A Splash of Hope (7 page)

Tristan nodded and started walking toward his truck. “Thanks again for bringing me the cell phone,” she called at his back. He flashed a smile at her over his shoulder but didn’t pause in his retreat. She couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to stay too long in her company. She knew she would have to find a way to fix things between them eventually, but she didn’t have the strength to face it today.

***

No way in hell would Adam allow Tristan to have Faith. That pretty boy had already fucked up one Hope sister. Adam let Faith slip away once, because she’d been unprepared for his intensity, but now he had her back in his sights. She wouldn’t be slipping away again. He felt sure Tristan’s angelic smiles and ways wouldn’t sway Faith in the least, but Tristan did possess a human side that might draw her in. It wasn’t a trait Adam suffered from, since everything he did was carefully calculated in order to gain him the most, except when it came to Faith. She was the first thing he’d ever coveted simply because he did. They were exactly alike. They both understood the real world and how harsh it could be. No, he reassured himself, she wouldn’t be swayed by Tristan.

Fuck, he really needed to pick up the pace before Tristan did something stupid, like steal Faith out from underneath him. First, he needed to get her car back. He could turn around and hand her the money to get it fixed, but he’d made that mistake once before. He’d not seen her again until yesterday.

Chapter Twelve

Faith: Two years earlier

Adam looked different tonight, or maybe he seemed altered to her because she now knew what it felt like to have him buried deep inside her. Had he always smiled so brightly at the other girls? It seemed to her as if Adam was always brooding. Perhaps she’d only seen what she wanted. Faith shook her head, trying to dislodge the doubts trying to set in. As she looked on, Angela flipped her hair over one shoulder, flirting wildly with Adam. His eyes sparkled as he laughed at whatever she was saying. His gaze moved in her direction and Faith quickly looked away. How had she ever believed Adam immune to the women’s charms? Angela possessed so many things she didn’t. She was a sparkling beauty that radiated life, whereas Faith was so bogged down by reality, any sparkle she once possessed had bled from her long ago. Faith allowed her gaze to move back in the pair’s direction only to find Adam still watching her. He held her stare as he excused himself from Angela. As he moved in Faith’s direction, he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it over. Faith realized it was a check and she reached for it absently.

“I forgot to give this to you last night,” Adam said with a knowing smile.

“Thanks,” Faith muttered, as the reality of her situation sank in. She’d finally truly whored herself for money.

***

Faith didn’t care anything for the new ritual of people banging on her door first thing in the morning. After a quick check of the peephole, Faith let her forehead drop against the cool wood of the door. It couldn’t be happening. Really. It couldn’t be. Those were the only thoughts she could drum up in light of the situation. The knock sounded again, carrying away the last of her hope it was a figment of her imagination. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open before she could chicken out. Her bravado only carried her that far before her insecurities set in. She was patting her hair before she could stop herself. Adam’s eyes traveled down her body before once again meeting her eyes. That was all it took for her uncertainties to melt away. Only Adam had that effect on her. He was the only person who ever made her feel completely at ease, no matter what her state of dress or undress may be.

Adam held up a piece of metal for her inspection. “Someone disabled your car.” She eyed the part suspiciously. “Hey, it wasn’t me,” he said defensively.

“Oh, I know it wasn’t you. It was that tricky little blond bastard who was working in Heavenly Scents yesterday. “

“I think there’s a part of this story you haven’t shared with me.”

“No. I purposely left out the entire conversation since we weren’t speaking to each other on the way here.” He didn’t bother to argue. Instead, he pushed his way through to the living room, making himself at home by plopping down on the couch. Faith picked the seat farthest away from him.

“Well, we’re speaking today, so tell me what happened with your car. It was obvious someone had purposely disabled it.”

“After you told me about the apartment above the coffee shop, I went to check it out.”

Adam pulled a face. “Oddly enough, considering that’s where your car is, I’d figured that much out for myself.”

“Anyhow,” she said loudly, and he mimicked zipping his lips before she continued.

“Inside the shop, this blond guy told me she was still living upstairs, but when I checked, it was empty. I spent a few minutes looking around and when I came back downstairs, there was an older lady working behind the counter.”

“As far as I know, there’s no blond guy working there,” he said, once again interrupting her story.

This time she didn’t bother trying to talk over the top of him. She only stared at him until he held his hands up, showing his surrender. “No more interruptions. I swear.”

When she still didn’t say a word, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I promise. I’m done.”

When she was sure he wasn’t going to start talking again, she finished her story. “The woman confirmed what you’ve said. There’s no blond guy working there. When I went back out to my car, it wouldn’t start. So, give it to me straight. How much is going to cost to get it fixed?”

“Not a dime,” he answered smoothly. “I fixed it before I came over.”

Faith’s hands clenched in her lap, and Adam’s eyes locked onto the motion. His mouth quirked up in one corner in a semblance of a smile before adding, “And then I disabled it again.”

“Oh,” she said lamely, and he did smile then.

Faith crossed her arms over her chest, almost as if she could protect her heart that way. Being this close to Adam was physically painful to her. An ache began in her gut and spread through her chest. The need to reach across the space between them and touch him was so overwhelming her muscles tensed in anticipation. She couldn’t seem to outgrow or outrun being a damn fool. Neither time nor distance managed to free her from him, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the effect his nearness had on her. It seemed no matter how she tried to harden her heart against him, he always managed to sneak his way back in. When she opened her eyes, it was to find him watching her closely.

“Faith,” he began, but she shot from the couch.

“Let me change clothes and I’ll catch a ride back with you, if that’s okay with you,” she told him with a pained smile as she made a dash for the bedroom. Closing the door with a snap, she shut out his powerful presence.

*

Adam watched Faith’s retreat, barely resisting the urge to chase after her. Her bedroom door closed with a definite snap and he let his head drop back and gazed at the ceiling. He was fucking this up, but he didn’t know how to change things. She was the only person in the world who made him question his every action. She needed her damn car, but she was so stubborn, he didn’t doubt for a moment if he’d simply called a mechanic, she would’ve shut him down immediately. If she believed he hadn’t shelled out any cash over it, she was more likely to respond. Damn, she always made him feel as if he was maneuvering a minefield.

When Faith reappeared fifteen minutes later, looking sexy as hell, he had a tentative plan in place. He really wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back inside her bedroom. He knew, given enough time alone, he could pleasure her until she was convinced to keep him. It would be a temporary fix. In no time at all, she would remember why she’d run in the first place, and she’d be gone again. No, he needed to do this the right way. She didn’t make it easy with her hair piled up on top of head the way it was. One of the things he found most attractive about her was she didn’t try to be alluring. She simply was.

“Are you ready?” he asked, mentally patting himself on the back when the words only sounded slightly husky.

“As I’ll ever be,” she answered, making him smile. Her tone sounded so much like a petulant child that her moping walk to the car only matched it.

*

Faith stood aside as Adam opened her car door. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he said, slamming the door and cutting off any response she may have dredged up. Faith had been so lost in thought while getting dressed, she had to look down at herself to see what she was wearing. It wasn’t anything special. She’d chosen a pair of navy blue shorts with a white t-shirt. She snorted when she realized she’d unintentionally dressed to match him. Of course, his shorts were the baggy cargo type that looked so sexy on men, especially men who bulged with muscles and had tight butts, begging to be squeezed, not that she noticed any such nonsense.

Adam slid behind the wheel and snapped his seatbelt in place. “Do you mind if we make a quick stop before I take you to your car?”

Since he’d gone out of his way to come get her, she could hardly argue. “No problem. Where are we headed?”

“It’s a surprise,” he told her, smiling mischievously. She decided to let him keep his secrets. Adam kept his own counsel as he drove and Faith entertained herself by changing all his radio settings. Finally, he pulled into an empty parking lot and Faith looked at the storefront in confusion. The building was still visibly under construction, but a sign hanging over the door announced it would soon be open for business. “Desserts First,” she read. “What’s this place?”

“It’s my bakery,” Adam answered. The pride in his voice tore her attention away from the sign. He was staring straight ahead, but she could tell he was watching her from the corner of his eye. She was forced to hide her smile. For some reason, he seemed nervous about her reaction and she wondered why he cared what she thought. It didn’t matter. The tiny hint of vulnerability he’d shown, melted away some of her bitterness.

“You have a bakery? That’s awesome!” Her enthusiasm sounded over the top even to her ears, but she was rewarded with a smile that made him look years younger. Not to mention, entirely too yummy for a girl’s peace of mind.

“Would you like to see the inside?”

In the face of his childlike glee, she knew there wasn’t a single thing she’d rather be doing.

*

Adam led Faith through the building, showing her every inch of the place. It wasn’t his intention to be quite so thorough with his tour, but he was caught up in his own enthusiasm. Faith appeared to be genuinely enjoying herself.

“How did you come up with the name?”

“My mom,” he answered immediately. “When my grandmother would work late, we always ate our dessert first.” He smiled as he thought about those nights. For some reason, those were his clearest memories of her. “It was our secret. Sometimes Granny would show up halfway through dinner. Mom and I would eat dessert again with her, so she wouldn’t know we’d already had ours, both us giggling the whole time, but neither one of us ever told. As an adult, I realize Granny probably knew, but back then, it was our secret.” Even with her back to him, Adam could tell Faith was smiling. He caught a hint of dimple before her hair fell forward, blocking it from view.

“How old were you when your mom died?” she asked, as she bent to inspect the tiny lilies etched into the wood of each table. Lilies had been his mother’s favorite flower. He knew she must’ve heard the stories about his mother, but Faith was the type of person who would wait until she heard the story from him before passing judgment.

“I was twelve. It seems strange to me that she was two years younger than I am now when she died.” She nodded and he knew she understood as no one else would. That knowledge allowed him to continue. “I was a kid. I didn’t realize what my mom had to do to put clothes on my back and food on the table. It never occurred to me what the personal cost was to her.” Faith, who’d been tracing a lily with the pad of her finger, froze at his words.

“You were her child. It was her job to protect you from harshness of reality. It only proves she was a good mother.” She went back to tracing the tiny flower as if she hadn’t rocked his world with her words.

No one else had ever seen the situation the way she did, and it meant more to him than she’d ever know. “That’s why I opened Hidden Gems
,”
he admitted, before he lost the nerve to tell her the entire story. “I couldn’t protect my mother from the pervert who became obsessed with her and eventually murdered her, but I can keep other women safe from meeting the same end. My college buddies thought I was a genius and my father pretends as if he doesn’t know the place exists.”

“And what does your father think about this new place?”

“He doesn’t know,” he admitted. “You’re the only person I’ve told.”

Faith straightened, slowly turning to face him once more.

“Why?”

She didn’t expound on her question, but she didn’t have to. He knew what she was asking. Why not share this place with his father or even Serenity? Why her? “I don’t know.” But he did. She thought he didn’t a have purpose in life. For some reason, it mattered to him. He needed her to see there was more to him than she believed. He did have dreams that weren’t his father’s. His life wasn’t built on some childish rebellion, but on a purpose. This was his dream and he’d put his heart and soul into it. He went to bed exhausted each night after spending his every spare moment trying to perfect it.