“Did you want to watch a movie? I saw some DVDs stacked near the television.”
How many honeymoon couples spend their wedding night watching movies? Probably not too many. “Sounds good to me.” Faith removed her sandals and scrunched her toes into the thick white carpet.
“You remind me of Olivia. As soon as she gets in the house, she takes off her shoes.”
“I would go without them all the time if I could.” She reached down to rub her sore feet. “My arches are killing me. This is what I get for picking style over comfort.”
“Come over here, and I’ll rub your feet for you.”
She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. “You don’t have to do that.”
He sat up. “If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have offered. In the last few years I played baseball, I started to have problems with my feet. The trainer for the team gave me hundreds of massages. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I know what I’m doing. If I’m wrong, what have you got to lose?”
He was right; her feet were hurting and what else was there for them to do? “Nothing, I guess. I’m kind of ticklish on my feet so this may not work anyway.” She walked over to the bed.
“We’ll see.” Landris picked up a pillow and waited until she was supine before arranging it under her feet.
The urge to giggle when he touched her skin evaporated as his fingers massaged the muscles of her arch and instep.
“You’re wearing a new toe ring,” he said into the silence.
“It’s my something new.”
“Your what?” he asked, flashing her a puzzled glance.
“You know, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue: the four things a bride carries on her wedding day.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. What were the other things?”
“Something old was the brooch I wore on my dress. It belonged to my grandmother. Something borrowed was the pearl clip in my hair. It was Marly’s. And something blue was my nail polish.”
“It seems I missed a few details when I did this before.”
“That’s not surprising. It’s a bride thing. Don’t get a big head, but you do give a good foot massage. This is much better than soaking my feet in the tub.”
He laughed as he switched sides to work on her other foot. “Told you so.”
“I’ll never doubt you again.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
Faith could feel the stress of the last few weeks slipping away. The more she relaxed, the harder it was to keep her eyes open. She hoped she wasn’t going to fall asleep. That would be embarrassing and rude. Then again, this wasn’t a normal honeymoon. Landris wasn’t likely to be insulted, and he had to be as tired as she. No matter what anyone said, getting married was demanding. Even when the wedding itself was small. Her eyelids threatened to close again, and this time, she didn’t fight it. It wouldn’t hurt to let them stay that way for a few minutes.
Water was running. Ian must be in the shower. She needed to get up and make his breakfast. Her eyes slowly opened and the present intruded on the past, bringing with it the knowledge that it wasn’t Ian in the bathroom. Not only had Landris let her sleep, but he’d also turned down the lights and pulled the duvet over her.
The running water stopped and the whistling started. What time was it? She reached for her phone and then remembered it was still in her purse. As she was sitting up the bathroom door opened.
* * * * *
Landris’s steps skidded to a halt as did the tune he’d been whistling. He’d seen this picture before at Trent’s cabin. The only problem was this time there wasn’t a chaperone coming to his aid. His lungs, too long deprived of air, began to protest. His heart seemed to think that beating faster would solve the problem. The combination of the two became too much to ignore. Taking a deep breath, he tried to think of something other than kissing the sleep from Faith’s eyes.
“Good morning,” he said in a rush, annoyed that his voice sounded shaky.
She waved a hand at him. “Oh, stop it. I haven’t been asleep that long.”
He laughed as he came further into the room. “Whatever you say, Mrs. Thomas.”
Pushing back the covers, she swung her legs to the floor and walked over to the dresser. He watched in the mirror as she searched her purse for her phone. Three…two…one…blast off!
“Six-thirty! In the morning!” she practically shouted. “How could I have slept all night?” She swung around to face him. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Because you were exhausted. You needed to sleep.”
“What about you? Where did you sleep?”
“On the loveseat which just happens to be a pull-out bed.”
“That’s not how this was supposed to play out.”
He hid a smile as he grabbed a pair of socks and then turned to face her. “I don’t understand.”
“Yes, you do, and I’m letting you know right now that I’m sleeping out there tonight.”
Landris didn’t bother to argue the point. He’d worry about it later. “Are you always this grumpy in the morning?”
“This is not…I’m not grumpy. Anyway, thanks for the foot massage and for everything else.”
“You’re welcome. Do you feel like taking a walk after breakfast?”
“I’d love to, but don’t we need to go to the store first?”
“Corbin and Aubrey went shopping for us. They told me to think of it as a wedding gift.”
“Oh, how sweet! I wish I could meet them so I could thank them for making this trip possible.”
“They’re out of town this week. Maybe we can visit them when we bring Olivia back. I’ll get breakfast started while you take a shower.”
“Okay. I won’t be long.”
“Take your time,” he told her. After she disappeared into the bathroom, he walked slowly into the kitchen. He wouldn’t undo marrying Faith, but there was no doubt he’d painted himself into a corner. The question was: how long was it going to take for the paint to dry so he could get out? He didn’t like the thought of living the rest of his married life in a corner of his own making.
One look at the stove gave his troubled thoughts another direction. It took him a few minutes to figure out how to work the gas burners. Once he cleared that hurdle, he started frying bacon. The coffee was next and then the eggs. He was slicing toast into triangles when Faith joined him.
“Something smells good. Why am I so hungry?” she asked, taking a seat across from where he stood.
He handed her a plate. “Because we’ve been too busy planning a wedding and getting you moved into your new home to eat regular meals.”
She picked up a piece of bacon and broke it in half. “Crispy. Just the way I like it.”
“I was afraid I was going to burn it. I’ve never cooked on a gas stove before.”
“Me, either. I would guess it’s similar to cooking over an open fire. I did that one time when my family went camping. Half the potatoes I fixed were burned and the other half were raw.”
“I’ve never done any camping. My childhood was spent playing sports. In the fall it was football, in the winter it was basketball, and in the spring and summer it was baseball.”
“You’re one of those disgusting people who do everything well. You probably had scholarship offers for all three sports, didn’t you?”
He slid a cup of coffee across the table in her direction. “Only for football and baseball.”
“Why did you choose baseball?”
“Because it gave me the best chance of making it to the pros.”
“Was it everything you thought it would be?”
Landris looked up from sprinkling pepper on his eggs. “That’s a hard question to answer. Being able to play the game at that level was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, but success brings its own share of problems. I had to grow up fast and develop a thick skin.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Anothe
r hard question. I miss the excitement of stepping into the batter’s box and the thrill of making a good play in the outfield. I don’t miss all the other stuff I had to do in order to get on the field every day. Toward the end of my career, I had to work harder and harder to maintain my skill level. I was competing with guys ten years younger who were in their prime. It didn’t matter how good a player I’d been in the past. I had to keep performing or watch my position be given to someone else. I decided to leave on my own terms before my stats suffered and before all the sports writers started putting out the ‘it’s time for Landris Thomas to retire’ articles.”
“Is that why you became a scout? So you could still be part of the game?”
“Yes. It made the thought of walking away a little bit easier to do.”
“On a slightly related subject, I told the head of the English department at Coastal that I only want to teach online classes next year.”
“Aren’t you going to miss teaching in a classroom?”
“I can always go back to that. Olivia won’t always be four years old. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to spend time with her. I forgot to tell you. I heard back from Glenwood Academy the day before yesterday. They’ve got an opening in their preschool for the fall.”
“How did you manage that? When I called them a few weeks ago, they told me they were full.”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I have my ways. We’ll take Olivia there next week and get her signed up.”
“I didn’t realize my wife had so many connections.”
“I happen to know the principal. Why didn’t you tell him who you are?”
“As much as possible, I try to keep a low profile. There’s information out there if someone takes the time to search for it. You know how it is with the internet and social media. Nothing ever goes away. I’m trying to shield Olivia from all that until she’s older.”
“What kind of information?”
Landris glanced down at his plate. The phrase ‘love is blind’ could have been written for him. He’d been a blind fool, lapping up Bristol’s lies like a trusting child. “Bristol got involved with a married man. His wife didn’t go quietly. I heard rumors, but I didn’t believe them. I thought I knew my wife.”
She reached across the table and touched his arm. “Trusting someone you love is what you’re supposed to do, Landris. It’s what love is. That’s nothing to be ashamed of or feel badly about.”
“It goes back to something you and I have already talked about. When all of that happened with Bristol, I began to question my judgment. I started to believe I couldn’t trust my heart so I did the only thing I could. I stopped listening to it.”
“That’s not a good place to be.”
He smiled faintly. “Maybe not, but it’s a relatively painless place.” His glance moved to the sliding glass doors. “It appears your weather forecast was right on. Those clouds look like they’ve got rain in them. Should we postpone our walk?”
“Why? Do you melt when you get wet?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Good, because I love to walk in the rain.”
Landris nodded, a grin pulling at his mouth. “That makes sense.”
“Meaning what, exactly?” she asked, putting down her fork.
He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Nothing bad. When I think of someone who likes to walk in the rain, I think of someone who’s passionate about life, a dreamer who sees the good in things.”
She laughed. “That was a pretty good recovery.”
“Yeah, but do you believe me?”
“Should I?” she asked with an impish grin.
His comments to her about love and marriage floated through his mind. “I would never intentionally deceive anyone. I know what it’s like to be lied to.”
“I wouldn’t have thought any different.”
How would she feel about a change of heart?
* * * * *
As Faith preceded Landris on the narrow, winding path to the shoreline, she was still thinking about what he’d told her during breakfast. The more he revealed about his marriage, the more she understood what had made him into the man he was today. Bristol hadn’t just abused his faith in her, she’d trampled it into the ground. She’d taken his love and used it against him. Her machinations had torn his life apart, leaving his dignity and self-respect in ruins. In consequence, Landris had sealed off the entrances to his heart and was unlikely to let anyone get back inside.
When they reached the edge of the water, he took hold of her hand. “Which way?”
She pointed to the right. “Let’s walk toward that lighthouse. It might be open to the public. How are you with heights?”
“It’s not the height. It’s the narrow, winding staircase.”
“Now I know why you always have the window down in the car.”
“Seems kind of silly, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all. I don’t like spiders, and no amount of telling me how much good they do will make me think differently.”
“When we get back, we’ll call Olivia. She’ll be up by then and wanting to talk to her mommy. I better enjoy this time with you. Once we get home, I won’t be able to get within shouting distance.”
She looked past him to the water. “Is that a problem?”
“The short answer to your question is yes, it’s a problem. But it’s a problem I created and perpetuated, so I can’t really complain about it now, can I?”
“And the long answer?”
“Can wait for another day.”
She sighed inwardly. Whatever it was, Landris wasn’t comfortable enough with her to share it. Bristol had a lot to answer for. “Have you heard from Penelope?”
“She called a few days ago to wish us a happy wedding. Her mother is making progress, but very slowly, and she won’t be able to live alone anymore. Penelope doesn’t want to put her in a nursing home so she’s going to stay there. Her older brother lives a few hours away and helps out when he can.”
“Was Penelope married?”
“She’s been divorced as long as I’ve known her. Her son moved to New York a few years ago. He’s a comic book writer. She lived in the house across the street from us growing up. She and my mother grew very close over the years. When she heard that I needed someone for Olivia, she called me. I found out later that she quit her job so she could help me.”
“And when you moved here, she came with you. That says a lot about her.”
“Penelope is like you; it’s her nature to give.” He walked toward the dunes. “Let’s sit for a while.”
Was that how he saw her? She sat down beside him, touched beyond words at his comment.
“I can see why Corbin likes it here,” he said after a few minutes. “It has an untouched feel and isn’t overrun by tourists.”
Faith sifted sand from one hand to the other. “How long have you known Corbin?”
“I guess it’s been about five years.” Landris laid back and put his hands behind his head. “A friend of my dad’s hired him to renovate an old house on the river in Augusta. The place was literally falling down. When it was finished, the friend threw a big housewarming party to which I was invited. Having seen what it looked like before, I was anxious to meet the man who’d transformed it.”
“Did Corbin build your house in Augusta?”
“No, but when I knew I was coming to St. Marys, I contacted him. That cloud over our heads looks like a pirate ship.”
Faith tilted her head back. “You’re right. Do you like to cloud watch?”
“Olivia got me started. Now I find myself doing it.”
“I haven’t done it since I was a little girl.”
“All the more reason to do it now.”
She positioned herself beside him. “Our pirate ship is falling apart. It looks more like a submarine now.”
“There’s something you’ll never get me on,” he said on a laugh. “It’s the ultimate confined space.”
&n
bsp; “What if the world was coming to an end and a submarine was the only way to escape?”
“I’d have to take my chances on dry land.” He turned on his side and propped his head on his elbow. “You and Olivia would have to go without me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you really think I’d leave you behind? Or that I could convince Olivia to do it?”
He caught a few strands of dark hair that the wind had blown across her face and pushed them behind her ear. “Sometimes you have to make the hard choices.”
“Exactly, and I know what mine would be.”
“I couldn’t let you do that. I’ll have to start working on overcoming my fears so when the time comes I can get on the submarine, too.” He ran his fingers up and down her arm in a light caress. “In the meantime, we could drive into Savannah later, and you could get your cobblestone streets, jazz music and whatever the other thing was.”
“Fudge from the candy shop,” she reminded him, hoping he hadn’t noticed the goosebumps gathering on her arm.
“When we get back to the cottage, I’ll make a dinner reservation. Don’t let me forget.” He dropped a light kiss on her shoulder. A shiver feathered down her spine. She turned her head, and their eyes met and clung. Her heart leapt into her throat as he leaned over her and then stopped as if to give her the opportunity to avoid what they both knew was going to happen. At the merest touch of her hand on his arm, he lowered his head and brushed his lips softly against hers much as he’d done yesterday when they’d been pronounced man and wife. “That will have to do for now,” he said quietly. “I didn’t realize we had an audience.”
Like someone in a daze, Faith sat up and looked around. Her glance collided with that of an older couple who’d obviously been watching them. A surge of embarrassment washed over her. Beside her, she heard Landris laugh softly.
“I’m not sure what they were expecting. I wasn’t planning a make-out session.” He stood up and then reached down to pull her to her feet. “Not that I wasn’t tempted,” he said as he drew her close for another quick kiss. “You’re too beautiful for your own good.”
Love of a Lifetime: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 3) Page 15