Marly removed the reading glasses perched on her nose and laid them on the table. “About ten minutes. I ordered us some raspberry tea.”
“Very summery.” Faith picked up the menu. “I see that today’s special is buffalo burgers. Not sure I like the sound of that. What are you getting?”
“The cream of potato soup served in one of those bread bowls.”
“I’ll try that, too.”
After the waitress brought their tea and took their order, Marly adjusted the row of gold bracelets on her slim wrists and leaned forward on her elbows.
“Why does all the exciting stuff happen when I’m not in town to enjoy it?”
“I wouldn’t call it exciting. I broke up with someone and did some babysitting.”
“Poor Connor. I really liked him; but if you don’t love him, you don’t love him. How did he take it?”
Faith removed the mint leaves from her glass of tea. “He wasn’t happy about it, but he seemed to understand.” She stopped and laughed a little. “I sometimes wonder if the reason I couldn’t develop any deeper feelings for him was because he was so touchy about Ian. I always felt as if I had to be careful about what I said.”
“I’m sure that played a part. For such an intelligent man, he doesn’t appear to understand human nature. That’s like asking you to never talk about your family. Speaking of your family, how did they take the news? Or haven’t you told them yet?”
“I told them. No use putting it off. Their reaction was the usual. They don’t like me being alone. I’m wasting the best years of my life. Ian wouldn’t expect me to mourn him forever. He would have wanted me to be happy. And so on and so on.”
“Do they realize that you’re the only one who can decide who will make you happy?”
“They’re just being parents. In a way, I don’t blame them. With the exception of his issue with Ian - which by the way, I can’t really blame him for – Connor was a great guy. The problem is me. He knows it, and I know it.”
The arrival of the food halted their conversation, but only for a moment. Once they were alone again, Marly went on, “You don’t have a problem, Faith. Connor’s a good man; he’s just not the right man for you.”
“Spoken like the supportive friend that you are.”
“It’s the truth. Okay, enough serious stuff. I want to hear about your adventures with the baseball player that has the funny name.”
“Landris isn’t a funny name. It’s unusual. The funny thing was finding out he’s living here. I mean, what are the chances of that?”
“The coincidences surrounding you two are starting to pile up. What’s he like? Other than being gorgeous.”
Faith smiled as she dunked a piece of bread in her soup. “He’s easy to talk to, has a quirky sense of humor, adores his daughter, lives in a beautiful Victorian house and is surprisingly grounded for a man who reached the top of his profession.”
“That’s quite a list. It’s obvious you like him. Is he someone you could be interested in?”
“Slow down, Marly! I just got out of a relationship. Give me a few days to get over it.”
A wave of her hand and the corresponding jingle of bracelets dismissed that idea. “Only the injured party needs time to recover.”
“In that case, you can rule out Landris as a possible replacement. He more or less told me that there’s no room in his life for a woman. I don’t know what happened between him and his ex-wife, but it must have been bad. She left him when Olivia was a baby, and from what I can tell, she’s never looked back. Why would a mother not want to see her daughter?”
“I don’t know. Divorce is never easy, and it’s especially hard on children. If Landris’s ex had a good attorney, he probably lost more than a wife. That can’t be easy to swallow. Think about it; she walks away with half his money, and he’s left to bring up their daughter alone.”
“He’s also left to answer all the difficult questions and make all the hard decisions.”
A cunning look entered Marly’s expressive face. “I have the feeling things are starting to look up for Mr. Baseball.”
“Why is that?”
“You’re just what he needs: a woman without an agenda.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“He must have some idea or he’d never have left his most precious possession in your care. He couldn’t have paid you a greater compliment.”
Faith suddenly remembered Landris’s words: my instinct tells me I can trust you. “I hadn’t thought about it like that,” she said slowly.
Marly laughed. “Then it’s a good thing I pointed it out to you. I’d love to sit here for the rest of the afternoon, but I’ve got a property to show. Don’t forget about the cook-out at the park on Saturday. Paul’s family rented one of the pavilions.”
“You never told me what I could bring.”
“I’m glad you reminded me. Paul wants you to make banana pudding. The last time I tried to make it, I burned the pan and almost set the kitchen on fire.”
They parted outside the restaurant. Not in the mood to go home and grade narrative essays, Faith decided to visit the bookstore. From a young age, books had been a means of exploring the world without having to leave her bedroom. It seemed only natural that her love of literature would become the basis of her chosen career.
Stepping through the glass door, she smiled at the teenager manning the desk and headed toward the fiction section. One of the students in her online class had mentioned a new historical novel that was climbing the bestseller lists. She’d forgotten the title, but she did remember that it started with a ‘T’. Her search took her close to the area set aside for children. From the sounds floating over the tall shelves, the bookstore was hosting story time.
She was reminded of another little girl who liked books. Not a day went by that Faith didn’t think about Olivia and wonder how she was doing. From there her thoughts invariably found their way to Landris. It was a curiosity that would have to remain unsatisfied. The nature of her acquaintance with him was still too new and undefined for her to feel comfortable initiating contact. Which was probably for the best.
At the restaurant, she evaded Marly’s question about being interested in Landris. It was impossible to do that with herself. Her fascination with the father of the child who’d touched her heart was growing exponentially. It had been a week since she saw him standing in the doorway of the pink and gray bedroom, the look on his face bringing her heart right into her throat. Caught off-guard, Landris hadn’t had time to mask his emotions, and Faith was too familiar with loneliness not to recognize it in someone else. That was the moment when she knew she was in trouble. She was standing on the precipice of the aptly named point of no return.
* * * * *
Landris closed his laptop and slid it into the backpack hanging over the arm of the chair. Behind him, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the hotel’s version of a king size bed, Olivia was playing with one of her baby dolls. In spite of a bath, she still smelled faintly of the coconut scented sunscreen he’d applied several times throughout the day. He always had to be vigilant about doing so. Like her mother, her fair skin burned easily.
Keeping a four-year-old occupied at a baseball tournament had been challenging. There were only so many things she could do in the stands. After she grew tired of coloring and playing games on his tablet, he relocated them to the open area behind the outfield fence. At least there she could run around. All he had to worry about was homerun balls, of which there were only a few. The two games he wanted to see tomorrow should finish early enough that they could be home for dinner.
“Daddy, can you help me put this on Tiffany?”
He took the doll and slid the arms into the frilly blue nightgown that was a twin to the one Olivia was wearing. After securing the Velcro strips on the back, he handed Tiffany back to her. “There you go, cupcake. Tiffany is ready for bed, and so are we.”
“Not yet, Daddy. I have to brush her hair first. Miss Fa
ith let me brush her hair before we went to bed. It was so pretty.”
Landris had noticed that, too. He’d also spent a lot of time imagining what it would feel like running through his fingers. “You had fun with Miss Faith, didn’t you?”
Olivia nodded vigorously. “I like her. She smells nice.”
Like the wisteria that blooms in the spring.
“She doesn’t like broccoli, Daddy. Or spinach.”
“Then we know what not to fix when she comes over, don’t we?” he asked as he switched off the light and waited while Olivia got settled before laying down next to her.
“Can Miss Faith come over again, Daddy?” she asked, snuggling up under his arm.
The same thought had crossed his mind with enough frequency to make him uncomfortable. Liking Faith was okay; beginning to miss her when she wasn’t around was something else altogether. He dropped a kiss on her head. “I’ll see what I can do.”
After Olivia drifted off to sleep, Landris’s mind switched to a more pressing problem. What was he going to do if his housekeeper didn’t come back? Penelope had called late last night with the news that her mother had developed complications from hip surgery. He’d been left with no choice but to bring Olivia with him on this trip. It hadn’t been ideal, but he made it work. He was supposed to be in Jacksonville next week for a pro-style camp. It would be difficult to take Olivia to that one. He hadn’t forgotten Faith’s offer, but he’d hoped to avoid imposing on her kindness.
These were the times when Landris found it hard to justify staying single. If he married, he wouldn’t have to worry about who was going to be with Olivia, and he wouldn’t feel as guilty leaving her behind. With her getting older, she needed a more permanent feminine presence in her life, someone to whom she could grow close and in whom she could confide. He could hire a professional nanny, but that wasn’t any different than what he had now with Penelope. An employee, no matter how wonderful at their job, wasn’t the same as a parent. They didn’t have a personal stake or vested interest in the child’s life.
Maybe it was time to rethink his decision about remarrying. He didn’t need the uncomfortable sensation in his stomach to know how difficult that would be.
Three afternoons later, he and Olivia were sitting on one of several metal benches surrounding the pond at Pine Needle Park. A convenient thunderstorm a few hours previously had lowered the temperature enough to make it tolerable outside. Being a Saturday, there was plenty of activity to observe. To their left, a boisterous badminton game made of up teenagers was underway. Landris wondered if he’d been that loud and annoying when he was that age. To their right, a large group of people were gathered under a pavilion. The breeze carried not only the smell of grilling food, but also the strains of competing types of music.
“Have a goldfish, Daddy. They’re good.”
He took the cracker from her. “Thank you, cupcake.” Just in time, he moved the juice pack before a small foot kicked it off the bench. “We can do one more thing before we leave. What should it be?”
Olivia pointed to the life-size chess set on the far side of the pavilion. “Let’s go play on that.”
“It looks like someone is already using it. We’ll have to wait our turn. Finish your snack, and we’ll walk over there.”
As they got closer, Landris’s steps quickened as a warm feeling invaded his chest, shooting bursts of electricity to his fingers and toes. So much for thinking he had things under control.
* * * * *
Faith watched as Ben toddled toward a chess piece that was almost as big as he was. Was it a bishop or a pawn? She wasn’t sure. At any rate, she was glad to get away from the crowd. Paul’s family was a rowdy bunch. Attending a party where everyone under forty had a partner except her was somewhat depressing. She usually tried to avoid these types of things for that very reason. Keeping Ben busy so Paul’s cousin could socialize made it less obvious to her and everyone else that she was alone.
A tingling sensation ran down her spine just seconds before a deep voice spoke close to her ear.
“Checkmate.”
The warm breath on her skin stole the air from her lungs. Somehow she still had the presence of mind to grab hold of Ben before he wandered off. She swung around, startled to find Landris so close. “Oh, you scared me,” she accused, taking a step back.
His lips twitched into a smile, the dimple in his cheek making a brief appearance. “I’m sorry; I couldn’t resist.” He touched her face lightly. “Did you forget sunscreen?”
The heat spreading through her wasn’t due to the sun. “Yes, unfortunately. By the time I realized it, the damage was done.” Looking beyond him, she noticed his companion. “Olivia! How are you, sweetheart?”
The little girl closed the distance between them in record time. “Miss Faith, why are you here?”
“One of my friends invited me.” She bent down and drew the little boy forward. “This is Ben. He and I have been playing our own version of chess.”
“Daddy knows how to play chess.”
“Do you really?” she asked, squinting up at Landris.
“I do, as a matter of fact. Does that not fit my image, either?”
“Yes and no.”
He laughed. “That’s an interesting answer. Do you play?”
“No way. I’m not smart enough to play chess.”
“Chess isn’t about being smart; it’s being able to recognize patterns and predict behavior.”
Faith stood up slowly. “Sounds like a skillset that would be useful for other things.”
Olivia was eyeing Ben with curiosity. “He’s little, isn’t he, Miss Faith?”
“Yes, he is. He likes moving the pieces around. We were working on that one behind me. Would you like to help him?”
“Okay.” Olivia took Ben’s hand. “I can help you, little boy.”
Ben seemed more interested in Olivia’s pigtails than the chess pieces.
“What’s the occasion?” Landris asked, pointing to the group behind them.
“It’s Marly’s husband’s birthday.”
“How much longer will they be celebrating?”
“It’s almost over. We’ve been here since eleven.”
“That would explain your sunburn. I know you’ve had a long day, but would you be interested in coming to dinner? Olivia and I were thinking of ordering pizza.”
Above his head, Faith could see Marly standing on the railing of the pavilion giving her the ‘thumbs-up’ sign. Her friend didn’t know the meaning of the word subtle. “I’d like that. What time?”
“Anytime you want. Now if you’re ready.”
“Let me take Ben to his mother and get my purse.”
Within minutes of their arrival at Landris’s house, the three of them were sitting in the middle of the family room floor playing Chutes and Ladders. Several times when Faith looked up, she found his eyes fixed on her. On each occasion he smiled and made some offhand remark, but she got the impression that something more serious was behind his steady regard.
By the time they finished eating pizza, Olivia could barely keep her eyes open. Faith offered to help her take a bath while Landris took care of the kitchen. He reappeared in time to hear the end of Frog and Toad. After saying goodnight to Olivia, she left Landris to do the same, not wanting to intrude on that time with his daughter. Downstairs in the family room, she replaced the cushions they’d pulled from the couch and returned the games to the shelves built into the wall on either side of the television.
“You beat me to it,” Landris said, walking into the room. “Thanks for cleaning up the mess. Can you hang around for a few minutes? I won’t keep you long.”
“Sure. What’s up?” Faith picked up her shoes and followed him over to the couch.
He waited until she sat down before taking a seat next to her. “How are your classes going?”
“They’re both first year composition classes so it’s not too bad.”
“I’m asking because I’ve g
ot a problem. My housekeeper had to postpone coming back because her mother isn’t doing well. I’ve got three major events coming up over the next two weeks. I was wondering if you could watch Olivia again. You wouldn’t have to do anything but take care of her. I contracted a maid service to do the cleaning.”
“Of course I can stay with her. It’s no problem at all. Everything I need to do for my classes can be done from my laptop after she goes to bed.”
He dropped his hand over hers. “You’re a lifesaver, Faith.”
A tremor sliced through her. She hoped he hadn’t felt it. To hide her reaction, she reached for her shoes and slipped her feet inside. Doing so had the added benefit of forcing him to move his hand. It had been impossible to think with him touching her. “When do you need me?”
“The first tournament starts Monday and runs through Thursday. Sometimes I don’t have to stay the entire time. It depends on whether I’m able to see all the players I’m interested in.”
“My niece is having a birthday party on Wednesday. There’s going to be pony rides, games and clowns. Do you mind if I take Olivia? I think she’d enjoy it.”
“I don’t mind at all. It’ll be good for her to meet other kids.”
“I agree.” Faith picked up her purse. “I better get going. I’ve got some discussion questions to grade.”
He stood up and then reached down to pull her to her feet. Her fingers were still tingling seconds later when he walked with her to the Jeep.
“I would offer to help you with the discussion questions, but writing isn’t one of my strengths. I’ll have to find some other way to show my appreciation. As it is, I feel like you’re doing all the giving, and I’m doing all the taking.”
“I told you to stop worrying about it. I’ll see you on Monday.”
As she drove home, Faith tried without success to force her mind away from Landris. She wasn’t just responding to him physically which was bad enough. She was attaching herself to him emotionally. The sadness and isolation she sensed in him touched a familiar chord within her, arousing desires she hadn’t felt in a long time. Wanting to secure his happiness had gone from a fleeting wish to something she thought about constantly. Sympathizing with him was one thing; feeling compelled to do something about it was another.
Love of a Lifetime: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 3) Page 8