Chapter 4
Landon sipped on his drink, feeling happier than ever than the rainstorm had cancelled their remainder of the tour and he had been able to drive out to Charleston earlier than they had initially planned. The other men, excluding Roger, had hung back in Myrtle Beach to shop for their families while the two had rented the first car out of there.
Landon had dropped Roger off at the pier a while ago, just as they had arrived in Charleston, where his family ran the taco shop. Landon had decided to get a drink before heading out to home to surprise his parents, who didn’t know he was arriving tonight rather than two days later. The bar was quieter than Landon had expected, maybe because it was the middle of the week and many people were not coming out.
As he put down his glass, he heard the bell on the door ring as it opened and a group of office goers, dressed in the correct attire entered the bar. Landon turned around, getting acquainted with such gatherings rather than men in uniform, ready to strike. One woman stood out from the group, maybe it was her torn, washed out jeans or maybe it was her brown, curly mane of hair.
He watched her from above his glass, just curious, when he saw her throw her head back and laugh. It was a joyous sound, and he felt something in his gut clench. There was an open happiness that seemed to surround this woman. Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she mock punched one of her coworkers in the arm.
Landon found himself staring, openly. His eyes tracked her every movement as she tugged at her shirt, straightening it and quickly glanced around. Her eyes met his for barely a second before she moved on. That eye contact was a vicious hot punch to his gut and Landon swallowed.
He wanted her.
Well, no better way than to go introduce himself.
He gestured towards the bartender, a grin on his lips.
***
Faith snorted as Jack cracked another joke to lighten her mood.
“Oh, Faith, honey, you need to relax and unwind now and then.” Stella, their eldest colleague said, clinking her glass against Faith’s beer.
“I do!” Faith groaned, “You guys make it seem like I’m some old granny hiding in her home.”
“Ooh, with kittens.” Naomi chirped.
“And knitting.” Jack said, “Gotta love the knitting.”
“Screw you.” Faith said, shoving him lightly and making everyone chuckle.
Feeling the hair on the back of her neck rising, she looked around the bar, and her gaze met the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen. The man they belonged to was leaning casually against the bar. Raw masculinity exuded from him and Faith found her cheeks turning red before she looked away.
A solid presence behind her suddenly made her turn her head around.
An amused pair of blue eyes looked at her, “Hello.”
“Why, hello there.” Naomi said, not able to hide the fact that she was no longer sober.
“I’m Landon.” The man said, offering his hand. As the group introduced themselves, Faith found herself wanting to leave. There was something so raw about this man, it unsettled her. To top that off, she had downed a few shots and was well on her way to being drunk herself.
“What’s your name?” Landon asked Faith, as she hesitantly extended her hand in response to his.
“Faith.” She replied, forcing a little haughtiness in her voice.
That seemed to amuse Landon even more and made her a little grouchy.
“Can I buy you a drink, Faith?” Landon asked, grinning when she shot sparks at him through her eyes. She clearly did not want him there.
“I’m holding onto this one. So, no thanks.” Faith said, raising her bottle to show him.
Landon wasn’t about to give up. He smiled his most charming smile, “Then, how about I buy you your next one?”
“Or, how about you don’t.” Faith scowled.
By now, her friends were talking amongst themselves, oblivious to the conversation between Faith and Landon.
She was like a little kitten, hissing at him and that made Landon want to pet her all the more. “Tell you what. I would just like to have a normal conversation and if, after five minutes, you think you don’t like me, I won’t bother you.”
Faith stayed silent for a moment. It did not sound like such an unreasonable request and what were five minutes if it meant he would leave her alone after that. She might be ready for a man in her life but this guy wasn’t it. Landon had that wicked gleam in his eyes that made her shiver inside. She didn’t want to be tempted. Not when she was in such a good point in her life. And this guy just looked like trouble.
He was watching her, waiting for an answer and she asked, hesitantly, “Five minutes.”
He grinned at her, and the boyish charm took her aback and she suddenly wondered if she knew what she was getting herself into.
“Five minutes,” she repeated, as Landon just chuckled and gestured towards an empty booth.
Once seated, he turned a disarming smile towards her, “So, what brings you here to Charleston, Faith? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”
He hadn’t been around for quite a few years himself, but it was probably not a good idea to mention that.
“I work here.” Faith told him, shortly.
Landon had to purse his lips so as to not laugh at her defensive tone.
“What do you do?”
“I’m an architect.” Her shoulders relaxed and Landon smiled. Now, they were getting somewhere. So, she clearly liked her work.
“McKenzie Interiors. I’m a Senior Advisor.”
Alarm bells started ringing in Landon’s mind and he wondered something for a heartbeat before getting distracted with the way she ran her fingers through her curls in a nervous gesture.
“That’s a huge name.” He said, easily.
“Yeah.” She seemed happy with this topic and more at ease now.
“You clearly love your job.”
“I’m good at it.” She told him and he found the gleam in her eye going straight to his groin. “And what about you?”
“Huh?” He had to blink for a second, “I’m sorry?”
She tilted her head, “What do you do?”
“Oh, I’m-“ His cell phone started ringing, and he took it out to see an unknown number. Frowning, he said, “I apologize. Just give me a second. Yes, hello?” He spoke into it.
The familiar sultry voice in his ear made him wince, “Ava.”
Faith watched at the annoyed look on that handsome face and wondered who Ava was.
She didn’t have to wonder for long.
“How did you get this number, Ava?”
There was a pause and Faith could see the struggle on Landon’s face to hide his frown. “He did, did he? Look, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to lead you on, but –“ He threw a quick glance towards Faith and got up to move to a private corner.
But Faith had heard enough.
Leaning back, she crossed her arms against her chest.
A playboy, huh? Did he think he could make her his next conquest?
Although she hadn’t been interested in going anywhere with him, she had thought he was panty dropping hot. If she was into that. And now, she scowled to herself, she had proven to herself that her taste in men was pathetic.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Landon pocket his phone, just as Naomi moved her way, complaining, “What are you doing, sitting alone?”
Faith grit her teeth, “Landon is a playboy and seems to think I’m going to be the next notch on his bedpost.”
Naomi blinked, “Are you?”
“No!” Faith said, indignantly.
Stumbling over her own feet, Naomi grabbed the table for support, and steadied herself. “You know what we should do?” She giggled and then hiccupped.
The surprise on her face at the sudden hiccup had Faith trying to maintain her angry composure.
“We should –“ Naomi leaned forward for dramatic effect, “-We should lock him in the restroom!”
She flung her arms over her head, “Boom! Lesson learned!”
She looked so proud of herself that Faith didn’t have the heart to tell her that that was a very childish prank.
But as she saw Landon throw one of his charming smiles her way, and make his way to the restroom, she ran her tongue over her teeth, “You know what, Naomi? That is a great idea.”
Naomi blinked, “What is?”
Faith opened her mouth and then closed it, “Never mind. Come on. Put that drink down. Come help me.”
Always eager to assist, Naomi linked arms with her friend, and they followed Landon at a discreet distance. As soon as he was inside the restroom, she quickly bolted the door from the top and bottom.
She never understood why Joe was so insistent on having so many locks, but there was a sick satisfaction when the last heavy bolt fell into place.
When Naomi started giggling, Faith had to slap her hand over her mouth, “Stop it.”
But her lips were starting to tremble as well, with how ridiculous this whole thing was.
“Let’s go get drunk,” she told Naomi who wouldn’t stop giggling.
As they walked away, hearing a banging on the restroom door, she slipped Joe ten dollars to turn the music on to full blast.
***
In the morning, the sound of the alarm made two voices groan in protest.
“Kill that thing, Faith!” Naomi whined, covering her ears with her pillow.
“I can’t reach it,” Faith groaned, trying her best to put the alarm clock on snooze. It was too far away.
Naomi’s phone started ringing and she answered it, her voice low.
“Stop yelling, Jack,” she whimpered. “No, softer. I will close the phone on your ass if you don’t stop shouting at me.”
Faith reached under the bed, her eyes still half closed, as she groped around for a shoe.
Finding one, she aimed it at the alarm clock.
It hit the door which was a good five feet away from the clock.
“Damn it! Stop making so much noise. I can’t think!”
Naomi’s bad tempered comment had Jack saying something on the other end, and she growled at him, “I wasn’t talking to you. Good God, Jack! It’s like five in the morning.” She paused, “It doesn’t feel like ten. Whatever, man. I’m coming. Grab me some Starbucks, won’t you? Yes, I’ll tell her. No, I – This is not funny, Jack! I’m closing the phone now!”
“What does Jack want?” Was Faith’s muffled question as she tried to bury her face in her pillow.
“I have to be at work. You have to meet the Browns.” Naomi muttered. “Do you have coffee?”
“I think so. Where’s my phone?” Faith threw her covers on the floor, “My head is killing me.”
Setting her feet on the ground, she looked down at Naomi, laying on the mattress she had drawn out for her last night. Her friend was sprawled on it, her red hair all tangled up, “You stink. Go take a shower.”
Wincing, Naomi sniffed herself and then pulled herself up, “Well, you don’t smell like a bed of roses either, princess. Ugh.” She buried her face in her knees, “Whose idea was it to get drunk last night?”
“I don’t remember,” Faith muttered, miserably. “I’ll go put the coffee on.”
By the time Naomi came down, Faith had already showered and the lights in the kitchen were dim.
Naomi poured herself some coffee and Faith had her head on the island counter, trying to let the cold marble soothe her aching head, “I have seventeen emails since this morning.”
She looked at Naomi, “Seventeen. Do you know how many those are?”
“Seventeen?” Her friend suggested, helpfully.
“Don’t these people have a life? Don’t they get hangovers?”
Naomi’s fingers moved over her own phone, and then she put it upside down on the counter, “And now, you have eighteen. Your appointment with the Browns has been moved to noon. You’re welcome.”
Faith looked at her, “I would cry tears of gratitude, but I’m scared my headache will get worse.”
They sat in silence for a while before Faith asked, hesitantly, “Naomi?”
“Hm?”
“Did we lock a guy in Joe’s restroom, last night?”
Naomi stared at her, “Did we know him?”
Faith blinked.
Naomi just made a face, “I’m not saying what we did is right. I’m just saying he shouldn’t have assumed you were a slut in the first place.”
Faith chuckled.
They grinned at each other and then Faith scrolled through her emails and pursed her lips, “The Browns’ son is back in town. I guess they want me to show him the progress made on the project.”
***
As noon approached, Faith locked her house and made her way to the car. Hearing a ping that alerted her to an email, she pursed her lips when she saw it was from Noah.
Unable to help herself, she chose to read it.
It was the same words, the same plea: He had changed. Therapy had taught him that he had been wrong. He wanted her to come back to him.
Faith put her phone on the passenger seat besides her and rested her head on the steering wheel.
She felt pity for him, realizing he was not mentally stable and regretting not finding out about it beforehand. She had heard from her friends back in Chicago that Noah had lost his studio, when his father cut off his monthly funds, due to Noah’s reckless and abusive behavior. Since then, his mother, who always doted on him, was paying for him to go to therapy.
Faith prayed for Noah to get better, so he could move on once and for all, forgetting her and what they had shared between them. She might have forgiven him, but she would never walk back into that toxic relationship. Sometimes you had to be selfish to protect yourself.
Faith drove the car out on to the street towards the Brown residence, hoping their son would approve of the plans they had followed during the project. Faith knew very well that Mr. and Mrs. Brown would not continue with the remainder of the project unless their son approved, something that made Faith feel quite anxious.
She resigned to put up a good impression, win his approval, and then continue with her project, peacefully.
Once again, Faith pulled into the Brown residence, the security guard waving at her with familiarity and allowing her in without the security check. She parked her car outside the house and rang the doorbell. John answered the door in a few seconds, giving her a courteous smile.
“Afternoon, Ms. Williams.” John said, “Right this way.”
He led her to the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Brown sat, conversing.
“Afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Brown.” Faith greeted as they both stood to shake hands with her.
“Thank you for coming on such notice.” Mrs. Brown said, smiling. “Landon surprised us by coming home last night.”
Faith felt the spit in her mouth dry, “Landon?”
Oh, please don’t let it be…
“Our son. Ah, there he is.” Mr. Brown said, motioning to the man behind Faith.
Faith turned around, her heart free falling into her stomach as she saw Landon from Joe’s standing in front of her, studying her, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Landon, this is Faith.” Mrs. Brown gestured towards the architect of their program.
Landon smiled, disarmingly, “Hello, Faith.”
***
“Um, so we have reconstructed these five houses completely different from the original structure.” Faith said, pointing to the map she had laid out on the table. “The character is there but major work had to be done because of the unstable structure.”
“I see. What about these four houses here?” Landon pointed to some notes she had scribbled on the map with a red marker. His arm brushed hers, making her bite her tongue.
She had been expecting an angry line of questioning, but the man in front of her had been nothing but civil and polite.
It was almost as if he had no recollection of the previous night.
“Ah, these four –“ He was standing so close to her that she could feel his hot breath on her neck and it was making muscles in her abdomen quiver.
Swallowing, she took a step back and walked around the table, with the ease of a woman who knew how to handle herself. Whatever he was up to, she wasn’t about to let it happen.
Her eyes sparked at the genuine amusement in his, and she spoke in what she hoped was a calm and professional tone, “These four houses are undergoing the construction as we speak. They are much more stable than the other five, so the original structure will be molded into the new plans rather than being lost.”
“I see.” Landon murmured, after a slight pause. He looked at her and there was respect in his eyes, “You are quite adept in your field, Faith. I couldn’t have found anyone who could do a better job.”
Not expecting that, Faith blushed, “Thank you.”
Landon, stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans that molded over his butt so well that Faith had a hard time tearing her eyes away from it, “I would like a tour of these sites as well.”
Faith folded the map and her drawings, and started packing them, “That can be arranged. I can have Nao- I mean Jack, show you around.”
“No.”
She blinked, and turned to look at him, confused, “No?”
“I would prefer if you show me around yourself.”
Stuck with him all day?
“I’m sorry, Mr. Brown-“
“Mr. Brown is my father, Faith. You can call me Landon. I think we’re close enough for you to call me that.”
Faith froze.
However, that was the only hint he gave her that he remembered last night and then he went on to say, “This is your project. My parents are very impressed with your ideas and work, and since I’m taking over now, I want you to walk me through all of this.”
“But it’s going to take the whole day!” Faith sounded dismayed and Landon couldn’t help but chuckle, “Then we start tomorrow morning, and I give you my feedback over dinner.”
“Dinner? I would prefer an email, Mr.- Landon.”
He smiled at her cheerfully, “And I would prefer to eat.”
“Of course, you would.” Faith muttered under breath, causing her client to smile even more broadly.
“After you,” he gestured towards the door.
Fuming at being caught so smoothly into the trap, she fumed as she walked past him, and Landon was once again reminded of a kitten who thought it was a tiger.
“Are you two done?” Mrs. Brown called out.
The couple was sitting in the living room.
“What did you think of our Faith’s lovely ideas?” Mrs. Brown asked her son.
Landon blinked at the term ‘our Faith’, and caught the gleam in his mother’s eye.
“I think they’re fascinating,” Landon murmured, holding Faith’s gaze.
He had to hide his grin as she blushed and then tried not to show it. She was absolutely adorable.
He knew he should have been angry at what she had done, but it had taken him a whole of two minutes to get out. When he had walked into the bar, it had been to the sight of Faith laughing, sprawled over her friend.
There was something so honest about that joy, something so open, that he had wanted that light. After all the darkness he had seen, he craved the light that she offered. And for once, he could see himself, with her tucked by his side, smiling. It had eased a painful hole in his chest, one that he had not known, existed.
He didn’t want this woman to be a one night stand.
No.
She was it.