Serendipity (5 page)

The other woman smiled, pride in her gaze. “I did.”

“You're talented. Where did you learn?” she asked, curious about April's background.

“Self-taught.” She spoke with pride.

“Amazing,” Faith said, in awe.

They had a love of design in common. Faith had always loved fashion and home decor magazines. She couldn't count the number of times she'd remodeled her childhood bedroom based on something she'd seen in a fashion or design magazine. She'd shifted furniture and bought new bedding and funky accessories to match a whim or a mood. Faith had talked her father into sending her to Parsons in Manhattan so she could major in interior design. But she'd met Carter and married him right after graduation, losing any opportunity to put her skills to work anywhere except their uptown apartment.

“So what about you?” April asked. “I know you're back and things with your family have been tough.”

“An understatement,” Faith said laughing. She'd learned to do that—make light of something that was really deep and painful.

“But what do you plan on doing now that you're here?” April propped a hip against the counter as she spoke.

“Like you, I'd love to open my own store front, but for me it's interior design.” But financially, she figured she'd have to work from her small apartment until she built up a clientele.

“Well, talk about serendipity.”

Faith was sure April wasn't talking about the town. “What do you mean?”

“There's an empty shop next door.” A knowing smile lifted April's lips. “The landlords were really hoping for big bucks but they've been sitting with it empty for a long time. Maybe they'll be willing to give you a deal.”

Faith knew the possibility was too good to be true. “Even with a good deal, I can't imagine being able to afford it.”

“How do you know unless you ask?”

“Okay . . . Where would I find the landlord?”

April grinned. “Well, I'm one. And Nick is the other. We inherited the strip mall from Dad.”

She hadn't realized their father had passed away. She and Nick had plans to catch up over dinner. “I'm sorry.”

April waved away the sentiment. “It was three years ago, but thanks. Nick subdivided this into two smaller stores and agreed to let me open my business here. The other shops have had the same businesses renting for years.”

“It sounds perfect. It really does. But until I get started and sign my first client, I don't have any income.” And she was too smart to touch her nest egg when she could work from her apartment until she was on her feet.

April merely shrugged. “Well, we don't have any money coming in from an empty store anyway. I'm sure we can work out a deal.”

Faith bit the inside of her cheek. A store in the center of town. How could she turn down the opportunity? People would see her awning and know she was in business. She wouldn't have to rely solely on word of mouth. It was serendipity, like April had said. She couldn't have hoped for anything better.

Faith nodded slowly. “If Nick says okay. You talk to him, and he and I will discuss it further when we have dinner.”

“Great!”

Before April could get too excited, Faith held up a hand. “One more thing. You have to promise me that if you get an offer for the space by someone who can pay you immediately, you'll tell me. And I'll move out.”

“Deal.”

Faith shook April's hand.

“Now about these clothes,” April said, already on to another subject. “What if instead of selling some, you let me redesign and then sell? I'd cut you in on a commission. We could make so much more.” She fingered the fabric once more. “The things I could do with these.” Her voice drifted off in pure pleasure.

Faith laughed. “Sounds like an offer I can't refuse. Why don't you come by later and see what you like? The rest you can take to sell.”

With her life looking up for the first time in a while, Faith practically skipped out of the shop and headed home.

 

 

Ethan walked up the back stairs that led to Faith's apartment over Joe's. During the day, the place seemed perfectly safe, but at night, when the drunks were stumbling around and the lights barely shone in the parking lot, he was sure it was anything but. He knocked on her door, and when no one answered, he knocked again. Since he didn't hear anyone inside, he figured he'd missed her and headed back down to his car, disappointed. He'd just have to try again another time.

No sooner did he turn the corner onto the street when he caught sight of a cop writing him a ticket. Not just any cop but his youngest brother, Dare.

Son of a bitch.

Ethan walked up silently as Dare turned around.

“Still playing it loose with the law, I see,” he said, as he snapped the ticket beneath the Jag's windshield.

Ethan let out a low groan. “I only thought I'd be gone a few minutes and there were no other spots.”

“Like I said, you thought you'd play it fast and loose. Do you think because it's a nonmoving violation it's okay?” Dare shoved his pen back into his shirt pocket, expression grim, lips pulled into a tight line.

“I made a mistake.” Ethan paused a deliberate beat. “It wouldn't be the first time.”

“Well, at least this time you'll pay. Literally, I mean. Fifty bucks. You're also too close to a fire hydrant.”

Ethan tried like hell not to wince or react as he met his brother's steely, unwavering—and uncaring—gaze. “I paid last time too. I'm still paying.”

Dare straightened his shoulders. “Tell it to someone who cares. Next time watch where you park.” He turned and walked away without looking back.

Well, he'd been right not to call him for a brotherly dinner the other night. Ethan placed a hand on the hood of his car and breathed in deeply, reminding himself he'd come back home to accept responsibility and earn back his brothers' respect. He hadn't expected it to happen overnight. Sometimes he thought it might not happen at all.

“Are you okay?”

At the sound of Faith's familiar voice, he straightened and whirled around. “Don't sneak up on me like that,” he snapped at her, wondering how much she'd overheard.

“Not sneaking. Just on my way home. So, are you?”

“What?”

“Are you okay?” Her gaze was soft and concerned.

He was embarrassed. “I'm fine.”

“Really? Because if I'd had that run-in with my brother, I wouldn't be.” There she went, pushing his buttons.

“You don't have a brother,” he reminded her.

She shrugged, lifting a delicate shoulder. “I wish I did. Maybe it wouldn't be so lonely.”

Present tense. Apparently the princess wasn't having any better luck making friends back home than he was.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, gesturing around the empty alley.

“Looking for you.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Why?”

“I have a proposition for you.”

She set her jaw. “Now wait a minute.”

He laughed. “A
decent
kind of proposition.”

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Honest reactions. Another thing he liked about her. “What is it?” she asked, clearly intrigued.

“The officer said I have to move my car or I'd tell you now.” He pulled out his keys. “Unless you want to get in and come with me to find a spot?”

She hesitated.

He let out a groan. “Come on, princess. Are we going to do this dance every time I offer you a ride?”

She rolled her eyes and headed around to the passenger side. Once they were settled, he turned on the ignition and backed the car out of the spot.

“So? Are you going to tell me what this proposition is?”

“You said you plan on opening an interior design business, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, I have a new house that needs someone to turn it into a home.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “You're offering me a job.”

“That's right.”

“To decorate
my
house.”

“My house now,” he felt compelled to remind her.

“But the home I grew up in. The place filled with childhood memories, good and bad,” she said, more to herself than to him.

She stared out the window, but he'd intrigued her. He could tell. She wrinkled her pert nose in thought, mulling the idea around in her brain.

Finally she let out a long breath of air. “It's a great offer. A fantastic opportunity,” she admitted.

“That's a start.”

“But I can't possibly take it.”

Surprise mingled with disappointment. He hadn't prepared himself for her to say no. “Why not?”

“For all the reasons I just said. It was my home and now it's not. I envision it one way, the way I grew up.”

“I saw the place before all the furniture was liquidated,” he said. “It wasn't a home. It was a mausoleum.”

She turned her head and glared. “Well, it was my mausoleum and I prefer to remember it that way.”

Another point he hadn't considered.

Before he could react, she took him off guard by unlocking the door and climbing out of the passenger seat, leaving him sitting alone in his car.

Rejected twice in one day.

 

 

There was an old saying: If you couldn't beat them, join them. So instead of fighting the noise, Faith headed downstairs to the bar for Karaoke Night. She knew Kate would be here with some of her friends, and Faith figured she might as well start carving out a social life. Whether the good folks of Serendipity liked it or not. April's warm welcome had given her hope and a dose of courage to come down here alone. Obviously she was early because she'd beaten Kate here, so she grabbed an empty bar stool and ordered a glass of Chardonnay.

Then, realizing her drink would have been Carter's choice, she changed it to a light beer, something she hadn't had since college, but she'd always loved the malt taste. She grinned, imagining both her parents' and Carter's reaction to her drinking from the bottle.

“I thought you weren't into Karaoke Night?” Kate slipped into the empty chair beside her.

“I changed my mind.”

“I'm glad. The rest of the gang will be here soon.”

Faith's stomach churned and she realized she'd misjudged herself. She wasn't ready to deal with Kate's friends, but she was already here and had no choice.

“Hey, I thought you weren't going to be here for another half hour?” Faith asked her friend.

Kate shrugged. “I heard you made an appearance.” She tilted her head toward Joe, the owner of the bar since he'd taken over from his father.

“He called you?”

Kate nodded. “He considers watching out for his customers part of his job.”

“So, who else is joining us?” Faith asked, preparing herself for the answer.

“Well, Lissa, for one.” Kate shot Faith an apologetic glance. “And Tanya Santos and Stacey Garner. Remember them?” Kate asked.

“Stacey still lives in town?” Faith hadn't run into her since her return. She'd been a part of Faith and Kate's clique back in high school.

Kate nodded. “Like you, she went off to school. She became a dentist and came back home. She works with old Mr. Hansen.”

“Good for her,” Faith said. She glanced around, wondering which of the women would arrive first.

“Looking for anyone
special
?” Kate asked with a grin.

“Like who?” Faith deadpanned. She really hoped her friend would take the hint and not say his name.

“Oh, a certain bad boy named Ethan Barron.”

She said it,
Faith thought wryly.

She didn't want to talk about Ethan, not when she couldn't stop thinking about him. Yes, there was the fact that he was so handsome he took her breath away. And he wanted her to work for him, which had scared her on so many levels she hadn't been able to get away fast enough. Stupid on her part because she desperately needed clients, and despite the emotional minefield of decorating her old home, the opportunity could showcase her talent and potentially open many more doors.

But what she couldn't get out of her mind was how badly Ethan's brother had treated him. And how Ethan had just accepted it as his due. Despite his lack of expression and reaction, she'd sensed how badly Dare's rejection had hurt.

“Here you are!”

Faith's thoughts were interrupted and she turned to see the three women Kate had mentioned earlier had joined them.

“You never sit in the corner. I almost couldn't find you. What gives?” Lissa asked, barely sparing a glance at Faith as she spoke directly to Kate.

“Faith and I just wanted a private spot to talk until you guys got here.” Kate met Lissa's gaze, practically daring her to be rude.

Faith pasted a smile on her face and treated the other women to a friendly wave.

“Faith Harrington, as I live and breathe!” A perky blonde nudged Lissa out of the way and made her way to Kate, giving her a huge hug.

Her second of the day and one she was happy to reciprocate. “Stacey Garner! It's so good to see you!”

They squealed like only old girlfriends could.

From over Stacey's shoulder, Faith caught Lissa's wary gaze.

Too bad,
Faith thought. She had another ally and she wasn't going anywhere. Serendipity was her home too, and Lissa was just going to have to deal with her.