Page 11 of A Heart of Little Faith

“So what did you do when we were gone?” asked Philip. He was the smallest of the four boys, but also the loudest. He was somewhat of a daredevil, ready for anything.

“Well,” he said as he figured out what parts of his life would interest them the most, “I played Trouble with a friend of mine.” Shouts of laughter, squeaking couch springs and sneakers slapping the floor filled Gideon’s mind as he remembered the countless hours his boys spent playing the game.

“Yeah, who with?” asked Jonathon, a blond-haired shy boy who trusted Gideon the least out of any of them. He folded his arms, as if he dared him to answer. It was always Jonathon who leapt to the conclusion Gideon wasn’t coming, or changed his mind and didn’t like them anymore.

Gideon waited for a moment to get his full attention and said, “A little girl who lives in the same building as my sister. She and her mom moved here a few months ago.”

“Why are you hanging out with girls?” asked Paul, with disgust. He was the tough one and smart.

That was a very good question, but not for the reasons Paul would think. And he didn’t think, “because my sister is playing matchmaker,” was a wise answer for an eleven-year-old. “Because her mom worked late and my sister was watching her. I thought she might like to play the game, since I’ve seen how much you all like it. We played it a few times until her mom came. It kept her mind off of how late her mom was.” Thinking of Claire now made him smile, and thoughts of Lily did nothing to get rid of it.

“I bet you made her feel better,” said Angelo. He comforted everyone and always understood exactly what others were feeling. He was the peacemaker of the group.

“I think I did,” Gideon said as he ruffled his hair.

“Where’s her dad?” asked Paul.

“Her dad died a few years ago,” Gideon answered. What must it be like to be a single mother? She had to have had different dreams for her life…kind of like him. He swallowed.

“So she’s kind of like us, huh?” Angelo observed with a knowing look.

“Kind of,” Gideon said. “But she’s much younger than you all are. She’s only six.” And a pistol. Was Lily like that as a child, or did Claire take after her dad?

“Maybe she’d like to visit sometime,” Angelo added.

“Ew, Angelo, she’s a girl!” Paul and the others shouted.

“Yeah, but she needs someone as bad as we do,” he said.

The boys quieted for a moment.

“Yeah, but Gideon is ours,” said Jonathon. “She can’t take him away from us.”

His heartbeat slowed and his throat ached. They were desperate for affection, affection he had plenty to share. Gideon went over to Jonathon and put his arm around his shoulder. Jonathon stiffened beneath his bicep. “No one is going to take me away from you, Jonathon,” he said gently. “I love all of you and can still love all of you, even if I have other friends.”

The boy thought for a minute. He leaned into Gideon, who squeezed him in a hug. “Okay, she can come. But not too often.”

Gideon hid a smile and led the group into the gym for their basketball practice. The boys practiced dribbling and passing. He drilled them until he was confident in their preparedness for their next game, gave them a pep talk and sent them on their way. As the boys left the gym, the faint scent of old sneakers and sweat remained behind.

With a shake of his head, Gideon went home, realizing he’d added another child to his list of responsibilities—Claire.

****

Lily and Anne entered Starbucks on their way home from work. Halfway to the counter, Lily stopped short, unable to prevent the mayhem she unintentionally caused behind her – Anne’s leap backward; the plunk of her purse as it dropped to the floor; the clatter of her wallet, lipstick, comb and assorted change as they spilled out of the bag. The pungent coffee odor that would soon permeate her hair and clothing and her favorite song that floated out of the mounted speakers faded into the background.

Lily groaned. Dark blond hair. Musk aftershave. Wheelchair.It couldn’t be. How many men in wheelchairs are there anyway? Maybe it’s like buying a new car—as soon as you decide on a make or model, suddenly, that’s all you see on the road. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the place where his hair met the back of his collar. Had it grown longer since the last time she’d seen him? Did he let it grow on purpose, or was he overdue for a haircut? She blinked when she realized she stared, but figured it was okay if he couldn’t see her do it.Yup, it’s him. She recognized his hand, his left one to be exact—long fingers, squared-off nails, and a mole at the knuckle by the pinky. She’d spent the entire movie staring at it resting close to her own. Tanned, with the light-colored hairs on it—not too much, but enough to ooze masculinity.

In fact, she’d spent the better part of the movie wondering what it would feel like. Her mind drifted to his hand at the oddest moments, like in the middle of a meeting, or between bites of a sandwich. She’d wanted to feel his warm caress on her face, or gripping her fingers as it now gripped his wallet. And it frustrated her, because that hand belonged to the most ornery man she’d ever met.

The man who was here, inherStarbucks. Confronted by him in real life, rather than a figment of her overactive imagination, her mind returned to their last encounter at brunch, her apology, his lack of one, and she fumed.First he invades my brunch and now he takes over my Starbucks?

“What did you do that for?” Anne asked. “I practically knocked you over.”

The annoyance in Anne’s tone jolted Lily back to reality. She nodded toward Gideon and Anne followed her gaze.

“Is that him?” Anne whistled.

“Shh, he’ll hear you,” she whispered.