Page 5 of Wish You Faith

He could feel the edges of his lips move and his cheeks stretch, and he grinned.

She was about five inches shorter than he was, but when she looked up at him, the ceiling lights shone down on her gray eyes, making them sparkle.

She was still smiling. “You must be a new worker.”

“Evan Cavanaugh.” He stretched out his hand for a handshake. “Today’s my first day at work.”

He made a quick check. She didn’t wear any rings on her fingers.

She gave him a fist bump instead. “Rosie Hamilton. Sorry, I don’t shake hands. Germs and all.”

“But you were lying down on the greenhouse floor for a good while. Doesn’t it have dirt and germs too?” Evan caught himself, but it was too late.

“I know. I contradict myself sometimes.” She chuckled. There was a delight in her eyes, a hit of amusement at the moment.

He stared. Couldn’t help himself.

He had never met someone who smiled with their eyes.

“Something wrong?” Rosie asked.

He wanted to say that she had beautiful eyes, but he held back. It wasn’t his thing to compliment a woman on her physical features. How could he suddenly be mesmerized by a set of eyes? No way was he that shallow.

But here he was, smiling ear to ear.

She’s the one.

What was going on? Evan didn’t understand what his own heart was saying. How could she be the one? One what, exactly?

How could he fall in love with someone’s eyes? Ridiculous.

He cleared his throat.

She winced, a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, are you hurt?” Evan asked.

Bellina made a loud noise.

“Don’t blame me for workers’ comp. You were on the floor. You were an accident waiting to happen.” Her voice was sharp. “If you’re tired, go home. You need to stop falling asleep just about anywhere—not on the floor, not in other people’s beds.”

Other people’s beds?

Evan was stunned. Was Rosie the “brown recluse” whom Bellina alluded to earlier?

“What did you just say?” Rosie straightened up. “Are you maligning my character? I’m a Christian woman. I don’t do ‘other people’s beds.’ Please take back that false accusation.”

“Are you threatening me?” Bellina made a face, and wagged a manicured nail at Rosie. “You gonna call your lawyer friend? How are you going to pay him? Huh?”

The implication was there, and Evan snapped. All morning he had to put up with Bellina’s nonsense, and now her trash was spewing on Rosie.

Evan took one giant step, and he was in front of Rosie. He spread out both arms, as if to protect her. He didn’t know either one from Eve, but he wasn’t about to find out if a fight could break out in the most blessed season of the year.

And he had a lawyer he could call too.

“Hey! Hey!” Lorenzo came jogging to the warring Bellina. He motioned for Rosie to leave the scene. “We have a problem you need to solve, Bellina.”

“What problem?” Bellina turned her attention to Lorenzo.

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