Faith stood under the small tent that she and Olivia had set up for face painting. It was just big enough for two chairs and a small table filled with a bright assortment of paints. The sun was really beating down today, spring now in full force in January Cove.

She could smell the salty sea air as it blew gently across the pier, and it felt like home. She loved this place and these new people. It was amazing that she was starting to feel like January Cove was where she was always meant to be. It had been like coming home.

Of course, it was probably her original home. Somewhere among the moss covered trees and sandy beaches, her biological mother had probably walked. She looked around at the large crowd of people enjoying the carnival and wondered if her birth mother was somewhere out there.

She had come to January Cove to find her birth mother in the first place, yet she’d put that on the back burner lately. Being busy with volunteer work and spending time with Brandon kept her mind occupied, but it had also kept her from finding out the truth.

Faith wanted to know more about her mother, but the truth was that she was scared. What if she was dead? What if she wasn’t a good person? And worst of all, what if she just didn’t want to meet her? What if she was just another person who wanted to abandon her?

“I want a butterfly, please!” the perky little girl demanded as she plopped down in the chair in front of Faith.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Right here, on this cheek,” the little girl said, pointing at her pudgy left cheek. Her mother stood next to her, slight confusion on her face.

“Oh. Right,” Faith said, trying to refocus her mind on the task at hand. “Blue or pink?”

“Pink, of course,” the little girl said, rolling her eyes. Faith began painting, trying not to let her mind wander again. When she finished, the little girl squealed with delight as she looked into the hand mirror and then ran off into the crowd, her mother calling after her.

“You’re doing a great job, Faith,” Olivia said as she came around the corner.

“Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll be applying for art school anytime soon,” she said with a laugh. “How’s it going for you over there?”

“We’re selling cakes and cupcakes left and right. Sweet Cakes bakery really helped us out today.”

“That’s great. Hopefully we’re raising a lot of money.”

“We definitely are,” Olivia said with a smile. “Oh, it looks like you have a customer,” she said before walking away.

Faith turned to see Brandon sitting in the chair in front of her. Their faces were inches apart, and the feeling of electricity between them jolted her for a moment.

“Oh, hi. You scared me,” she said shakily as she moved back a few inches. Brandon smiled.

“I’d like a dragon, please.”

“What?”

“Right… here,” he said, pointing to his right cheek and leaning forward.

“Brandon, I’m not painting a dragon on your cheek. This booth is for the children!” she chided.

He stood up and looked at the tent, carefully walking around it and then sitting back down. “Nope. Nothing says this is just for kids.”

She stared at him in disbelief. Here was this skilled physician, still in his scrubs from work, demanding a dragon be painted on his face.

“Fine. But I’ll warn you that I’m not an artist, and I have no idea how to paint a dragon.”

He leaned in closer again. “I’ll take my chances.”

She dabbed some paint onto her brush and cleared her throat before leaning toward him. How in the world was she supposed to paint his face with her hand shaking so bad?

“Okay, stay still,” she said softly as she touched the brush to his skin. She quickly realized that she’d have to use her other hand to hold his face in place, so she slid her fingers up under his jaw.

Oh dear Lord. His skin was so warm, and she could smell his cologne. Chills ran down from her hand all the way to her heart, and she was afraid he’d notice the redness appearing on her cheeks soon. Who knew stubble could feel so sexy in your hand?

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes, why?” she responded, her voice two octaves higher. She was desperately trying not to make eye contact and instead focus on the work at hand.

“You seem a little shaky.”

If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought he was enjoying her discomfort. There was a slight smile on his face, and although it was extremely attractive, it led her to believe he was messing with her a bit. But for what purpose?

As she ran her fingers across his skin, she had to wonder what it would feel to touch his face all the time? Why wasn’t some woman scooping this man up? If she leaned in and kissed his jawline, would he notice?

She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for actual feelings. Her life was a mess. What did she even bring to the table for a guy like him? She had no job. No home. No idea who her family was.

Nope, she wasn’t going there. She wasn’t going to even consider the fact that her hand was trembling because she had a strong desire to grab his face and plant a big wet kiss on those smiling lips of his. She cared way too much about Brandon as a person to mess up his life with her broken heart.

Faith looked at her work so far. It was messy and smeared. Ugh. She needed to start over. She grabbed a wet cloth and brushed it across his face.

“What’re you doing?” he asked.

“I messed up.”

He chuckled and turned to face her. “It’s all in good fun, Faith. Don’t stress out about it.”

His voice was soft and calming to her. “It looked like a blob that threw up another blob.”

Brandon laughed. “Way to sell it.”

Faith had to smile at that. He had a way of making her feel better. “Let me try again.”

This time she was determined to stay focused. No more thoughts of kissing or touching or long walks on the beach with their three children in tow….

A few minutes later, she was finished. And she was pretty proud of her creation. She grabbed the mirror and handed it to him, a smile spreading across her face.

“Pretty good, huh?”

Brandon looked, his eyes wide, and then laughed out loud. Faith was confused.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Um, Faith, this is Barney.”

“What?”

“The cartoon character. The big purple dinosaur.”

She sat for a moment, trying to take in his words. Dinosaur. Oh crap. Dinosaurs were most definitely not dragons.

“Oh my gosh… You said dragon. And I painted a big purple dinosaur on your cheek.” Now her cheeks were turning red.

Brandon continued cackling with laughter until tears were running down his cheeks. She felt like an idiot. When he finally caught his breath, he put his hands on her shoulders.

“Faith McLemore, you make life so much fun.”

Her breath caught in her throat. No one had ever said anything like that to her. All of the other men in her life had said she made life more expensive, maybe, but not more fun.

“Sorry about the dinosaur. Let me help you get that off,” she said as Brandon stood up.

Brandon covered his cheek. “No way! I love it!”

“No, you don’t. No man wants to walk around with that on his cheek. Here, you can use this.”

Brandon took the cloth from her hand and put it on the table. “Faith, I may never wash this cheek again now that you’ve painted this work of art on it.”

“Very funny.”

“Is that the purple dinosaur?” Amelia asked from the other side of the tent.

“Oh, hey, Amelia! Yes, it is a Faith McLemore original. Would you like one?” Brandon asked, smiling as he cut his eyes back in Faith’s direction.

“No thanks. But can you do roller skates?”

“Roller skates? Do you like skating?” Faith asked.

Amelia walked over slowly and sat in the chair. “Yeah. I love skating.”

“Cool. Maybe we can go sometime,” Faith said hopefully.

“Maybe. But I might be leaving soon.”

Faith’s heart skipped a beat. “Really? Why is that?” She sat down in her chair and waited for Amelia to answer.

“My case worker said no one here really wants me so I might have to go somewhere in another state.”

Faith was angry. No one wants her? Who says that to a child? She wanted to get up and hunt this person down, and she’d do a lot more than paint a dinosaur on their face!

“Amelia, I’m so sorry someone said that to you. I’m sure so many people would want you as their daughter.”

Amelia looked up at Faith. “I don’t think anyone wants me.”

Faith looked up at Brandon, who was still standing at the edge of the tent. Gone was his smile, and it was replaced by a look of shock. Faith felt nauseous.

“Well, today is a day for fun, right?” Brandon suddenly said.

“I guess so,” Amelia responded.

“And since you’re here with HOPE today, Faith and I are going to make sure you have the most fun today that you’ve ever had!”

Faith looked back up at him, unsure of what he was planning. But if she knew anything about Brandon, it was that he always had a plan.

“Ya’ll get to work on that amazing cheek artwork, and I’ll be back in a flash, okay?” Before Faith could respond, Brandon was trotting off into the crowd.

“Is he your husband?” Amelia asked as Faith started painting.

“No, he’s not,” Faith said with a giggle.

“Your boyfriend?”

“Nope. Just a friend.”

“Yeah right,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes.

“Excuse me?”

“You like him.”

“I do like him. That’s why he’s my friend.” Why were kids so dang perceptive?

“I think you like him as more than a friend, Miss Faith.”

“Oh yeah? And why do you think that?” Faith asked as she started working on the wheels of the skates.

“Because you look at him like one of those puppies down at the shelter.”

Faith laughed. “And how is that?”

“Like you want him to pick you up and carry you away,” Amelia said giggling.

“Well, I don’t feel like a shelter puppy. Dr. James is just my friend.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so.”

Faith continued painting as Amelia talked. She told her about how HOPE was helping her with tutoring for math and how her teacher said she was smart. Faith listened, taking in every word in fear that Amelia would just be gone one day soon.

“So, what’s your favorite color?” Faith asked as she worked. It had taken her a few weeks to get Amelia to open up at all, so having a conversation with her felt like a victory.

“Pink.”

Faith worked to put as much pink as possible into her design. She was getting the hang of this face painting thing. Too bad she couldn’t make a career of it.

“What’s your favorite color?” Amelia asked.

“Sky blue. Just like the color above us right now.”

Amelia cut her eyes to the sky. “I like it when there aren’t any clouds.”

“Me too,” Faith said as she put the finishing touches on the skates she was painting.

“I’m going to miss it here.”

Faith put down her brush and took in a deep breath. “Sweetie, you don’t know if you’re even leaving yet.”

“Yeah, I do. Nobody wants me here. Maybe it’s better that I leave anyway.”

“That’s not true, Amelia,” Faith said, turning her around in the chair. “I want you.”

“You do?” The hopefulness in her voice was heartbreaking. Faith wished she could take back her words.

“I do, Amelia, but I can’t adopt you.”

Amelia’s face fell. “Oh.” She turned back around in her seat, slouched down more with her arms crossed around her body. It wasn’t the body language of someone who was angry, but of someone who was protecting herself.

“You don’t understand, but they wouldn’t let me adopt you even if I wanted to. You see, I’m new in town and I don’t have a job or a place to live. I stay at the inn.” Faith stammered out the words, trying like crazy to make the little girl understand.

“Everything okay here?” Olivia asked as she walked into the tent and felt the tension in the air.

Faith looked up at her. “Um, yeah. Everything is fine.”

Olivia looked concerned but didn’t push further. “So, Brandon tells me you need a break. Addy is coming over to take your paintbrushes.”

“What?”

“Hey, ladies. Ready to go?” Brandon asked as he walked over. He’d changed his clothes to a more suitable pair of shorts and a polo shirt.

“Go where?” Faith was utterly confused.

“I told you. We’re having a day of fun!”

She didn’t feel like having fun right now. She felt like crying and running off with Amelia under her arm.

“But Olivia needs me here, Brandon.”

“No, she doesn’t. I’m a trained face painter,” Addy said with a smile as she arrived beside the tent. “Go on. Have a fun day!”

Faith looked at Amelia. The little girl deserved a fun day that was all about her. Odds were no one had ever done something like this for her before, and leave it to Brandon to plan this.

“Okay. Thanks, Addy. I really appreciate it.”

Addy hugged Faith. “He’s a great guy. Enjoy your date,” she whispered in Faith’s ear.

“It’s not a date,” Faith whispered back. Addy just smiled and waved as they walked away with Amelia between them.

* * *

Brandon was stuffed. Between the hot dogs and ice cream he’d had in the last couple of hours, he felt like he needed a nice long nap. But he wasn’t going to let either one of these women down.

Amelia was a great kid. Full of spunk and joy, he had a hard time understanding how anyone wouldn’t want her as their daughter. He’d always dreamed of having a daughter, or actually two daughters and one son. For as long as Brandon could remember, this was his dream family. Just the five of them conquering the world.

But he was nowhere close to living that dream. He was painfully single. Nights were the hardest for him. He was lonely in his nice little beach house, and he’d lie in bed thinking about the future and wondering if he’d ever be a husband and father. Most guys his age were either already married with kids or at least engaged. And though his married friends often told him to enjoy bachelorhood more, he wasn’t interested in hanging out in bars or perusing the online dating world.

He wanted his own family. It was another thing to consider when he thought about going back overseas. He wanted to help people. He wanted to make a difference in their lives. But he also, maybe selfishly in his eyes, wanted a certain kind of life for himself. It was a tough balancing act.

“She’s having a great time, isn’t she?” Faith asked again. She was so worried Amelia wasn’t having fun even though the kid had been smiling since the first carousel ride.

“Yes, she’s having a blast,” Brandon whispered back. He loved whispering in her ear. Her hair was blowing in the ocean breeze, and he could smell what appeared to be strawberry scented shampoo.

“All thanks to you,” she said, looking up at him. She really was a beautiful woman. Smart. Caring. Stop it, Brandon. Don’t do this to yourself.

“And you,” he said. She smiled. And when she smiled, he melted a little inside. This was bad.

“Look at her. She’s got quite an arm,” Faith said, pointing at Amelia who was currently flinging baseballs at targets, trying to win a giant stuffed pink bear she’d been eyeing all day.

“If she doesn’t get it, I will,” Brandon said, flexing his muscles. “Played baseball all four years in…”

“Got it!” Amelia yelled out, jumping up and down with a huge grin on her face.

Faith turned around and laughed at Brandon. “Guess you’ll have to use those guns for something else.”

His first thought was picking her up and carrying her down the beach. Stop it, Brandon! Yeah, that wasn’t working.

* * *

Faith walked down the beach, the edges of the water touching her toes over and over before retreating. It was quiet, all except the faint sounds of people still milling about on the pier behind them, taking in the final moments of the yearly carnival.

Olivia had taken Amelia back to the group home she was currently in while waiting for placement. As Faith had watched her walk away, not knowing when or if she’d see her again, her heart had felt as if it literally might break into pieces. Thankfully, Brandon had pulled her away and invited her for a walk on the beach.

But even the beauty of the ocean and the pink sky peeking up over the horizon wasn’t doing anything to improve her mood. She felt utterly helpless.

“I know you’re worried, Faith,” Brandon finally said.

She sighed. “I am. But worrying won’t do me any good. I just hope they find Amelia a good, stable home with parents who love her.”

“Me too,” he said, adding his own sigh. He stopped and touched her arm. She turned to face him, and he put his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve done good things for her, Faith. And for the other HOPE kids. I’m proud of you.”

She had no idea why those words made her tear up, but they did. The fact that someone, especially Brandon, was actually proud of her meant everything. He’d been a virtual stranger a few weeks ago, but now he was the best friend she’d ever had.

“Thank you,” she said softly. And then everything started moving in slow motion as she saw him leaning in, his eyes staring at hers. Did she want him to kiss her? Was this a good idea? And how was she having all of these lucid thoughts in the split second before his lips would be touching hers…

“Excuse me, can you take a picture of us?” An unfamiliar voice broke the moment open like a stick of dynamite before Brandon’s lips could make it to their destination. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re trying to get a family picture in front of the sunset,” the woman said, pointing to her husband and two small children behind her. She held out her phone to Faith, who was frozen in place, so Brandon reached around and took it.

“Sure. I’d be glad to,” Brandon said, smiling at the woman. He quickly snapped a picture, and watched as they moved on down the beach.

Faith stood there, unsure of what to say. “Cute kids,” she finally stammered.

“Yeah. Kids are cute.” Brandon paused for a moment and then burst out laughing. “And the parents sure can ruin a mood, huh?”

Faith giggled. “Just a bit.”

“Maybe it’s for the best. I mean, you looked a little terrified.”

“I did?” She said as they started walking again.

“You looked like a deer in the headlights, as they say.”

“Well, you seemed a little hesitant yourself,” she said, not really meaning it but wanting to see his reaction.

“Doubtful.”

“Oh really? You weren’t hesitant about kissing me?”

There. She’d said it. She’d blurted out the great big kissing elephant in the room. Brandon stopped and turned to her, his arms crossed against his chest.

“I wasn’t the least bit hesitant about kissing you, Faith.”

She couldn’t breathe for a moment as he just looked at her. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.” She heard the words fall out of her mouth and instantly regretted them. She was ready. She did want to plant a big wet kiss on Brandon’s lips, so why was she saying this?

Brandon’s face fell a bit, but he quickly recovered with his amazing, approachable smile. “You’ve been through a lot lately. I can understand that. Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?”

She let out a nervous laugh, and they started walking again. “I guess not.”

They made their way down the beach and between a couple of houses until they were on the main street leading to Addy’s Inn. Faith felt more uncomfortable than she’d felt in her life, and she just wanted to scurry upstairs and curl into the fetal position until morning.

“Listen, about that awkward moment on the beach…” Brandon said.

Faith glanced up at the inn. So close, yet so far. “Let’s just forget it.”

“I just want to say something.”

“Okay.”

Brandon put his hands on her shoulders again. This was a recipe for disaster as she wanted to scoot forward and lay her head on his chest just to see how it felt.

“We’re friends, Faith, and I wouldn’t ever do anything to screw that up. But let me just say that the invitation is always open. Got it?”

Her face started to flush. “Got it,” she eked out before turning to head inside. She opened the door and peeked out the stained glass window insert to watch Brandon walk down the road.