Page 48

“Sure, let’s go.”

???

Walking through the sunflower fields offered Faith the peace she needed to continue with the deep dive into a shared family history. She’d learned more in an hour talking to her aunt than the entire sum of her existence with her parents.

Her brain was finding it impossible to reconcile the father and mother she knew to the ones Molly described. As well as her father being completely different, Molly said her mother Maureen used to be an outgoing, free-spirited young woman. Apparently, Faith’s parents dreamed of traveling the world.

“They’re looking for me,” Faith sighed as they strolled lazily. The sun caused sweat to drop down Faith’s back, but she didn’t care. Moving and breathing in the fresh air helped.

“How do you feel about that?”

“Scared.”

“You’re safe here Faith. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You sound like Carmen,” Faith smiled.

“Ah, yes Carmen and Mateo. Tell me about them.”

Faith’s smile brightened when she thought of them. Mateo was her fairy godmother—his words—and Carmen was Faith’s anchor. “They live at the address I had for you, in Seattle. When I turned up, Carmen could see I needed help. They took me in and… well, it’s hard to explain what they’ve done for me.”

“I’m glad you had them.”

Faith’s phone buzzed from her back pocket. Nathalie’s name scrolled across the screen. As usual, Faith lost the ability to school her features. Her face heated when she saw Molly giving her a sly smile and side eye. “I just…” Faith pointed to the phone.

“Go ahead. I’ll mosey on over there,” Molly chuckled, causing Faith to blush harder.

“Hey,” she sighed down the phone. Nathalie’s voice had a way of calming and exciting Faith in the same breath.

“Did you make it to Cali?”

“Oh crap, I’m sorry. I said I would message you. I totally spaced.”

“Is she there?” Nathalie asked eagerly.

Faith smiled and looked over at her aunt, who had her face in a sunflower. “Yeah, I found her, Nat. We’ve been talking for the past hour. It’s been intense.”

Nathalie let out a long breath. “Oh, thank God. I was so worried you’d be disappointed again. Faith, I’m so happy for you.”

“Gosh, me too. I don’t think I could’ve coped with another road trip, especially with those motley lot,” Faith laughed. “Enid spent the entire trip… well, tripping,” Faith grinned. “Mateo made all our ears bleed with his renditions of every Cher song ever released and Carmen, well, I think she was as nervous as me.”

“Those crazy cats,” Nathalie laughed. “I miss you.” The change in Nathalie’s tone made Faith’s voice hitch. Their messages had grown more intimate over recent days. There hadn’t been a particular catalyst to the change, just their ever-growing closeness.

One particular conversation stuck out. Faith was recounting the book she’d just finished. They were laughing because the book was one of Carmen’s and they were still teenagers, embarrassed to talk about sex. But then, Nathalie asked Faith if there was anything in particular in the book she’d enjoyed.

There were one of two ways for Faith to interpret the question. First, Nathalie could have been asking about the plot. Faith was an avid reader and enjoyed storylines with complex characters. Second—and secretly what Faith hoped Nathalie was asking—if any of the sex scenes appealed to her. Taking a risk—because it was usually Nathalie that did that—Faith answered honestly. She said she enjoyed the scene in the shower, and that she thought it would be something she would enjoy.

Faith had come a long way in her lesducation. The idea of kissing a girl didn’t send her into a panic attack. Nathalie was so open and caring that Faith had no problem talking about her lack of experience. To Faith’s surprise, Nathalie confessed to only ever having one girlfriend, and they’d never got as far as the bedroom. So, if she and Nathalie wanted to take it there, they would be each other’s first. Still, Faith would like them to have a first kiss before even considering taking their relationship to the next level.

Unfortunately, the timing was always off. Faith traveling around the country didn’t help, and when they did have time alone, they were never really alone. Messaging and video calls were all they had at the moment, which was becoming increasingly frustrating.

“How’s your day?” Faith asked. It felt dangerous to tell Nathalie just how much she missed her.

“Good, it would be better if you were here.” Okay, so Nathalie wasn’t going to make it easy for Faith.

To hell with it, “I miss you too, Nat. I…” I want to kiss you so badly, feel your body close to mine.

“I want to kiss you, Faith. I can’t believe I haven’t been able to do that yet.”