Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
There was a knock at the door as Faith sipped her morning coffee.
She’d slept very well after clearing the air some with Casey, and as a result, she was up bright and early.
Since she was the only one up, and, consequently, the only one dressed and presentable, she decided to answer it.
There was only one person she knew of who would knock on the door of their cottage, and when she opened the door, her guess was confirmed.
“Hey,” Jake said.
“Hi.” She opened the door wider so he could enter, but he stayed on the porch. It was wonderful to see him again, but she was curious as to why he wouldn’t come in.
He held out his fist. “The cleaning crew found this.” He turned it over and opened his fingers, revealing Isabella’s gold necklace. “Isabella showed it to me. She kept playing with the charm on it.” He smiled, his obvious fondness for Isabella filling his whole face.
His smile made Faith feel happy. She was still a little uncomfortable though.
She’d taken a big risk yesterday, and it had backfired.
She shouldn’t have kissed him. And she was unsure now of how to proceed.
Had they settled the issue of the kiss or should she try to apologize further?
She figured it would only make things more awkward if she mentioned it. She reached out and took the necklace.
“It looks like the clasp is loose,” he said, looking at her hand.
“You can’t fix that, can you?” she said, trying to lighten the air.
There was so much tension between them that she wanted to tease him to help release some of it on her end.
She tried to keep her eyes off of his lips, the masculine quality of his hands, the arms that had held her in the water that day…
For an instant, she saw affection in his eyes, and she had to work to push the air in and out of her lungs so she could breathe.
“Nope, sorry.”
“Did you want to come in?” Faith didn’t know what she wanted to say to him or if, in fact, she wanted to say anything at all—she hadn’t thought it through.
The only thing she knew was that she wanted to be around him, and she didn’t want him to go.
It was just like Casey had described it: She didn’t notice anyone else when he was around—not even Nan who was standing behind her.
“Jake,” Nan said, putting a hand on Faith’s shoulder for support. “Quit trying to be polite and come in. I’m going to make a pot of coffee, and I need someone to drink it with me. Faith and I can’t drink it all by ourselves, and no one in this house seems to get up before nine a.m.”
Jake smiled again—warm and friendly—and Faith wanted to turn around and hold on to Nan for support.
“I can only stay for one cup.”
“That’s one cup less I’ll dump down the sink then. Come in.”
“What are you up to today?” Nan asked Jake, as she shuffled in to the kitchen and pulled out the bag of ground coffee. Faith had learned long ago not to offer to help her nan. Nan was insistent on doing everything herself.
“I have a little work to do today. I was actually on my way there. I just stopped to drop off Isabella’s necklace.”
“Are you building something today?”
“Figuratively. I’m meeting to see if I can get a few old restaurant owners on Beach Road to sell me their businesses. I want their land.”
“You don’t want their restaurants?” Faith asked from behind them, feeling hopeless and irritated at the same time.
He turned around. “No. I want to build a new one in their place. I need both lots.”
The tension returned immediately. “They won’t sell,” she said, almost to spite him. She hoped they wouldn’t sell. He needed to learn a lesson, that people around here liked what they had. They didn’t want more giant unoriginal towers along their beaches. They wanted character.
“If the price is right, they might. If I can secure their retirement, they always sell. And, given what they’re probably making with their little shacks, I can recoup what I pay them in a few years with my establishments. I’ve done it hundreds of times.”
“You may have. But you’ve not done it a hundred times here. What if people don’t want that?”
“When their property values soar and the smaller businesses start to benefit from the increased tourism, they’ll want it.”
“It’s not always about dollars, Jake.” She was arguing with him—she could feel it—and she knew what he meant by the two of them not seeing the future the same way. The only thing was that she didn’t let it cloud what she felt for him. It made her want to convince him even more.
“Faith, my feet are starting to ache from standing. The coffee’s percolating. Will you please fill us all mugs of coffee?” Nan interjected.
Jake walked Nan around the bar and over to the table where she lowered herself into a chair.
The coffeemaker was still making coffee, but Faith took the carafe out and filled up three mugs.
She slid it back into its holder, and it sizzled on the liquid that had escaped when she’d pulled it out.
Faith took two of the mugs over to them.
“Are you going to make an offer today?” Faith asked, sitting down beside Jake and leaving her mug in the kitchen. She didn’t want to have any coffee. Her stomach was already upset from the discussion, and the coffee would only make it worse.
“No. I’m just going to talk to them and look at the land today. I need to really assess it, take measurements, and get a feel for the location before I make an offer.”
“What time are you supposed to meet them?”
“Nine o’clock.”
“How long will it take?” She had an idea. It was time to take action.
The skin between his eyes wrinkled and he looked at her, clearly trying to figure out her motives. “About two hours.”
“Is that all you have to do today?”
“Why?” He took a slow sip of his coffee.
“I want to show you something.”
His face was curious, but cautious. “I can pick you up at around eleven.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll have to have you back at the cottage by one, though. I’m dropping off some supplies for a friend of mine. I’m helping someone build a boat. He needs the supplies by one.”
“Ha!” Nan laughed. “I’m glad you don’t have too much planned today. Only the purchase of two lots and a boat to build.” She winked in his direction. “Well, as you all are making plans, Jake, please keep next Friday free. That’s my birthday party.”
Would Jake be coming to Nan’s birthday? The party was so intimate that having him there would be like including him as part of the family. It would be difficult for her to have him in such close proximity all night.
Jake raised his eyebrows in response. “What time?”
“What time, Faith?”
She hadn’t though it through. She’d mentally prepared for something low-key with her Nan—just the family. Having Jake there would add a new dynamic.
“We hadn’t decided on a time… How about four o’clock?”
“Great. I’ll be there,” Jake said.
Faith toyed with Isabella’s necklace on the table, thinking about the moment they’d shared when he’d given it back. “What kind of boat are you building?” she asked, still looking at the necklace.
“It’s just a small cruiser—a two-seater with a single bench at the back. It’s gorgeous, though.”
Faith thought to herself that it was too bad Jake wasn’t in the boat-building business.
He could build as many of those as he wanted, as extravagant as he wanted, and they wouldn’t matter at all.
Why did he have to be involved in something that she was so completely against? Why couldn’t things be easier?
“Hi, Jake!” she heard Isabella call from the other room.
She came running down the hallway and stopped at the table, her blond hair fuzzed up on the back from where she’d been sleeping.
She climbed into the chair, her long nightgown catching under her legs and winding up around them.
The only things sticking out were her two bare feet.
“I found something of yours,” Jake said, his voice sweet.
She sat up on her knees and rested her elbows on the table as Jake hooked his finger through her necklace and held it in front of her. “Oh, my necklace!”
“I think the clasp came apart.”
“Would you like any breakfast, Isabella?” Faith said.
“Mom said she’s going to get me some, but she’s talking to Daddy on the phone.”
“Is she on the phone right now?” Faith became nervous for her sister. She hoped that Casey was telling Scott how she was feeling. As strong as Casey seemed, this would be hard for her. Faith also wondered if her sister would actually admit being miserable without him.
“Yep.” Isabella had pushed the chain of her necklace into the shape of a heart. “Daddy has to go on a trip.”
Isabella seemed very upbeat when talking about her father. Clearly, Scott was a good dad, and an important part of her life. And Casey’s. Faith hoped they could sort things out.
“Good morning!” her mom said, joining them. “Hi, Jake. Nice to see you again.”
As they made pleasantries at the kitchen table, Faith wanted to slip away and check on her sister.
What kind of trip was Scott taking? Was it a work trip?
Had he met someone else? She was dying to know for Casey’s sake.
She wanted to be there to hold her sister’s hand, to help her through it, to encourage her when she wanted to make light of the situation or brush a difficult discussion under the rug. She needed to be in there with Casey.
“Mom, do you mind getting Isabella some breakfast? I’m just going to check on Casey.”
As Faith got up, she looked at Jake, ready to apologize for her early exit, but, before she could say anything, he lightly grabbed her arm, sending tingles all the way up. “Everything okay?”