“You okay?” he asked.
She’d been thinking about him, and he’d noticed! The swell of heat in her cheeks was something she’d not felt in a long time. Standing in front of him, wearing next to nothing, and knowing how he made her feel was making her nervous! She took in a discreet breath to steady her pounding heart, but it didn’t help. She felt embarrassed, worried that he could read her mind. “I’m fine,” she said and cleared her throat.
The corners of his mouth were twitching to hide his grin, and his eyes were trying to tell her something, but, clearly, she wasn’t as good at reading people as he was. “What are you up to today? Any big plans?”
“No,” she said, still feeling uncomfortable about her attire, but what could she do about it now? She crossed her arms. “The only thing we have planned at all while we are here is a birthday party for my grandmother, but that’s not until the end of next week.” She took a baby-step backward, trying to be subtle about it. She hadn’t brushed her teeth or put on any makeup. Why was she so worried about it? She’d never cared in the slightest what people thought of her, but she’d never had anyone affect her like this either. There was something in Jake’s face that caused an undeniable attraction toward him.
“Maybe we could…”
There was a quiet knock at the door and then a creak as Casey poked her head in. “I thought I heard talking,” she said, immediately locating Jake at the window. “Mom’s made a big breakfast.” She looked Faith up and down, trying to hide her astonishment.
I know!Faith wanted to shout at her.I’m wearing next to nothing, but he caught me like this, and now I’m stuck. Save me!She pleaded for a way out with her eyes.
“Faith,” Casey said, rearranging her smile into a straight position. “I’ll keep the food warm if you’d like to go get ready for the day.”
Faith could feel the pressure lift off her shoulders. She smiled at Jake as she leaned forward carefully to close the window. “Maybe we could what?” she asked, but Casey was still standing in the doorway.
“I’d like to see you,” he said quietly, clearly trying to keep their conversation between them only.
“Faith,” Casey called again, obviously trying to save her.
She turned back to Jake. “Okay.”
As she slid the window down, Casey called out, “Feel free to join us, Jake! There’s plenty of food!” And just like that, Faith wasn’t very hungry anymore. Butterflies had filled her stomach instead.
“Why don’t you join us?” Casey pressed as her mom stood behind her with a basket of biscuits. It was her Nan’s recipe—big, buttery, flaky southern rolls, which took a lot of preparation. Faith loved the way they melted in her mouth. She could smell their warm buttermilk scent from her spot at the table. She tried to focus on that rather than the fact that Casey was being relentless about inviting Jake to eat. Okay, maybe notrelentless, but she was asking him quite a bit, poking her head outside more than once. Regardless of the fact that he was working. He’d probably lose his job if he were found sitting at their breakfast table.
Isabella slid awkwardly onto a chair and scooted to the back of it, leaving an enormous amount of space between her and the table. She tried unsuccessfully to scoot up, and Faith could see the worry on her face as she struggled. That worry looked like more than just not getting her chair into place. She was five, an age where she could understand a lot about what was going on in her life. She was aware, certainly, that her daddy wasn’t present. Had anyone asked her how she felt about it all? Had anyone sat down with her and tried to explain what was happening, to ease her fears?
Isabella kept jerking, her little blond ponytail swinging around toward her face, frustration building.
Faith got up and whispered, “Want me to push you up?”
With a serious expression, her thin lips set in a pout, her long eyelashes blinking, Isabella nodded. Faith pushed the chair under the table and then gave her shoulders an affectionate squeeze. While Casey was a wonderful mother, so full of life and love for her daughter, she wasn’t the most affectionate person in the world, and Faith felt like Isabella might need a little more right now. She gave her a pat on the arm and returned to her seat across the table.
“Do have some breakfast, Jake,” Nan said, wobbling over to a chair at the table and lowering herself slowly as he came inside. Her mom set the biscuits on to the table. “You’re too thin.”
Faith bit her lip to keep her surprise from showing. Nan didn’t need to offer such a personal observation. Jake wasn’t thin. He was fit. Perfectly fit—Faith had noticed through his T-shirt when he’d raised his arms to secure a shingle, even though she hadn’t wanted to admit to herself that she’d looked. She’d wondered against her will whether he worked out, or if his job was just demanding on his body. Now, he stood in the open space between the kitchen and living area just as he had when it had been the two of them, before her family had come. Again, she wondered what it would be like to be alone with him. It was a ridiculous thought. Why was she sitting there thinking about what they would do if they were alone? She realized her knee was bouncing under the table, and she stilled it.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to Faith.
“We’re doing you a favor!” her mom said, bringing in an egg and sausage casserole. She tossed a potholder onto the table and set the steaming dish on top of it. “My cooking’s better than anything you can get at one of these restaurants around here.” She winked at him. “Y’all want some juice? I’ve got coffee too.”
“I’ll have juice please,” Faith said first, afraid if she had caffeine it would make her too jumpy. She was already so happy to have Jake at breakfast that she had to force herself to breathe. Her mom glanced silently at each person, her eyebrows raised, a smile on her face as she waited for their requests. Nothing made her mother happier than looking after her family and guests. Casey, of course, got coffee—Jake didn’t rattle her in the slightest. As Faith sat there submerged in her own thoughts, she wondered if her anxiety was not down to Jake being here, but actually because Casey was there, and she worried that Casey would be more interesting than she would. She hadn’t had that kind of thought in ages, but it was still there lurking. She didn’t want to admit to herself that her old feelings around Casey had surfaced. Nan followed Casey’s lead, requesting coffee, but Jake asked for juice.
“Two coffees and two juices. That’s easy to remember,” her mom said. “Faith, do you mind coming into the kitchen and grabbing the potatoes? Y’all get your plates from the center of the table and dish ’em up. I’ll be right back with the drinks.”
Faith got up and went into the kitchen for the potatoes, glad to have something to busy her. She returned quickly with the bowl and sat back down. By the time they’d filled their plates, her mom had already returned with everyone’s drinks and had taken her seat on the other side of Jake.
“Let’s say grace, please,” her mother said.
To be honest, Faith hadn’t planned on saying grace. She hadn’t done it since she was a child. Nan grabbed her hand, and she realized that the others at the table were taking hands as well. They always had, and it had never bothered her before. But then, she’d never had to sit next to Jake Buchanan before. She looked to her right, and Jake was waiting, palm up. Would her hands be too hot? Sweaty? Twitchy? She reached over and placed her hand in his. His fingers swallowed her hand, but they were gentle, still—a perfect fit. Any jitters she had before, were calmed instantly when she put her hand in his. It was as if his composure had slid right along his arm into her.
Faith didn’t focus on the prayer—she barely heard a word of it. She was consumed with the feeling of Jake’s hand in hers. She tried to remember if she’d held hands with anyone she’d dated before. Surely, she had, but she couldn’t remember the feeling. Something as simple as holding someone’s hand was so inconsequential, yet this time, it had made an impression on her. Just like his smile, his grip on her hand was warm, sweet, comfortable. She almost forgot to let go. When she looked up, everyone else had dropped hands. She quickly released Jake’s hand and looked down at her egg and sausage casserole. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that he’d turned to look at her, but then he looked away.
“So, Jake,” Casey said. Faith was glad for the chance to sit back and allow her sister to do all the talking. “Do you enjoy the beach as much as the tourists, or do you get tired of it?”
Jake nodded, finishing his bite of food. “Oh, I still enjoy it,” he answered once he’d swallowed. He took a sip of juice before he continued. “I could never get tired of the beach.” He flashed his smile at Casey, and Faith wondered if she, too, found him attractive.
