Page 6 of A Heart of Little Faith
“I promise, Claire.”
“Hey, Claire, I brought the nail polish I told you about the other night,” Tara interrupted. “Do you remember?”
“Oh yeah. Mommy, can I wear it?” Her voice was high and breathy.
Lily nodded. “But just remember you have to listen to Tara, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“Tara, she has to be in bed by eight. And I should be home by ten or so, if that’s okay.”
“Sure, Ms. Livingston, no problem.”
“Mommy, are you going out with Samantha tonight?”
“Yes, honey, we’re going to a movie.”
“Will Gideon be there?”
Lily blinked. “Um, yeah, he will be,” she answered, surprised Claire asked. She hadn’t realized he’d made such a big impression on her.
Claire’s grin was blinding. “Tell him I say hi, okay? He’s really nice.”
“I will. Now, have fun with Tara and I’ll kiss you goodnight when I get home.” Lily blew her a kiss as she waved goodbye and walked over to Samantha’s apartment. She took a deep breath to relieve her tension and knocked on the door.
“Hi, Lil, come on in. I’m almost ready.” Samantha held the door open and Lily entered. Samantha finished packing her purse and grabbed her coat. “Gideon’s meeting us at the Landmark. Let’s go.”
At the theater, Lily’s senses went into overload as the buttery aroma of popcorn, the squealing teenagers and the bumping crowds overwhelmed her. She and Sam searched the crowd for Gideon and found him near the ticket booth, talking on his cell phone.
When he saw them, he waved, finished his conversation, and hung up. “Sorry about that. Hi, Sam. Hello, Lily.”
“Hey.” Samantha leaned to kiss him. Lily waved.
“I bought the tickets.” He handed them to Samantha.
“Thanks,” Lily said and took the one Samantha offered. She addressed Gideon. “How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t worry about it now. You can get my coffee later and we’ll figure it out then.”
“Okay. Oh, before I forget, Claire says hi.”
“Tell her hi back. She’s sweet, you know? And funny, too.” As Gideon described Claire, his face lit up, and the hard lines around his mouth softened.
“Yeah, I do. She takes after her dad. It’s all I can do sometimes to keep from laughing at the things she says.” Did Gideon have a sense of humor? And if so, what was it like?
He headed toward the theater, and she and Sam followed behind. Gideon and his chair acted like Moses parting the water for the Hebrews as they escaped Egypt. The crowds parted conspicuously for them and they made their way unencumbered into the theater.
Inside, they chose a row toward the middle that could accommodate wheelchairs. Samantha squeezed in first and suggested Lily sit between them. Gideon shot his sister a stern glare and wheeled his chair next to the row. He clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead.
Lily didn’t want a replay of the other night. Instead, she chatted with Samantha quietly.
A few minutes, and several deep breaths later, Gideon leaned toward her. “Samantha tells me you’re in PR?”
Lily tried not to lose herself in his hazel eyes. In the dim lights, framed by wire rims, they were coffee colored—deep and rich. “Yes, I work with tech clients. An annoying one in particular right now.” She ignored the twinge of guilt from speaking ill of a client in public.
“Annoying, how?” he asked as he leaned toward her.
She explained the current mess at work, taking care not to give too much away. He nodded with a smile as she described the impossible situation. “Apparently, we’re supposed to be magicians,” she said, conscious of his deep-throated sound that made her insides tremble. She continued, her speech slightly higher than normal. “Abracadabra, zippity zoo, we say the software’s secure, so it must be true! I think we’ve finally convinced them, though, and hopefully everything will work out by Monday.” Her chest started to tighten from the stress of thinking about her client. With a concerted effort, she changed the subject. “Sam told me you’re in pharmaceuticals?”