A Splash of Hope
Sunday.” Well, he was really on a roll now. He knew it but couldn’t seem to stop the words from coming. “And I work for a living,” he heard himself add, sounding childish even to him.
    She smirked at the asinine comment and realization struck him like lightning. “You’re still dancing,” he said, unable to hide the accusation weaving heavily in his voice.
    Faith didn’t flinch at his words. Instead, she held his gaze steadily. Her expression a blank canvas. “You, of all people, know exactly how I put Serenity through college with no education of my own to speak of.”
    Adam didn’t know what to say. He could count on one hand the number of times someone had left him speechless. He was almost certain Faith was responsible for at least two of those times. A part of him was pissed as hell she’d not changed professions since leaving the small nightclub he owned on the side. On the other hand, he was so damn amazed by her strength that his anger refused to fully surface. Life had dealt Faith Hope a shitty hand, but she stood tall and faced it head on. She was incredible.
    When he remained silent for too long, Faith sighed loudly. “What do you want, Adam?”
    “I remembered something,” he blurted out.
    Faith stared at him expectantly but didn’t say a word. He felt like an idiot but she didn’t help the conversation along.
    “Serenity said something to me once about renting an apartment above Heavenly Scents coffee shop. It was something about the scent not being so heavenly at all hours of the day, every day.”
    “Thanks.”
    Her less-than-stellar reaction crawled over his skin, leaving him feeling chafed.
    “That’s all. Just thanks?”
    She shrugged. “What else do you want me to say?”
    What else did he expect her to say? Now that he was facing her calm reaction, he wondered over his own. Did he hope she would question him further about his reasons for marrying Serenity? Perhaps even excuse him for it? He should’ve known her pride would keep her from such a thing. Unfortunately, knowing that about her didn’t make him any less pissed off that he seemed to be the only issue she wouldn’t face head on.
    “Not a thing,” he answered finally before turning to walk away without as much as a “see you later,” but he stopped in his tracks halfway to his car and marched back to the door. “I’m not a bad person,” he said suddenly, surprising even himself with the proclamation.
    “Okay,” she drawled, sounding as confused as he felt.
    He opened his mouth, thinking to add more, but snapped it closed as he realized there was nothing more he could say that would make him sound any less like an idiot. With a decisive nod, he walked away, leaving Faith to her sleep. He wasn’t a bad person, was he? He wasn’t so sure any longer.
    ***
    July in Tennessee was at its usual muggy, near one hundred degrees. It took all of thirty seconds for a fine sheen of sweat to cover Faith’s body when she stepped through her front door. The humidity was so bad, it was hard to tell the difference between sweat and the water that simply hung in the air, making a person feel as if they were suffocating. In deference to the heat, she decided on a pair of khaki shorts that stopped a hair above mid-thigh, a mint green, lightweight, spaghetti-strapped shirt, and, to make the outfit complete, a pair of flip-flops. The last thing she wanted to be doing today was returning, yet again, to her hometown. Unfortunately, Serenity hadn’t left her much choice in the matter. Not to mention, she needed to follow up on Adam’s lead. She spent the better part of the night trying to track Serenity down, without any success. Adam’s visit earlier in the day was the first lead she’d gotten on Serenity’s whereabouts. She couldn’t fully rest again until she found her. She didn’t bother turning on the radio, instead choosing to make the drive in silence.
    Heavenly Scents coffee shop was a few streets over from “that

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