“We haven’t been here since we were kids. What would you suggest for fun in the area?” Casey asked. She wasn’t doing anything outwardly flirty, but Faith wondered by her smile, the way she tilted her head, the curiosity in her eyes, if she wanted to find a reason to talk to him just like Faith did. Needing to switch her focus to something else, Faith let her gaze roam to Isabella who was sitting quietly, picking at her food with her fork.
Isabella looked so much like Casey, yet she seemed nothing like her so far. When they’d sat at the dinner table together as kids, Casey would talk incessantly, her thoughts going in so many directions that Faith would wait silently until dinner was over and Casey had run off to her room, then she would curl up with her mother on the sofa and tell her about her day. Isabella seemed quiet like that. The trouble was, Faith knew that being quiet didn’t mean she had nothing to say—the exact opposite usually because it was the quiet ones who noticed everything around them and were always waiting for the right time to get it all off their chests. And Isabella looked like she had a lot weighing on her little mind. Faith’s thoughts were interrupted by Jake speaking.
“I don’t know if you’d be up for it, but I’m going sailing with a buddy of mine today. The boat has plenty of room. You’re welcome to join us. It’s the least I can do since you invited me to breakfast.”
“You all had better say yes,” Nan piped up. “I’d be the first one on that boat if I could get around enough.”
Faith looked over at Nan. She didn’t want to leave her grandmother all alone while they were out having the time of their lives on a sailboat. That didn’t seem like the right thing to do at all. It was Nan’s birthday celebration—she’d planned this trip. Perhaps she could help Nan onto the beach or at least sit with her on the porch.
“If you really want to know, it would be quite nice to have some peace and quiet around here for a few hours. Think of it as an early birthday gift,” Nan said as if she’d already anticipated what Faith was going to say.
Nan was trying to let them all off the hook. It was very much like her to look out for them and put everyone else first. Growing up, Nan had planned all the beach trips, and she’d said that the reason she’d planned them was because family meant more to her than anything else, and she wanted her family to be close. The bigger picture was becoming clear: Nan had planned this trip not for her but for them, Faith and Casey, to bring them back together again. She was nearly sure of it. And now, they had the chance to go sailing together.
“It sounds like fun,” Faith said, breaking the silence.
“Can I go?” Isabella said. Faith couldn’t help but smile.Yep, she thought.She’s just like me. She was waiting for the talking to subside, waiting for quiet when she could finally speak. Whatever Isabella may be feeling about her parents’ split could be eating her up inside, and Faith would be the perfect person to help her handle it—she knew what it felt like to bottle up her sadness, to wait for someone with whom she could share her feelings, only to have no one there to listen.
“Absolutely,” Jake said. Then he turned his attention to the others at the table. “Everyone should go. Please come. I think you’ll enjoy it. We’re leaving at two.” He looked at Faith. “I’d love you to come.”
How could she say no? Nan was practically forcing them to go, and, as she looked around the table, Casey and her mom had expectant expressions on their faces, as if they were waiting on pins and needles for her answer. But what struck her most was little Isabella. She was on her knees now, her hands on her thighs, chewing on her bottom lip, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back. She, too, was waiting for an answer, and it was clear, she wanted to go. She’d enjoy being there to see Isabella’s reaction to sailing.
“I’d love to,” Faith said. “What do you all think?”
The table buzzed with excited approval as everyone expressed their opinions about going.
“Fantastic! Why don’t you all meet me at the marina at one thirty?” Then, he looked directly at Faith again and said, “I’m excited.”
The flutter came back. It surprised her again. She didn’t know if she could get used to that feeling, and she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do about it. Faith took a sip of her juice and tried to shake the feeling of excitement that thought held.
When they’d finished eating and Jake got up to leave, they were searching for a piece of paper so he could write directions to the marina for them. “I’ll see if Isabella has a notebook or something in her room,” Casey said, but Jake stopped her.
“I have a pad of paper and a pen in the truck. Faith, why don’t you come out with me and I’ll write down the directions?”
Faith followed him outside. She watched his strides as he made his way to the truck, how his strong arms swung by his sides, the way his shoulders filled out his T-shirt. He opened the door and pulled a small pad of paper from the glove box and a pen from the center console. The morning wind was still cool, yet the sun’s heat was already pounding every surface. Faith shielded her eyes from its relentless rays as Jake leaned on the truck. He shifted to block the sun for her with his body.
“It’s nice out. The sea is calm today,” she said, looking over his shoulder at the lapping waves behind him. The angry, rolling waves were small, gurgling ripples today. “It’s a pretty view.”
“Yes it is.”
She made eye contact, wondering how he could possibly see behind him, and realized he was looking directly at her. Was he flirting with her? She smiled at the thought of it, and he seemed to notice. “Don’t you have directions to write,” she said with mock seriousness.
“Yes. Directions.” He set the pad of paper on the hood of the truck. “You know how you came in on the bypass? You’re going to get back on…” he began to write, scribbling directions as he spoke, but she wasn’t listening to the words. She was noticing the calm way his fingers moved as he held the pages of the pad down when they rippled in the wind, the way his lips pursed just slightly when he wrote, the movement of his features as he spoke. She hadn’t even realized he’d finished until he ripped the piece of paper from the pad and held it out to her.
As she went to take it, a gust of wind sent it sailing into the air. She pawed for it, but it floated away from her. She chased it toward the dune, Jake following behind her. It landed in the tall grass at the sand’s edge, and she jumped forward to trap it, but as she did, she tripped on a piece of driftwood and fell in the soft sand.
“You okay?” Jake said, arriving at her side in less than a second. He squatted down beside her, but she was already standing up.
“I’m fine, thank you.” She felt embarrassed as she brushed the grainy sand from her leg with her free hand. “Got it,” she said, holding up the paper. He grinned at her before reaching up and gently wiping sand off her cheek. With one finger, he tucked her hair behind her ear to keep it from blowing in her face. It was a very personal gesture, but she didn’t mind at all.
“I could’ve written it again for you,” he said. “You didn’t have to go diving into the brush to save it.”
“I have strong views about littering,” she teased.
His laugh came out in little huffs, his eyes on her as if he wanted to say so much more than what was actually being said. She knew she’d see him soon, but she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to talk more with him, spend time with him, just the two of them. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, letting his gaze slide up and down her legs.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she said, dipping her head to catch his line of sight and bring it back up to her face.
“Okay,” he grinned at her again. “I’ll see you in a bit then.”
