Faith, Hope & Love Page 8

  “Where are we going now?”

  “I thought Zach could take us by the island I told you about. Is that okay with you?”

  “Sure,” she said, ready for a little adventure. She didn’t want this day to end. It was the first time in a long time she felt happy and relaxed.

  A few minutes later, Zach pulled as far up to the island as he could. Brandon took off his shoes and jumped out into the knee deep water. He reached out with both hands to help Faith over the side as she tossed her sandals back into the boat.

  “Zach is going to do a little fishing and come back to get us in a bit,” Brandon explained as he helped her over the side. She slid down into the water, which was still pretty cool since springtime hadn’t officially arrived yet.

  They walked the short distance to the sand and sat down, each of them out of breath from fighting against the waves. As Zach drove off into the distance, Faith had a bit of anxiety well up inside of her. Here she was on a desolate island in the middle of nowhere with Brandon. She trusted him, but she’d trusted a few men in her past and that hadn’t worked out so well.

  “This is one of my favorite places in the world,” Brandon said as he looked out at the water.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “We had bonfires here a lot when I was a kid. After football games, we’d hitch a ride on the ferry and camp out.”

  “That sounds amazing. I wish I had grown up here.”

  “Yeah, there’s something about January Cove that gets in your veins, and you never want to leave.”

  “But you did leave for awhile, right?” Faith asked.

  “Touché,” Brandon said with a chuckle. “That was something I felt called to do, though.”

  “Do you ever feel called back to the Middle East?”

  Brandon looked at her. “I do. Sometimes the things I feel called to do conflict with each other.”

  She wasn’t sure what that meant. “So what do you do when they conflict?”

  “Well, that’s when your heart and your gut have to have a meeting to decide what to do.”

  Faith laid back onto the warm sand and stared up at the blue sky. There were no clouds anywhere today, and the warmth of the sun was tempting her to take the best nap of her life.

  Brandon laid back and joined her, staring up into the vastness of the heavens. They didn’t speak for awhile. The only sounds were the waves and the squawking seagulls that would occasionally dive bomb down and snatch an unsuspecting fish from the ocean below.

  Faith thought about how it must be to be that fish. Swimming along. Thinking life is grand and then bam! Flying straight up into the air without knowing where you’re going.

  It was kind of morbid, but symbolic for what her life had been lately. Only the fish didn’t get a new life in a great place. But the bird did get a fresh meal, she supposed. The circle of life.

  “So, have you heard anything from your father yet?” Brandon suddenly asked, breaking her out of her enjoyable cocoon of happiness and tossing her butt right back into the real world that was all her own.

  “No, I haven’t. What made you think of that?” she asked, turning her head slightly toward him, trying to avoid the sunlight that was slipping under her fancy sunglasses.

  “I’ve been wanting to ask you. Just didn’t know how. I didn’t want to upset you.”

  She appreciated the sentiment. “It doesn’t upset me as much as it did when I first got here. I guess out of sight, out of mind.” Even as she said it, she knew that it wasn’t true. She thought about her father every single day. She worried about him. Was he safe? Was he well?

  “I don’t believe that for a minute, Faith. You love him, and I know you must be worried.”

  How did he read her mind like that? “Worrying doesn’t do me any good, though. He’s made it clear that he no longer wants me as his daughter.” She turned her head back toward the sky and noticed a stray white, puffy cloud floating by. It was shaped like a poodle, she thought. Every time she saw a cloud, she wondered if her father was somewhere, peering out his tiny prison windows, looking at the same white blob in the sky. Probably not possible in scientific terms, she decided.

  “Maybe you should try again. I’m sure he misses you.”

  “Look, Brandon, I love your optimism, but I can’t go there again. I just have to let it go and hope that one day he reaches out to me. Until then, I have to move forward.”

  “I get it,” he said before sitting up. “Looks like our ride is here.” He pointed to Zach who was heading back to pick them up.

  “That was quick,” she said, wishing the afternoon wasn’t over.

  “Maybe we can do this again soon?” Brandon asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

  Faith smiled. “I’d like that.”

  Brandon looked at his watch. He was determined to get off work on time today. After all, he’d promised to help out at the carnival, and he wasn’t about to let Olivia or the kids down. Or maybe he didn’t want to let Faith down.

  Since spending time with her on the boat and at the island, he realized that he was starting to have some serious feelings for her. But things were too up in the air. For one thing, he had no idea if she was going to stay in January Cove for good. He didn’t know if she had any real feelings for him, other than a budding friendship. Plus, he’d recently been contacted about coming back to the Middle East to volunteer for at least another year. He hadn’t told Faith that since he wasn’t sure about his final decision.

  A part of him felt like he had unfinished business in the region. He wanted to be able to help those people more, to save them from an uncertain fate. But, as his own mother had told him a million times, he couldn’t save the world and sometimes he just needed to save himself.

  Still, he felt conflicted. Should he take the opportunity to go back and help as many people as he could? Or should he stay in January Cove in the hopes that he could start a new life with Faith McLemore?

  Chapter 8

  Faith stood under the small tent that she and Olivia had set up for face painting. It was just big enough for two chairs and a small table filled with a bright assortment of paints. The sun was really beating down today, spring now in full force in January Cove.

  She could smell the salty sea air as it blew gently across the pier, and it felt like home. She loved this place and these new people. It was amazing that she was starting to feel like January Cove was where she was always meant to be. It had been like coming home.

  Of course, it was probably her original home. Somewhere among the moss covered trees and sandy beaches, her biological mother had probably walked. She looked around at the large crowd of people enjoying the carnival and wondered if her birth mother was somewhere out there.

  She had come to January Cove to find her birth mother in the first place, yet she’d put that on the back burner lately. Being busy with volunteer work and spending time with Brandon kept her mind occupied, but it had also kept her from finding out the truth.

  Faith wanted to know more about her mother, but the truth was that she was scared. What if she was dead? What if she wasn’t a good person? And worst of all, what if she just didn’t want to meet her? What if she was just another person who wanted to abandon her?

  “I want a butterfly, please!” the perky little girl demanded as she plopped down in the chair in front of Faith.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Right here, on this cheek,” the little girl said, pointing at her pudgy left cheek. Her mother stood next to her, slight confusion on her face.

  “Oh. Right,” Faith said, trying to refocus her mind on the task at hand. “Blue or pink?”

  “Pink, of course,” the little girl said, rolling her eyes. Faith began painting, trying not to let her mind wander again. When she finished, the little girl squealed with delight as she looked into the hand mirror and then ran off into the crowd, her mother calling after her.

  “You’re doing a great job, Faith,” Olivia said as she came around the corner.


  “Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll be applying for art school anytime soon,” she said with a laugh. “How’s it going for you over there?”

  “We’re selling cakes and cupcakes left and right. Sweet Cakes bakery really helped us out today.”

  “That’s great. Hopefully we’re raising a lot of money.”

  “We definitely are,” Olivia said with a smile. “Oh, it looks like you have a customer,” she said before walking away.

  Faith turned to see Brandon sitting in the chair in front of her. Their faces were inches apart, and the feeling of electricity between them jolted her for a moment.

  “Oh, hi. You scared me,” she said shakily as she moved back a few inches. Brandon smiled.

  “I’d like a dragon, please.”

  “What?”

  “Right… here,” he said, pointing to his right cheek and leaning forward.

  “Brandon, I’m not painting a dragon on your cheek. This booth is for the children!” she chided.

  He stood up and looked at the tent, carefully walking around it and then sitting back down. “Nope. Nothing says this is just for kids.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. Here was this skilled physician, still in his scrubs from work, demanding a dragon be painted on his face.

  “Fine. But I’ll warn you that I’m not an artist, and I have no idea how to paint a dragon.”

  He leaned in closer again. “I’ll take my chances.”

  She dabbed some paint onto her brush and cleared her throat before leaning toward him. How in the world was she supposed to paint his face with her hand shaking so bad?

  “Okay, stay still,” she said softly as she touched the brush to his skin. She quickly realized that she’d have to use her other hand to hold his face in place, so she slid her fingers up under his jaw.

  Oh dear Lord. His skin was so warm, and she could smell his cologne. Chills ran down from her hand all the way to her heart, and she was afraid he’d notice the redness appearing on her cheeks soon. Who knew stubble could feel so sexy in your hand?

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, why?” she responded, her voice two octaves higher. She was desperately trying not to make eye contact and instead focus on the work at hand.

  “You seem a little shaky.”

  If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought he was enjoying her discomfort. There was a slight smile on his face, and although it was extremely attractive, it led her to believe he was messing with her a bit. But for what purpose?

  As she ran her fingers across his skin, she had to wonder what it would feel to touch his face all the time? Why wasn’t some woman scooping this man up? If she leaned in and kissed his jawline, would he notice?

  She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for actual feelings. Her life was a mess. What did she even bring to the table for a guy like him? She had no job. No home. No idea who her family was.

  Nope, she wasn’t going there. She wasn’t going to even consider the fact that her hand was trembling because she had a strong desire to grab his face and plant a big wet kiss on those smiling lips of his. She cared way too much about Brandon as a person to mess up his life with her broken heart.

  Faith looked at her work so far. It was messy and smeared. Ugh. She needed to start over. She grabbed a wet cloth and brushed it across his face.

  “What’re you doing?” he asked.

  “I messed up.”

  He chuckled and turned to face her. “It’s all in good fun, Faith. Don’t stress out about it.”

  His voice was soft and calming to her. “It looked like a blob that threw up another blob.”

  Brandon laughed. “Way to sell it.”

  Faith had to smile at that. He had a way of making her feel better. “Let me try again.”

  This time she was determined to stay focused. No more thoughts of kissing or touching or long walks on the beach with their three children in tow….

  A few minutes later, she was finished. And she was pretty proud of her creation. She grabbed the mirror and handed it to him, a smile spreading across her face.

  “Pretty good, huh?”

  Brandon looked, his eyes wide, and then laughed out loud. Faith was confused.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Um, Faith, this is Barney.”

  “What?”

  “The cartoon character. The big purple dinosaur.”

  She sat for a moment, trying to take in his words. Dinosaur. Oh crap. Dinosaurs were most definitely not dragons.

  “Oh my gosh… You said dragon. And I painted a big purple dinosaur on your cheek.” Now her cheeks were turning red.

  Brandon continued cackling with laughter until tears were running down his cheeks. She felt like an idiot. When he finally caught his breath, he put his hands on her shoulders.

  “Faith McLemore, you make life so much fun.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. No one had ever said anything like that to her. All of the other men in her life had said she made life more expensive, maybe, but not more fun.

  “Sorry about the dinosaur. Let me help you get that off,” she said as Brandon stood up.

  Brandon covered his cheek. “No way! I love it!”

  “No, you don’t. No man wants to walk around with that on his cheek. Here, you can use this.”

  Brandon took the cloth from her hand and put it on the table. “Faith, I may never wash this cheek again now that you’ve painted this work of art on it.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Is that the purple dinosaur?” Amelia asked from the other side of the tent.

  “Oh, hey, Amelia! Yes, it is a Faith McLemore original. Would you like one?” Brandon asked, smiling as he cut his eyes back in Faith’s direction.

  “No thanks. But can you do roller skates?”

  “Roller skates? Do you like skating?” Faith asked.

  Amelia walked over slowly and sat in the chair. “Yeah. I love skating.”

  “Cool. Maybe we can go sometime,” Faith said hopefully.

  “Maybe. But I might be leaving soon.”

  Faith’s heart skipped a beat. “Really? Why is that?” She sat down in her chair and waited for Amelia to answer.

  “My case worker said no one here really wants me so I might have to go somewhere in another state.”

  Faith was angry. No one wants her? Who says that to a child? She wanted to get up and hunt this person down, and she’d do a lot more than paint a dinosaur on their face!

  “Amelia, I’m so sorry someone said that to you. I’m sure so many people would want you as their daughter.”

  Amelia looked up at Faith. “I don’t think anyone wants me.”

  Faith looked up at Brandon, who was still standing at the edge of the tent. Gone was his smile, and it was replaced by a look of shock. Faith felt nauseous.

  “Well, today is a day for fun, right?” Brandon suddenly said.

  “I guess so,” Amelia responded.

  “And since you’re here with HOPE today, Faith and I are going to make sure you have the most fun today that you’ve ever had!”

  Faith looked back up at him, unsure of what he was planning. But if she knew anything about Brandon, it was that he always had a plan.

  “Ya’ll get to work on that amazing cheek artwork, and I’ll be back in a flash, okay?” Before Faith could respond, Brandon was trotting off into the crowd.

  “Is he your husband?” Amelia asked as Faith started painting.

  “No, he’s not,” Faith said with a giggle.

  “Your boyfriend?”

  “Nope. Just a friend.”

  “Yeah right,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You like him.”

  “I do like him. That’s why he’s my friend.” Why were kids so dang perceptive?

  “I think you like him as more than a friend, Miss Faith.”

  “Oh yeah? And why do you think that?” Faith asked as she sta
rted working on the wheels of the skates.

  “Because you look at him like one of those puppies down at the shelter.”

  Faith laughed. “And how is that?”

  “Like you want him to pick you up and carry you away,” Amelia said giggling.

  “Well, I don’t feel like a shelter puppy. Dr. James is just my friend.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  Faith continued painting as Amelia talked. She told her about how HOPE was helping her with tutoring for math and how her teacher said she was smart. Faith listened, taking in every word in fear that Amelia would just be gone one day soon.

  “So, what’s your favorite color?” Faith asked as she worked. It had taken her a few weeks to get Amelia to open up at all, so having a conversation with her felt like a victory.

  “Pink.”

  Faith worked to put as much pink as possible into her design. She was getting the hang of this face painting thing. Too bad she couldn’t make a career of it.

  “What’s your favorite color?” Amelia asked.

  “Sky blue. Just like the color above us right now.”

  Amelia cut her eyes to the sky. “I like it when there aren’t any clouds.”

  “Me too,” Faith said as she put the finishing touches on the skates she was painting.

  “I’m going to miss it here.”

  Faith put down her brush and took in a deep breath. “Sweetie, you don’t know if you’re even leaving yet.”

  “Yeah, I do. Nobody wants me here. Maybe it’s better that I leave anyway.”

  “That’s not true, Amelia,” Faith said, turning her around in the chair. “I want you.”

  “You do?” The hopefulness in her voice was heartbreaking. Faith wished she could take back her words.

  “I do, Amelia, but I can’t adopt you.”

  Amelia’s face fell. “Oh.” She turned back around in her seat, slouched down more with her arms crossed around her body. It wasn’t the body language of someone who was angry, but of someone who was protecting herself.

  “You don’t understand, but they wouldn’t let me adopt you even if I wanted to. You see, I’m new in town and I don’t have a job or a place to live. I stay at the inn.” Faith stammered out the words, trying like crazy to make the little girl understand.