A Splash of Hope (6 page)

Faith tried to shake off the memory of that night. This place was some sort of damn black hole. It sucked perfectly good cars in and shot shit back out. Here she was, broken down on the same damn block she’d been that night. She spent a moment digging around for her cell phone. She was close to tears and growling in frustration before she finally accepted it was gone. Throwing the car door wide, Faith began walking the familiar path toward the club. The irony wasn’t lost on her that she’d now be forced to return there under similar circumstances as when she left. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as if she had anyone to call, even if she could find her cell phone. Serenity was her only family.

There wasn’t any parking in front of the buildings in this part of town. Each shop was allotted only two parking spaces for customers and those were only hour-long parking. Meter maids closely watched each of those spaces, discouraging anyone from breaking that particular law. The people who worked here were forced to go to a parking garage located at the end of Main Street, not far from where her car currently sat. She’d made the walk down this street countless times on her way to and from the club. Now, it was almost as if it were yesterday instead of years ago.

The club came into view. Faith almost lost her nerve. Even though the place was closed on Sundays, she knew he would be there. Sunday was the day he dedicated to doing the books. She didn’t bother with the front entrance since she knew it would be locked. Instead, Faith circled the building until she came to the alleyway entrance. The door locked by way of keypad. She punched the code in, half-expecting it wouldn’t work, but the light flashed green, and the knob turned easily under her hand. Now that she was standing inside the building, doubt crept in. What if Adam didn’t own this place any longer? What if she surprised him and he shot her, thinking she was an intruder? Okay, so she wasn’t sure where the last thought came from, but once the idea took root, the more she felt like an idiot for coming here.

When Adam finally came into view, Faith’s heart stopped beating in her chest. His hair stood on end the way it always did when he was under a lot of stress. She made the unfortunate discovery she still wanted to run her fingers through it. His broad shoulders seemed even more so while he was sitting behind “the desk” of her memories. His eyes lifted slowly from the paperwork spread out before him. Not even a hint of disbelief showed on his face over her sudden appearance.

“Give me a second to finish up, and I’ll give you a ride home.”

She tilted her chin in acknowledgement. Faith wasn’t surprised he already knew why she was there. Adam possessed the uncanny ability of always knowing what was happening before anyone else. While Adam locked up his files, she stole the opportunity to look around his office. Longing ate at her gut as images of the last time she’d been here flashed through her mind. Her eyes continued to drift back to the desk and the man sitting behind it.

Chapter Ten

Carter: One month earlier

If Adam thought it was strange for them to be having this discussion in a restaurant instead of at the office, he didn’t let on. To be on the safe side, Carter decided to cut off any questions at the pass.

“At the office, this would look like an official meeting. I didn’t want that. Here, it’s a father and son having lunch.”

“Why should it matter?” Adam smiled. “Not that I mind having lunch with you, especially if you’re paying,” he added.

Carter snorted. The one thing he’d made sure of was that his son possessed as much money as he himself did. He didn’t want Adam trapped in this line of work if it wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. He was about to test the theory. “I didn’t want the office all abuzz about your upcoming promotion.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Or lack thereof.”

Adam froze with his fork raised halfway to his mouth. A look of genuine shock passed over his features before his face cleared. Somehow, he managed to look merely bored with the topic. It almost made Carter smile. He saw that exact look on his own face in the mirror all the time.

“Have you decided on someone else then?” Adam asked, as if the answer would have no impact whatsoever on his future.

“Not necessarily,” Carter answered, choosing his words carefully. “I’m beginning to wonder how investors will feel about the future of the company if the vice president is my thirty-year-old son. I’m worried stock prices will go down if it looks as if I’m promoting you only because you’re my son and not because you’re the best person for the job. You know how shaky the stock market is. If investors lose faith…”

Carter silently counted to three and he wasn’t disappointed.

“That’s outrageous!” Adam exploded. “You were single-handedly running this company by the age of twenty-three, and you don’t think they’ll trust me at thirty?”

Carter shrugged. “I had a child to support. More importantly, I developed an image. A man with a child has something to lose and people dependent upon his success.
That
is who investors trust. Someone with as much to lose as they themselves do.”

“Nobody works as hard for you as I do.”

“I know that,” Carter soothed. “I’m simply thinking aloud. I’m voicing my concerns about our future to my son, not my employee.”

Adam sighed, running a hand over his brow. His frustration showed in his every movement. “I know, Dad. I’m not questioning your logic. If it weren’t me we were discussing or if I were in your shoes, I’d feel the same way.” He looked away, staring off into space and Carter knew he was hooked. Glancing across the room, he sought Serenity with his eyes, knowing she was waiting for his cue. Catching her gaze, he gave a subtle nod in her direction.

*

Serenity nodded in return when she caught Carter’s signal, and began weaving her way through the crowd. Carter stood, saying something to Adam before clapping him lightly on the shoulder as he walked away. Serenity passed Carter, brushing his side closely in the overcrowded restaurant. Their fingertips touched briefly, but neither of them gave any clue of it happening as they kept their gazes locked straight ahead, going in opposite directions.

“Can I get some of these plates out of your way?” Serenity asked, making sure to paste the sweetest of smiles on her face. Adam started slightly, as if she’d caught him while lost in thought. As his gaze shifted to her, she made sure to hold his stare steadily. The look on his face became calculating. She blushed a little for good measure. Serenity had always wanted to be an actress. Personally, she thought she would’ve kicked ass in the profession.

“Serenity.” Adam said her name in a way that would sell ice to Eskimos. “What are your plans, for say, the next fifty or sixty years?”

I’m going to be making all my sister’s dreams come true,
she thought. “I’ll have to check my day planner.”

Chapter Eleven

Faith: Present Day

They made the trip to Nashville in silence. Faith watched Adam out of the corner of her eye, not daring to do so openly. Damn, he was even
more
than she remembered. Sleeker, more powerful, he was more of everything. She’d been trying so hard not to notice it in the past two days. She couldn’t avoid the truth in such close proximity. He was sinful excess.

The light turned yellow. Adam downshifted, bringing the car to a stop. Her cheeks warmed as she watched his hands. She could still remember the way they felt on her skin. Of course, Adam being Adam, he chose that moment to glance over. She looked away in embarrassment, but not before she caught a glimpse of his mouth turning up in one corner as if he knew her thoughts. Memories of his mouth joined the memory of his hands. She knew the time had come to break the silence.

“So,” she began haltingly. “What have you been up to?”

A low, sexy chuckle fell from his lips at her ridiculous question. His eyes shined as if he enjoyed her discomfiture. “Nothing much,” he answered, somehow managing to keep the ridicule from his voice. As much as Faith appreciated the gesture, an open mockery would’ve been preferable to the elephant sitting between them. Faith fell back into silence, unable to think of a single topic to discuss. Adam did nothing to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation. When the car came to rest in her driveway, he finally broke the silence between them.

“He’s not the man for you. You know that, right?”

“Who?” Even to her, she sounded confused.

Adam nodded in the direction of her door. “That guy.” She spotted Tristan sitting on her front steps.

Faith kept her expression carefully blank. She didn’t bother telling him Hell would freeze over before she allowed Tristan to touch her. If anyone should know that already, it was Adam.

“You’re a survivor, Faith,” he said, before she could respond. “He’ll never understand that. He’ll never understand you, not the way I do.”

Faith’s eyes snapped to his at the words. He leaned closer and she noticed for the first time his eyes weren’t merely blue. There were tiny specks of silver dancing throughout them. Faith managed a bland smile, while trying not to show how his nearness affected her, since her feelings were mostly unwanted. “He’s the guy who caused my sister’s death. He doesn’t have any more interest in me than I have in him.”

Adam gave her a look that said clearly he thought she was a fool. It made her wonder which part of her statement he thought was the most ridiculous.

“Good. Then he won’t mind when I do this.” Before Faith could guess at his intentions, he swooped in, sealing his mouth over hers. She couldn’t pretend she was unaffected by his touch, but her mind didn’t go blank the way it had the night of their first kiss. Instead, a thousand warning bells sounded inside her brain and a loud tapping began. At first, she thought it was the sound of her heart beating until Adam pulled away, allowing her to—once again—focus on her surroundings. Only then did she realize she was hearing Tristan’s knuckles against the passenger side window. She glanced briefly in his direction before her eyes returned to Adam’s face. While her heart raced and her breathing felt labored, he appeared unaffected by the scorching kiss. His face remained blank. His gaze flickered briefly over her shoulder to the window, before returning to her. His mouth turned up in one corner in a sardonic smile. “Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Perhaps, not as disinterested as you think.” His statement left her to puzzle out if he meant Tristan or himself.

***

Tristan’s eyes followed Adam’s Audi R8 as it backed out of Faith’s driveway. “Adam Monroe,” he said, raising his eyebrow in question. Faith merely stared him down, daring him with her eyes to make a comment. Tristan, not one to be intimidated, added, “He kissed you,” sounding impressed. “I knocked on the window because I thought you might need rescuing. Of course, then I realized you were enjoying yourself and I felt like an idiot.” Faith held a stony silence. “Did it taste like brimstone?” he asked jokingly, and she had to force herself not to laugh at his childishness.

“What do you want, Tristan?”

“This was delivered to my house this morning,” he said holding out her cell phone. “Some girl who claims she used to be Serenity’s neighbor found it lying on the ground after she spoke with you. She didn’t know where to find you, so she brought it to me.”

“Thanks,” Faith muttered, trying not to show how relieved she was to see her phone. The last thing she needed was Tristan knowing how desperately she couldn’t afford a new one. It was bad enough her car was broken down thirty miles away.

“I also wanted to apologize for yesterday. My behavior was uncalled for and I shouldn’t have added to the stress of your day.”

When Faith remained stubbornly quiet, he shifted nervously from foot to foot. He crammed his hands into his jeans pockets. “So, have you had any luck finding Serenity?”

Faith was beginning to feel like a bitch in the face of his obvious effort to make peace. She let out a heavy sigh. “No. I went to her apartment. The one where I lost my phone. The locks had been changed and the girl who found my phone said Serenity hadn’t lived there in at least four months. Adam then gave me a different address, but it was a bust as well.”

Tristan spent a moment looking thoughtful. “How strange,” he said finally. “You would think Adam would know where his own fiancé lived.”

“That’s what I said!” Faith cried, thankful to finally have someone else on the same thought level.

“But then again,” he added, ruining the moment. “Most people would think it was odd her own sister doesn’t know where she lives either.” She returned to wanting to unman him, but he immediately redeemed himself. “However, I’m not most people. I can understand why you would never want to return there.”

Faith glanced away from his knowing eyes and concentrated on the pear tree growing next to her tiny white house. This was such a peaceful place. No one in this neighborhood knew her. They didn’t know about her wild parents or the things she’d done to survive. They didn’t know about the personal cost. No one judged her here. “I’m not ashamed,” she heard herself say. She half-expected Tristan to call her on the statement, but instead he surprised her.

“You should go see Carter Monroe,” he suggested.

“Why?”

Tristan shrugged. “There isn’t much that goes on in town he doesn’t know about. Not to mention, he owns almost every piece of property around. It’s very possible he holds the lease on wherever Serenity is living.”

Faith had to admit it was a great idea, one she would pursue. That is, as soon as she had a car. “Thanks. I’ll look him up.”