Faith sighed with relief. “Thank you.”
“I’ve got to run in a sec. Mom and I are getting mani-pedis and going shopping.”
“She broke up with her boyfriend?” Vivian’s mother took her on the same mother-daughter date every time she broke up with a man.
“Yup. That’s okay. The guy was a bore, and I like our breakup dates. Speaking of breaking up, I read on WAC that Lira is working with Sam. Is that true?”
She filled her in on the boom in Sam’s business and the legal documents Brent had drawn up for WAC, and when she told her about how instrumental Sam had been in getting that done, Vivian was clearly impressed.
“Faith, he really wasn’t just trying to get in your pants with that donation.”
“I told you. He wants me to get involved with the small businesses here to solicit donations. I’m not sure about all that yet, but he has good ideas. I told you, Viv. He’s wonderful. It’s so strange to think we’ve come this far. It’s…”
“Fate,” Vivian said. “You have finally found a man who deserves you. Don’t quote me on that, though. I’m withholding judgment until I see it for myself. We all know that orgasm goggles can be worse than beer goggles.”
“You’re so crazy! First you make me doubt him, then you pull for him, and now you’re taking that back?”
“I said I’m ‘withholding judgment.’ But he’s kind of giving me a girl hard-on for helping Lira and for helping you with the legal stuff. Now you’re officially a business owner. I can say I knew you when…”
“Whatever.” Faith laughed. “Maybe you’ll meet a guy at the barbecue and eventually move here, too. How fun would that be?”
“I’m still on my hiatus from all things male, sorry.”
They talked for a few more minutes, and by the time they hung up, the bees in Faith’s stomach had calmed. Vivian would never let her act like a jealous girlfriend at the barbecue. She’d help her laugh it off, which was so much better.
She went back to working on the resource page and her mind drifted to Lira. She was contemplating moving away from everything she knew, the town where she’d grown up, and starting over completely with a baby. She was running from humiliation and her broken heart the same way Faith had. But Faith had only had to care for herself during that time, and she had Vivian and her family’s support. And now her biggest worry was whether she would feel jealous over some girls who didn’t even matter.
Her problems weren’t problems at all. They were annoyances. Lira had real issues: a family that not only didn’t support her, but made her life harder, and a baby to raise, hopefully with better morals than her own sister and mother had. Breaking that cycle wasn’t going to be easy.
But anything was doable, if a person wanted it bad enough. Breaking cycles, habits, impressions.
Wasn’t Sam proof of that?
What Lira was hoping to do would take a Herculean effort, and she needed support. The hell with her crazy family. Lira had Faith, Vivian, and all of the other members of WAC emotionally supporting her day and night.
She navigated to the WAC forums and found Lira’s latest post. There were fifty-seven responses by thirty-one unique users. Thirty-one friends pulling for her, offering advice, building her up.
And, Faith realized, Lira had Sam giving her a path toward a new job and, possibly, a new life.
Her Sam. Have faith in me. She had faith in him, all right.
Thinking about how lucky they both were for having Sam in their lives and of what Vivian had said about fate, she posted a comment.
Lira, it’s the tough stuff that makes or breaks us. I’m so proud of you for not letting your ex break you! I think fate might be on your side, and I think everyone in our group would agree that the families we create through friendship are often stronger, and more helpful, than those we’re born into. I have faith in you, Lira. If you want to make a change bad enough, you’ll make it happen. Good luck with the job. I’m here to help you in any way I can.
**
IT WAS AN ambush, and probably unfair, given that Cole and Leesa had just returned from their honeymoon. It was selfish of Sam to wait for Cole on his front porch, but word traveled fast in the Braden family, and Cole deserved the respect of hearing about Sam going against his word directly from him.
He paced Cole’s front porch, his stomach knotted up as a black sedan pulled into the driveway. Sam and Ty had both offered to pick them up from the airport, but Cole had wanted to extend their lavish honeymoon to the very last second. Giving Leesa the best trip of her life. Sam hadn’t understood why Cole would go to such efforts when the honeymoon was over, but now that he was with Faith, the motivation behind his brother’s efforts became crystal clear. Sam loved Faith’s smile so much he’d go to the ends of the earth just to see it. He loved all of her smiles. Her embarrassed touch-me smile, her flirtatious I-know-you-want-me smile, and her confident I’m-a-career-woman smile. But the one he loved most was the smile that played on her lips in the first seconds after she awoke. The smile that told him there was nowhere else she’d rather be, no one she’d rather wake up next to than him. The smile that told him she was his girl.
Cole helped Leesa from the car, both smiling, tanned, and beautiful. Sam had never seen Cole look so relaxed as he draped an arm over Leesa’s shoulder and looked at her like she was his world. Leesa tucked her blond hair behind her ear, returning that smile tenfold. Sam got that, too, because he felt it every time he was with Faith. He felt like a voyeur and second-guessed his intrusion.
“Hey, Sam.” Cole’s voice jerked him from his thoughts.
“I thought I’d welcome you back.” Sam sprang into action to settle his nerves and grabbed their bags from the driver.
“I can get those,” Cole said, eyeing the luggage.
“You’ve got your hands full.” Sam leaned in and kissed Leesa’s cheek. “You guys look great.”
Leesa sighed. “It was unbelievably lovely. Your cousin really knows how to make a person feel special.”
“Treat arranged for massages, nightly champagne, exclusive use of a beachfront restaurant on our last night there.” Cole unlocked the door, and Sam followed them in. “He went all out.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Sam said. Everything Treat did was elaborate. He’d arranged for their distant cousin Blake Carter’s double wedding on an island, and when a storm ruined not only the wedding, but everyone’s attire, he’d had new duds brought in within twenty-four hours. The wedding took place just as beautifully as they’d hoped, in another of Treat’s exclusive resorts.
“I promised Tempe I’d call her as soon as I got in, so I’ll leave you two alone.” Leesa kissed Cole, and Cole held her against him, taking the kiss deeper.
Sam turned away, but Leesa’s giggles couldn’t be missed, and Sam couldn’t be happier for them.
“Love you,” Cole said in the soft tone of a gratified lover. Then his hand landed on Sam’s shoulder, and his tone went serious. “Welcoming committee?”
“You’re not buying it?”
“Hardly. Come on.” Cole led him out to the back deck.
A breeze swept off the ocean, bringing with it memories of their youth. They’d spent too many nights to count hanging out by the water, talking about whatever floated their boats at the moment.
“Good to be home?” Sam asked, trying to calm his nerves.
Cole pointed to the chairs, and they settled into them. “Good to be anywhere as long as I’m with Leesa.” He leaned forward, elbows on knees. “I got your texts and thought about calling, but I knew if it was a problem with Mom or Dad you would have called. So what’s up, Sam?”
Sam had mentally practiced this speech for days, and now he couldn’t remember a word of it.
“I wanted to tell you in person, before you heard from anyone else.” He held Cole’s gaze, seeing so much of his father’s calm, even demeanor, so different from his own. It was oddly comforting. “I’m seeing Faith.”
Cole’s eyes narrowed. “Faith, as in my employee? The only person in Peaceful Harbor I asked you not to toy with?”
“Yes, and I’m not ‘toying.’”
Cole laughed under his breath. “Sam, that’s all you do. You take, you play, you mess around, and you move on.” He rose to his feet and paced. “You promised me you’d stay away.”
“No. I promised you I wouldn’t fuck up her life, and I’m not.”
Cole stared at him in silence for long enough to make Sam’s gut ache. When he finally spoke, his tone was even, calm, not accusatory. “Why Faith, of all people, Sam? She’s a nice, smart girl, and she has no family here to pick her up when you toss her aside. And”—his eyes turned stern—“she’s my employee.”
Sam bit back his visceral reaction and tried to answer calmly, which was what Cole reacted best to. “Because I’ve wanted to go out with her since I first met her. You know that, Cole. You know my trips to your office were more often than not because I wanted to see her.”
“Right, the whole challenge thing. I forget about that with you.”