Page 16 of A Heart of Little Faith

Anne sympathized. “Don’t write him off just yet, Lily. He may surprise you. And try not to jump down his throat the next time you talk to him. You don’t like it when he does it to you, so don’t do it to him.”

****

That night, Samantha appeared at Gideon’s apartment. “Wow, what happened to you?” She whistled when she strode in.

“It’s nothing, Sam. What are you doing here?” He wished his sister called before coming over. He’d have found an excuse to convince her not to come. He clenched his teeth as his sister stared at him. He knew how beat-up his face was.

She sat beside him. Gently, she touched his face, and he gritted his teeth in pain. He had lacerations on his forehead, and he’d pulled several muscles in his arms and back. Nothing too tough for the team medic to take care of, but he was in more pain than he cared to admit. The raw, scraped skin already showed signs of bruising around the edges. His eyebrow and lip had swelled to twice their normal size. He looked like he’d been on the losing end of a dogfight.

“It’s not as bad as it seems.”

She traced her fingers over some of the wounds. “I hope not. What happened?”

“The basketball game got a little rougher than usual. It’s no big deal.” The basketball tournament had been rough and he’d come away with more bumps, bruises and injuries than usual. Although all the players were in wheelchairs, it was a full-contact sport. His team won, but barely. He wanted her to stop worrying about him.

“Did you ice it? Take medicine?”

God he hated being babied. “Of course I did. How helpless do you think I am?” He wheeled away from her.

Since she was used to his behavior, she jumped over the chair and confronted him. “I know you’re not helpless. Don’t start. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Maybe he was overreacting. “My back is a little sore, but I’m fine.” She didn’t say anything, just stared at him. Finally breaking her gaze, Gideon rolled his shoulders to ease the tension. “I promise you, Sam, I’m fine. Don’t say anything to Lily, though.”

Her eyes widened. “Lily? Why would I?”

He told her about his cancelled dinner plans.

“You really believed you had to cancel?” Her tone of disbelief irked him.

Gideon raised an eyebrow and winced when it hurt. He’d never let her see him like this. She’d take one look at his cut-up face, see him move gingerly, and run. Been there, done that. He exhaled loudly in frustration. “It was a bad idea from the start. I’m not going to date her, and going to dinner with her would be a date. Besides, I don’t want her to see me like this.” He knew he sounded shallow, but for him, it ran deeper than a superficial concern for his looks. It was what his injuries might mean to others.

“Why not? I see you.”

“That’s different.”

“Why?”

“You’re my sister.”

“So?” She shrugged. “What are you afraid of?

Gideon clenched his teeth and remained silent, like Mohammed’s mountain. Flashes of memory from his accident and hospital stay played in his head. His ex-girlfriend’s reaction. There were some things he wouldn’t share, even with his sister.

Chapter 6

The next day, Lily picked Claire up after work, helped her with homework and made dinner. Afterward, while her daughter played on the computer, she cleaned the apartment.

Although larger than Samantha’s—Lily’s was a two-bedroom—it quickly became overwhelmed with clutter if she didn’t clean it often. Done in blues and greens, her apartment reminded her of the ocean. Because Claire was an active child, she’d kept the decorating simple and comfortable. A beige sofa with green and blue chenille pillows and two blue denim side chairs faced the distressed cream-colored pine TV cabinet. A beige Berber carpet covered the floor, light green paint brightened the walls and family photos decorated all available surfaces. Her kitchen was painted yellow and accented in blue, while her bedroom was light blue. Wherever she looked, Lily was soothed and calmed. But not now.

Now, her thoughts kept returning to Gideon.

She didn’t understand why she was fixated on him. He was a guy she knew, and barely. She should focus on other things, except she couldn’t get the feel of his light caress in the coffee shop out of her mind. She groaned. He was not the right guy for her, no matter how intriguing he might be. When—if—she decided to date again, she wanted simple. Her life was complicated enough without adding Gideon’s moods into the mix.

That night, the phone rang in the middle of a TV movie. It was a text from Gideon.

r you guys free tomorrow for ice cream or something

Lily took a deep breath. Hearing from him almost lowered her resolve.