CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Faith carried her driver to the tee box and teed the ball. She settled herself and, with a well-aimed thwack, sent the little white orb soaring.
“Nice drive,” Tess said, teeing her own ball.
“I gotta be honest,” Faith said. “It feels good to hit something.”
“Yoga’s not the only way to relax.” Tess took a swing and sent her ball in the same direction as Faith’s. “So, what’s this I hear about you kissing Nick in the coffee shop?”
“That took forever to get to you.” Four days was record-breaking for GVF gossip. Faith waved a hand, brushing it off. “I was in a bit of a jam trying to avoid someone. That internet date I had? He wasn’t Mr. Right. I panicked. Told him Nick and I were engaged and had to sell it.”
“By kissing him?” Tess raised a dubious eyebrow. “You may go around locking lips with everyone, but Nick isn’t like that.”
“Did he say something?” That sounded very junior-highish, but Faith had felt a spark when their lips touched. Had he felt it too?
“Hello? This is Nick we’re talking about. Of course he didn’t say anything. Getting information out of that man is harder than this nine iron. Hope told me.”
“Hope,” Faith grumbled. “Don’t get me started. She’s gone from sassy to downright rude lately. What am I going to do with her?”
“I know you feel responsible for her, but technically, that’s your dad’s duty.”
“Yeah, well, he says he’s ready to step up, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Until then, I can’t let her get away with stuff, even petty things. Who knows what it could morph into if I don’t nip it in the bud?”
They got in the cart and started up the trail.
“You’re a good big sister, Faith. And daughter. No wonder you want to hit stuff. You got a lot on your plate.”
That was no joke. And Tess still didn’t know about the bombshell, paternity-busting letters. With everything else going on, she’d put that little nugget on ice. Finding Bio Dad was down a ways on her priority list. She’d gone twenty-six years without knowing him. A few more weeks wouldn’t matter.
Between her dad, sister, hair clients, and the bookstore, she had no time for herself. She hadn’t had a proper meditation sesh in days.
“Back to the kissing-my-brother thing,” Tess said. “He’s not as free lovin’ as you are. Don’t lead him on when there’s no hope.”
“Why wouldn’t there be hope? I mean, I don’t want to date him, but would that really be sooo bad?” She wasn’t about to admit that she might, potentially, be harboring a tiny attraction to Nick.
“I love you, Faith. But you know what I mean.” Tess parked the cart and got out. “Your history with guys isn’t exactly stellar.”
“Ouch.”
“You get really attached, really fast, then sour on things just as quick. When’s the last time you had a serious relationship?”
“It’s not like I’m not looking.” Faith shrugged. “Or that I’m incapable of having one. I just haven’t found anyone worthy yet.”
Tess might have a point, but even so, this conversation was starting to sting a bit. Her friends all thought she was too picky. But really, why waste time on someone who wasn’t her forever man?
“Besides,” she continued without acknowledging Faith’s rebuttal. “Nick is dying to return to Boston. As soon as he’s better, he’s outta here. He loves his job more than anything or anyone. Plus, you guys are total opposites. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Supposedly, opposites attract. And Amara did say I should try dating a man different than my usual ‘type.’ She actually said I should date Denver.”
Tess stopped digging through her clubs and stared at Faith. “Please don’t tell me you are considering that charlatan’s advice.”
“Amara is not a charlatan.” They’d had this conversation before, which was why Faith usually kept Amara’s guidance to herself.
“Anyway, dating Nick is a terrible idea. He’d drive you crazy, he’s leaving soon, and he’s vowed to never come back here. One or both of you would get hurt, and I’d be stuck in the middle.”
“Don’t worry, Tessy. He’s a Capricorn. There’s no way we’d be compatible. Plus, I’m sure I’m the last person in the world your brother wants to get involved with. You’re the only Walker I love.” Tess wasn’t a big hugger, but Faith hugged her anyway.
“All right, now that that’s settled, can we focus on our golf game?”
Around the fifth hole, Faith received a text from Nick stating they needed to talk and asking if he could stop by the bookstore. With the don’t-date-my-brother convo so fresh in the books, she didn’t mention it. And while Tess putted, Faith discreetly replied, saying she was golfing but that he could come by after eleven.
When she arrived at the bookstore a little before eleven, Nick was already there, browsing the shelves while waiting for her.
“Morning, Nick,” she said. His curt nod indicated that whatever he wanted to discuss was serious. She couldn’t imagine what was so dire. She greeted Ruby and walked to her office, Nick hot on her heels.
“You’re freakin’ me out. What’s wrong? Is something the matter with Tess?”
Nick closed the door, which upped Faith’s apprehension. “She’s fine. It’s Hope.”
Faith had peeked in on Hope before leaving the house, so she knew she was okay physically. “Does this have something to do with that hooligan she’s been hanging out with?” At his nod, she asked, “What happened?”
“She called last night from the police station and asked me to come pick her up. She’d been detained for vandalism of the high school gym.”
“You? Why would she call you?”
He shrugged. “Said she didn’t want to bother you and didn’t want to stress out your dad.”
“She should have thought of that before she vandalized the gym!”
“I’ll let you deal with all that. I wanted to talk to you about what she told me after.”
Faith plopped down into her chair. “That sounds ominous.” She picked up the deck of tarot cards and started shuffling, just to give her hands something to do.
“She thinks she’s responsible for your mom’s death,” Nick said.
Faith froze mid-shuffle, half the cards scattering every which way. “What? Why?” Tiger jumped onto the desk and stared at Nick as if also interested in the answer.
“Apparently, she read online that a late pregnancy can cause cancer and got it in her head that because your mom was forty-five when she had Hope, it’s her fault. I did as much damage control as I could—told her cancer was no one’s fault and all that—but I thought you should know where her head’s at.”
“Yes. No. Of course. Thank you for telling me. I thought she was just taking it hard. I had no idea she blamed herself.”
“Anyway,” he said, standing. “I’ll let you handle it from here.”
She picked out a random card from the middle of the deck. The Knight of Cups. In the tiny print at the bottom, she caught the words “knight in shining armor” and “prince charming.” This couldn’t be a coincidence. Twice in two days she pulls cards about love with Nick two feet away? It was all she could do not to ask him out.
“You don’t actually believe in that stuff, do you?”
Faith shoved the card back into the deck. “Of course not. I told you, it’s just for fun. Listen, thank you for dealing with Hope last night. Next time—if there is a next time—call me, and I’ll take care of it. I do appreciate you stepping up.”
She approached from behind the desk. “I know you Walkers aren’t really huggers, but…” She leaned in and snaked her arms around his waist. At first, he didn’t move. Just stood, stiff as a board. But after a second, he relaxed into the hug. Only for a moment. Then he pulled back.
“Talk to you later,” he said on his way out.
She watched him go. Even hobbled up and weak, he gave off a commanding, rugged, I-can-take-care-of-anything vibe. No wonder Hope called him.
The delivery man dropped off several boxes of books, and she spent the afternoon finding places for them. She and Ruby made two big signs—one for bestsellers and one for new releases—and carved out shelving space to house the new additions.
“Did my mom ever say why she never stocked the popular stuff?” Faith asked Ruby as they worked.
“Not that I recall,” Ruby said. “You worried she wouldn’t approve?”
Faith nodded. “A little. You don’t think she’s rolling over in her grave over this, do you?”
“No, dear. I don’t. She just loved reading and wanted others to love it too. I think she would be happy that you’re taking this place seriously and doing things your own way.”
The next few customers all purchased from the new shelves, giving Faith a feeling of validation. But she still glanced around for Tiger, curious what he thought of the upgrade. She left for the night without seeing him and prayed that wasn’t a message of disapproval.
When she arrived home, Hope and her father had already retired to their rooms. She knew they should talk about the arrest. All of them. But she was too tired to deal with it now.
Hope started school next week. Maybe between schoolwork demands, volleyball practice, and Rise and Grind shifts, she’d be too busy to get into any more trouble.