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Shayla narrowed her gaze as she looked at Micah. She raised her finger and began holding it in front of his face. “Right there. That little crease in the middle of your forehead. It’s your tell-tale sign. Tell me, Micah. Honestly, I have a right to know if something is up with the woman who is going to marry the man I love.”
Micah shook his head. “Do you have to be so dramatic? All this time you’ve hidden your feelings for Rafferty and now you won’t stop talking about it.”
“Only to you and Caleb.” She put a finger to her lips. “It’s still a secret. I can’t even imagine how mortifying it would be if Rafferty found out.”
Micah shrugged. “Well, he won’t find out from me. As for Pamela, I don’t think she’s right for Rafferty.”
“I knew it!” Shayla shouted. Suddenly, her expression shifted from sadness to joy.
Micah shot her a pointed look. “It doesn’t change Rafferty’s feelings. And that’s what’s at stake here. Rafferty’s feelings. I don’t want to lose my best friend by telling him his fiancée isn’t half the woman he thinks she is.”
“But don’t you owe him the truth?” Shayla pressed.
Micah ran a hand over his face. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. “Do you know how many nights I’ve lain awake asking myself that same question? Truth is a funny thing. We all have our truths, our feelings, our perceptions. In my heart I don’t think Pamela is good for Rafferty. I think she’s going to crush his heart. And I don’t want to see that happen under any circumstances.”
Shayla let out a wounded sound. Micah moved toward her, quickly filling up the space between them. He took her in his arms. “I know, sis. It hurts doesn’t it? Just knowing that someone as special as Rafferty could get his heart handed to him on a platter is devastating.”
“I would never hand him his heart on a platter,” Shayla said, her voice muffled against his chest. “I’d treat him like a King.” She made a little sobbing, hiccupping sound.
Micah patted her on the back. “I know, Shay. I know. In a perfect world it would be you and Rafferty getting engaged. But I think we both know that life is far from perfect. All we can do is pray that things work themselves out.”
“I’ll continue to pray, Micah,” Shayla said, swiping her hand across her tear-stained cheeks. “And I’m not going to shrivel up and die or anything. I’m going to live my life and be happy.”
“That’s right,” he said in an encouraging tone. “And you never know. You might meet someone who makes you forget all about Rafferty.” Micah prayed that would happen for Shayla. She deserved to be loved wholly and completely. And he knew she would love that certain someone in return without reservation. It was one of the things he loved most about his sister. She loved with every fiber of her being.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever forget all about him,” she said in a soft voice.
He reached out and lifted her chin up. “Keep your chin up, okay?
“And if Pamela hurts Rafferty,” Shayla said, her expression fierce, “she’s going to have to deal with me.”
Micah couldn’t help but chuckle at his little sister’s fierceness. She was a Donahue through and through. Tough right down to the bone. “All right tiger, let’s go watch the classic movie channel for a while before we get some shut eye.”
“That sounds like heaven. Let me put some popcorn in the microwave first. We can’t watch old movies without popcorn.”
Micah watched his sister as she placed the popcorn in the microwave and grabbed a large bowl. She was resilient. Unexpectedly, Faith’s face flashed before his eyes. She too was a
strong woman, one who’d already been through so much in her life. As he and Shayla settled in to watch “Imitation of Life,” Micah wondered whether he would see Faith again before the wedding. Part of him wanted to find out more about Pamela, while another part of him simply wanted to reconnect with the quiet beauty he’d met tonight. He wasn’t sure how he would go about it, but he was determined to connect with her again.
**
It had been almost a week since Pamela and Rafferty’s engagement party. Faith was still mulling over the details of that evening in her mind. She hadn’t heard a word from her cousin which was a blessing from above. She really didn’t have the time or the energy to devote to Pamela. As it was she’d been up to her elbows in work with field trips, parent-teacher conferences, career day and a host of quizzes and book reports. Thankfully she loved her job! Being a teacher was her dream job.
She was meeting Shayla for lunch today at a diner called the Silver Spoon. When Shayla had first suggested it, Faith had almost balked against the idea. The diner had been one of her family’s favorite places to grab a meal, particularly on special occasions. Faith remembered going to the diner after piano recitals and for her birthday dinner. While eating a meal at the diner her little family had laughed over her father’s corny jokes and his magic tricks that never really worked. Faith had always ordered a cherry chocolate shake and curly fries. Her mother had always ordered something healthy such as a salad, then snagged some of her fries and huge bites of her dad’s bacon cheeseburger and chili fries. Even after all these years, the memories still caused a tight sensation to spread across her chest.
Even though she was reluctant to stir up old memories, she didn’t have the heart to explain it to Shayla. She would just deal with it the best way she possibly could.
By the time she made her way over to the Silver Spoon she was officially five minutes late which was pure torture as a teacher. Faith made it a habit to be on time for everything. When she pulled into the parking lot of the diner, Faith took a deep, calming breath. She’d avoided this establishment for way too long. Instead of avoiding the memories, Faith made a vow to rejoice in them. They were memories of happier times when her family had been an intact unit. Running from them meant she was erasing them. Her parents deserved to be remembered and celebrated.
She hadn’t been doing that at all and it filled her with shame.
As soon as Shayla entered the Silver Spoon, a warm feeling settled over her. The smell of cheeseburgers and fries hung in the air. She inhaled the scent, remembering all the times she’d ordered the combination at the diner. She let out a chuckle at the memory of how excited her father used to get over indulging in burgers and fries. He’d always been a little thick around the middle, but her mother had always said there had just been more of him to love. Her parents had shared a truly epic love story. It was what Faith aspired to in her own life, God willing.
“Faith?”
She whirled around at the sound of her name. Micah was standing there, dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a simple white T-shirt. He looked classic and comfortable.
“Micah!” She couldn’t keep the surprise from echoing in her voice. “What a crazy coincidence! I’m meeting your sister here for lunch.”
