Page 21 of Crazy in Love

“Yeah, I could see him saying that,” Tess said, irritation fading. “Stubborn ass. Is he okay?”

“Now that I think about it, the fall might have jumbled his brain a little.”

“What? What do you mean?” Tess asked, alarmed again.

“He agreed to go driving with Hope.” She quickly ran through the events of the last half hour.

“Sounds like he was dying to get out of here. You didn’t start in on all the woo-woo stuff, did you?”

Faith blushed. “It’s not woo-woo. His chakras are all cattywampus. Yours aren’t much better.”

Tess rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, I’m taking a break from dad duty tonight. You wanna see if everyone wants to meet for dinner?”

“Yes, but after seven. I work till then.”

“That’s fine. I have a haircut anyway and plenty to do here.”

“I thought you were cutting back on the hair stuff.”

“I am,” Faith said. “I farmed out most of my appointments and am not taking any new ones. Just finishing the few that were already scheduled and I can’t get covered.”

They set up dinner via the group chat, and Tess returned to work. Faith walked her out and noticed the book Nick had been holding was still on the floor. True crime. Of course. She picked it up, chose another in the same genre, then added a third on the benefits of the mind-body connection while healing from physical wounds.

She paid for and bagged up the books, then told Ruby she’d be back in a few. It had only been twenty minutes. He’d still be with Hope. She walked home and left the books on her nightstand.

Later that night at dinner, she and her friends planned a viewing party for Maddie’s season premiere, which was the following week.

This would be her third season on a hugely popular sitcom about a group of twenty-somethings living in Southern California.

Since Maddie left Green Valley Falls and “made it big,” they’d seen less and less of her, but even three thousand miles away, she remained one of their best friends.

Over drinks, Faith floated a few ideas about how to generate revenue at the store and was pleasantly surprised when her friends agreed they might work.

“I like the one about making a comfy place to sit and read,” Alex said. “You don’t have tons of space, but it’s what the big box stores do, so it must be a good marketing thing.”

“I’m thinking we start with a little nook,” Faith said. “Two chairs and a table. Like you’re in your own living room. And thentry to find the space for more. I’d love a tearoom or coffee bar, but that’s a ways off.”

“Stocking popular stuff will be a big hit,” Tess said. “That’s long overdue.”

Faith’s phone vibrated. “It’s about time,” she muttered. Hope had finally responded to Faith’s increasingly desperate texts, asking about her status. “Hope says she dropped Nick and my car off a couple of hours ago.”

“What’d they go to Boston and back?” Tess asked.

“Beats me. But it sounds like she got a lot of drive time in,” Faith said. “Tell him I really appreciate it.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Nick was desperate to escape. If riding along with a sixteen-year-old smart-ass was his ticket out of Faith’s office, so be it.

After passing out, he’d regained consciousness, disoriented. Faith’s billowing blonde hair framed her pretty face like a halo, and for a heartbeat, he thought she was an angel. It had taken him a second to realize who she was and what had happened.

After taking his meds and resting, he felt much better. But not well enough to listen to her kooky ideas on what he needed to heal. He’d latched onto Hope’s driving invitation as a quick way out.

He limped after her, following her to the Main Street parking lot. When she went to get into a pink Volkswagen Beetle covered in giant flowers, he stopped. “Thisis Faith’s car?”

“Tell me you expected anything different,” Hope challenged.

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