Having Faith (7 page)

Thankfully, Lacie seemed to understand.  Faith didn’t know much about the local school system, but as a young, elementary school teacher who most likely hadn’t been vested yet, Lacie was probably on a fixed budget herself and could relate.  She seemed to know where to find the best deals, and willingly shared her knowledge with Faith.

W
hen Faith and Lacie returned a few hours later, the men were just cleaning up, which involved dousing themselves with water from an outdoor spigot. 

Faith had to concentrate on her steps when she saw a shirtless, wet Kieran laughing with his brother and her son.  The sight made her stumble at least once. 
Dear Lord
, she thought, catching her balance, if she looked closely enough she was pretty sure she could see an
eight
-pack in those abs.

It did not improve her concentration any when they slipped on clean white T-shirts and helped the women carry things into the kitchen.  The thin white cotton clung to Kieran’s skin, still damp from the hose, and tiny prismatic droplets of water dangled teasingly from the ends of his blue-black hair. 

“Will you stay for dinner?” Faith asked, once she swallowed past the huge lump in her throat and found her voice again.  She figured it was the least she could do.  They had spent nearly an entire Saturday making her and Matt’s new house livable.

“Thanks,” said Shane with a friendly smile, “but Lacie and I have dinner plans.”

Kieran didn’t say anything right away.  “What about it, Kieran?” asked Matt hopefully.  “My mom’s an awesome cook.”  Faith was surprised.  Not because Matt was praising her culinary skills, but because he rarely warmed up to anyone as quickly as he had to Kieran. 

Kieran’s eyes met Faith’s, and her heart stuttered.  They were at once tremendously powerful and completely unreadable. 

“I think your mom’s done enough for one day.  How about I take you guys out for pizza instead?”  Matt turned hopefully to Faith.  Pizza was one of his favorites, but eating out was something they usually reserved for special occasions.

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Faith said hesitantly, “but you’ve done so much already.”

“It’s no problem.  You’d be helping me out, actually.”

Faith didn’t see how taking them out for pizza could be helpful in any way, but Matt took Kieran at his word without question.  “Come on, Mom.  Please?”

The word “no” hovered on her lips.  Going out in public looking and feeling the way she did – tired and in need of a good shower – was the last thing Faith wanted to do at that moment.  Shopping at the farmer’s market was one thing, but a restaurant? 

There was also the issue of money – or, more accurately, her shameful lack of it.  The trip north and today’s purchases had all but obliterated their petty cash. 

As if reading her mind, Kieran turned those amazing blue eyes back to her and said, “I need to head back to my place and get cleaned up first, but then I’ll come back to pick you up.  It’ll be my treat.”

When Faith worried her bottom lip with her teeth, he turned to Matt, and added slyly, “Did I mention I have a Porsche?”

Matt’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.  He regarded Faith with a look of such longing she felt the pull on her heartstrings.  “A
Porsche
, Mom.”

Faith felt herself weakening.  She really should say no, but it was next to impossible when Matt looked at her like that.  It wasn’t like he was asking for anything extravagant, either, just some pizza.  He had been working hard all day, and this
was
kind of a special occasion.

Besides, spending a few more hours with Kieran wasn’t exactly a hardship.  He had been so patient and kind with Matt.  If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she had enjoyed his company, too.  It was nice to be with someone so easy going and pleasant. 

As a general rule, she avoided that kind of thing – especially with single men.  She had neither the time nor the inclination to get involved with anyone.  But this wasn’t really a date, she rationalized.  It was more like a friendly, welcome-to-the-neighborhood kind of thing.  She could handle that. 

Maybe. 

“Okay, but only on the condition that you let us treat you.”

Kieran frowned.  “I asked you.  You can’t treat.”

His downcast expression was so boyishly adorable that she found her fingernails digging into her palms to keep from touching him.  That was enough to startle her into cognizant thought again.  Faith had never had such a strong reaction to anyone before, and it set off blaring alarms in her head.  She quietly turned them off with a mental note to examine them further later on. 

“Technically, I asked you first when I asked you to stay for dinner.  And I’m afraid it’s the only way we can go.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but apparently he thought better of it.  “Okay.  I guess I can leave my man card at home for one night.”  He grinned and winked at Matt, who laughed.  “See you in about an hour?”

Faith nodded, unable to completely stop the smile from curving her lips. 

––––––––

G
uiseppe’s was everything a traditional Italian pizza parlor should be.  Along the side of the building, a red and green striped awning hung over a patio dotted with tables.  Inside, dangling lights were suspended over high-backed booths and red and white striped tablecloths. Huge framed posters of Italian cities, buildings, and maps hung on the walls, and the delicious mix of spicy aromas had Faith’s mouth watering within minutes.

“I think I gained ten pounds from the aroma alone,” Faith murmured, making Kieran laugh.  She didn’t miss the appreciative glance he gave her, feeling it all the way down to her open-toed sandals. 

“I like a woman who can appreciate good food.”

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered, attempting to hide her blush behind the menu and internally racked up a substantial calorie count.  “You have what, about two percent body fat?”  She looked longingly at the tray the waitress carried past filled with thick, Sicilian style pan-fried crust.  “You could probably eat one of those and burn it off before we leave.”

Kieran flicked his eyes over her in such a way that heat blossomed in places that had no business being that warm.  “Nothing you need to worry about either,” he said with an enigmatic smile before turning to his own menu.  Faith wasn’t sure what to make of that.  Was it a compliment?  Or was he politely telling her to mind her own business?

Faith deferred to Matt to order on their behalf, then sat back and looked around.  There was a decent crowd, fun but not overly rowdy.  It was a nice place, and the prices were reasonable.  Anything was more than she had budgeted for, though, so she’d have to get extra creative for a week or two, but it was worth it to see the smile on Matt’s face. 

Matt and Kieran handled most of the conversation.  When Matt found out Kieran was a seventh degree black belt, Faith swore she saw stars in the boy’s eyes.  For a while they talked about the programs offered at
BodyWorks
, and Kieran invited them to attend the free demo on the following day.

“Kieran!”  Faith turned to see a very pretty young blonde woman balanced on sky-high heels waving and making her way over to their table. 

“Natalie,” Kieran acknowledged with a polite nod.  Was it her imagination, or did she see a flicker of irritation in Kieran’s expression?  Was this one of the women Lacie had alluded to?

Natalie tore her eyes away from Kieran only long enough to take in Faith and Matt and summarily dismiss them as unimportant.  “I had a wonderful time the other night,” she said silkily. 
Suggestively
.  Faith’s eyes widened as she felt the rush of color rising up into her cheeks.  Matt gaped at the substantial amount of cleavage revealed as Natalie leaned in a bit closer.

* * *

W
renching his gaze away from Faith, Kieran cursed silently in his mind.  This was exactly what he had been hoping to avoid.  After spending the day around Sean, Lacie, Faith, and Matt, he’d had no desire whatsoever to return to his lonely room at the Pub.  He didn’t go out on his own much anymore, either.  It just wasn’t worth the hassle of being approached every ten minutes when women realized he was flying solo.

Of all the women he dreaded running into, Natalie topped the list.  While unarguably stunning, she was about as far removed from what Kieran was searching for as possible.  Self-absorbed, vain, and spoiled were just a few of the words that leapt to mind, all within the first five minutes of their ill-fated date less than a week earlier. 

Kieran did follow through with a nice dinner, but ended the evening as soon as respectably possible.  He had thought he’d been quite clear in his polite but firm assertion that he would not be calling her again.  He believed honesty was the best – if not the always the most welcome – policy, and wanted to avoid any false expectations. 

But, he thought as her cloying perfume wound its way into his sinus cavities, he obviously had not made it clear enough.  Or, it was more likely that she just did not know how to take “no” for an answer.  As she had so often alluded during their few hours together, she was used to getting what she wanted.  At some point, unfortunately, she had decided that she wanted
him
.

Kieran stole a glance at Faith, saw her feigning great interest in the laminated maps of Italy on the backs of the menus, discussing the different regions with Matt.  Head bowed, her dark waves cascaded over her shoulders as she tried to politely pretend she wasn’t listening.  Even from where he sat he could see the pink blush stealing across her cheeks.  Her discomfort made the unfortunate interruption even more so.

In that moment, he knew what
he
wanted.  And it was not Natalie.

“Wanna do it again sometime?” she pressed when Kieran didn’t seem likely to take her not-so-subtle bait. 

She emphasized her point by leaning over the table, right in front of Faith, showcasing her fabulous cleavage even more.  Faith shrunk farther back in the booth, obviously uncomfortable.  Because his eyes had been trained on her, he didn’t miss it, and it annoyed him.  They’d been having such a nice time together.  Matt was funny and had a quick and clever wit.  And Faith was absolutely breathtaking when she was relaxed and smiling.

“Maybe your friend would like to join us,” Faith suggested quietly.  She offered a polite smile.  Matt had not yet learned how to mask his feelings quite as well, though his scowl wasn’t as noticeable as it might have been.

One look confirmed that Faith was pulling back into herself again. 
Damn it!
  She had just started to relax around him.  He didn’t like the tension in her shoulders or the way she wouldn’t look at him.  He wanted to see her eyes sparkling – she had the most amazing soft gray eyes that shone like polished silver when she smiled.

Natalie looked thrilled with the idea and made a move to slide in next to Kieran, but he was not as amenable.  “No, I’m sure she wouldn’t,” Kieran said, flashing a warning glance at Natalie.  Their eyes met for a moment, and Kieran’s were not nearly as kind and courteous as they had been.  On the contrary, they were frosty and laced with warning.  “Your friends are waiting for you, Natalie.”

As pouts go, Natalie’s was classic, but Kieran’s message apparently got through.  The waitress arrived with their food and Natalie stalked off to a different table to sulk.  Kieran didn’t look her way for the rest of the evening, but he could feel Natalie’s eyes on them.  Given the few uncomfortable glances he saw Faith make in that direction a couple of times, he was sure she was aware of Natalie’s less-than-cordial glares shot toward them during their meal. 

“Sorry about that,” Kieran apologized into the awkward silence that had descended upon them with Natalie’s exit.  The comfortable, relaxed atmosphere they’d been enjoying only a few minutes earlier was gone. 

“No problem,” Faith said with forced lightness.

Any hopes he had of rekindling the easy comradery were quickly dashed.  Faith made a point of avoiding his gaze and kept her conversational contributions to a minimum. Thankfully, Matt didn’t seem to feel the same sense of discomfort; they managed to maintain a nice dialogue throughout the remainder of the meal.

“I had fun tonight,” Kieran said later as he hung outside Faith’s front door, reluctant to leave.  “Thank you.”

“We did, too,” Faith responded politely.  Her soft gray eyes flicked to his for just a moment, and he saw the blatant little white lie in them.  He silently cursed Natalie again.

“I’m sorry about Natalie,” he began, hoping to explain, but Faith cut him off by raising her hand.  “Don’t be.  She seemed very, uh, interested.  I hope we didn’t make things too awkward for you.”  She bit her bottom lip, looking embarrassed.

Kieran blinked, bemused. 
Jesus
!  Is that what she thought?  “What?  No, of course not. I - ”

“Good,” she said quickly, looking anything but relieved.  “Thanks again.  Goodnight.”  Then she hurriedly stepped inside and closed the door, leaving him standing on the porch wondering what the hell had just happened.

* * *

“H
e likes you,” Matt said, startling her.  She hadn’t even realized she’d been standing just inside the door.  Matt had already changed into a pair of pajama bottoms, so she must have been in a daze for a couple of minutes at least.

“I think Kieran is the type of man who likes everyone, Matt,” she said, brushing aside the tiny thrill that ran through her at Matt’s words, even as images of the immaculately coiffed and voluptuous Natalie wormed their way into her mind.  If that was the type of woman that Kieran Callaghan courted, then she had even
less
than a snowball’s chance in hell of catching his interest.  Faith was the anti-Natalie. 

“Don’t read anything more into it.”  There was no place in her life for silly things like that.  She was a grown woman, a single mother with a teenage son.  And Kieran was a nice guy. 

A really hot, incredibly sexy, gorgeous, muscular, nice guy who helped them out.