Chapter 12 #2
Faith was glad to see her sister rejuvenated and happy, but there was a feeling gnawing at the back of her mind, making it hard for her to breathe.
It took her a minute to place it. It was fear.
She tried not to let it come through, but it was getting bigger and bigger, the words loud in her head as she tried unsuccessfully to ignore them—that she wasn’t good enough.
Scott had chosen Casey. Would Jake do the same?
Jake was easy to like, and Casey would be far better suited to his lavish lifestyle.
She probably wouldn’t even flinch at it.
They’d had a great time together—Casey’d said they had fun, and even if she hadn’t, she could tell by Casey’s face.
This wasn’t how Faith had been after her date with Jake.
Had Faith been too quiet for him? Had she not shared enough about herself?
He’d ended their date with the dreaded, “Let’s be friends” comment.
“We found common ground when we realized we both had broken relationships. He got divorced two years ago.” Casey turned and faced Faith directly.
“Did you know that his wife left him because she said he didn’t communicate?
Jake? Not communicating? I can’t imagine that!
” Isabella ran to find Martha downstairs to show her a piece of driftwood she’d found that Jake had let her bring home.
Faith forced a smile, but this bit about communication didn’t surprise her.
It was true that Jake was very open in general conversation, but he’d left her at the end of that night feeling confused and not really understanding what he was thinking, so she could understand why his wife may have felt that way.
The problem was, Faith was a listener. She was good at sitting back and letting those around her get out what they needed to say.
She was a quiet leader, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to handle things, but she wanted to make Jake communicate.
Seeing Casey so full of life, bright, upbeat after being out with Jake stirred up old emotions in side her, and, unexpectedly, she was angry.
Angry at him for not explaining himself more.
No. She zeroed in on Casey’s perfectly glossed smiling lips.
She was angry with Casey. Casey could go along with her life without ever feeling the kind of fear that she’d created in Faith.
She’d betrayed her sister in the very worst way, and now, her every move with Jake rubbed Faith the wrong way.
She was still furious with Casey, and Jake’s actions irritated her as well.
“And! He’s invited me to a party tomorrow! A big one!” Casey smiled at Faith, but Faith wasn’t smiling. She was scowling—she could feel it. Casey’s face dropped. “You okay?”
Not only had Jake spent time with Casey today, he’d had so much fun that he’d wanted to see her for a second time.
That was more than he’d offered Faith. It was no different now than when they were kids.
Why did this kind of thing happen to Faith?
Casey always came out on top. And Casey wasn’t doing anything to stop it.
What if Jake was the perfect Prince Charming to help Casey get over Scott?
“No.”
Nan excused herself, leaving just the two of them in the living room.
“What’s wrong?”
Faith dared not admit her early feelings for Jake to Casey. It hadn’t ended well the last time she’d tried that. They’d all moved on, but Faith still didn’t feel like she could trust Casey. How terrible to not be able to trust her own sister.
Casey’s face was full of worry now. “I said you and Mom and Nan should come too.”
The idea of crashing Jake’s party didn’t sound appealing at all.
If he’d wanted her there, he would’ve asked her to come.
Her mouth was dry, and she tried to swallow to alleviate it, but she couldn’t.
She was so angry with Casey still that she couldn’t stand it.
Again, Casey had stepped on Faith’s toes with a man, and being invited to a party when Faith wasn’t, brought back all her old wounds.
Then, she thought, Why do I have to sit back and let Casey’s actions dictate how I feel?
She was stronger than that. Maybe she should go.
It would get Nan out of the house, and, perhaps, she could even get a little insight out of Nan.
Nan was great at reading people. She’d be able to tell all kinds of things about Jake just by watching him and how he interacted with people at the party. It could be interesting.
“Maybe he doesn’t want me there,” she asked quietly, trying to calm herself down.
She could hear Isabella telling her mom stories of her fishing fun today through the screen door, and she still felt a tiny pang of jealousy even though she knew it was ridiculous.
She’d only just met the guy. Oh, who am I kidding, she thought.
I’m smitten. And a little jealous. Okay, a lot jealous.
“He had only wonderful things to say about you. I’m sure it’s fine.”
He had wonderful things to say? She wanted to know what, but dared not ask for fear her sister would see right through her and know what she was feeling.
He’d said only nice things about her today; He was having a party tomorrow, and she’d get to see him again.
She should go. Maybe she’d even get a chance to pull him aside and talk a little more.
“Nan?” she called. Nan stood up from the kitchen table and walked into the room. She had been very quiet the whole time, and she wondered what her grandmother was thinking. She was looking back and forth between Faith and Casey, a slight curiosity on her face.
“I’d love to go,” she said before Faith had even asked the question, her gaze still darting between them. “I can’t wait to see how you young people throw a party. I hope I can keep up.”
Despite her apprehension, a bolt of excitement shot through Faith at seeing Jake again, overpowering her anger towards Casey. She tried to squelch it. It was silly of her to allow herself to be so eager. The truth was that she hadn’t gotten excited like this in a long time, and it made her happy.