A Splash of Hope by Charity Parkerson Page B

mistake once before. He’d not seen her again until yesterday.

Chapter Twelve
    Faith: Two years earlier
    Adam looked different tonight, or maybe he seemed altered to her because she now knew what it felt like to have him buried deep inside her. Had he always smiled so brightly at the other girls? It seemed to her as if Adam was always brooding. Perhaps she’d only seen what she wanted. Faith shook her head, trying to dislodge the doubts trying to set in. As she looked on, Angela flipped her hair over one shoulder, flirting wildly with Adam. His eyes sparkled as he laughed at whatever she was saying. His gaze moved in her direction and Faith quickly looked away. How had she ever believed Adam immune to the women’s charms? Angela possessed so many things she didn’t. She was a sparkling beauty that radiated life, whereas Faith was so bogged down by reality, any sparkle she once possessed had bled from her long ago. Faith allowed her gaze to move back in the pair’s direction only to find Adam still watching her. He held her stare as he excused himself from Angela. As he moved in Faith’s direction, he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it over. Faith realized it was a check and she reached for it absently.
    “I forgot to give this to you last night,” Adam said with a knowing smile.
    “Thanks,” Faith muttered, as the reality of her situation sank in. She’d finally truly whored herself for money.
    ***
    Faith didn’t care anything for the new ritual of people banging on her door first thing in the morning. After a quick check of the peephole, Faith let her forehead drop against the cool wood of the door. It couldn’t be happening. Really. It couldn’t be. Those were the only thoughts she could drum up in light of the situation. The knock sounded again, carrying away the last of her hope it was a figment of her imagination. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open before she could chicken out. Her bravado only carried her that far before her insecurities set in. She was patting her hair before she could stop herself. Adam’s eyes traveled down her body before once again meeting her eyes. That was all it took for her uncertainties to melt away. Only Adam had that effect on her. He was the only person who ever made her feel completely at ease, no matter what her state of dress or undress may be.
    Adam held up a piece of metal for her inspection. “Someone disabled your car.” She eyed the part suspiciously. “Hey, it wasn’t me,” he said defensively.
    “Oh, I know it wasn’t you. It was that tricky little blond bastard who was working in Heavenly Scents yesterday. “
    “I think there’s a part of this story you haven’t shared with me.”
    “No. I purposely left out the entire conversation since we weren’t speaking to each other on the way here.” He didn’t bother to argue. Instead, he pushed his way through to the living room, making himself at home by plopping down on the couch. Faith picked the seat farthest away from him.
    “Well, we’re speaking today, so tell me what happened with your car. It was obvious someone had purposely disabled it.”
    “After you told me about the apartment above the coffee shop, I went to check it out.”
    Adam pulled a face. “Oddly enough, considering that’s where your car is, I’d figured that much out for myself.”
    “Anyhow,” she said loudly, and he mimicked zipping his lips before she continued.
    “Inside the shop, this blond guy told me she was still living upstairs, but when I checked, it was empty. I spent a few minutes looking around and when I came back downstairs, there was an older lady working behind the counter.”
    “As far as I know, there’s no blond guy working there,” he said, once again interrupting her story.
    This time she didn’t bother trying to talk over the top of him. She only stared at him until he held his hands up, showing his surrender. “No more interruptions. I