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“We can do dinner one night, the four of us. But I won’t sit by and allow Faith to be disrespected,” Micah said. “Pamela will have to cool it or I don’t want any part of it.” He wasn’t going to sit by and allow Faith to get hurt. Not on his watch!
Rafferty let out a relieved sigh. “I’ll make sure Pamela does her part to put away any childhood beef they had between them. She loves Faith. She invited her to be in the wedding, which is huge for Pamela. I really believe it will all work itself out.”
Micah couldn’t even muster the wherewithal to speak. He didn’t agree with Rafferty but he wanted to move forward and support him as best he could.
Rafferty gestured toward the other room. “I’ve got to get back to work. Let’s get something down on the calendar.”
Rafferty clapped him on the shoulder and grinned at him.
“Thanks for digging in to the report on the fire. I know you probably had to go looking in some old files to do so. I greatly appreciate it. And I know it will bring Faith some healing,” Micah said.
“That’s what best friends are for, right?” Rafferty asked with a grin.
“You’ve got that right,” Micah said, walking behind his
best friend as they exited the lounge. With a wave, Micah was walking away and out of the firehouse. Although he was overjoyed about the report Rafferty had dug up, he was still worried about the upcoming wedding. Micah knew Rafferty believed what he was saying about his fiancée, but he himself was still wary of Pamela. Because of those feelings he was uncertain of what the future might bring.
Friends forever! Hadn’t that always been their motto? Hadn’t they always said they would stick together through thick and thin? Through the best and worst of times?
He prayed it wouldn’t all fall apart because of Pamela.
**
Faith had tentatively agreed to dinner out with Micah, Rafferty and Pamela. Because she cared so deeply for Micah she was willing to be in her cousin’s presence for a night out, knowing Micah would serve as a buffer between them. Faith knew without a shadow of a doubt she had fallen in love with Micah. It had all happened so quickly she hadn’t fully prepared herself for the feelings he might arouse in her. She felt almost giddy about it, but filled with a good dose of fear. What if he would never be able to return her feelings? What if he broke things off with her? Because of her insulated life, Faith had never had to deal with such things before. She’d been plodding along in life until Micah had crashed into her world. Now, nothing would ever be the same. Her heart no longer belonged to her. It was Micah’s.
She glanced at the clock on the dashboard of her car. She and Micah had agreed to come separately since he was traveling back to Pelican Bay from an out of town assignment. Faith had deliberately worn a sleeveless dress that hid nothing. She had no intention of hiding behind long sleeves anymore. If Pamela didn’t like it, she could take a hike. Faith began to giggle. For so long she had been afraid of her cousin’s venom and wrath. She used to cower like a frightened animal rather than risk upsetting Pamela. Those days were gone. She prayed Pamela would be on her best behavior tonight. She really wanted Rafferty and Micah to get back on track. If she had to deal with Pamela’s stinky attitude for a little bit, she knew it was something she could handle.
When Faith walked into the Italian restaurant she felt a few stares in her direction. It always happened when people noticed the burns on her arms. A few months ago she would have died of embarrassment on the spot, but she’d learned so many things in the past few weeks. Sometimes people stared out of ignorance. Of not knowing what they were seeing. Other times it was curiosity. Very rarely, she imagined, was it done of cruelty. Knowing this allowed her to hold her head up high.
The waitress led her to table in the center of the restaurant. She let out a breath of relief as she spotted Micah sitting with Rafferty and Pamela. At least she wouldn’t have to sit alone with her cousin making small talk. Micah jumped up from his seat as soon as he spotted her coming their way. He quickly held out her chair for her, pressing a kiss against her lips as soon as she reached the table.
“You look gorgeous,” he murmured in her ear.
“Thanks. You don’t look half bad yourself,” she noted, admiring his crisp white shirt, dark tie and tan slacks.
As she sat down Faith swung her gaze toward Rafferty and Pamela. As he’d done before, Rafferty radiated a sunny vibe. He was smiling at her—a genuine smile that couldn’t be faked. Her cousin on the other hand bore the fakest smile Faith had ever seen. It threatened to crack her face.
“Hi there, cuz. So happy we could double date tonight,” Pamela said, oozing false charm. “Aren’t we lucky girls?”
“It’s great to see you, Faith. Micah can’t stop smiling about you, so thanks for making my best friend a happy man,” Rafferty said. Faith felt her cheeks heating up at the compliment. She couldn’t help but notice Pamela’s expression hardening. Even when they were kids, Pamela hadn’t liked it one bit when Faith got even the slightest bit of attention.
“I’m happy to be here,” Faith said smoothly, avoiding her cousin’s gaze.
Micah moved his chair closer toward her and leaned in to say, “Thanks for being such a good sport.”
“No whispering,” Pamela said, her voice sounding brittle.
“Let them whisper,” Rafferty said, sending Pamela a strange look.
“I was just teasing,” Pamela said lamely.
Faith didn’t know if she was imagining it or not, but she was picking up on some tension between Pamela and Rafferty. She sent Micah a subtle, questioning look. He slightly shook his head, letting her know he didn’t have a clue as to what was going on.
As the night wore on, Faith kept getting strange vibes from Pamela. She seemed to be watching her interactions with Micah very carefully. It was an odd feeling, but Faith couldn’t shake the idea that Pamela was jealous. It made no sense! She was engaged to Rafferty and on the brink of a wonderful future. But at the engagement party Faith herself had sensed something off in her cousin’s behavior toward Micah. And she’d believed Micah when he he’d confided in her about Pamela coming on to him. Sadly, she didn’t even question it.
The excellent Italian fare allowed Faith to not focus on her cousin, who was seated across the table from her. If she thought about her for too long she wasn’t sure she could make it through the meal. Pamela babbled on about wedding venues, wedding gowns, food and honeymoon destinations. It didn’t escape Faith’s attention that she never once mentioned anything to do with the spiritual elements of a wedding. Nothing about the church, the pastor or the vows. It was all about the surface. It was all about how it looked and smelled and tasted.
Right before coffee and dessert came, Faith excused herself from the table to go to the ladies’ room. Within seconds, Pamela was volunteering to go with her. Faith braced herself for nasty commentary from her cousin. It was as natural to her as breathing at this point.
