Chapter Six #2
Kids whizzed by on bikes, shouting and laughing at each other, while older teens sat on porches, eyes glued to their phones.
Dads mowed lawns, and moms dug in gardens or gossiped with neighbors.
Folks were friendly here and waved or smiled hello as she slowly walked past. It all felt surreal somehow.
She’d grown up in San Francisco, in Pacific Heights, to be exact, and it was worlds away from this small town.
Everyone in Fire Lake was so . . . happy. So light and easy. And it didn’t feel forced. It was as if the outside world, with all its sharp edges, hadn’t penetrated this part of the country.
She walked past the diner and spied Tully through the windows.
The woman waved crazily and motioned at Faith, so she stopped and waited.
She smoothed out the simple baby-blue sundress she wore, with thin straps and a hemline that fell a couple of inches above her knees.
On her feet were a pair of flip-flops she’d bought at some bargain store before she’d made it to Fire Lake.
Her hair, she’d left loose, but knew she’d need to put it up soon.
Tully walked out of the diner, smiling from ear to ear.
Faith couldn’t help but answer in kind. The woman’s frosted blonde hair was piled at least a couple of inches on top of her head.
Large round silver earrings and a thick silver link necklace complimented a navy-blue blouse that was tucked into a short denim skirt with a white frill at the hem.
She wore four-inch brown and blue espadrilles, and her toes were painted a bright pink to match the gloss on her lips.
“I’m so happy to see you.” Tully winked and tucked a rag into the waistband of her skirt. “And looking gorgeous if you don’t mind my saying. I swear the color of your hair reminds me of hot apple cider in the fall.”
“Oh,” Faith murmured. “Thank you.”
“Gus says you’re doing real well out at The Dock.”
“Well, I haven’t dropped anything since my second shift.” She paused because she didn’t want to appear too curious, but inside, she was secretly pleased. “When did you see Gus?”
“Oh, he comes in for dinner now and again. I don’t think that man cooks at all.
Why just the other night he was here with Jackie Davenport.
” The woman frowned and snapped her gum.
“Though why in hell he’s taking up with her I couldn’t say.
” She rolled her eyes. “Well, I mean, I know why he’s taken up with her but still.
” She threw her hands in the air. “Listen to me monopolizing the conversation. How have you been? Settled into the Lawson House? Did you manage to get that old car of yours fixed?”
“The car has gone to car heaven, but the Lawson House really is a beautiful home. I like it there and Candy is so nice. She lets Taco out while I’m at work.”
“Always been one of my favorite homes in town. Why, it’s been in Candy’s family for generations.
” Tully shook her head, lips pursed. “She never married after Davis Peters broke her heart when she was seventeen. Up and left her pregnant to raise a boy on her own. She did the best she could, but he was as wild as his daddy and got himself killed on a motorcycle nearly thirty years ago. She was an only child so I’m not sure what will happen to it when she’s too old to live there. ”
“That’s so sad,” Faith murmured. Candy was on the back end of seventy, with more pounds than she needed to carry, and suffering from a host of ailments, including diabetes and high cholesterol. All of which she’d relayed to Faith in their first-ever conversation.
The door opened behind Tully, and an older man with graying hair pulled back into a ponytail appeared. His grease-stained white T-shirt was wrinkled, and he wore an apron loose around his sizable middle. “Table four’s meals are up and table two needs their bill.”
Tully made a face, eyebrows arched. “Frank Edwin Taylor. You walked all the way out here to tell me that when you could have easily dropped off their plates?”
“I cook. That’s it.”
“Lord help me.” Tully sighed when Frank disappeared inside. “I swear to God that man was put on this earth to annoy the ever-lovin’ hell out of me.” She backed away. “Are you going to the parade on Wednesday? don’t want to brag but Fire Lake does July the Fourth proud.”
“I’m scheduled to work in the afternoon, but I am going to try and make the parade in the morning.”
“Okay, sweetie. I’m so glad you stopped by, and I hope to see you next week.” Tully waved and headed back into the diner.
Faith continued down the street, past the quaint shops with the too-cute names — names she was beginning to realize were perfect for this place.
She’d just passed the town square when she spied Ford Boone and his young son standing outside of a store tucked between Sprinkles and Cream and the flower shop.
The sign above the front door read, Turn the Page, and there was a large selection of the latest bestsellers and beach reads displayed in the window.
As she approached, Ford glanced up; his brilliant blue eyes crinkled in a smile when he spied Faith.
“Hey there,” he said when she stopped in front of them.
“Is that your dog?” Benjamin interrupted, his sweet face hopeful when he looked up at her. “What’s his name? Can I pet him?”
“Slow down, son.” Ford shook his head and ruffled the young boy’s curls. “Maybe say hello and Faith will think about it.” He glanced at her. “It is Faith, right?”
“Yes,” she replied with a smile.
The boy scuffed his sneaker but didn’t take his eyes off of the dog. “Hi Faith,” he said quickly. “Now can I pet him?”
Faith bent low and nodded. “Taco loves little boys.” She winked. “And he especially likes scratches behind his ears.”
Benjamin got down on his knees so that his head was level with Taco’s and began to talk to the happy dog while scratching him behind his ears.
“Nothing like a pup to make a little boy happy. Do you have the day off?” Ford asked as she stood back to give Benjamin room with Taco.
“I do, yes. Off until Monday.”
“Always nice to have the weekend to yourself.”
“I’m pretty sure it means I’ll be working next Saturday and Sunday.”
Ford was dressed casually in a navy T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts and sneakers.
He wore an old Mets ball cap, one that looked as if it was well-used.
His thick hair waved around his ears and neck, and his handsome face sported a couple of days’ worth of stubble.
A group of teenagers, all girls, approached them, and Faith hid a smile when she saw their interest. She got it.
He was striking. Model material, really.
“Why did you name him Taco?” Benjamin got to his feet, though his hands never left the scruff of the dog’s neck.
“I love Mexican food, and tacos are my favorite thing ever.” Her gaze dropped to the dog. “He was given to me by an old . . . boyfriend.”
She was getting good at the lying thing because Taco had been a present just the year before from her fiancé.
Ex-fiancé.
“Dad, can we get a puppy? Robbie has a big gray one with one white eye and he’s so cool, and Dean has this little poofy dog that licks my face, and he got his tongue in my mouth, but I didn’t care.” The boy shrugged. “It wasn’t that gross.”
“I don’t know if we have time for a dog, Benjamin. They’re a lot of work.”
“But I promise I’ll walk him, and I’ll even pick up its poop.”
“We can think about it when we go back to the city.”
Instantly the boy’s face fell, along with his voice. He kicked at the ground. “I don’t want to go back. I like it here.”
“How about an ice cream?” Ford asked instead.
“Are you coming with us?” Benjamin turned to Faith. “Can I walk Taco?”
His little face was so earnest she couldn’t refuse. “Here. Take his leash.”
Ford put his hand on Benjamin’s shoulder. “Buddy, I’m sure Faith has better things to do.”
“It’s okay,” she replied with a smile. “I don’t mind.”
A lazy smile crept over his face, and there it was again. That feeling like she’d met this man before. Like she somehow knew him. Which was crazy. She was surprised he’d even remembered her name.
“Let’s go.” Ford pointed down the street and chuckled when Benjamin took off with the dog at the kind of pace that meant he’d get to the ice cream truck ahead of the two of them. “Wait at the stoplight,” he yelled after the boy.
“I will,” Benjamin shouted back.
“He’s seems like such a great kid,” Faith said as she fell in step beside the man.
“He’s everything.” The words were quiet. They were heavy.
For the first time she wondered about Benjamin’s mother. Ford wore a wedding band but where was the woman?
They continued down the street. Ford kept an eye on his son, and they had the kind of conversation near-strangers generally had, which was surface level.
They talked about the weather. The Mets.
The last action movie Tom Cruise starred in.
The Independence Day activities (of which Ford echoed Tully’s earlier statement and encouraged her to attend).
Eventually, the conversation eased, and by the time they reached the intersection at Main and Front Street, Faith’s eyes filled with tears, and her belly ached because she was laughing so hard.
His knock-knock jokes were dirty. And funny and witty and just what she needed.
“It’s bad luck to laugh so much,” she said, swiping at her eyes.
“Well then, that’s the kind of bad luck I don’t mind.”
It felt good to laugh. To be this light. To forget. Faith tucked a piece of hair behind her ears and turned when she heard Benjamin talking excitedly. The young boy stood with Taco at his side, chatting with two men.
Both of them were dark. Tall. Tattooed. Dangerous.
The man on the right looked her way with interest. His hair was long, touching the tops of his shoulders.
He wore floral board shorts, a baby-blue sleeveless T-shirt, a beige bucket hat, and sandals.
On most men, it was a casual outfit. But the light summer wear did nothing to hide this guy’s muscular build, wide shoulders, and the air of danger that fell across him like an old friend.
It was in the way he held his body. He flashed a smile at Faith, but it was the other man who grabbed her attention.
He was just as handsome, just as dangerous as his companion, but he was also more. He wore jeans, work boots, and a white T-shirt with the Foo Fighters logo. When he looked up their eyes locked. The expression on his face was dark and intense and . . . hungry.
Her heart skipped a beat. She clamped her mouth shut because it hung open like she was a flycatcher.
Never had she had such a visceral reaction to a male.
Not even with her fiancé. This was on an entirely different level, and it left Faith confused.
Was it just chemistry? A physical reaction to a handsome man?
What was it about Gus that made her stomach turn over?
Gus’s eyes stayed locked onto Faith even as he said something to Benjamin. Then he lifted his chin in greeting before he and his pal crossed the street.
She let out a breath, instantly relaxing as the men moved away.
“You know that guy?” Ford asked as they slowly caught up to Benjamin.
She had to clear her throat for it to work. “He lives at Lawson House.”
“He’s been working at the estate.”
“Yes.” She kept her gaze trained on the young boy and her dog.
“Weird. I don’t even know his last name.” Ford winked. “But then I don’t know yours either.”
She laughed and then made a joke. She was the queen of deflecting, but what else could she do? Lie? Tell the truth? Ignore? She wasn’t ready to share her past.
Everyone had secrets, and she was going to hold on to hers as long as she could.