Micah, who was standing a few feet away, made a bee-line to his sister. Once again, Faith was struck by his dynamic presence. It wasn’t just his amazing looks, she realized. He exuded raw charm and magnetism. He seemed to truly enjoy life and being in the presence of people. She felt a slight feeling of envy. What would it feel like to feel so confident in one’s skin?
Could his eyes be any bluer? And his teeth were pearly white. She hoped that she wasn’t staring, but she couldn’t look away from him.
His gaze met Faith’s. “Okay, so my parents were crazy enough to have eight kids. There’s myself, Shayla and there’s Daniel over there standing with my folks, Jude and Penelope. He’s the tall guy with the serious expression.” Micah swung his gaze around the room. “Caleb is right there with my gorgeous sister-in-law, Addie. And see that guy holding the adorable little boy? That’s Parker, the oldest of the crew and his son is Logan. The beautiful blonde is his wife, Cadence. And next to him is Jason.”
Faith couldn’t help but notice that both Jason and Caleb had brown skin. She thought it was fairly wonderful that they had a blended family. What fun this large, bustling family must have with all these members. She imagined her whole life would have been different if she’d had other siblings. She wouldn’t have had to walk alone through life so much of the time.
“And the one with the brooding expression is Heath. Despite how he looks he’s pretty happy these days. And last but not least is Nash. He’s standing by the threshold taking pictures, which you can find him doing on most occasions.” Faith could hear the pride ringing out in Micah’s voice. It was evident from the joyful expressions stamped on both Shayla and Micah’s faces that there was so much love amongst the Donahue clan.
Micah turned toward his sister. “Did you know Faith is Pamela’s cousin?”
Shayla’s eyes widened. “No. I had no idea.”
“I’m just meeting Rafferty for the first time tonight,” Faith explained. “He seems like a great guy.”
“He is,” Shayla said in a gushing tone. “Him and Micah have been friends for as long as I can remember. They practically go back to the cradle.”
Micah put his arm around Shayla. “Micah is an honorary Donahue. He’s one of our own.”
Faith loved the camaraderie between Shayla and Micah. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she had a strong sense that Micah was comforting Shayla. Perhaps she’d had a bad day or something. Suddenly, Faith could see a look of sadness emanating from her eyes. Her bubbly demeanor had come to a crashing halt.
“I-I think I’m going to get some air,” Shayla said, fanning her face with her hand. All of a sudden she didn’t look so good.
“Is she all right?” Faith asked, tempted to go after Shayla to check on her. She’d seen the sheen of moisture in her eyes. How many times had she been in a similar situation at social events? Sometimes sadness just crept over her and it was impossible to hide.
“She’ll be fine, Faith. Thanks for asking. I think she just needs some time alone.” He grinned at her. “Even us Donahue’s need solitude sometimes.”
“I understand,” Faith murmured. She knew more than anyone what it felt like to crave solitude. She was an introvert right down to the bone. Most days she wished she wasn’t. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so lonely. Maybe then she would feel as if she was truly alive.
“I need to head into the kitchen to check in with the caterers,” Micah said. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Faith watched Micah as he walked through the throng of guests. He took time to chat briefly with numerous people. There was an ease about him she admired. She couldn’t help but think that he would make someone a wonderful boyfriend.
**
Micah was fairly pleased with how smoothly the event was flowing. And most importantly, Rafferty was happy. That meant the world to Micah. Even if his feelings toward Pamela were less than effusive, he cared deeply about his blood brother. Rafferty was worth all of the time and effort. If he had to deal with Pamela in order to stay close to Rafferty, Micah would suck it up. His worst fear was that he would lose his best friend. He vowed not to let that happen. It was something he’d prayed about for months now. He’d seen it happen before when one of his friends didn’t get along with another friend’s wife or girlfriend. It was like a powder keg situation where something was bound to blow up.
Micah didn’t want his friendship with Rafferty to be collateral damage.
He would do his best to fix the uncomfortable situation with Pamela. Perhaps he’d imagined her overtures. As a male model, Micah was used to being hit on by women all the time. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. But he knew instinctively he wasn’t imagining the strange vibe between them.
Shayla was doing a pretty good job at hiding her feelings. His heart was aching for his little sister. Faith seemed to be the only one who’d noticed Shayla’s discomfort which said a lot about his sister’s ability to mask her sorrow.
It also spoke volumes about Faith being a sensitive person.
Micah’s mind veered toward Pamela’s cousin. Faith was a beautiful woman who radiated an old-fashioned innocence and charm that was fairly rare. With her dark blond hair, stunning cheekbones and striking blue eyes, she was very attractive.
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he suspected she wasn’t totally comfortable being here tonight. He’d watched her interaction with Pamela and it had left a lot to be desired. There didn’t seem to be a natural closeness between them. He understood not all families were as tight-knit as his own, but there had been a strange vibe between the two women.
He was curious about Faith. Pamela had never mentioned having a cousin living in Pelican Bay. Micah wouldn’t be surprised if she’d dragged her to the engagement party simply for appearances. It was one of the things he disliked about Rafferty’s fiancée. Her insincerity. It stood in direct contrast to Rafferty’s effortless charm and his down to earth personality.
Micah felt a sudden clap on his shoulder. Rafferty was standing next to him, his face lit up with joy. “Hey, Micah. I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks for hosting the party tonight. We’re super grateful.”
“You’re welcome. That’s what best friends are for,” Micah said. “When I finally find the one, you can do the same for me,” he said in a teasing voice. He and Rafferty had a long-standing joke about Micah finally settling down in his eighties.
“I met Pamela’s cousin. What’s her story? She seems really nice.” Micah tried to keep his voice casual. There was something about Faith that intrigued him. He was used to being around beautiful women on a regular basis, although for the most part he steered clear of models. It wasn’t smart to mix business with pleasure. He’d been burned in the past that way.
“Yeah, she seems to be sweet. To be honest with you, Pamela has barely mentioned her. It was my first time meeting her.” A look of confusion flittered across Rafferty’s face.
“She lives here in town, right?” Micah asked.
Rafferty scratched his chin. “Yeah, matter of fact, Pamela said something about Faith that triggered a memory.”
Micah frowned. “What do you mean? Had you met her before?”
“No, nothing like that. You know how I was obsessed with being a fireman when we were kids, right?”
Micah chuckled. “How could I forget? Every chance you got you dragged me down to the fire station to stalk the firemen. You asked a gazillion questions. I’d never seen anyone so determined to be a part of something.”
Rafferty grinned. “What can I say? It’s my calling. Well, about ten years ago there was a massive house fire over by Frontage road. One of those old Victorian houses. I remember that house because we used to bike by it when we took that shortcut to the beach.”
Micah nodded as memories of the pink and yellow house popped into his mind, along with memories of a girl with dirty blonde hair digging in the flower garden in the side yard. Sometimes the little girl had waved to them as they passed by. Micah had al
ways had a sense that she was a little bit lonely.
Rafferty continued. “I remember it because the parents died in the fire and their daughter survived. The father was pretty heroic trying to rescue the daughter. When Pamela introduced me to Faith she mentioned how her parents died in a fire.”
Micah sucked his teeth. “She said that by way of introduction?” He made a scoffing sound. “That’s not cool.”
Rafferty tensed up. “Go easy on her, Micah. Pamela puts her foot in her mouth sometimes, but she means well. I think she was just nervous,” Rafferty explained. “She’s got a heart of gold. You just have to get to know her.”
Micah cringed. Heart of gold? Those words made him want to laugh out loud. Rafferty made it his life’s mission to stick up for his fiancée. While it was noble on one hand, Micah couldn’t help but feel that his best friend was being taken for a ride. He didn’t really know Pamela, and if he suspected she wasn’t all she pretended to be, Rafferty wasn’t acknowledging it to himself. He was purposefully wearing rose colored glasses. Sooner or later Rafferty would get crushed by reality.
“So, anyway,” Rafferty continued, “When Pamela mentioned that devastating fire I connected the dots. I remember reading all about it in the newspaper and seeing it on television.”
“You think it was Faith’s family who died in that fire?” Micah asked. He didn’t really remember the fire as much as Rafferty seemed to recall it. He had a slight memory of a bad fire in Pelican Bay but he hadn’t known the family at all. The little girl who’d lived in that gorgeous Victorian house hadn’t gone to school with him, his siblings or Rafferty. It made him feel badly that he hadn’t been more aware of the devastating blaze.
“I’m pretty sure it is.” Rafferty snapped his fingers. “Hey! You were away that whole summer. You went to visit your relatives in Cape Cod.”
“That makes sense since my memories of the fire are really vague,” Micah said, feeling better about not remembering all the details. That summer had been an amazing one. His family had traveled to Breeze Point, Cape Cod and spent months getting to know their New England cousins. Much like his own family, that branch of the Donahue family was blended as well, with all of his cousins being adopted from the foster care system. With Shayla being the only girl among fourteen boys, she had been treated like a true princess—one who enjoyed playing football, chasing salamanders and catching crabs at the beach. It had been idyllic. They had spent their days swimming and biking while their nights were made special by trips to the ice cream shack, catching fireflies, going to the double feature at the drive-in and making special visits to the Donahue family bakery, Sweet Treats. It did his soul well just to remember those carefree days of summer.
“There was something so tragic about that fire.” Rafferty shook his head. “I’ve never forgotten it. It’s just so strange that it’s connected to Pamela. Those were her relatives who died—her aunt and uncle. Faith was the sole survivor. No other siblings.”
“Wow. It’s pretty incredible that Faith survived that tragedy.” Micah’s heart went out to Faith. He couldn’t imagine losing your family in such a horrific manner.
“It is, but I imagine she’s been to hell and back because of it. Pamela also told me tonight that Faith came to live with Pamela’s family in the aftermath of the tragedy.”
Micah couldn’t imagine Faith moving in with Pamela’s family and having to deal with Pamela’s self-absorption. It made Micah sad just to think about it. He wasn’t sure what he would have done at that age if he’d lost his entire family. He would have been utterly lost.
Rafferty left the kitchen to head back to the party, leaving Micah with thoughts of fire and ash and a grieving teenager who’d lost her whole world in a blazing inferno. Try as he might, Micah couldn’t stop thinking about all that Faith had been through in her young life.
Micah felt so blessed to have his own family. They had always stuck by him, through the hard times and the good ones. He felt a pang of sympathy for Faith. Who did she run to when the storms of life blew in her direction?
“I’m really big on people showing you who they are. By their words and deeds. Kind people radiate goodness in everything they do, whereas the cruel ones just bring chaos into their midst. I always told my kids to gravitate toward the kind ones.” Penelope Donahue
Chapter Three
The engagement party was winding down, with guests saying their goodbyes. A cool breeze swept over Faith’s shoulders and she felt thankful for her long sleeves. From where she stood on Micah’s patio she could see glittering lights in the distance and the dark waters of Pelican Bay. All in all, Faith was happy she’d attended Pamela and Rafferty’s engagement party, even though her cousin had only spoken to her when she’d wanted to use her as a prop. She had surprised herself by being more relaxed and open than usual. She and Shayla Donahue had gotten along swimmingly. They had several things in common. She’d made plans to meet Shayla for lunch in the next few days. Shayla was funny and sweet, with a toughness that shone through her beautiful exterior. Normally, Faith felt a bit intimidated by beauty, but there was something about Shayla that radiated pure goodness. She needed more friends in her life. Lately she had been having conversations with God about coming out of her shell and being more open.
She knew part of it was ridding herself of all the layers she wore to protect herself and her scars from scrutiny. She was so tired of hiding them. Of hiding herself. The psychologist she used to see—Dr. Warbler—had told her that the scars were tied in to who she was but they didn’t define her. Faith knew that was true. The hard part was being brave enough to wear her scars like a warrior. She had been through the fire literally and come out on the other side. Was she being untrue to the memories of her parents by hiding herself away from the world? Her father had died trying to make it through the flames to get to her. She owed it to him to live her best life.
Faith gazed over at Micah. A man this stunning would never go for someone like her! As perfect as he was, Micah probably only dated women who were as divinely good looking as himself.
Goodness! Where had that thought come from? She barely knew Micah Donahue and it wasn’t right to judge him so superficially simply because of his exterior.
Wasn’t that exactly what she was afraid of people doing to her? Judging her by her burns? Unexpectedly, he turned in her direction and sent her a warm grin and a wave. Annoyingly, she felt a tiny flutter of attraction in her belly. It had been a very long time since she’d felt this instant like for someone. And even though it scared her a bit, it also felt liberating.
It really was time for her to head home!
“Don’t waste your time, cuz.” Pamela’s voice cut through the warm and fuzzy glow Faith was experiencing. Immediately she tensed up, sensing something negative was about to come her way. She was an expert in gauging Pamela’s moods. Her cousin’s eyes glittered with an emotion Faith recognized as simmering anger. What had she done this time to enrage her cousin? No doubt it was her mere presence at the engagement party. Although Pamela had needed her here for appearances sake, Faith knew her cousin really didn’t like her as a person. Strangely enough, that knowledge still had the power to wound her. If your own flesh and blood didn’t like you, what did that say?
Pamela’s upper lip curled with disdain. “He’s a male model in case you didn’t realize it. Micah Donahue is a bit out of your league,” Pamela said in a cruel tone.
“I-I’m not trying to be in his league,” she said in a low voice. Why was Pamela doing this in a venue where people could overhear her? During their teenage years Pamela had been very clever about being cruel to Faith in isolation. No one—not even Pamela’s parents—had suspected she was capable of a campaign of verbal harassment against Faith.
Why had she even come here tonight? She owed Pamela nothing!
“Good!” Pamela said. “Because it’s not possible. I invited you here tonight to support me,” she hissed, “not to make goo-goo eyes at Rafferty’s best friend.” S
he shot her an icy smile. “Don’t embarrass me.”
Faith felt her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. She looked around her. No one seemed to notice anything unusual in her interaction with her cousin. Suddenly, Faith spotted Micah gazing over in their direction with a quizzical expression etched on his face. Faith wanted to sink into a hole at that very moment.
“Pamela, I came here tonight to support you. That was my sole agenda. It was a lovely party, but it’s been a long night and it’s time for me to go home.” Her voice sounded weary to her own ears. Pamela’s poisonous personality always took a toll on Faith. It left her feeling jaded and wounded, time after time.
Pamela plastered a fake smile on her face. “Thanks for coming, Faith,” she said, leaning down and embracing Faith. Faith couldn’t help but freeze up. “I want you to be one of my bridesmaids. You’ll have to cover up those burns of course. We want the wedding pictures to be perfect.”
Faith sucked in a wounded breath. She didn’t even have the wherewithal to respond. With a nod of her head she turned on her heel and quickly walked away, exiting the patio area and making her back toward the front of the house. If she could fly away from here she would. Dealing with Pamela was an exercise in futility. She was as mean as a snake and twice as cruel. She was stupid for putting up with it! There was no way she was going to subject herself to the agony of being Pamela’s bridesmaid. Somehow she would find a way to wiggle out of it. Hot tears splashed on to her cheeks. At this moment she missed her parents so much it felt like a stabbing pain all over her body.
“Faith!” She heard her name being called from behind her. Within seconds she felt a gentle touch on her arm. Without even turning around, Faith knew it was Micah.
She turned toward him, her heart sinking at the idea of Micah seeing her tears.
“Are you all right? You walked out of the party so abruptly. And it looks like you’re crying.” He reached out and wiped a tear away from her cheek.
Tenderly (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Pelican Bay) Page 4
