As they continued their walk, Faith couldn’t help wishing those two people had found some other place to sit. Their appearance had interrupted a special moment, and opportunities lost don’t always come one’s way again. When they reached the black and white striped lighthouse, Landris offered to wait on the bench conveniently located near the entrance while she made her way to the top. She refused, knowing it wouldn’t be half as enjoyable without him. On the return journey, the sky clouded over and light rain began to fall.
“You should be happy now. You’re going to get your walk in the rain,” Landris said, chuckling.
“Are you making fun of me?”
He slipped his arm through hers. “That wouldn’t be very smart of me. You might make me sleep on the loveseat tonight.”
She laughed. “It could be worse than that. You might find yourself sleeping in your SUV.”
* * * * *
By the time they reached the staircase leading to the cottage, the tempo of the rain had steadily increased. That occurrence hadn’t dampened Faith’s enthusiasm to any discernable degree. The sweet smile Landris had come to associate with her was still on her lips. He watched as she stripped off her jacket and arranged it over the back of the rocking chair on the porch before preceding him inside.
“Since you’re the one who got soaked, you can have the bathroom first,” she offered, walking into the bedroom. “Hand me your wet things after you take them off, and I’ll put them outside with my jacket to dry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said teasingly as he stepped closer and ran his fingers through the damp tendrils hanging around her wet face. She didn’t stir, but he felt the tension inside her. He’d felt it when he kissed her on the beach. Was she struggling with the thought of having feelings for a man who wasn’t Ian? Landris wanted to tell her that he would be content with whatever she could give him, but the confusion in her eyes stopped him. He had to be patient and let her work through this on her own. “There’s a tourist information booklet on the coffee table. It should have a listing of the restaurants in the historic district. If you want to, look through it and think about where you’d like to eat tonight.”
“I’ll do that.”
After getting some dry clothes from his suitcase, he walked past her into the bathroom. The matter of changing clothes didn’t take long. Faith was sitting at the table looking at the restaurant guide when he rejoined her. “Anything catch your eye?”
“There’s a place called Pirate’s Cove that looks interesting, but they don’t take reservations.”
“That means we might have to wait a bit, but I don’t mind.”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “I seem to remember a conversation where you said the opposite.”
“It depends on who’s with me when I’m waiting.”
“Spoken like a new husband,” she said as she handed him the booklet. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Landris had enough experience with women to know that a few minutes usually meant a half hour or longer. He made himself comfortable in the chair in the living room and got out his phone to check his messages. Not more than ten minutes passed before Faith popped her head out the bedroom door.
“Did you by any chance bring a blow dryer? I evidently left mine at home because I can’t find it anywhere.”
“I don’t own a blow dryer, but I’m pretty good at doing it the old-fashioned way.”
“That’s okay. I can manage.”
“I’d like to do it.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Really?”
“Yes, really. I do it for Olivia all the time. We’ll need a dry towel. That one on your head is too wet.”
“I’ll be right back.”
A few seconds later, she was sitting on the ottoman in front of him, so close he could smell the sweet scent of her skin. This wasn’t the same as doing it for Olivia, but Faith didn’t need to know that. Resisting the impulse to lift her hair away and kiss her neck, he took a small section, wrapped it in the fold of the towel, and gently pressed the two sides together with his hands. “If you do it this way, the hair won’t get tangled or frizzy.”
“Has that been your experience?”
He laughed at her tone. “Yes, it has. Being the single father of a little girl has provided me with ample opportunities to learn about these things.”
“I usually wash my hair at night and let it air dry. The blow dryer is for when I’m in a hurry.”
“Or when you decide to walk in the rain.”
“You really do want to sleep in the car, don’t you?”
“I’d rather not. I can’t watch you sleep if I’m out there.”
“That seems to be a pattern with us, doesn’t it? Did you really think Trent had sent me to the cabin?”
He laughed as he gathered another section of hair. “I wasn’t sure. Trent has done some crazy things in the past. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to think he might have arranged something like that.”
“You were very nice about it.”
“I don’t even remember half of what I said that day. I was a little distracted to say the least.”
“You didn’t look distracted. You looked like you wanted to laugh.”
“If so, it was at myself. Your beautiful hair is almost dry.”
Faith ran her fingers through it and turned to face him. “That’s good enough for now. I should go finish getting ready.”
Landris smiled faintly as he watched her disappear into the bedroom. It was probably for the best. The temptation to pick up where he left off at the beach had become almost impossible to resist. A few minutes more and she would have been in his arms.
* * * * *
By the time they reached the outskirts of the historic district of Savannah, the sun was peeking through the clouds. Faith had spent the half hour commute scolding herself for being disappointed that Landris hadn’t kissed her when they got back to the cottage. After his comment on the beach, she’d been so sure he would. As they descended the worn stone steps leading to the riverfront, she glanced his way. “I hope you won’t be too bored seeing all this again so soon.”
“I didn’t get to see much before. It was all I could do to keep Olivia occupied while at the same time acting as a buffer between my parents. My father wanted to cover as much ground as possible. My mother wanted to linger inside every shop.”
“That sounds like my parents. I came here on a high school field trip with my history class. I didn’t care about the old buildings or touring the houses. I was too busy trying to impress some guy I had a crush on. The ironic thing is after I got to know him, I couldn’t stand him.”
Landris laughed. “I’m guessing this was before Ian.”
“It was. When I think back, I can’t believe how much time I wasted worrying about boys.”
“I was the same way with girls. When my grades started falling, my dad took me aside for a little talk. The threat of losing my car and being forced to ride the bus to school was all it took for me to see the light.”
Over the next few hours, they drifted in and out of any number of shops, during which they bought a t-shirt for Olivia, watched a demonstration of candle-making, and shared a warm block of freshly made fudge. They talked and laughed with the ease of two people who’d known each other much longer than a few months. Their last stop was an antique store that looked small until they got inside. Through a door at the back, the shop opened to a warehouse lined with period furniture.
“I think you’ve found the right place to look for a hall tree for the foyer,” Landris told her.
“If I find one, how would we get it home?”
“That’s easy.” His arm slid around her waist. “If I can’t fit it into the SUV, I’ll have them ship it to St. Marys.”
“Would you really?” she asked as she lifted her face to look at him. Landris drew in his breath sharply and then his lips were on hers, gently at first, and then with a hungry ardor that made Faith forget everything
else. As her fingers moved to clutch the front of his shirt, she heard the jingling of the bells on the door of the shop. He must have heard it too, because he lifted his head, his breathing as rapid as her own.
“That’s what you call being saved by the bell,” he said softly into her ear.
“It was nice while it lasted,” she returned.
He laughed as he urged her forward. “Very nice. Let’s go look for your hall tree.”
They did find a few stacked up against the back wall, but none of them were what Faith was looking for. In truth, neither her heart nor her mind was in it. With each touch, Landris was making it more difficult for her to hide her feelings. What would he do if he found out? Would it make him uncomfortable? Or worse, would he pity her? If he did surmise the truth, she had to make him understand that he had nothing to fear from her. She would never try to take advantage of the situation.
* * * * *
When they emerged from the dim interior into the early evening dusk, Landris suggested they make their way to the restaurant. Without a reservation, their wait would probably be long. His supposition turned out to be correct. Under normal circumstances – meaning if Olivia had been with him – Landris wouldn’t have endured a forty-five minute delay. He would have found another place to eat. The situation was different with Faith.
The discomfort of being squeezed in tightly on a bench filled with people was hardly noticeable with her next to him. The same held true when they were seated inside the crowded interior. Above the clatter of dishes and the drone of conversation, he was aware of only one person. Night had fallen by the time they were making their way along the riverfront to where his vehicle was parked.
Faith pointed to the river. “When we walked by here earlier, I didn’t notice, but now that it’s quiet, you can hear the water. It’s a soothing kind of sound, isn’t it? Like a lullaby a parent might sing to a child before bed.”
He caught her hand. “Speaking of a child going to bed, we should probably call Olivia.”
“I’m glad you said something. I didn’t realize it was so late.”
The conversation that followed brought a tender smile to his face. Even if Faith never loved him, he knew his daughter was in the best hands possible.
“She wants to talk to her daddy now,” she said, holding out the phone to him.
Landris took it from her. “Hello, cupcake. How was your day?”
“Papa and Grammy took me to the park. Then we got ice cream. Napoleon jumped out at Grammy in the kitchen. She dropped the bowl of green beans. Papa and I thought it was funny, but she didn’t.”
“Did you forget to put Napoleon in your room when you’re not playing with him?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry.”
“Did you tell Grammy you’re sorry?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my sweet girl.”
“When are you coming home? Is it soon?”
His glance went to Faith, who if he wasn’t mistaken was wiping her eyes. “Yes, cupcake. We’re coming home soon. I need to go now, but I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you, Olivia.”
“I love you, too, Daddy.”
He slid the phone into his pocket. “Did she tell you what our fearless feline did?”
Faith laughed. “Like Caesar, he came, he saw, he conquered.”
“My mother is not a cat lover. I guess Napoleon picked up on that.”
“Cats can sense fear as well as other emotions. Whenever I got upset when I was little, Callie, my cat, would appear out of nowhere and start rubbing her head against me.”
Landris opened the passenger door and helped her step inside. “I hope our neighbors in the cottage next door keep it down tonight. They rolled in around midnight making enough noise to wake up the entire island.”
“That reminds me of what happened when Felicity and Ryan went on their honeymoon. It’s not quite the same, but it’s a funny story. She’d probably kill me if she found out I told you.”
“You can’t throw something out there like that and not tell me.”
“I should probably wait until you’re not behind the wheel of a vehicle.”
“This sounds like it’s going to be good.”
Once they were back at the cottage and settled on the loveseat, Landris looked at her expectantly. “I promise I won’t say anything to Felicity or Ryan. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.”
Faith laughed as she took off her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her. “Good enough. You met Ryan yesterday so you know he’s basically a low-key, quiet sort of man. He doesn’t break rules or make waves or do anything that could embarrass himself or anyone else. Keep that in mind as you listen to the story.
“He and Felicity decided to get married in February and spend their honeymoon at a small resort lodge in Kentucky. When they checked in, they commented on the lack of cars in the parking lot. The night manager told them they were the only guests, but that more people would be arriving the following day. I don’t know if it was the excitement of getting married or the idea of having the place to themselves, but at one point in the evening, Ryan came out of the bathroom beating his fists against his chest and doing…,” she stopped, overcome by laughter.
“Doing what? Faith, you can’t leave me hanging like this,” Landris said, dissolving into laughter himself.
“Doing the…doing the Tarzan yell,” she managed to get out before convulsing with laughter again.
A picture of the mild-mannered man who hadn’t said twenty words the entire afternoon appeared in Landris’s mind. He laughed so hard tears ran down his face. “Still waters run deep.”
“That’s not all,” Faith warned.
“I’m not sure I can take much more. My head is hurting from laughing so much.”
“This is the best part. The following morning they heard voices and figured some guests had arrived early and checked into the room below them. When they passed through the reception area on their way to the dining room, they said something to the night manager about it. He looked embarrassed when he told them that no guests had arrived. What they heard was his wife bringing him breakfast. It was then they realized that their room was situated over the reception area.”
“I’m sure the man had heard much worse in his time as a night manager at a hotel,” Landris said when he could speak.
“I’m sure he had, but that didn’t help Ryan any. He was mortified. Felicity said she’d never seen a man blush before.”
Landris stood up and walked over to the entertainment center. “I’m not sure any movie we watch can compete with that, but we’ll give it a try.” He shuffled through the DVD’s. “None of these are recent, but there’s a little of everything: sci-fi, romantic comedy, action, drama and even some animated ones. What sounds good to you?”
“I’ll let you choose something. I’m not picky about what I watch.”
“How about Jurassic Park?”
“That’s fine. I haven’t seen it in years.”
Landris slid the disc into the player and rejoined her on the loveseat. “There was a time when this was one of my favorite movies. It has since been eclipsed by I, Robot.”
“I would have thought your favorite movie would have something to do with baseball.”
“They never do them right; they usually end up being cheesy.”
Once the movie started, he reached over and switched off the lamp. As he glanced at the six or so inches between him and Faith, he felt like a teenager on his first date. He wasn’t going to spend the next two hours like this. He shifted to the left and put his arm around her. Faith responded by moving closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder. Much better.
The hair tickling his chin and the warmth of the soft curves pressed against him made it impossible to remain unaware of the woman in his arms. Landris stretched out his legs and forced himself to focus on the action taking place on the screen. This was a moment to be enjoyed, not spent wishing for more.
Al
l too soon, the movie ended and Faith was moving away from him. As he reached for the remote and turned off the television, he tried not to think how lonely he’d be after she went to bed.
“How about we do the boat thing tomorrow?” he asked in a somewhat desperate attempt to keep her with him a little longer.
“I’m fine with that. What time did you want to do it?”
“Can you be ready by eight? I’ll bring you breakfast in bed.”
“It’s my turn to fix breakfast. Since I’ll be sleeping out here anyway, it makes sense for me to bring you breakfast in bed.”
“There’s no need for you to do that, Faith. I slept fine here last night. I can do so again.”
“You can’t possibly have had a good night’s sleep. Your feet had to be hanging over the edge of the mattress.”
He couldn’t deny it. His lips formed a wry smile. “A minor inconvenience.”
“Please, Landris. Let’s don’t argue. I want to do this.”
“Just so you know, I do this under protest.”
“The first of many, I’m sure. This probably won’t be the only thing we disagree on.”
When she stood up to leave, he blocked her path with his legs and drew her down on his lap. “I hope not,” he said, smiling at her gasp of surprise. “That would make for a boring marriage.”
She laughed. “We can’t have that.”
“You’re right.” Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned down and kissed the lips so close to his own. As he drew away, Faith trailed her fingers across his face. Her touch ignited his senses bringing his mouth to hers again, this time deeper and longer. Landris lost all track of time and space and everything else. The flash of headlights followed by the blare of a car horn ended what was easily the most memorable few minutes he’d had in a long time. He glanced at her apologetically. “That was supposed to be a quick goodnight kiss. I got a little carried away.”
“A little?” she asked teasingly.
“Okay, a lot carried away.”
“I’m going to change out of these clothes and then you can have the bedroom.”
Love of a Lifetime: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 3) Page 16