Page 4 of Until We Weren't

Three years later and Destiny still didn’t know what Faith was talking about. She had tried over and over to get Faith to talk to her and even asked their friends to help, but Faith only told them the same thing she told Mark.

Destiny had run into Faith a few times since their break-up because they both had their own landscaping businesses now and bid on some of the same projects. The first time she saw Faith after she’d left, Destiny remembered the pain then the anger flashing in Faith’s beautiful blue eyes, the same eyes that used to light up whenever they met Destiny’s. But now Faith avoided her and wouldn’t meet her gaze.

Destiny could feel tears burn the back of her eyes. “Oh no you don’t, Faith Fields,” Destiny whispered. “I’m done crying unanswered tears for you.”

2

Faith yawned then took a sip of her coffee as she waited for the light to change. It had been a long evening followed by a fitful night of sleep littered with snippets of dreams.

Sometimes after she’d had a visit with Mrs. Baker, thoughts of Destiny Green would not leave her head. No matter how many times Faith pushed them away another memory would surface. How long does it take to get past the hurt of betrayal? She may never get over it, but surely it would eventually go away so she could live her life in peace.

Faith took another sip of her coffee and scoffed. “What life?” she muttered. All she did was work, but that’s what it took to run a small, yet successful, landscaping business. Lush Fields Landscaping didn’t just maintain outdoor spaces, Faith also created concepts with beauty in mind for this sprawling urban area she served.

Her company provided more than just mowing and trimming the grass. She designed areas with color that were uplifting and others with subdued plants inviting calm and relaxation. The landscape around a building could set the tone for the business inside. It was more than just grass and shrubs.

Faith pulled into the parking lot and drove around to the loading area of her favorite wholesale nursery. She was meeting Mark, her longtime friend who ran the installation crew for Lush Fields. Faith dreamed up the designs, went over them with Mark, and he and his team made them come to life at the project site.

When she’d quit her previous job and decided to start her own business, Mark was the first person she asked to come with her. He believed in her vision and took the leap. They had built a thriving company with a steady client base, but Faith was ready to go after bigger jobs.

“Hey, where were you last night?” Mark asked, walking up to the truck. “I thought you were going to come by and have a beer with us.”

“I was, but I heard about a big job off I-35 at that new office park,” Faith said. “I started looking at the area on the internet and?—”

“The next thing you knew it was midnight. Is that why you look so tired? I know you couldn’t possibly be out with anyone.” Mark said, giving her a pointed look.

Faith smirked. “It wasn’t quite that late, but it was too late for a beer.”

“Faith, it’s never too late for a beer,” Mark said seriously. “One of these days I’m going to convince you that it’s okay to smile and have a good time.”

Faith shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Mark leaned in and lowered his voice. “There are beautiful women out there who would love to show you a good time.”

“I can show myself a good time and these flowers, plants, and shrubs are all the beauty I need.”

Mark sighed. “You have a big birthday coming up. I refuse to let you turn forty without some kind of fun. Prepare yourself because I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh yes it is. We’ll talk more as it gets closer,” Mark said. “Check out these butterfly shrubs.”

“Oh, those are nice,” Faith said. “I texted Abel and asked him to pull the Black Knights. These dark purple blooms will be beautiful.”

“Yeah, he had them waiting when I got here. I’ll start loading them,” he said. “I’ve already loaded the rest of our order into my truck.”

“I want to look at his gardenias,” Faith said. “I really want to try a few of them sprinkled throughout that bed against the building. They smell so good, but can be finicky.”

“Not with your green thumb.” Mark grinned as he began to put the shrubs in Faith’s truck.

Faith chuckled and walked into the nursery. She wandered through the rows of shrubs until she found the gardenias.

“Those would look nice with the butterflies Mark’s loading,” Abel said, walking up beside Faith.

“They would, but…” Faith said, turning one of the plants around to examine it.

“You can get them to thrive,” Abel said. “Everything grows for you.”

Faith shrugged. “Most of the time.”

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