CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Faith had been in a funk the last couple of days. Nick casually mentioning he was leaving soon had bummed her out more than she thought it would. She knew their time together had an expiration date but hadn’t prepared herself for next week!
In the last month and a half, she’d grown accustomed to him popping in at the bookstore, mocking her belief in the supernatural, and, lately, melting her heart with warm kisses.
Tonight was the homecoming dance, and Faith spent the day at her dad’s house, styling hair for Hope and her friends. She’d just finished curling her own hair and slipping into a shimmery red dress when Hope peeked in.
“Hey, you’re going to outshine us all,” Hope said. “Maybe I should rethink my invite.”
“This ol’ thang,” Faith said. “Would you believe this is what I wore to my senior homecoming?”
“You look gorgeous in anything.” Hope pouted.
“Thanks,” she said. “But so do you.” Hope wore a strapless blue dress that hit her mid-thigh. With heels, she was only a couple of inches shorter than Faith. They stood side by side in front of the full-length mirror.
“Gotta thank Mom for these great legs, eh?” Faith said, and Hope smiled.
“They do get us from A to B in style,” she said. “All right. Rex should be here any minute. We’re meeting some friends for dinner before we head to the dance. You’ll be there by seven though?”
Faith nodded. “Can’t wait. So, like what are the rules? If I catch someone making out or putting booze in the punch, what do I do?”
“Nothing,” Hope said. “That’s why I asked you instead of Dad. Just look the other way and move on.”
Faith’s brows furrowed. “Well that doesn’t see—”
There was a knock at the door, and Hope squealed. “Will you get that? I don’t want Dad embarrassing me.”
A tall, gangly redhead stood on the porch. He stiffly introduced himself as Rex. His tuxedo pants were two inches too short, which made the white socks he wore even more pronounced. Hope didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, she appeared to really like the kid. And as long as he was law-abiding, Faith wouldn’t judge.
“Just a few more,” their dad said, doing his fatherly duty of taking as many pictures as possible.
“You have plenty, Dad,” Hope said. “We’re leaving. See ya later, Faith.” She looped her arm in Rex’s and dragged him out.
From the open doorframe, Faith and her father watched them walk to the car. She threw an arm around her dad as Rex opened the car door for Hope.
“They grow up so fast, huh?” She swiped at a fake tear, and her dad laughed. It had been so long since she’d heard that she almost shed real tears. More progress toward healing.
Faith inhaled deeply. “Well, as much as I do not want to do this, off I go too. Wish me luck.”
She drove the short distance to the high school and parked. With Nick’s departure only a couple of days away, she’d thought he might want to hang out that night but hadn’t heard from him. Inviting him to the dance crossed Faith’s mind, but she decided it was probably not his cup of tea. Misery would have no company tonight.
“Faith Sullivan.” The same principal who’d been in charge when Faith was a student met her at the entrance. Old then, he had to be pushing eighty now. “It’s great to see you.”
“Principal Booker,” Faith said. “Nice to see you too.”
“Come on in. The committee’s just finishing up with decorations, and the music should start soon. Doors open for the students in a bit. Feel free to dance and have a good time.”
As she entered the gym, a bajillion memories hit at once. Most involving her five best friends and this very basketball court. Her hands itched for a ball.
The lights dimmed, and a DJ started the tunes. Kids drifted in slowly, most Faith had never seen. Because GVF was so small, they coordinated with nearby towns and municipalities to put on a joint homecoming dance. None of them had enough students for a football team, so there was never an actual homecoming game.
Faith milled around the gym’s perimeter, periodically checking her watch. She stopped abruptly, and her mouth dropped open.
Principal Booker and his wife—a heavyset woman, also of considerable age—were in the middle of the crowd…dancing? Faith wasn’t sure it could be called that exactly. Arms flailed, hips gyrated, and heads bobbed, but not in any sort of rhythm. They were close enough to each other that it looked like geriatric dirty dancing. Terrible, uncoordinated, dirty dancing.
A deep voice from behind made her jump. “Is that legal, do you think?”
She bit her lip and felt Nick slide up next to her. “I don’t know what that is,” she replied, eyes still glued to the scene. “But I can’t look away.”
They watched until the song ended, and the star couple took a bow, wiping sweat from their brows.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
When she finally glanced over at him, saliva flooded her mouth. Hot guy in a tux alert. She eyed him up and down. “Oh me, oh my, sweet momma,” she muttered.
He chuckled. “Hope told me to dress nice, but I only packed jeans and shorts. Had to borrow something from my dad and his suits are too big. The only thing that fit was the tux he was married in.”
“Hope? What do you mean?”
“She asked me to chaperone. Said you were busy and couldn’t do it. That’s why I asked what you were doing here.”
“She asked me to chaperone, and I said I would.” Faith’s eyes narrowed. “It seems we’ve been played. By a sixteen-year-old.”
“I knew she was lying about something. And that explains why she didn’t want me to tell you. You think she’s trying to set us up?”
Faith shrugged. “No idea what goes on in that pretty little head. I’m sorry. You can go if you want. I’ll have a talk with her.”
A commotion erupted on the far side of the gym. Girls screamed, and teens gathered around something. Nick was already on his way. Following, Faith noticed he didn’t have his cane, just favored his left leg heavily.
He shoved through the crowd, and as Faith pushed in behind him, saw that two boys were fighting, rolling around on the ground and throwing weak punches at each other. One had a bloody nose.
Nick grabbed the one on top by the collar and jerked, causing the kid on the bottom to swing at open air. The boy Nick had by the scruff of the neck gained his footing and turned his ire on Nick.
“Back off, man,” he growled. “This is none of your business.”
Faith went to the boy on the floor. It was Rex. She looked up to see a wide-eyed Hope frozen in place, hands on both cheeks.
“My business now,” Nick said. “And this is over.”
“You don’t tell me when it’s over.” The kid was almost as tall as Nick, but not nearly as muscular. And he either had a box of rocks for brains or was all hopped up on adrenaline, because he seemed to think he had a shot at winning a confrontation with Nick.
Except for her recent run-in with Jesse the book burglar, Faith had no experience with fighting. But even she could surmise this kid was winding up to throw a punch.
Nick caught the kid’s fist effortlessly and, in a ninja-like move, used it to twist his arm around behind his back, yanking upward so the bully had no choice but to submit.
“I’m sorry,” Nick said. “What were you saying?”
The teen winced but stayed silent. Realizing he’d met his match, the fight drained out of him. Nick might be a little gimpy, but his height, broad shoulders, and imposing demeanor overshadowed that frivolous detail.
Hope joined Faith, and together, they helped Rex to his feet.
Principal Booker stepped into the circle. “I’ve called the police. Someone will be here soon. Y’all get back.” He shooed the crowd of kids, who were already dispersing.
“Oh, Rex,” Hope said. “I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?” Faith asked.
“I’m an idiot,” Hope said. “I opened my stupid big mouth and got into it with Godzilla over there. Rex jumped in to protect my honor.”
“He said some terrible, untrue things about you,” Rex said, blood dripping down his chin.
“You’re sweet.” Hope shook her head. “And crazy. Are you okay?” She gingerly touched Rex’s face, and he smiled. Hope returned the smile and kissed his cheek.
Faith backed away to give them a minute. A deputy arrived and was talking to Nick and the teen. After a second, Nick clasped hands with the policeman and returned to her side.
“That was pretty badass, Walker,” Faith said. “Good thing you were here. I don’t see anyone else that could’ve stopped the fight like that.”
He shrugged and pointed to Hope. Someone had arrived with a first aid kit, and Hope held an ice pack to Rex’s face.
“Is the punching bag Hope’s date? Not too bright, fighting a guy twice his size.”
“He was standing up for Hope’s good name,” Faith said. “Misguided, but gallant.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Kids.”
The music started back up, and kids returned to the dance floor. “I noticed you ditched the cane. Your leg okay to dance?” Faith asked.
“How ’bout we go make out under the bleachers instead?”
She laughed but followed him. They snuck around to the side of the bleachers and dipped underneath. “Think anyone will miss us?”
“Only if another fight breaks out.” He pulled her into his arms and swayed slowly to the fast-paced music. He was big and warm, and dancing with him felt so comfortable, so right. She laid her head on his shoulder.
“Maybe this isn’t the best time for this,” he said. “But I wanted to ask if you would drive me back to Boston. I was thinking we could go on Sunday, and you could spend the night before heading home.”
Was this his way of suggesting they try a long-distance relationship? Or did he just need a ride, and why not get some farewell nooky as a bonus? Whatever his thoughts, it was a mood killer for sure. But it was also reality. A reality she’d known was coming.
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Okay. I thought it’d be nice to have some time alone, without a town of nosy Nellies breathing down our necks, before we have to say goodbye.”
Well, that answered that. It would be goodbye then. She could either pout and be upset that they didn’t have much time left, or she could squeeze the juice out of every second they did have.
She tightened her grip around his neck and put her lips to his.
“Hey,” a voice came from off to their right. “What are you two doing under here?”
“Busted,” he mumbled.
Faith giggled. “Ah, yes. Just like high school.”
They spent the rest of the evening pretending they weren’t together and fighting the urge to touch each other. They’d driven separately, which forced them to say goodbye in a parking lot full of teens.
“See you tomorrow at the festival?” he asked.
“I’ll be there.”
They chanced a stealthy, quick kiss before getting into different cars and leaving. On her way home, she stopped by her dad’s to pick up her things and see if Hope had returned. She hadn’t, but Faith didn’t worry. They’d probably gone for ice cream or something.
Coming in the back door, she caught the lingering scent of onions and garlic. She opened the refrigerator and peeked inside a container of leftovers. He’d cooked chicken!
She tiptoed into the living room and found her dad snoring softly on the couch, a book laid across his chest. When she picked it up, he stirred. “Hey, honey.”
“Hey, Dad. It’s late. Why don’t you head to bed?”
“Oh.” He rubbed his eyes. “I was trying to wait up for Hope but must have fallen asleep. How was the dance?”
“It was fun.” She smiled. “Hope should be home soon and will tell you all about it. I stopped by to grab my stuff, but I think I’ll just crash here. If you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t.”
Seconds later, Hope burst in, bubbling with happiness. As she recounted the evening, Faith couldn’t help but notice the gleam in her eye when she talked about Rex. Especially the part where he sacrificed his nose for her reputation.
“Nick broke up the fight just as Rex was about to get the upper hand,” she gushed.
That was a bit of a stretch, but Faith didn’t say so.
She brushed her teeth and climbed into bed, content her family was finally healing. Her dad was moving on, and Hope was finding joy again. That was fantastic news. One less worry for Faith.
Which would be helpful, considering her own emotional trial loomed just over the horizon. She would need the extra head space to deal with the impending goodbye that she was pretty sure was going to break her heart.