Blind Faith (2 page)

His gaze swept over the unruly golden curls that framed the delicate features of her face.
 
Sky blue eyes blinked unseeingly at him, breathing life into something deep inside
that he’d thought had withered and died long ago.
 
There was a time when those eyes had held nothing but sheer and utter adoration for him; now they couldn’t see anything at all
.  I
t clawed at his chest because he’d always liked Serena and she didn’t deserve what happened to her.
 

He had a vivid memory of long legs and a figure that was just beginning to blossom.
 
It must have been tough being so tall and thin when her sister
had a body most women would have killed for. 
McKinley
had so many dangerous curves she left a trail of young men panting after her whenever she walked by.
 
She was also
was captain of the cheerlead
ing
squad and quite the social butterfly, as different from
Serena
as night and day.
 
Serena had been painfully shy
,
but on those rare occasions when he coaxed a smile out of her, Will had seen past the awkward, gangly teenage girl and caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman she
would
one day become.
 
And she
was
beautiful now, so beautiful it took his breath away just to look at her.

“I’m not uncomfortable,” he finally said.
 
“When your aunt told me who it was that I
would
be sharing the house with, I couldn’t sign the lease fast enough.”

Serena instantly bristled.
 
“Look, Will, if you’re doing this because you feel sorry for me or because you consider watching out for a blind woman some sort of charity project then maybe you should find someplace else to live.
 
I’m sure I could talk Rose into letting you out of the lease.”

Will set his duffle bag down and closed the front door.
 
“I think we need to get a few things straight before I move in.
 
First of all, I don’t feel sorry for you.
 
And since you’ve been living here by yourself, I have to assume you don’t need me or anyone else watching out for you.
 
I
have
one year of medical school left before I begin my internship and I’m fed up with housemates that want to party their way through college or think they can
cram
for medical exams.”

“I…I’m sorry for doubting your motives.”
 
S
erena
could feel the heat of a blush slowly creeping up her neck and was even more embarrassed because she knew Will probably thought she had a few screws loose for going off on him as she had.
 
“I wouldn’t blame you for leaving after the horrible things I accused you of, but…I’d really like it if you stayed.”

“I don’t know,” he drawled, “you
were
rather harsh.
 
I suppose I could be persuaded if you promise to make it up to me with a home cooked meal.
 
I’ve eaten so much take out over the past few years I can’t distinguish between the food and the cardboard containers anymore.”

“You poor thing,” Serena laughed.
 
“So what happened to all the hoards of girls that used to flock around you?
 
Couldn’t you con one of them into cooking for you?”

“Good God, no,” he sounded horrified.
 
“Asking a woman to cook for you is tantamount to asking them to move in
and take up residence
.”

“Does that mean I don’t have to worry about finding some strange woman in my kitchen rustling up a meal for you?”

“I’m not involved with anyone right now, if that’s what you’re asking.
 
Even if I was, I
would
have more respect for you than to have her spend the night here.”

Serena didn’t know why that made her happy but it did, although she didn’t expect a man like Will to be without a girlfriend for long.
 
After showing him the way to the kitchen they
would
be sharing and promising to start dinner as soon as she graded a few more papers, she waited for him to take his bag upstairs then walked him to the door.
 
Rufus had trotted alongside them the entire time but he’d obviously accepted Will, and that more than anything put her at ease with him as well.
 
 

“I should feel bad for roping you into making dinner for me,” Will said as he opened the front door, “but my mouth starting watering the minute Rose mentioned what a great cook you were and that you make a mean pot roast.
 
Your aunt bragged up on you pretty good, and not just about the cooking.”

“She’s been like that since the day I was born.
 
Personally, I think she felt bad I was such an ugly duckling compared to McKinley that she took it upon herself to be my personal champion.”

Will shook his head.
 
“You don’t need a champion, Serena
.  Y
ou’re an amazing woman.
 
And just for the record, I never thought you were an ugly duckling.
 
Maybe it was hidden behind skinny knees and elbows back then, but your beauty was always there and it’s certainly not hiding anymore.”

Serena stood there for several minutes after he’d gone.
 
Will thought she was beautiful?
 
Tentatively, she ran her hands down her ribs and over the gentle flair of her hips.
 
She’d never really been aware of her own body before and was astonished to discover she had all the same womanly curves she’d once envied McKinley for.
 
She
had
developed generous sized breasts too,
al
though she was too embarrassed to touch herself there.
 
For the first time in seven years, Serena wasn’t afraid of having a man notice her.
 
Will Duncan might be just what she needed to cure her phobias of men.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                     
***

Yankee pot roast, garlic mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables stewed in the juices of the roast, and homemade dinner rolls.
 
If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, Will was going to be madly in love with her before she even set the apple cobbler on the table.
 
Serena let out a derisive snort.
 
It was a ridiculous concept; a man like Will Duncan did
not
take a romantic interest in a woman because of her culinary talents, and even if by some stretch of the imagination he did, what could she offer him in return?
 
Just the idea of being intimate with a man made her break out into a cold sweat
,
so it was pretty much a given that she
would
go into hyperventilative convulsions if there was any real physical contact.
 
 
 

Besides, it may not bother him right now that she was blind but he
would
change his tune quickly enough if he ever escorted her out in public and had to endure the curious stares and hushed whispers of strangers.
 
It was amazing how many people believed she couldn’t hear them talking about her just because she was blind when, in fact, her hearing was much more acute than normal as a result of losing her sight.
 
Some of the misconceptions people had towards those who were handicapped often bordered on the ridiculous
.  Serena eventually learned to pity their ignorance rather than resent them for it, but it
had taken
her
years to overcome the urge to lash out at them.

She was setting the table when Rufus padded over and let out a soft woof
,
which was his way of telling her someone had pulled into the driveway.
 
It had to be Will, otherwise the silly mutt would have been coaxing her towards the door to use the intercom.
 
Rufus
had
never
taken
to anyone so quickly before
,
but
she
was glad that he had because his gentle nature morphed into something more along the lines of a rabid animal whenever a stranger showed more interest in her than he should.

“I hope I’m not late,” Will said as he entered the kitchen.

“No, you’re right on time.
 
Unfortunately for Rufus, that means he has to eat dog food again tonight.”
 

Will chuckled,
sending Rufus into a tail wagging fit.
 
“I hate to kick him when he’s down but I can pretty much guarantee there won’t be any leftovers either.”
 
He wandered over to the stove where Serena was just pulling out the pot roast.
 
“It smells wonderful.
 
Maybe I should have opted for some cooking classes instead of torturing myself with stale vending machine sandwiches and cardboard pizzas for so many years.”

“Why didn’t you just hire someone to come in and cook for a few nights a week?”

“I’m afraid my budget wouldn’t allow for anything as extravagant as that.
 
I’m just a poor college student in debt up to my eyeballs who has stooped to begging his new house mate for a decent meal.”

Serena couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
 
“Maybe we could strike some kind of deal,” she blurted out before giving it any real thought.
 
“There are things I could use your help with that I either can’t do myself or have difficulty with.
 
In exchange for your help, I
would
be willing to make dinner three or four times a week.”
 
She paused for a moment to turn off the oven and retrieve a serving platter from the cupboard, wishing she
had
considered what being in such close proximity that often would do to her jittery nerves.
 
But it was too late to retract the offer
,
so she forged on.
 
“It’s nothing major or too time consuming, just little things like repairing a hole in the fence out back, taking the trash can out to the curb on Sunday nights, fixing the
dripping
faucet in the bathroom.”

Will’s stomach rumbled as the enticing aroma of the roast wafted through the air.
 
“You’ve got a deal, but I’m definitely getting the better end of the bargain.”
 
He watched her move around the kitchen as effortlessly as a sighted person, his admiration for
Serena growing by the minute.
 
“Do you need any help carrying food to the table?
 
And before you jump to any wrong conclusions, I’m offering because it’s the gentlemanly thing to do, not because I don’t think you
are
capable of handling it by yourself.”

“You’re not going to let me forget what a fool I made of myself, are you?”

“I swear I
will
only bring it up when I need to counter act my own foot-in-mouth blunders.”

“In that case, I’ll let you put the roast and vegetables on the platter while I get the rolls out of the warmer and finish up the potatoes.”

This
isn’t
so bad
, Serena thought as she mashed the potatoes.
 
She’d enjoyed her new found freedom from her worrisome mother
,
but it did get a bit lonely at times, even with Rufus here for companionship.
 
She liked how laid back Will was, and she liked it that they could tease each other or simply work side by side in comfortable silence as if they were old friends.
 
Not that they’d actually been friends back in high school, but she hoped they could develop that kind of relationship now.
 
She hadn’t allowed herself to get close enough to anyone to form a true friendship since that awful night, but she didn’t want to be that frightened little girl anymore
.  W
hich meant she had to start trusting people again.