“Are you okay?” She felt Micah’s tender touch on her shoulder.
She nodded as she handed the photo back to Jude. “I’m fine. I needed to see them today. I needed to remember what we had. How we were together.” She let out a brittle laugh. “It’s funny how grief works. Sometimes you think it’s best to stuff down the memories. And sometimes you stuff them down so much until they fade away.” As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, Faith wanted to rein them back in. What was it about Micah that made her want to divulge all her secrets?
Suddenly, Shayla appeared, creating a necessary diversion from her having a bad case of TMI (too much information).
“Hey. Sorry I’m late.” Shayla appeared, slightly out of breath. “There was an accident down by the harbor road. I tried to call you Faith, but you didn’t pick up the call.”
“Sorry, Shay,” Jude said, pressing a kiss on his daughter’s cheek. “That was my fault. I took her on a trip down memory lane.” He briefly explained about the picture and Faith’s parents. Jude was very delicate when he explained about the fire and the death of her parents. Shayla placed her arm around Faith in a comforting gesture.
Shayla shook her head, her pretty features creased with surprise. “I’m so happy I suggested we eat here today. What a wild coincidence.”
Micah reached out and tousled her hair. “And good thing you were late. If not, Faith might not have seen this fantastic family photo.”
“Micah! What are you doing here?” Shayla asked. “I thought you had a photo shoot today.”
“It’s not till later on this afternoon,” he said, patting his stomach. “I thought I’d have my favorite meal for some pre-shoot energy.”
“A photo shoot! It sounds exciting,” Faith said as images of Micah posing with a host of beautiful women flittered through her mind.
Micah made a face. “Believe it or not, it’s not as exciting as you might think. Lots of posing and dealing with lighting and photographers and other models. I enjoy it, but it all depends on the client and the working conditions.”
Shayla winked at him. “And the female models, right?”
Faith couldn’t help but notice Micah’s discomfort at Shayla’s comment. He shot her an annoyed glance.
“Faith, let’s go grab a booth,” Shayla said, looping her arm through Faith’s.
“Right this way,” Jude said, ushering them toward a booth in a prime location. “I’ve been saving this one for you.”
Faith turned back toward Micah who was resting against the counter. She smiled at him, wishing he would follow and join them for lunch.
Ugh! Why was she thinking about Micah? It was Shayla who she’d come here to meet today. It was Shayla who she was hopefully building a friendship with. Not her devastatingly attractive brother. But why was he so appealing? So kind and warm and…hot?
Faith sat down in the booth across from Shayla. Although a menu was sitting in front of her, she didn’t even need to glance at it. For old time’s sake she was going to order a cherry chocolate milkshake, curly fries and a juicy burger.
Once they’d placed their orders, Shayla and Faith began to chat about professional matters, their personal lives and hobbies. Faith couldn’t believe how easily they got along. Shayla made her crack up with tales about the antics of her students. Faith found herself loosening up. She felt comfortable around Shayla, much in the way she felt at ease with Micah. There was something about the Donahue family that tugged at her heartstrings. She couldn’t really put it into words, but they were special. And being in their presence made Faith feel all kinds of wonderful.
She cast a casual glance over her shoulder. Micah was still sitting at the counter. She quickly turned around, not wanting to appear as if she was staring at him. Shayla wiggled her eyebrows at her when she met her gaze.
“He’s pretty cute, right?” Shayla asked.
Faith shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I guess.”
Shayla chuckled. “It’s all right, Faith. Most women react the same way to Micah. I’m used to it.”
“How embarrassing,” Faith muttered, just as their waitress brought them their food. “And he’s obviously gorgeous so I don’t know why I didn’t just admit it.” She cast a furtive glance in the waitress’s direction. All she needed was for her comment to get back to Micah. Faith would be mortified.
Shayla didn’t hesitate to grab her burger and take a big bite of it. She began to fan her mouth. “Yikes. That’s hot.” She looked at Faith and grinned. “Don’t be embarrassed, but please note that Micah is a bit of a lady magnet. He draws them in like flies.”
Faith took a curly fry and popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes as the flavor hit her tongue. “Mmm. These are delicious.” She shook her head at Shayla. “You don’t have to worry about me falling for Micah. I don’t really date a lot. And I know when someone is out of my league.”
Shayla’s face fell. She reached across the table and touched Faith’s hand. “Faith! Don’t ever say that about yourself. You’re beautiful and funny and warm. There’s nobody in this whole world who’s out of your league, including my brother. That’s a fact.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” Faith squeezed Shayla’s hand. It felt nice to be supported and lifted up. Other than her parents and her best friend, Lanie, she really hadn’t had anyone in her life to fill that role. Her aunt and uncle had done their best, but at times they had fallen short. Faith hadn’t always received the nurturing and support she’d so desperately needed. Raising Pamela had been a trial in itself for her aunt and uncle! A few of her teachers had built her up, but those relationships had ended once she’d graduated from college.
Her newfound friendship with Shayla was quickly showing her that it might not be too late to form lasting relationships. For so many years Faith had been hiding in plain sight. God was showing her that good things happened when you stepped out on a limb of faith and pushed yourself. Attending Pamela’s engagement party had been a blessing in disguise. Faith took a bite of her burger and savored the taste and texture of the food. Happiness speared through her.
Life was good.
**
Micah sat at the counter and drummed his fingers against the counter top. He impatiently glanced at his watch. He only had about two minutes before he had to head to his photo shoot. He didn’t know why he was sitting here since he had already eaten. Traffic on the highway was bound to be a bit snarled at this time of the afternoon. He really should be in his car and driving away from the Silver Spoon at this very moment.
Get your head in the game! He urged himself. He was getting a very sizeable paycheck for today’s photo shoot, and although a lot of people seemed to think modeling was an easy profession, Micah knew those folks didn’t know what they were talking about. There was a certain skill top models possessed. Not everyone knew how to take a fantastic picture or use the lighting to their advantage. Not everyone had the discipline to work their way up in a cutthroat industry. He needed to be on his A game. His thoughts really should be focused on work.
But instead, his mind was drawn in a different direction. It was all about the woman who was having lunch with his baby sister.
She intrigued him in a way no other woman had done for quite some time. It was a no brainer to ask her out on a date, but he was questioning the wisdom of doing so.
He’d never had a single moment of self-doubt when he’d asked a woman out on a date. It was an odd feeling for him.
He didn’t even know Faith. Not really. Sure she was beautiful and sweet. But she was related to Pamela which was a major downer. Not to mention the fact that she and Shayla seemed to be getting along like two peas in a pod. Micah had been burned before in the past when he’d been reckless enough to date one of Shayla’s friends. He made a face at the memory. It hadn’t ended well. Once things had cooled off between him and Gracelyn she’d bitterly complained to Shayla about him. Their once close friendship had crashed and burned. His sister hadn’t been a happy camper. S
ince then, Micah had vowed to not cross those lines with any of his sister’s friends. So far, it hadn’t been a challenge whatsoever. Until now.
“Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.” His mother sat down next to him on a stool and leaned in toward him. Her grin was infectious. She smelled like pancakes and frosting, two of Micah’s favorite smells.
His mother jabbed him in the arm. “She seems like a lovely young woman. I can’t believe she’s the young woman from the fire. Her parents were wonderful people. And I suspect she is too.”
Micah locked gazes with his mother. “I can see the wheels turning in your head. Please don’t try to play matchmaker. It never ends well.”
Penelope playfully swatted him. “What do you mean? I’ve found you some wonderful women, Micah. Just because you weren’t ready for a relationship is no reason to blame me.”
Micah chuckled at the defiant look on his mother’s face. “So, speaking of love matches, what’s going on with you and Dad? I know you said you were formally separated, but the two of you seem pretty chummy.”
“We’ve spent over thirty years together as a loving couple. What are we supposed to do? Wage world war three? Or consciously uncouple like that snobby actress and her rock star husband?”
Micah shook his head. These celebrity couples didn’t know the first thing about marriage and commitment. His parents on the other hand were old pros at it. He still couldn’t fathom the idea of them getting a divorce. If they couldn’t make it, who could?
He leaned in and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Just know that I pray for the two of you each and every day. I hope you find your way back to each other.”
“I know you do, sweetie. All of my kids are so loving. How did we get so lucky?”
“By being the best parents on the planet.” Micah stepped down from his stool and hugged his mother. “I have to run. I’m going to be late if I don’t get moving. I don’t want to get stuck in traffic.”
“Don’t be a stranger,” she said. “And drive carefully. There’s always some maniac out there who wants to drive too fast.”
“Will do,” Micah said, knowing his mother had issues about driving and car accidents after losing a brother when she was a teenager. Although she didn’t talk about it often, Micah knew the loss had affected her in unimaginable ways. “Tell dad I said goodbye.”
As Micah moved toward the exit, he made a sudden decision to swing by the table where Shayla and Faith were eating. From the looks of it, the two of them were getting along as if they’d known each other for years.
“Hey,” he said, stuffing his hands in his back pockets. “I just wanted to say bye.” He shifted from one foot to another as he locked eyes with Faith. She had the bluest blue eyes, he realized. They were mesmerizing.
Shayla jumped up from the booth and hugged him as if she hadn’t seen him in days. She smacked a kiss on his cheek. “Bye, Micah. I need to visit the ladies’ room. See ya when I see ya.”
In a flash, Shayla was gone, leaving Micah standing at the booth staring at Faith, who was gingerly eating her fries.
“Hey. I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me some time,” he blurted out. “Dinner. A movie. Maybe a boat ride on the bay.”
Faith’s eyes widened and she suddenly stopped chewing. She paused to swallow. “Sorry Micah, but I’m not dating at the moment. And I don’t want to complicate things between Shayla and I.” She smiled sweetly at him. “You understand, right?”
Micah wasn’t sure he’d heard Faith correctly. She was smiling at him and nodding, but he could have sworn he’d heard her say she didn’t want to go out with him.
Didn’t want to go out with him?
He didn’t consider himself to be conceited by any means, but this was a rather shocking development. Women didn’t usually turn him down. And Faith was saying she wasn’t dating at the moment. That sounded like a brush off. Not dating? And the comment about her friendship with Shayla didn’t sit well with him. Had his sister said something to Faith about him?
“Of course I understand,” he said smoothly, pretending as if her response didn’t bother him. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around,” he said feebly, wanting to sink into a hole in the ground if given the choice. With a shaky smile, he walked toward the exit, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut and spared himself some deep embarrassment.
Micah quickly made his way toward his red convertible. All he wanted to do at this moment was roar down the highway so he could forget about crashing and burning with Faith. A deep sense of disappointment gripped him. Lately, he hadn’t met anyone he wanted to spend time with on a romantic level. He was sick and tired of meeting women with little or no substance. All they wanted to do was hang out at clubs drinking and partying till the wee hours of the morning. That had never been Micah’s scene. Women made a lot of assumptions about him because of his profession. The truth was, he was a family-oriented man of faith who liked to spend time in the great outdoors and attend jazz concerts and spend quality time with the people he loved. He wasn’t some wild party animal who needed alcohol or substances to make him happy.
Faith appealed to him on a gut level he couldn’t even explain. But, she clearly didn’t feel the slightest bit of interest in him. He couldn’t deny that it rankled. Perhaps he just wasn’t used to hearing no from the opposite sex. What did that say about him? He really didn’t want to be the entitled guy who thought the world was his oyster. No way! He wasn’t that guy.
As he turned his blinker on and got on the highway to head toward his assignment, he reminded himself that he really didn’t know Faith. Sadly, it looked like he might never get the chance.
“I try to live my life without regrets. Every day I try to do something to challenge myself because for so many years I wasn’t doing any of that. I was grieving and I wasn’t really living. Now, I live my life out loud.” Addie Donahue
Chapter Four
Faith’s stomach had been roiling ever since she’d turned down Micah for a date. It had been almost a week, during which time Faith had relived the moment at the Silver Spoon over and over again. The more she thought about it, the more perplexed she became. She wasn’t quite sure how the rejection had come rolling off her tongue. In her heart of hearts, she had wanted to say yes to him, but the cynical part of her soul had said no. A very clear no.
Stupid stupid stupid. When was the last time a man like Micah had noticed her? She wasn’t sure she’d ever met a man like Micah before. And as luck would have it, Micah had asked her out. She let out a huge groan. What was wrong with her? How many times had she asked God to send a good man in her direction? How many nights had she prayed for a man to come along who would love her as she was? She wasn’t saying Micah was that man, but she needed to at least put her pinky toe in the dating world
And here she couldn’t even manage to say yes to a gorgeous man who made her laugh and smile and think. A man who she thought was pretty fascinating. A man who was part of an amazing, tight-knit family.
Perhaps choir rehearsal would get her head back into her everyday world and allow her to think about something other than regrets about Micah Donahue. Being a teacher was her vocation. Being a part-time choir director was her joy. She loved music. Her parents had instilled it in her when she was a toddler. She had vague memories of sitting at her mother’s knee and listening as she played the piano and the flute. Music had always filled the rooms of their house. Beautiful melodies had lulled her to sleep at night. It was so deeply engrained in Faith. She could never be fully content without surrounding herself with music.
When Faith arrived at Holy Child church, she made her way up the stairs and to the choir room. When she walked into the room her best friend Lanie Daniels greeted her with a warm smile and a tight hug. As she did each and every week, Lanie had brought a huge box of pastries for the choir group to enjoy. Faith considered the day she’d met Lanie as one of the best days of her life. Of all the people in her world, Lanie had always been one of the most
supportive and kind. She had encouraged Faith time and again to reach out for the brass ring and to live her life outside of the small world she inhabited. She dared Faith to live life out loud. More times than not, Faith didn’t heed her best friend’s advice, but on a few occasions she had—touring Europe, trying out for a local theater troupe and cutting her hair into a short, pixie style.
Lanie was curvy and beautiful, with doe-brown eyes and brown curly hair. With skin the color of almonds, Faith thought Lanie was a stunner. Faith wished she had an ounce of Lanie’s self-confidence. If she did, maybe she wouldn’t be so wary of things. Maybe, she would have said yes to Micah, if only to have enjoyed the experience of going on a date with a male model. She giggled. It could be a great story to tell her grandkids one day. If she ever had any.
But she hadn’t said yes. As always, Faith had found a reason to block her blessings. She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Why was it so hard for her to reach out and grab ahold of things that might bring her joy?
Lanie frowned. “What’s with the pensive look, Faith? You look upset about something.”
Faith waved away her friend’s concern. “Just thinking about something I wish I’d done differently.”
“Anything you want to share? You know I’m always here for you, right?”
“Of course I do,” Faith said. “You’re the most supportive bestie in the world.”
Lanie held out her pinkie finger. “Friends for life. Isn’t that what we’ve always said? We’re going to be in each other’s weddings and sit on our porches in rocking chairs talking about our grandbabies till the sun goes down.”
Faith smiled. She opened her mouth to tell Lanie about Micah when a few members came bustling into the choir room. She knew the moment to tell her best friend about Micah was gone. At least for now. She was such a private person and she really didn’t want to talk about it in front of the group. They were wonderful people but some of them were known to gossip. Faith didn’t want her name on anyone’s lips. She knew it might seem silly, but the idea of people talking about her always took her back to the time when she’d moved in with Pamela’s family after being released from the burn unit. Most folks had been well meaning and kind, but there had been those who had whispered and stared. Those instances had been cruel blows to her self-esteem. But once she’d switched schools Faith had met Lanie, who had been unfazed by Faith’s tragic history and her burns. To this day, Lanie was the only person to whom Faith felt comfortable showing her scars. Lanie had never judged her or made her feel less than and Faith knew she never would.
Tenderly (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Pelican Bay) Page 6
