Faith couldn’t remember a time when she’d laughed harder. Brandon was actually a pretty funny guy. He’d regaled her with tales from his trip to the Middle East, but also with humorous stories about growing up in January Cove.

“One time, my brother and I went over to the island and…”

“Island?”

“Oh, yeah. There are several little uninhabited islands around here, but locals here go to one of them by ferry. Just a place to chill out, maybe have a picnic or play frisbee.”

“That sounds like fun,” Faith said, taking the last bite of her pasta.

Brandon grinned. “Well then maybe we can go one day?”

“We’ll see,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, that’s progress. You didn’t shoot me down immediately.”

“Contrary to what you might think, Brandon, I’m not always a horrible, anti-social person,” she said, pointing her fork at him.

“I don’t think that at all, actually.”

“No?”

“I think you’re a wounded person.”

“Still playing psychologist?”

“Well, I can’t help but remind you that tonight was supposed to be all about you sharing some of your reason for being in January Cove with me.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Faith said, taking a gulp of her sweet tea.

“And yet all we’ve talked about is the Middle East, the island and that one time I got mono in tenth grade from kissing the wrong girl.”

“Still makes me laugh,” Faith said.

“So what brought you to our little Southern oasis, Miss McLemore?”

Faith took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m not as good at sharing as you are.”

“Okay, maybe it will help if I ask some questions.”

“Whatever floats your boat.”

“So I know your mother passed away when you were young. What did your father do for a living?”

“He was in finance.”

“And your father is still living?”

Faith stared at Brandon for a moment. “Yes, Jim McLemore is most certainly alive.”

“Okay, that was a weird way to answer the question, Faith. Almost robotic.”

“Next question please.”

Brandon rolled his eyes. “You realize you can be a bit exhausting, right?”

“Noted.”

“Okay, next question. Where is Jim McLemore right now, Faith?”

Faith froze in her seat. A lump formed in her throat. Suddenly, she swore the room was starting to spin, so she held on to the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

“Faith, are you okay?”

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I’m… I’m fine.”

“No you’re not. Here, drink some water,” he said, sliding a bottle of water across the table. “I’m sorry if I hit a nerve. You don’t have to…”

“He’s in prison.”

Brandon stopped and looked at her. “Oh, Faith, I’m so sorry I asked. I was just trying to…”

“It’s okay. I needed to say it to somebody. My father… or Jim, rather… is in prison for embezzling money from everybody and their brother.”

“That’s tough. To lose your mother and now your father.”

Faith laughed ironically. “Yeah.”

“Am I missing something?”

“They aren’t my biological parents, Brandon.”

“Oh.”

“And I had no idea until a couple of weeks ago when Jim… my Dad… gave me information on a safety deposit box. Inside was a letter from him and the name of this town.”

“Wow, I don’t even know what to say. So he never told you that you were adopted?”

“Nope. Lied to me my whole life. And when I tried to go back and see him, to ask him more questions, he refused to see me. Even sends my letters back. He’s pushed me out of his life, and now I literally have no one.”

Why was she telling him all this? She’d promised herself she would only give him enough information to stop him from asking so many questions. But her mouth was shooting out information faster than she could stop it.

“You’re not alone, Faith,” Brandon said, reaching over and covering her hand with his.

She wanted to pull her hand away, but the touch of another human seemed necessary right now. Faith hadn’t realized just how alone in the world she felt until now.

“So you came here to look for your birth parents then?”

“I guess. Honestly, I don’t know enough to even start looking.”

“That’s why you visited the library?”

“Yes. Although it was pretty pointless since I don’t know anything to look up on those old microfiche machines. This town really needs to upgrade to computers.”

Brandon laughed. “True story.”

“So I don’t know why I’m still here, racking up a bill staying with Addy, when I don’t have the first clue to go on.”

“Maybe because Virginia doesn’t feel like home anymore?”

Faith pondered his statement for a moment. “Maybe. But nowhere feels like home anymore. I’m literally an orphan.”

“Faith, you’re not an orphan. As mad as you are at your Dad…”

“Jim.”

“Okay, Jim. As mad as you are at Jim, he raised you. And he apparently loved you.”

“How do you lie to someone you love for so many years?”

“It was wrong, Faith. I get that. But other than that, he sounds like he was a decent father to you? And you had a good mother too, right?”

“For a little while anyway.”

“Do you have any other family in Virginia?”

“Not really. I’m an only child, and when my Da… Jim… did what he did, everyone basically painted a giant scarlet letter on my chest.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Oh no? My boyfriend of three years dumped me, my supposed best friend changed her phone number and my friends from the fancy private school I attended for twelve years of my life didn’t even invite me to our reunion.”

“Ouch.”

“Rich people can be very mean, trust me.”

Brandon suddenly laughed out loud.

“Excuse me? This is funny to you? See, this is why I don’t trust people,” Faith said, standing up from the table.

Brandon tried to straighten his face and grabbed Faith’s arm. “No, you don’t understand.”

“You’re literally trying not to laugh at me right now!”

“Faith, I’m laughing because I’m envisioning you trying to come here for a fresh start and the first thing that happens is a huge dog tackles you…” Brandon said before dissolving into a puddle of laughter again. This time, Faith joined him, slowly at first. But within seconds, she had tears pouring down her face. She slid back into her chair and tried to catch her breath.

“Yeah, that was quite a welcome,” she said, dabbing a napkin at her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” he said laughing. “But I’m also not sorry.”

“Oh really? And why is that?”

“Because it allowed me to meet you,” Brandon said softly. Faith felt her insides clench up a bit. This guy was gorgeous and smart and level-headed. But right now she was in no place to have feelings for anyone, let alone the guy who had to be the most eligible bachelor in town. That would only lead to inevitable heartbreak somewhere down the line.

“Thanks,” she said, breaking eye contact and picking up her plate. She carried it to the sink, Brandon not far behind.

“You’re not comfortable with emotions, are you?”

“I’m comfortable with some emotions.”

“Such as?”

“Anger,” Faith said with a smile.

Brandon touched her arm. “Faith, there’s a lot more you have to give inside that big heart of yours.”

“Maybe I don’t have a big heart.”

“I’m a good judge of people, and I know you have so much to offer this world. You’re just raw right now. You’ve been hurt in so many ways. I get it. But don’t shut people out. Don’t shut me out. I want to help you, so just let me, okay?”

God, he was hard to resist. Right now she wanted to grab his face and kiss him, so she balled her fists up by her sides and dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands.

“Thanks, Brandon. But I really don’t know how you can help me.”

Brandon stepped back and crossed his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, for one thing I can hook you up with a great volunteer opportunity.”

“Tell me more.”

“There’s an amazing new organization here called HOPE. They provide backpacks for food insecure youth in our surrounding areas.”

“Food insecure?”

“There are hundreds of kids in our local schools who don’t have food unless they’re at school. So over weekends, holidays and the summer break, these kids may not eat.”

Faith stared at him. “You’re serious?”

“You’ve never heard this?” Brandon asked, his eyes widened.

Faith shook her head. “Never. I told you. I’m a horrible person.”

“You’re not horrible, Faith. You just weren’t informed. How do you feel hearing this?”

She thought for a moment. “Terrible. That must be awful for these kids. I just can’t imagine not knowing where my next meal will come from.”

Brandon smiled and playfully punched her arm. “See? You have a big heart in there, and we’re going to put it to good use. I’ll hook you up with Olivia. She runs the organization, and I’m sure she can find something you’ll be great at.”

For the first time in a long time, Faith felt like she had something to look forward to. Even if she couldn’t help herself, maybe by helping others she would find a purpose for her trip to January Cove.

* * *

Brandon sat on his deck, staring out into the vast expanse of the ocean. He loved this view. It never got old. Five years in the desert had made him appreciate it all the more. But still, he worried for those people he left behind. Talking about it with Faith had brought up so many emotions. Sometimes he even considered going back because there were days in January Cove where he felt he wasn’t helping enough people.

His mother had always said Brandon’s heart was bigger than his brain at times. He acted without thinking anytime someone needed help, even in relationships. His past was a scattered mess of break ups with women who couldn’t seem to understand his need to help others. He’d had a history of trying to “fix” broken women too, and that had led to many nights of staring at the same expanse of water, trying to figure out if God had a woman out there just for him.

He couldn’t help but think about his dinner with Faith last night. She was a hard one to figure out. On the one hand, they were nothing alike. She came from such vast amounts of wealth that he had a hard time imagining what her formative years were like.

She’d had real English tea parties at her house while he’d eaten pineapple and mayonnaise sandwiches as a treat after school. She’d had a nanny that attended to her every need while he’d had a babysitter that spent most of her time outside smoking instead of watching him. She’d had a brand new red sports car at sixteen years old. He’d ridden his bicycle to school, and it didn’t have working brakes so he’d worn out the bottoms of his sneakers trying to stop.

Brandon had had to work for everything in his life. His parents were good, hard working people, but they’d never had a lot of money. Doing well in school and getting scholarships resulted in him being the first college educated person in his family.

But there was more to Faith than met the eye. He could see through her strong, standoffish persona. Inside, she was scared. She was vulnerable. She was aching for something more.

He knew what that felt like. And, against all of his better judgment, he was going to help her get back on her feet, even if it meant fighting every instinct he had to scoop her up into his arms and protect her from the world.

* * *

Faith sat in the small waiting room, tapping her foot on the freshly carpeted floor as anxiety continued to course around her body. Brandon had set up this appointment for her to meet Olivia, but she was starting to second guess the whole thing.

After all, what did she know about kids and poverty? Exactly nothing. She wouldn’t have anything to offer these children, and they’d sense that. Kids and dogs can always sense when you don’t know what you’re doing, right?

“You must be Faith?” a woman said from the doorway. She was very attractive with platinum blond hair, perfect for the beach. She looked to be in her mid thirties, maybe, and seemed like a poster model for the quaint coastal town.

“Yes, that’s me,” Faith said, summoning her best smile without looking like a nutcase. She stood up and shook the woman’s hand.

“Hi. I’m Olivia Lane. Welcome to HOPE!”

“Thanks for meeting with me.”

“Come on back to my office,” Olivia said, opening the door wider.

Faith followed her to a small office off of a bigger room that looked to be used for events.

“Sorry about the mess. We’re still getting moved into this place. I ran HOPE out of my home for months until my husband threatened to run away,” she said with a laugh. “Have a seat.”

Faith sat down in a chair across from her desk. “It’s a nice place.” She had no idea what to say.

“Brandon tells me that you might want to volunteer while you’re visiting January Cove?”

“I’m definitely interested in doing that, yes. But I’ve never volunteered anywhere before so I don’t know how much help I’d be, honestly.”

“Oh, honey, trust me, we can use an extra pair of hands every single day!”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. For example, the kids just got back to school after winter break so now we’re trying to get more donations for spring break backpacks.”

“Spring break backpacks?”

“Yes. We send home fully stocked backpacks so that our food insecure kids have plenty to eat during spring break.”

Faith’s stomach tightened. “So there really are kids who wouldn’t have food if they weren’t in school?” Part of her hadn’t believed Brandon when he told her.

“Yes, that’s very true. We have kids who only get food at school.”

“That makes me so sad.” Faith really did feel sad. Maybe Brandon was right and she did have a big heart in there.

“Around here, we turn our sadness into HOPE,” she said, smiling as she pointed behind her at their slogan on the wall. “Sadness is a useless emotion without action. I’ve been through a few rough spots in my life, and there were people who helped me. So, I consider it my job and my duty to help others.”

“That’s very inspiring.”

“Care to join us?” Olivia asked, her hands in a prayer position.

Faith smiled. “I’d love to.”

And with that, Faith McLemore put down some roots in January Cove.

* * *

“So, how was your first day?” Brandon asked as he took a bite of his sandwich. He’d been surprised when Faith had invited him to eat a quick lunch at the sandwich place near the pier. She was getting easier to be around as her walls started to come down a bit.

“I was a mess this morning. I’ve never really been around kids, but we had an event at the elementary school.”

“Oh yeah? What did you do?”

“I colored with some third graders. I played a little dodge ball with some aggressive fourth graders. And I ate lunch with this sweetest little girl named Sadie. Well, not alone. Olivia sat with us. I just listened mostly.”

“Sadie, huh?” Brandon couldn’t help but smile at her excitement.

“She was pretty adorable, actually. Curly black hair and the biggest smile. Olivia told me that her parents divorced and she’s being raised right now by her great aunt. But money is tight, so Sadie gets most of her meals through the school and HOPE.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy to think there are kids all around this country who go to bed hungry. I guess I never really thought about it, but now I won’t ever forget it. Putting faces to the issue makes it even more important to me.”

“And that’s just after one day, Faith. Amazing!”

Faith smiled at him. “I wanted to say thanks for introducing me to Olivia.”

“No problem at all.”

“And thanks for making me believe I had something to give.”

Brandon looked at her. “You have a lot to give, Faith. Stop doubting yourself.”

“Hard habit to break,” she said, biting into a French fry.

“I’ve always found that during the worst times of our lives, the best thing to do is help someone else. There are always people worse off than you are.”

“So what has been the worst time of your life, Brandon?”

He sighed. “I was left at the altar.”

Faith’s face changed. He couldn’t figure out if it was shock or some form of anger, but it did cause her to drop her sandwich.

“What?”

“Yep. It was almost six years ago now.”

“What kind of idiot woman would leave you at the altar?” she said, obviously without thinking. Her eyes popped open wider, and he could see her face starting to turn red.

“Her name was Kim. We dated a couple of years, planned a big wedding and then when the big day arrived, she didn’t.”

“Did you ever talk to her again?”

“On the phone. Eventually my mom found out she was hiding in another state with her aunt and uncle. She just didn’t know how to tell me that she didn’t want to go through with it, I guess. So she ran. Her bridesmaids didn’t even know. They walked down the aisle and she ran out the back door of the church and hopped a bus to Indiana.”

Faith stared at him like he was an alien. “That’s the most depressing and entertaining story I’ve ever heard.”

Brandon laughed. “Well, it wasn’t entertaining at the time.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Brandon. You definitely deserve so much better.”

He held her gaze for a moment and felt something deep in his soul. What if she was “the one”? No. No. No. Stop it, Brandon, he thought to himself. She’s just as wounded as you are, if not more.

“Well, anyway, that’s how I ended up overseas. I had to get out of here and away from all the memories… the embarrassment…”

“So you used your pain to help others.”

“Right. And that’s what I think you should do. It changes who you are because you realize what’s really important.”

“And what did you realize?”

“That my purpose on this Earth is to help other people survive. And that the only thing that matters… the only thing that really lasts… is love.”

Faith swallowed hard. “Do you regret not getting married?”

Brandon paused for a moment. “Absolutely… not.”

“Really?”

“Looking back, she was never the right one. Sometimes God just has to let you go through things to grow.”

Faith nodded. “You’re an old soul, Brandon James.”