“Hi, Faith,” Jewel said from behind the register. She came around the counter with a large bag and a curious look in her eyes. “I’m supposed to give you this.” She handed Faith the bag. “And this.”
“Thank you.” Faith took the bag and the envelope from her. She’d forgotten that Jewel, Sam’s brother’s fiancée, managed the boutique.
Jewel must have sensed her trepidation. “They’re from Sam.” She went back to work behind the counter, leaving Faith to open the envelope in private. Inside was another handwritten note.
Hi, beautiful.
Beautiful? She stifled a smile.
Thanks for coming this far with me. You’re probably still in your scrubs, and want to get out of them as soon as possible. Since you chose to come here instead of going home, I thought you might appreciate something more comfortable to wear. Jewel will let you change in the dressing room. Pick out a pair of sandals, too. They’re already paid for.
—S
You bought me clothes? She looked up at Jewel, and Jewel smiled and held up a key to the dressing room.
“I have to tell you,” Jewel said as she led her to a dressing room, “I think I’m as excited as you are. What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing.” The lie tasted bitter. Something was definitely going on, but how could she explain what it was when she didn’t even understand it herself?
Jewel opened a dressing room door and tucked her blond hair behind her ear. “If you say so.”
“What did Sam say?” She wanted to ask her what Sam was really like when he wasn’t at a club or out partying. Was he the man she was getting to know, or was this all a put-on?
“Not much. He came in and picked out an outfit, which took him almost forty minutes. He really took his time. Then he gave me a few things to give you, and when I asked why, he said I’d find out soon enough if he was lucky.” Jewel waggled her brows. “Is he getting lucky?”
“Not that kind of lucky.” Forty minutes?
“Well, if it helps, I’ve known Sam my whole life, and I think the world of him.”
“Even though he, um, isn’t so selective about who he sleeps with?” Did I really just ask that?
“There is that little downside to him, but he’s got the biggest, kindest heart. I don’t know why Sam sleeps around, but I love him just the same. I mean, tons of people sleep around, right?”
“I guess,” she said halfheartedly. “I don’t,” she said more to herself than to Jewel.
“Join the club. I had zero experience when I started dating Nate. I don’t know what’s going on between you and Sam, but I can honestly say I’ve never seen him make an effort toward any woman beyond, well, you know.”
Unfortunately, she did. She slipped into the dressing room and read Sam’s note again, feeling special despite her misgivings. Everything he did was unexpected, and she had to admit, well thought out, too. She pulled out the clothes he’d bought, and it wasn’t a slinky little dress like she’d expected. He’d bought her a pair of jeans shorts and a pretty pink shirt that was soft as a cloud. How did he know her size? Jewel. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, feeling…important to him.
Oh my.
She sank down to the wooden bench for a moment, letting the thought settle in.
When she finally came out, wearing her new comfortable and cute outfit, she found Jewel waiting for her by the shoe display. “Sam already paid, so pick out any pair you’d like.”
“Gosh, I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, only in comfier clothes and without the whole prostitute thing.”
“You mean you feel like you’re being treated well?”
“Yeah,” Faith said as she looked over the shoes. “Exactly that. Or more than that. No guy has ever done anything like this for me. I feel like I shouldn’t accept this stuff from Sam.”
“Normally I’d be right there with you on that, but this is so out of the ordinary for him. I think it means he wants more than nothing with you. Selfishly, I want to see what he’s got in store for you. He was acting so mysterious.”
“So you don’t think I’m crazy for following his notes?”
“Not even a little.”
That made her feel a little less like a stranger in her own skin. She wanted to see what Sam had in mind, too. She decided on a cute pair of beaded sandals.
“One more thing.” Jewel pulled another envelope out of her back pocket, went behind the counter again, and brought out a Rough Riders zip-up hoodie that said Faith over the logo.
“I have to admit,” Jewel said, “I’m a little jealous, and I have the best man in Peaceful Harbor.” She gave Faith a quick hug and wished her luck.
As Faith left the store she wondered if Jewel had that wrong. She didn’t know a single man who would go to this much trouble to get a woman to go out with him. That put Sam in the running for the best man in Peaceful Harbor, didn’t it? Or would his past forever keep him down?
She hoped and prayed this wasn’t just a game to Sam, because as she hurried to her car, wearing her cute new outfit and monogrammed hoodie, she was getting seriously excited. In the privacy of her car, she tore open the envelope and read the third handwritten note.
Hey, babe.
Babe? In the span of three notes he’d gone from Faith, to beautiful, to babe, and as much as she knew she shouldn’t feel special from a few words and some pieces of clothing, Faith reveled in it.
I bet you look sexy, and nervous, and maybe you’re even blushing by now. I wish I was there to see it. I know you’ve had a long day, so the rest is pretty quick. Head down to the marina—or go home and leave me hanging. Either way, I’m glad you’ve come this far with me.
Your date, I hope.
—Sam
Date? He didn’t date. And how did he know she was blushing? He was just as irresistible in notes as he was in person. She tried to hold on to the knowledge that Sam was a player as she drove toward the marina. As she approached Harbor Overlook, a walking bridge over the road, she slowed to a near stop. A big white sign hung over the side of the bridge with Say Yes to Sam! spray-painted in big red letters.
“Holy cow, Sam.” She pulled over to the side of the road and snapped a picture with her phone. As she drove under the bridge, goose bumps rose on her arms. He’d gone to all this trouble for her, even after she blew him off. That spoke volumes about him. He was either willing to go to the ends of the earth to get lucky, or he was really into her after all. She was leaning toward the idea of actually going out with Sam when she came to the next stoplight.
Two signs marked the corner. One with an arrow pointing in the direction of her apartment that read, Safe Route Home, and one with an arrow pointing toward the marina that read, Highway to Heaven. Laughing as she took another picture, she turned toward the marina, and that’s when it became clear just how far Sam Braden was willing to go to get her to change her mind. The illuminated sign for the marina read, F. Mr. B’s please. S. She wondered what type of strings he’d had to pull to get that sign changed.
She drove through the parking lot to the road that led up to Mr. B’s, wondering why he went through all this just to take her to his parents’ microbrewery. At Mr. B’s there were no signs, no lights other than the ordinary. Faith straightened her top beneath her Rough Riders sweatshirt and looked around the parking lot, suddenly feeling nervous. She was wearing clothes Sam had not only picked out but paid for as she went into his family’s restaurant! He’d actually thought of her comfort. She loved knowing that, but it still felt weird. Exciting and romantic, but not anything she was used to.
It was loud inside Mr. B’s. The hostess took one look at her and her eyes widened. “Faith?”
“Yes.” Gulp.
“Follow me.” The energetic brunette walked quickly toward the bar.
Sam was nowhere in sight, but she recognized Mr. Braden and smiled up at him, feeling even more embarrassed.
“Here you are,” the hostess said. She turned on her heels and left Faith standing there looking at Sam’s father.
“How are you, Faith?” He came around the bar, and his eyes dropped to the Rough Riders logo on her sweatshirt. His smile revealed the same dimple as Sam’s, just below the left side of his lip.
“I’m fine, thank you. How are you, Mr. Braden?”
“It’s a magical night here at Mr. B’s. I’m happy you made it over.”
“You are?” Oh no. That slipped. She was too nervous. She should just zip her mouth shut for the night.
He laughed, and it reminded her of Sam’s deep laugh. “I am, young lady. Sam will be thrilled that you’ve come. He’s been a nervous wreck all evening.”
“Don’t reveal Sammy’s secrets,” Sam’s mother said as she came up behind Faith. “Hi, honey. Let me take you up to Sam.”
Faith had liked his parents from the moment she’d met them at Cole’s office last year. His mother was effervescent, with thick and wild blond hair, and she dressed like she was part gypsy, with long skirts and flowing tops, while his father was far more conservative and quiet, but always welcoming and kind.