one of his better skills.

  “Give that one more go before it goes to the other side,” Chuck called.

  “Here.” Faith walked up to him and adjusted his arms, her fingertips lightly grazing his skin. “You hold the ball in one hand like this… don’t hit with your full hand, just the lower part of your palm, like you’re pushing something really heavy away… then you swing back, make contact, and make sure you follow through with the motion.” Faith explained all this with a calm, reassuring voice.

  Travis watched her carefully before he took a deep breath and did exactly as she instructed. To his surprise, the ball flew smoothly over the net to the other side. He smiled widely at his success but forgot to keep an eye on the ball. By the time it reached him, he was too late to react, and it fell to his feet.

  “Jim’s serve. The score is still 0-0.”

  “It’s okay.” Faith looked back at him. “We’ll get them.” She winked, a bit of her own competitiveness coming out in the heat of the game. “Just make sure to pay attention.”

  Travis ran his fingers through his short hair and felt his heart beat a little faster. He’d played a few sports for fun occasionally, but he preferred keeping in shape by going to the gym or running. He felt a little out of place in this friendly yet increasingly competitive game. The other team, especially Uncle Jim, liked to tease him, but his own team was nothing but supportive if he missed a pass. Both teams were out to win, but they still made it fun and kept it lively.

  In the end, the game was close, 18-20. “Game point for Jim!” Faith’s grandfather called out.

  “We can’t let them get this point.” Faith said, rallying up her team. “Stay close, keep your eyes peeled, and make sure to hit the ball in the air. Communication is key.”

  Uncle Jim served the ball, and it came flying in Faith’s direction. “I got it.” She held out her hands in a V position, her forearms to the sky. With a skilled precision, she shot it into the air. “Emmitt!”

  Her brother shot forward, about to hit the ball when he slipped. His hand made contact, but it wasn’t enough to get it over the net.

  Travis saw his chance and went for it. He dove, his palms facing upwards as Faith had shown him. He slammed into the ground but managed to get the ball back into the air, lining up the shot perfectly for Faith who jumped up and spiked it down into the opposite side.

  Faith giggled with glee, her usually calm and collected demeanor melting away with the excitement of the game. “That was fantastic!” She said, hugging Travis without even thinking about it. When she felt his warmth and pounding heart against her own, she pulled away. “I mean… good job…” She smoothed down her hair and tried to play it off.

  “No making out on the field. We still have three points to score.” Emmitt teased from the back of the court. Faith’s face had turned bright red before she got back into position.

  Travis wiped some dirt off his shorts as Emmitt served the ball. The atmosphere was tense as everyone gave it their all, but in the end, they managed to tie up the score. 20-20.

  “This is it. Game point!” Faith’s father called out. “C’mon Emmitt.”

  Emmitt served the ball. It bounced from player to player before jumping back over the net, Faith kept it in the air, followed by Tasha, and a few others.

  Everyone was on their toes, waiting for someone to mess up.

  “Travis!” He turned around quickly, but not fast enough. He held out his hands and dove for it, but as he did, Faith rammed into him, thinking he wasn’t going to make it. They bumped heads and collapsed to the ground—Faith landing on top of him.

  The world seemed to stop as Faith lay nose-to-nose with Travis. His eyes are such a rich brown, like melted chocolate. How did I not notice that before?

  Cheering erupted, and Faith scrambled off Travis, getting to her feet.

  Travis shook his head as if to clear it. “What… what happened?”

  Faith rubbed her temples, her whole body tingling with a strange sensation she couldn’t quite understand. “I think we won?”

  “That we did.” Faith’s father said, offering a hand to help Travis up.

  “How?” Faith asked, wanting to think about anything other than the way she felt laying on Travis.

  “Tasha managed to hit the ball at the last moment. Then, Emmitt made a killer spike.”

  Faith watched Emmitt picked up his girlfriend, spinning her around in his arms.

  “You two okay? It looks like you both bonked your heads pretty good,” Faith’s father asked.

  Faith rubbed at her forehead. She felt a bit dizzy, and her heart rocketed in her chest, but she didn’t think it was due to a head injury.

  “I’m fine. Nothing more than a bump. How about you Travis?”

  Faith risked a glance over at Travis, feeling completely self-conscious. Travis rubbed at one of his eyes, looking a bit dazed. Faith knew exactly how he felt.

  Chapter 9

  It took Travis a moment to get his bearings. People were asking him questions about being hurt. He wasn’t hurt… he was confused. That split second on the ground, when his eyes locked with Faith’s, something fundamental changed within him. Faith wasn’t just a set-up date, she was something more. Much more, but Travis didn’t have a handle on it yet.

  “I’m okay, I think. My head hurts some, though.” Travis rubbed at his forehead again, pain shot through his skull. Ouch. Maybe I really did hurt myself.

  Faith’s father looked Travis over for a few moments. Then, he turned and yelled. “Charlotte, grab an ice pack from the freezer.”

  “Charles Mason if you hurt your back, you’ll need more than an ice pack.”

  “It’s not for me. If you don’t hurry, Travis might have one heck of a black eye.”

  “It’s not that bad—”


  Faith cut Travis off, saying, “Here, let me look.” She took his head in her hands and tilted his chin up. “Not too bad, but ice will help with the swelling. You might have a bit of a black eye come tomorrow. I’m so sorry Travis.”

  Travis pulled away from Faith’s gentle touch. “No, it’s fine. It’s my fault anyway. I didn’t see you coming.”

  “Faith, honey! I have the ice pack.” Charlotte crossed the lawn and frowned. “Travis, you poor dear. I hope this won’t affect your opinion of all of us and you’ll keep coming back.”

  “Mother, stop. We’re just friends.” Faith snatched the ice pack from her mother and handed it to Travis. “Here. Be careful.”

  Travis placed the ice pack on his eye and forced himself to hold back a wince. “Don’t worry Mrs. Mason. I had fun today.” He looked around and grinned at his team. “We even won the game.”

  “Yeah, we did! You owe me five bucks Jim, and I get bragging rights for the next year.” Faith’s father called.

  “Does your family bet on everything?” Travis asked. He’d thought he’d asked quietly, but everyone around him laughed.

  “Pretty much,” Charles said, patting him on the shoulder. “Make sure Faith gets you another ice pack in an hour or two. Thanks for playing today.”

  Everyone began to disperse, wandering off to get more food or sit in the shade. Faith led Travis to a bench facing the water. She patted the seat next to her but didn’t say anything. The silence stretched out, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead, it felt familiar somehow.

  Faith shook her head to clear her mind. This was just supposed to be a fake date to satisfy her mother, so why did she have all these emotions? Travis had been hurt, a small thing, but it tore her up inside. She worried he’d never want to speak to her again which was foolish. It had been an accident—one in which she’d ended up all too close to him. And there was this split second of a moment where their eyes had met. Something had tumbled in her chest, getting all twisted up and confused.

  It was so unlike her to worry that he would suddenly stand up and walk away from her and her crazy family. She didn’t like the conflicting emotions and confusion this fake date was causing.

  Faith stood. “Do you want some water or something?”

  “Sure. That would be great.”

  “Stay here. I’ll be back with a bottle for you.” Maybe if she started walking and got her blood moving, she would be able to parse through all her feelings.

  Faith wandered over to the cooler and grabbed two bottles of water. She took her time walking back to Travis but wasn’t any closer to feeling settled. It unnerved her, and that edgy, unsteady feeling was something she had sworn never to feel again. It only led to pain and more heartache. This fake date needed to come to an end.

  She handed him a water bottle, saying, “Well, I hope you had an enjoyable time.”

  “I did, but you aren’t kicking me out, are you?”

  “Not exactly,” Faith hedged. Had she been that obvious? Probably. “Umm. It’s getting late, and I thought you wanted to leave early to take pictures.”

  “It’s no big deal. It was just an idea I had. I’m not sure it would work anyway.”

  “So, even after seeing my grandfather in his boxers, being accosted by my mother, and me managing to give you a black eye, you want to stay?”

  Travis let the hand holding the ice pack drop. Faith kept her face expressionless but was inwardly horrified at how much his eye had blackened. It wasn’t swelling much, but a large ring of purple had set in. She knew it wasn’t that serious, but her heart went out to Travis.

  “I do. I’m having a really good time. Your family is amazing, and your Pops just livens up the party.”

  How could she kick him out when he pointed out how much he was enjoying hanging out with her family? She loved them, and anyone who could put up with them deserved another chance from her. She’d just have to ignore all the unsettling emotions Travis caused.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, next on my family’s agenda is a bonfire at sunset. And there’s no reason for you to miss taking pictures of the fireworks. There’s a magnificent view from the end of the dock or over by that peninsula with the hammock. I don’t know much about camera lighting, but I always think that the fireworks reflecting off the water has a nice effect.”

  “That would be perfect! I’d love to try and take a few. Let me just go get my camera.”

  Travis put the ice pack back up to his eye.

  Poor man, Faith thought. It wasn’t just his eye that looked a little worse for wear. “Do you want a spare set of clothes? You managed to get pretty dirty during the game. I’m sure Emmitt would lend you something.”

  “Actually, that would be great. I’ll be right back.”

  Faith nodded, watching him walk over to Emmitt. It wouldn’t be good for her heart to let him stay longer. Deep down, she knew she was attracted to Travis, and that’s what had her all tied up in knots. But she wasn’t ready to let someone in. After what had happened with Logan and her so-called friends, she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to trust anyone again.

  Charlotte Mason watched her daughter. She knew that something had happened to hurt her poor girl, but Faith would never open up and tell her why she had shut herself off from everyone except family. It pained Charlotte to see the shell of the person that Faith had once been. She knew that Masons were not meant to be alone. The boisterous crowd around her was proof of that, but Faith had isolated herself.

  Charlotte had been so desperate to help her little girl she’d demanded she bring a date today. And it hadn’t been sheer chance that Faith had run to Katy for help. She’d been dropping hints for months about Katy and her role in Emmitt’s and Tasha’s relationship.

  Now, she watched Faith stare after the man Katy had chosen for her daughter. Faith might believe she had dragged Travis along just to please her, but really this blind date was all for Faith. And it tickled her to no end to see that perplexed look on her daughter’s face. It meant that she wasn’t completely able to block out her feelings for Travis. She cared, probably more than she knew.

  No, it wasn’t a marriage proposal or love quite yet, but there was something there, and Charlotte had complete faith in Katy and her matchmaking skills. If Katy picked Travis, then all her daughter had to do was just open up a little and the couple would have a shot.

  With an inner smile, Charlotte went to check on her daughter. “Are you enjoying yourself, honey?”

  “Oh, hey mom.” Faith looked into the water but didn’t bother answering her mother.

  “How’s the date?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “It looked like you two were having a lot of fun in the volleyball game. Some great chemistry going on between you two.”

  “There’s nothing going on between us.” Faith shot back, her teeth pressed together. “We were just playing a game.”

  “Sure. Sure. Whatever you say, dear.”

  “Seriously mom. Nothing is happening between us.”

  Charlotte sighed. She hated to get her daughter too riled up, but she also wanted to understand. “Can you tell me why you are so adamant against dating? Travis seems like a nice guy. Why can’t you just give him a chance?”

  Faith clenched her hands into fists by her side to keep her emotions in check. To be fair, her mother didn’t know what had happened between her and Logan. She just thought it was a regular breakup where a couple didn’t see eye to eye. She had no idea that Logan had cheated on Faith and broken her heart so badly that she was afraid to pick up the pieces and put it back together again.

  Carefully, Charlotte reached out and squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. “Just give him a chance.”

  “Mom, just drop the subject, please.”

  Charlotte frowned but didn’t press the issue any further. She knew her daughter well enough to know it wouldn’t do her any good to keep pestering her. “Okay. I’ll leave, but at least enj
oy the evening. You’ve always loved the fireworks.”

  “I’ll try. Now, go make sure Dad and Uncle Jim aren’t trying to dig out the illegal fireworks from the garage. Last year, little Robbie’s coat got set on fire by one of those firecrackers.”

  Charlotte smiled. She’d threatened bodily harm to her wayward husband if he even thought about fireworks this year. He’d, of course, ignored her and bought more, but she’d found the boxes. “Don’t worry. I found both stashes. They’ll be looking through the garage for years and never find a thing.”

  “Go, Mom!”

  Charlotte hugged her daughter and wandered off.

  Chapter 10

  Faith focused on small ripples of water caused by the breeze. Her Mom and Dad were so different, yet they made it work. Her whole family was a bunch of misfits, but they all seemed to love each other and have successful relationships. It wasn’t like that for her. Not for the first time, Faith felt like an outsider in her own family. Her adopted brother, Emmitt, seemed to fit in better than she did.

  She sighed, swinging her legs back and forth in the water. “Hey, mind if I join you?” Tasha sat down beside her.

  “Fantastic job in the game.” Faith turned toward her assistant. It was always a little strange to see Tasha out of the workplace, but lately, she had seen her more and more. The couple loved to drag her to Cupid’s. She wasn’t sure exactly why since they barely spoke to her. They were too wrapped up in each other and their new relationship. It should have annoyed her, but seeing Emmitt so happy made it worthwhile.

  Emmitt loved Tasha dearly and, in a way, she was almost jealous of what they had. Faith wanted that kind of pure, indiscriminate love that only seemed to exist in fairy tales.

  “Thanks! You were amazing as well.” Tasha smiled. “I didn’t know you played volleyball in college.”