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?”
His concern warmed her. There he was, sitting at the table, as comfortable as if he were one of the family. The odd thing was, he seemed to just fit. They barely knew him, but he already fit. She was willing to bet that if his decisions had been different, and they didn’t have their disagreements about development and the type of lifestyle he wanted stacked against them, it would be easy to love him.
“Ihopeeverything’s okay,” she said quietly, trying not to show her feelings. “It was nice to see you.” She produced the most casual smile she could.
“You too.”
“I’ll see you around eleven.”
“Okay.”
She wanted to stay and talk with Jake, but Casey needed her, so she walked down the hallway to her sister’s room, tapped on the door lightly, and pushed it open.
Casey was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees, her chin resting on her arms. The phone sat beside her, not in use. She looked up at Faith and smiled a half smile, as if that was all she could muster. Faith couldn’t read into the call at all just from looking at her, and she was dying to know how it went.
“Isabella told me you were talking to Scott,” Faith said, sitting down next to Casey. “What did he say?”
“He’s going to Colorado. He’s flying out Friday.”
“What for?”
“To meet with the manager at the Boulder office. I think he’s planning to relocate.”
