Finding Faith (2 page)

Damn, this was some cold shit. “I never knew you at all, did I? All these years, you thought you were doing me a favor by being my friend? Did you really think I needed you to help my self-image?” Pausing for a second to get her bearings, Faith started to laugh. She laughed at all the time she had wasted on trying to be a good friend. She laughed about the utter gall of the woman sitting in front of her.
 

She was jealous. The vitriol coming out of her mouth could only be explained by that one undeniable fact. Laughing harshly at the utter stupidity of her former friend, she noticed the looks and glances from the other patrons of the restaurant. Sitting across from her with crossed arms, Denise's body was tense and stiff. She seemed baffled by what was going on, and Faith almost felt pity for her.
 

Her laughing slowly came to a halt and she wiped her eyes. Steeling her voice, she spoke to Denise as her friend for the last time, “How about this, from this point forward, you focus on you and I will focus on me.” Gathering her purse that had fallen to the side during their argument, she prepared to leave the restaurant and return to the office. This lunch had turned out to be a very bad idea. “You have let your jealousy ruin a friendship that lasted for more than fifteen years. What you did today was petty and spiteful and I will never forget what you said to me. If you see me on the street, keep on walking. From this point forward, we are strangers. Keep your distance.”
 

Standing up from the table, she dug into her purse, pulled out some bills from her wallet, and threw them onto the table. “I may have a few extra pounds on me, but I know who and what I am. I will never allow envy or jealousy to turn me into an ugly person. Too bad you never learned that lesson.”
 

Walking away with her head held high, Faith exited the restaurant and breathed in the crisp air of the nation’s capital. She loved living in Washington, DC. There was no other place
like it and she loved the feel and pace of the city. The diversity of the people walking around her was welcomed. Various shades of skin color, some in suits, others in jeans, tall, short, skinny and not-so-skinny, and people from every walk of life.
 

Thinking back on the scene in the restaurant, she shook her head in frustration. More times than not, it had always been Denise who had thrown Faith a nugget of “reality” when a good looking man had been interested in her. Or when she wanted to buy a more risqué outfit to wear out for a night of fun, Denise usually said just the right words to make her place the item back on the store rack.
 

Her pitying looks and statements of, “I don’t know if he’s serious about you. I didn’t want to say anything, but I saw him looking at other women while standing right next to you,” all came flooding back. Damn, she had been so stupid. Everyone hears about the backstabbing friends who make every effort to undermine you, but she never thought Denise would be one of them.
 

Raising her arm in the air in the universal signal to hail a cab, Faith was determined to put the hateful things Denise had said behind her. She didn’t need friends like that anyway. She had her books and her work and she was happy. Well, as happy as one could be without close friends, a boyfriend, children and an entire life that seemed to revolve around work.
 

Three days later, Faith was sitting on her chaise in the living room, watching a marathon of her favorite crime show featuring a diverse group of FBI agents. It was easy to get lost in this show and all the craziness of the bad people they hunted in a one-hour episode. Looking over at her cell phone, she sighed loudly. It had been difficult to stop herself from calling Denise after work yesterday. Although they hadn’t seen each other much over the past months, they always managed to speak on the phone for a few minutes after a long week of work. It had felt natural to pick up her phone and begin to dial her number. That was, until she remembered the hurtful words that had come out of her mouth just a few days ago.
 

Just this morning after having her first cup of coffee, Faith had committed to finding herself, to understanding who she was. Not who she was based on her degrees, title, or the company she worked for. Not even who or what her family and friends expected her to be—and God knows—they all had an opinion. No, it was time for her to build her own path. Find her own way. And she was focused on doing it on her own terms.
 

Watching the credits from the third show in a day-long marathon scroll across the screen, she realized it was good to just do her own thing and not worry about what was going on with anyone else. As Faith was about to get up and refill her glass of lemonade, she heard the unmistakable noise of a moving truck pulling into the driveway of the house next door. Her new neighbors were finally moving in.
 

Having visited the house next door a few times, she always felt that it was a beautiful home. Larger than most homes in the cul-de-sac, it had the feel of a family home. One that had been made for children to grow up in and thrive. Just two months ago, the former owners had put the house up for sale when the wife was offered a promotion. It came with a move to another state and a huge salary increase. Luckily for them, the husband was able to get a job transfer to the same location, so they packed up their kids and belongings and headed out west.
 

They had been a friendly couple, but because she was single without a boyfriend or significant other, they didn’t get together all that often. Just for general group gatherings or when the wife tried to set Faith up with one of her husband’s friends. Her heart had always been in the right place and some of them had been the perfect catch, for anyone but her.
 

Opening her curtains a bit more, she glanced out of the window and noticed a tall, blond man with an athletic build exiting a new model black SUV. “Now that is a one fine ass man! His wife is one lucky woman.”
 

Craning her neck to get a better look, she guessed he had to be at least six feet two inches tall, and with a physique like that, his workout regimen had to be brutal. Even from this distance and seeing him in casual clothing, she doubted there was an ounce of fat on his body. It was Saturday, he was moving into a new home, and his clothing reflected a man ready for some hard work. He was outfitted in well-worn jeans that fit him like a second skin, with a black t-shirt emblazoned with the U.S. Army logo across the front.
 

Taking her time to look him over, especially since he hadn’t yet seen her, she also noticed that he was very confident in both his actions and demeanor. The movers weren’t polished men, but he looked comfortable speaking with them. Not everyone could do that, but given his choice of clothing, maybe he was current or former military. Having never served in the military, she knew people from all walks of life joined and she heard that you gained the ability to be comfortable in any environment. It was like they were trained to act like a chameleon, changing their personality, tone, and behaviors to fit their surroundings.
 

As he stood unmoving for a few moments next to his truck, a few more cars pulled up to the house. Maybe she would catch a glimpse of the wife. Rising to her toes, she balanced one hand on the wall next to her, just next to the window. So maybe she was a little nosey. Oh, well. It was important to know who was living next to you. After a few moments, she could see an older couple exit one car, while another older woman exited a second car alone. They greeted each other like old friends. “Must be the parents,” she commented to herself.
 

The third car held another couple, who stepped out of their car and smiled up at her new neighbor. It was a younger couple. A tall white man, a short, thin, but curvy black woman, and a little girl with light skin and curly, light brown hair. Her new neighbor lifted his arm, waving to them just as something in his vehicle caught his eye. Smiling, he yelled out something to the younger couple and made his way to the back of the truck, opening the back door. Watching him lean in, she stood rooted to the spot as she saw a little girl, no more than four or five years old, run across the yard and over to the other little girl, giving her a big hug as they began to chat away. “Hmmm, where’s the wife?”
 

Getting a little too nosey, she pulled the curtain back a little too much and the motion must have been noticed before she was able to steady herself. Her new neighbor and the younger couple all turned their heads toward her house, watching the window for a sign of any other movement. While the couple looked in her direction for a few more seconds, they quickly turned back to watching the two little girls. Her sexy neighbor on the other hand continued to watch the window for a few moments longer. Although her rational mind knew he couldn’t see her, she couldn’t prevent the thought that he could see inside and was aware that she had been staring at him.
 

“Smooth move, Faith. Staring at a man moving into the house next door, and one who is clearly taken. Yup, you’ve lost it.” Even this was said in a whisper. Yup, she was definitely watching too much of this marathon. Maybe it was time to put on a comedy. What must he think of his new neighborhood now that she had behaved like a typical nosey busybody?
 

One of the older ladies came over to him and touched his arm, saying something to him and the other people milling around. Turning his gaze away from the front of her house to respond, he then motioned for everyone to move toward the house. Taking one more glance in her direction, he turned and started walking toward his new home. Faith quickly moved back from the window. Hoping that she hadn’t been caught again, she knew her luck had already run out. As she thought about what had just occurred, her lips started quivering and she burst out in laughter.
 

“Well, damn. Now I have to go introduce myself. Make a peace offering and all that jazz.” Slowly turning away from the window, she went into her kitchen and pulled out the makings for a simple pasta casserole.
 

“I just hope he doesn’t tell his wife that they have a weirdo next door neighbor who doubles as a peeping Tom.” Never good at meeting new people, she was nervous about making the first move. But if she didn’t do it soon, she would lose her nerve and she would find herself too embarrassed to cross that bridge at a later date.
 

No, she had to do this. After all, she had made a promise to herself to do more things that were completely out of character. It was time for Faith to find herself.
 

 

“Okay, baby, stay here for just a few minutes while daddy gets this taken care of.” Cooper Branson turned toward the backseat as he spoke to his four-year old daughter.
 

“Okay, daddy. But, is Bree coming over to see my new house today?” Looking in the backseat at his little girl, he knew this had been the right thing for them. This move was going to be a good thing. It was time for a fresh start.
 

“Yes, baby, her parents are bringing her right now” he responded lovingly. “They were right behind your grandma. She’ll be here in just a few minutes and then I’ll take you out of your seat. Okay?”
 

“Okay,” his daughter responded. Within seconds she was playing with her pink and purple polka-dot notebook and drawing squiggly lines that only she knew the meaning of.
 

Stepping out of his SUV, Cooper ran a hand down his face. Damn, he was exhausted. Looking at the house in front of him and the surrounding neighborhood, he knew that this is where they needed to be. Inside, he knew that at this moment, he belonged here.
 

Without warning, a tingling feeling in his stomach started to make itself known. He stilled for a few seconds as awareness of what that meant sank in. There was no reason why he should be getting a feeling that something momentous was about to occur. Unless it was just the change in environment and the general move. It was a new home for him and his daughter, so that could explain it.
 

Plus, he hadn’t felt something this strong in his gut since the day his wife had died. Quickly looking over at the car where his daughter sat, he forced himself to calm his racing heart. “She’s fine, Cooper,” he whispered under his breath.
 

Inhaling deeply, he pointedly ignored the feeling. He had to remember that he was not overseas fighting with insurgents, nor could he live his life constantly expecting the other shoe to drop.
 

Excitement and sadness warred within him as he tried to get his mind prepared for the task in front of him. Today was going to be a good day. Hell, every day he had in front of him would be better than the one before it. Nothing, and no one, could tell him that this wasn’t the
right choice. It had been almost four years since his wife had died and it had simply been time for change.