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“Great idea!” Cadence said, shooting her sister-in-law a grateful look. “I’m starting to melt out here.”
Micah beckoned them to the shaded area where he was sitting. “Come on over here ladies where it’s nice and cool.”
Addie and Cadence both joined him without hesitation, much to the displeasure of everyone else who was playing. A chorus of boos followed them, along with a few groans. Bella was already sitting a few feet away from him in the shade as she cradled Chelsea in her arms.
“Remind me never to join this crowd for croquet,” Bella said with a shake of her head.
“Hey. Where’s Shayla?” Cadence asked, looking around for her.
Micah frowned. “She said she’d be here. She must have hit traffic or something.”
The sound of the screened in porch door opening caused them all to turn in the direction of the house. Micah almost spit out his lemonade when he saw Shayla sailing through the door with Faith at her side. Faith—looking resplendent in a peach sweater and a summery skirt—looked a bit nervous as Shayla led her along by the hand.
Micah jumped up from his seat, managing to spill his glass of lemonade in the process. He reached for some paper towels and began cleaning up the mess with the help of Cadence and Addie. “You look as if you just saw a ghost,” Cadence murmured close to Micah’s ear.
Judging by the satisfied smile on Cadence’s face she was making a subtle statement about Faith and his reaction to seeing her. Micah opened his mouth to say something, but he suddenly realized there was nothing he could say to dispute it. Seeing Faith arriving at his family’s home was a very welcomed sight.
He stood up and greeted the two ladies. “Hey, there sis,” he said as Shayla grabbed him up in a hug.
“Your shirt is a little wet,” Shayla said, patting the front of his shirt.
He looked down at the huge wet spot. “No worries. As hot as it is out here it will dry in a matter of minutes.” His gaze wandered to Faith. “Hi, Faith. Fancy seeing you here.”
“Micah,” she said with a nod. She jerked her chin in Shayla’s direction. “Your sister practically dragged me here. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Sounds like Shaya. She’s been like that ever since she was a baby. It’s safe to say she has all of us in check and firmly wrapped around her finger.”
Faith looked around the back yard. Micah followed her gaze. From the backyard you could smell the briny sea air and catch a glimpse of the beautiful shores of Pelican Bay Beach. “Your family home is lovely. It must have been great to live here right by the beach. It’s such a tranquil setting.”
“Yes it was pretty amazing. That’s one of the reasons I bought a house near the water. The sound of the ocean was engrained in me by the time I was a toddler.”
Micah quickly introduced her to Cadence, Bella and Addie, who all gave her a warm welcome.
Faith leaned down and touched Chelsea’s arm. “She’s beautiful,” Faith said, her voice brimming with awe.
“Thanks,” Bella said. “I think we’ll keep her.”
Suddenly, Rafferty came walking over toward them. “Hey, Faith,” he said in a voice brimming with enthusiasm. Faith looked slightly startled when Rafferty leaned in and embraced her, kissing her on the cheek. “It’s great to see you again.”
Something told Micah that Faith wasn’t used to demonstrative people. Shayla should have warned her about being in the presence of a house full of Donahue’s. There would be hugs galore. None of ‘em was the hand shaking type. Not a single one.
“Likewise, Rafferty.” Her blue eyes clouded over. “I-is Pamela here?” she asked breathlessly.
Rafferty’s smile faded a bit. “Unfortunately she had other plans. Something about a makeup party.” His grin returned. “I think she’s scouting out makeup artists for our wedding. I keep telling her she doesn’t need a stitch of makeup to be beautiful, but she never listens.”
Faith eked out a little smile. “That’s exciting.” As a reader of body language, Micah determined that Faith didn’t think it was exciting at all. Her demeanor when she’d asked about Pamela had been very telling. She didn’t like her cousin very much. Micah was certain of it. From what he’d observed about Faith, she was kind and mature. She didn’t seem like the type of woman who would invest in petty grudges with people, especially her own relatives. And given the fact that she had been raised by Pamela’s family after losing her own parents, it was stranger still to see signs of division between the two women.
Apparently, the croquet game was over since everyone came streaming in their direction seeking lemonade and shelter from the sun. His parents greeted Faith like an old friend. The smile she gave them threatened to take his breath away. He thought Faith was beautiful, but when she smiled he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Shayla came over and introduced Faith to the rest of their siblings. Parker. Jason. Daniel. Nash. Caleb. Heath. One after another the introductions were made. He almost felt sorry for Faith. There were so many members of his family to hug and greet.
He leaned in to Faith and whispered, “Don’t worry about remembering all of their names.”
Faith smirked at him. “Honestly, I’m not even going to try. I’m terrible with names. You should see me on the first day of school. I’m hopeless.”
“I bet you’re a great teacher,” he said, as a sudden memory of Mrs. Craddock flashed before him. He winced. Even after all these years he still felt the sting of humiliation over her cruel disdain for him. It still had the power to make him feel less than.
Faith frowned. “What was that look for? Did you have a bad experience with a teacher?”
Micah was stunned by her ability to read his expression. Had he been that obvious?
