And somehow—by pure miracle—I fall asleep.
5
FAITH
There are two ways to handle the kind of emotional whiplash Keith just put me through.
Option A: cry into a pint of Halo Top, rewatchThe Notebook, and text him something tragically poetic like“Hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Option B: pour all that confused, pent-up, post-Rumspringa energy into dirt. Sunflowers. And a watering can.
So here I am. Saturday afternoon. Still in my old jeans, kneeling in the garden behind my parents’ house, talking to the cucumber seedlings like they’re going to give me life advice, when my phone buzzes in the back pocket of my jeans.
Maya: Five minutes away
Faith: Perfect
I smile as I finish watering the lilac. After everything that’s happened this week, I’msoready for a girls’ night.
Last weekend was brutal. I got chewed out by Aunt Miranda after my count was off,again.Then Keith pulled his Rumspringa stunt and didn’t leave me a tip—didn’t even pay for his meal, actually, so I had to cover him. On top of that, the lady at table eighteen sent back her dinner and demanded a comp.
By the end of the night? I should’velostmoney.
The only reason I didn’t?
Hunter Holloway’s table.
They left a tip so big I stared at it for a full sixty seconds before I could move.
One thousand dollars. In cash.
Of course, I told my family—I’m the type of person who can’t keep a secret to save her own life—and they immediately said the house had to split it.
Sometimes I think beingtoo honestmight be a flaw. But also… the restaurant’s been struggling this summer. Aunt Miranda made somechoiceswith the menu and décor, and business has been bleeding out since Holloway’s Hideout opened just down the street.
As I rinse my hands in the outdoor sink, my dad walks outside.
“Honey, I’m glad your friends are coming,” he says. “I wanted to have a little talk with you before they get here.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what you girls are up to tonight. I trust you now that you’re twenty-one. But just remember—we’ve got obligations tomorrow. Nine thirty a.m. sharp.”
“Church, Daddy. I know.”
“What are you up to tonight?”
“I honestly... am not sure.”
My dad narrows his eyes. “Well, if you’re in town, don’t go to Holloway’s Hideout.”
“Why, Daddy?”
“Faith, when you’re an Easton, there are some things you’ve just got to do. And not supporting the competition is one of them.”
I suppress a sigh. “We don’t plan on it.”
“And will your friends be joining us at church tomorrow?”
