CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Another week passed, and Tess was once again in Faith’s office, picking her up for lunch and nagging her about the dating website.
“You hate that I online date,” Faith said. “Why the sudden push?”
“Not pushing, just encouraging. It’s time to get back out there.”
Faith raised an eyebrow. Tess must still feel liable for Nick breaking her heart. Which was crazy, because she was the one who had warned her to stay away from him.
“There is this one guy that keeps popping up in my message box.” Faith had planned to take a dating hiatus but would do anything to ease Tess’s guilt. “He likes a lot of the same stuff I do and sounds intriguing.”
“You should go for it,” Tess said.
“I thought for sure you’d tell me he was a creeper, just copying everything I like to make sure I say yes.”
“I mean, he could be that too. But you’ll never know till you meet him.”
Faith eyed the deck of tarot cards stacked neatly on the desk. She hadn’t used them in a while. “We’ll let the fates decide. Ready?”
Tess rolled her eyes, and Faith flipped a card. But before she could see it, Tess grabbed it.
“What’s all this gibberish?” she asked. “There’s numbers, pictures, symbols. How are you supposed to know what it means?”
“Give it,” Faith said, snatching it back. “The Two of Cups. Huh.”
“What does it mean?”
“I don’t know.” Faith shrugged. “I just read the fine print at the bottom. This one says, ‘unified love, partnership, mutual attraction, proposal, marriage, connection.’ Dang, if that’s the answer about whether to set up this date, it doesn’t get much clearer than that.”
“So, you gonna do it?”
“You know what?” Faith gathered the pile of cards and threw them in the trash. “I don’t need those to tell me how to live. I can decide all on my own.”
Tess’s eyes got huge, making Faith laugh.
She opened her laptop, clicked into Stargazer’s last message asking to meet, typed for a second, and shut the computer. “Done. Tomorrow at ten at the Rise and Grind.”
“Attagirl,” Tess said. “I’m proud of you.” A look of smug satisfaction flashed across her face. Did she want credit for Faith getting back on the dating horse? That seemed weird, but it was no skin off Faith’s nose. And if it made Tess feel better, it’d be worth it.
“If I go missing and you find my body in a dumpster or some guy wearing my face as a mask, you’ll know what went wrong.”
“Not funny. Come on, let’s eat.”
The following morning, Faith arrived early and copped a table at the coffee shop. Now that she was here, guilt crept up her spine. Her heart wasn’t in this. She wasn’t truly ready to move on from Nick, so poor Stargazer didn’t stand a chance and would only be fighting for second place.
Usually, she liked to arrive a little late. That way, she could check out the guy before she committed to actually sitting down with him. On more than one occasion, she’d entered the shop, seen her “date,” and done an about-face at the door before uttering a word. It was rude, but her time was valuable, and there were times when you just knew things weren’t going to work out. She always emailed with an excuse later.
Conversely, if she liked what she saw, it gave her a chance to “make an entrance.”
Sipping her coffee, she glanced at her phone’s clock. The bell on the front door jingled, and she looked up. Her jaw dropped. Nick. And damn if he didn’t look good.
The last three weeks had given her time to pull herself together, and she was reasonably sure she could be in the same room without any more embarrassing declarations of love. At least she hoped so, because he was coming over.
“Hi, Faith,” he said. “May I?”
For a second, she forgot she was mad at him. Forgot he’d lied to and used her. Her ire had softened, but he didn’t know that.
She looked over his shoulder and feigned indifference. “Actually, I’m waiting for someone.” The comment wasn’t meant to make him jealous, but if that’s what happened, she wouldn’t be terribly sorry.
“Stargazer?”
Her eyes snapped back to his, and her brows narrowed. “How do you…?”
He shrugged, pulled out the chair across from her, and sat.
“ You’re Stargazer?” She was so confused. “If you wanted to have coffee, why didn’t you just call? Wait a second. What are you even doing in Green Valley Falls?”
He grabbed her hands. “Declaring my love for someone I never should have left.”
Faith was rarely speechless, but suddenly, breathing was a challenge. Talking, out of the question. The air wouldn’t go where it was supposed to, and she felt lightheaded. The way he stared at her made his meaning clear. Her. She was the one he was declaring love for.
“Me?” she whispered, just to make sure. “Do you mean me?”
“Yes, Faith.” He smiled. “You. I love you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I guess I should start with an apology. I meant to. Sorry, I got ahead of myself.” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry about how things went down with Gary. I didn’t have a choice about tracking him down, but I shouldn’t have used you to lure him out. And then, once we decided that was the plan, I should have told you. There were a lot of ways I could’ve handled that better.”
She smiled. “I know you were just doing your job. And I forgive you. So…back to what you were saying…”
He laughed. “I’ve been miserable without you. Life is so dull when you’re not around. It took me a minute, but I finally realized I’m in love with you. I’m here to ask for a second chance.”
Her heart rate picked up. “Oh, Nick. I’ve missed you so much. I know we said what we had was temporary, but we should rethink that whole arrangement.” She squeezed his hands. “Oh, and I love you too.”
He leaned across the table and kissed her, then pulled her to standing, put his arms around her, and kissed her again. The coffee shop patrons erupted in claps and cheers.
“Let’s get out of here,” he mumbled against her lips. “Wanna take a walk?”
“Only if it’s back to my place to seal the deal on this,” she said with a wink.
“I definitely want a rain check on that. But first, I have something to show you.”
She grabbed her purse and floated out after him. Cloud nine was too low a cloud to describe her feelings. Her whole body glowed warm. Nick had come back for her. It was a miracle.
He slipped his hand in hers, and they started off down the sidewalk.
“In the interest of honesty and full disclosure, I need to tell you something,” he said. “I’ve got some news about your dad.”
“He’s been hanging out with Mrs. Hickman. I know. He thinks it’s a big secret, but everyone knows.”
“I mean your other dad.”
Faith’s eyebrows perked up. “Oh, okay. What about him?”
“I found out yesterday they flipped him. He agreed to testify against many of the higher-ups in the organization. Murderers included. He’ll be very useful.”
“That’s nice. I guess.”
“Anyway, the reason I bring it up is that because of that, he’ll have to go into witness protection. Once he’s in, you won’t be able to contact him. Like, ever.”
“Oh. I see.” Faith had written off any relationship with him, so the news shouldn’t upset her. And really, it didn’t. But there was something so final about it. If she didn’t talk to him, she would never find out the story of him and her mom. She wouldn’t be able to ask about relatives on that side of the family. And, just thinking pragmatically, she’d never get a complete health history.
“If you want to see him before he gets his new identity, I can set it up. But it would have to be soon.”
She thought for a minute. Besides blood, she had no connection to this man. Maybe he was technically her father, but Eddie was her dad. And right now, that’s all she needed. “Nope. I’m good.”
He stared into her eyes, probably doing that thing where he deduced whether someone was lying with only a look. Whatever he saw seemed to satisfy him. “Okay then. Just wanted to put it out there. Now we can get back to us.”
They resumed walking, and all of a sudden, real-world issues started to poke holes in her euphoria. He’d returned and declared his love, but what did that look like to him? Might as well find out now.
“So, what does ‘us’ mean to you?” she asked. “Are you still going to live in Boston? Are you proposing a long-distance relationship?”
“No. I want to move back here to be with you. Tell me that wouldn’t be a huge mistake.”
“That wouldn’t be a huge mistake,” she repeated without hesitation.
“Thank goodness you’re on board.” He chuckled. “Because I already transferred to a cybercrimes unit. I can work from anywhere there’s an internet connection. I’ve agreed to stay on at the bureau for now, but have another iron in the fire that might pan out soon.”
They turned off Main Street and onto Second Avenue. “You mean the sheriff’s job?”
He rolled his eyes. “I forgot how this town has no secrets. Yes, that’s what I mean. Hayes and I are meeting next week to discuss it.”
As excited as she was to hear all this, she still worried. “Are you sure you’ll be happy here?” She stopped walking and turned to face him, needing to look into his eyes and read his face. “I don’t want to be responsible for a decision you might regret later. Or have you resenting me a year from now because you felt coerced to move home.”
“Don’t worry, Faith. I’ve given this a lot of thought. Analyzed it six ways from Sunday. You’re a big reason—but not the only one—I’m ready to come home.”
That was a relief. “Boston lost its shine?” she asked.
He paused to gather his thoughts, then took her hand and resumed walking. “I’ve always loved to read, you know? Even as a kid, I’d burn through series after series. Through books, I visited wonderful places and had amazing adventures. By comparison, Green Valley Falls was too small, too slow.”
“That’s why you were so desperate to leave?”
“Pretty much. I knew I’d never ‘see the world’ if I stayed. What’s ironic is that despite my grandiose intentions, I hardly ever left Boston. But somehow, between losing Andy, getting shot, and spending time here, everything’s changed.”
“Are you sure it’s not you who’s changed?”
“Oh, I know I have,” he said. “Rumor has it, that’s what falling in love does.”
She smiled. “So, you’ve sown your wild oats and are ready to settle down?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“What about a place to live?” she asked.
“Funny you mention that,” he said, coming to a halt in front of the Ashford house.
They turned to stare at it. “Not to interrupt, but do you want to hear the craziest thing?”
“Sure.”
“This house has been on the market for like twenty years. Last week, I called Jenny to see if I could buy it, and guess what?”
“Hmm.”
“Someone else had just put in an offer! What are the odds of that?”
He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of her.
“You?” she squealed. “You bought it? Why?”
“For us, I hope.” He cocked an eyebrow.
“You want to move in together?” Her voice involuntarily ticked up an octave. Man, he was moving fast. Usually, she was the one who moved pedal to the metal in a relationship. Now, she needed a second to catch up.
“Someday,” he clarified. “Down the road. This place won’t be habitable for a while anyway. It’ll give us time to solidify this.” He waved a hand between the two of them. “And give Tess a chance to find a new roommate and all that.”
“Can we go inside?”
“We can do whatever we want.”
They skirted past weeds and broken chunks of concrete, making their way to the porch.
“Wow,” she said, taking in the flaky paint, saggy wood, and shattered windows. “It’s a real mess.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind. I have it on good authority you’ve wanted this place for over a decade.”
“Who told you that?”
“The universe.” He waved his hands majestically toward the sky.
She laughed. “I told you a vision board worked.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t already know this was coming. Didn’t you read your horoscope this morning?”
“I gave up on that nonsense.”
His eyebrows jumped to his hairline. “Really?”
“Mostly.” She smiled. “Wait. You read my horoscope? What does it say?”
“Something about one of your dreams becoming a reality today.”
“That’s an understatement.”
He stuck the key in the lock and used his shoulder to shove open the front door. A bat flew out, missing her head by inches. She screamed.
“You all right?”
“Yeah.” She surveyed the entryway and front room. “It’s beautiful,” she said reverently.
“Are we looking at the same place?” he asked. “It’s filthy and falling apart.” A chunk of brick fell from the fireplace mantel, proving his point with perfect timing.
“Look past all that.” She walked in farther. “Check out the crown molding, the wood floors, the spiral staircase. The bones are amazing. It’s a diamond in the rough. But with a little elbow grease and spit shine, it will be magnificent.”
“Sort of like me?”
“No. You are already magnificent.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I can’t believe you bought it.”
“I can’t believe I bought it without looking at it first,” he mumbled.
“Really? That’s not a very Walker thing to do.”
“Tell me about it. I did have Tess come by and check it out. She warned me it was in terrible condition, but didn’t prepare me for this.”
“Tess?” Faith took a step back. “Wait a minute. Did you tell Tess you were on MatchMe? Trying to set up a date?”
He shrugged. “You weren’t answering me. I needed some help.”
“Ah. I should have known something was up when she kept pushing it. So she knows about all this?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I plan to rent a place nearby. We can do the renovations together. When it’s ready—if we’re ready—we can move in.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Aren’t home improvement projects like the number one catalyst for fights and breakups?”
“Good point.” He laughed.
“We could come up with a safe word,” she suggested. “In case things get too intense. How about cantaloupe?”
“Now that I’m actually seeing it, I’m not sure my fixer-upper skills are up to par for a project like this anyway. Let’s just hire a contractor and be done with it.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. “You are making all of my dreams come true.” On the verge of happy tears, she hugged him again. “I can’t believe you did all this. Went to all this trouble. It’s unbelievable!”
He pulled back to look at her. “You once told me you wanted someone to be stupid, over-the-top, insanely in love with you. Well, I am, Faith. I’m crazy in love with you.”