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Micah felt a small burst of anger flow through him. “Why is that the first assumption you jump to? That I’m going to hurt her.”
“Because women always fall for you.”
“For the record, I don’t go around hurting women.”
Shayla raised her eyebrow.
“At least not on purpose,” he muttered. There had been a few women in his past who had been hurt when the relationship ran its course, but he had never engaged in deception or cheated on a single one, nor had he been cruel or demanding. He just hadn’t been able to give them what they wanted—forever.
“I know you never meant to hurt any of them, but let’s face it, you did. Women fall for you, Micah. Head over heels. Totally smitten. One compliment from your lips and they soar straight to the moon. One break up call from you and they think life as they?
??ve known it is over.” She shuddered. “I’m not saying you’ve done anything wrong, but you have always been the one in the driver’s seat in your relationships. There’s power in that. You just need to be aware of it so you tread softly.”
“I never make promises,” he said, trying in vain to ward off the frustration his sister’s words evoked.
Shayla sighed. “So are you and Faith…heading toward something?”
“After all you’ve said, I’m not sure I want to discuss it,” he said in a curt voice.
“Don’t be defensive. I’m just trying to protect Faith.”
“So what about me? What if I’m really falling for Faith? Who’s going to protect my heart?”
“I love life’s little moments. A walk on the beach. A picnic in the park. Singing in the rain. Those are the moments when I fell in love with Heath.” Bella Donahue
Chapter Six
As the church service ended, Faith led the choir in a rousing version of “How Great Thou Art.” It rang out from the rafters. She always knew when they hit one out of the park because people would turn around in their pews and look up at the choir. It made Faith feel as if she and the choir really were enriching the congregation and singing for God’s glory. A feeling of happiness settled inside her.
Every now and again she snuck a glance in Micah’s direction. Although he still didn’t know all of the songs, he was giving it his all and gelling well with the other members of the choir. Even Clyde seemed to have toned down his attitude toward Micah and had actually given him some pointers.
Last night she and Lanie had stayed up until after midnight talking on the phone. She had told her best friend all about her interactions with Micah and how he’d asked her out on a date.
“Wow. You hit the jackpot there, Faith. He’s gorgeous and sweet. And from what I hear, his family is amazing. One of his brothers, Daniel, is very well-established with a video game empire. Maybe you could fix us up! Who knows? If things go well, we could have a double wedding.”
Faith had laughed herself silly over Lanie’s comments. Everyone should have a friend like Lanie in their lives, she thought, one who provided them with the gift of laughter. If not for Lanie, Faith wasn’t sure where she would have gotten emotional support over the years. She prayed she’d been as good a friend to Lanie as she’d been to her.
Once church service was over, Faith handed out the practice schedules for the next month. It felt so wonderful to see the choir group growing and strengthening in their purpose. Her parents had both belonged to a church choir and it made her feel connected to them. It was important to her, since on some days it felt as if her connection to them was slipping away.
Suddenly, it was just her and Micah. She felt a little hitch in her heart when he smiled at her, a slow, easy grin that threatened to take over his entire face.
“Ready to get some sun?”
Faith nodded. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”
She didn’t head to the beach all that much. It had been a long time since she’s been able to spend a carefree day at the beach. She avoided it for more than one reason. It reminded her of those carefree summers she’d spent with her parents vacationing in Miami or swimming at Pelican Bay beach. She was very fortunate that her burns hadn’t been worse. While she was recuperating in the burn unit, Faith had met many other teen patients whose sweat glands had been destroyed by fire, which meant they couldn’t perspire or sit out at the beach. Faith had no such issues. Her main one had been her self-esteem and being able to wear a bathing suit with her head held high. But life, with the assistance of Micah, had been showing her lately that her beauty wasn’t determined by a few scars.
These days Faith felt determined to focus on her blessings. Her scars would serve as reminders of all she’d been through, but mostly, they were evidence of her survival. She could so easily have perished in the blaze, and yet, she had survived. God had been watching over her that day and every day since then.
By the time they reached the beach it was almost noon time. The beach was fairly crowded with families and beach umbrellas and couples walking in the sand. Happiness radiated and pulsed in the air around them. The day was promising to be hot and hazy. The perfect beach day. Faith couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed a day at Pelican Bay beach. Micah drove his convertible into the beach lot and parked close to the entrance. Since they had both changed in the church bathrooms, Faith already had her bathing suit and cover up on. She’d packed a beach bag filled with a change of clothes, sunglasses, a big hat, some magazines and a few towels. Micah had packed several beach chairs and a bag filled with snacks and sodas.
“Where should we sit?” Micah asked as they scoured the beach for the perfect spot.
“It’s nice to be close to the water in case we decide to take a dip,” Faith said, pointing toward an area close to the ocean and near the lifeguard station.
Micah led the way over to the spot and began setting up the chairs while Faith laid out the towels. He pointed to his insulated bag containing the sodas. “Help yourself to a cold soda if you like. Snacks are in the other bag.” Faith leaned over and picked out a cold orange soda then settled back into her chair.
Once she was settled, Faith shrugged off her cover up. In her one-piece bathing suit, she would be more exposed than ever. In addition to her burns on her arms and wrist, she also had them at the side of her right thigh and on her lower stomach. She probably would never be brave enough to wear a bikini. Everything considered, she felt good about herself and being at the beach today with Micah.
