The Summer of Our Discontent (19 page)

Faith swatted at a mosquito that had flown in when Rachel opened the door. “What about
Cyn
, what if she came back and wanted another chance?”

“Why are you asking me these things?”

Faith grinned. “I can’t sleep. I don’t want you to, either.”

“Oh, you are such a tool,” Rachel said with a laugh. “What’re you looking for? What kind of woman will make you happy?”

“A really great ass and a shitload of stamina.”

Rachel shook her head. “Be serious.”

Faith hugged her pillow closer. “I want to be understood.
I know, I know
, that takes communication, at least that’s what everyone says. But can’t there be someone out there that just gets me? I mean, Alvin being the goober he is knows when I’m not in the mood to be screwed with. He doesn’t ask a million times if he’s done something wrong…although that could mean he doesn’t give a shit. He knows when to give me space; he doesn’t worry if I don’t want to talk. If you think about it, I spend most of my life with him at work. We get along except for the occasional bickering over the TV or what to have for dinner. There’s no drama, no emotional upheavals. Why can’t the women I meet be like that?”

“It’s a shame you’re gay, y’all would make a cute couple. You with the dark hair, him with the blond.”

“Now who’s making jokes?”

“I know what you’re saying. You’re looking for that one woman you can communicate with, without having to say a word. A soul mate with her own personality but can still get into your head.”

“Exactly,” Faith said with a sigh.

Rachel stool and stretched. “I have the alarm on my phone set for five thirty, is that too early for you?”

“Yes, but that’s the only time we’ll have any peace.” Faith flopped back down. “Be gentle when you wake me up. I like feathery touches on my shoulder.”

“How about I just kick your door in?”

“That’s pretty much what I’m expecting out of you, Chauvin. Good night.”

“Night.” Rachel went back to her cabin and climbed into bed.

“Rachel?”

“Get on that alien kick again Leblanc, and I’ll kick your ass.”

Faith laughed softly. “I hate you.”

“Hate you, too, go to sleep.”

Easier said than done, Faith thought as she stared out at the night sky through the screen.
I wish she would’ve stayed longer. I could talk to her all night. The only bad thing about her is that she requires sleep. Rachel gets me, though. Rachel…

“Aw, shit.”

“What? Did the roaches come back?” Rachel asked sleepily.

“No…I think I just had a bad dream.”

“We’re not talking about it tonight. Be quiet or I’m coming back over there with the bug spray.”

Faith bit her lip and turned on her side.
She’s got stamina. She nearly whipped my ass today when I tried to get her into the water.

Chapter Twenty-three

Faith got her feather-light touch on the shoulder at five thirty the next morning. It came from a bottle of water and was more like a spritz, accompanied by Rachel’s evil laugh. She put on her running shorts and shoes, brushed her teeth, and walked out of her cabin with her tank top in her hands. Rachel had one heel on the top of the steps and was stretching. Her green eyes widened as she stared.

“Shit on a biscuit, Faith, if my abs looked like that, I’d go topless all the time,” Rachel exclaimed.

Faith tensed the muscles in her stomach. “You like?”

Rachel nodded as she stared openly. “I am so damn jealous.”

“It took three years of work to make these. Believe it or not, Alvin has an impressive six-pack, and he puts me through his routines. We do a full hour of exercises when we work together to maintain.” She waved a hand in front of Rachel’s face. “Don’t look too closely, you’ll see the stretch marks from when I was fat, and maybe that candy bar I inhaled the other night.”

“That’s just wrong…that’s so…wrong. I want abs,” Rachel said miserably.

“You’ve got the pretty face, I’ve got the abs.”

“You’ve got the face, too, fucker. I’m mad now at the inequality. I need to run off my anger,” Rachel said as she took off.

Faith ran after her grinning. It was one thing to have the women she dated appreciate the body she worked hard for, but to have Rachel’s admiration made her day. “Hey, that was a compliment, right? You think I’m cute?”

“You are when the light hits you just right and your horns are in shadow.”

Faith grabbed Rachel by the arm when they got to the picnic table by the mess hall. “I didn’t stretch. Give me a minute, okay?”

“Fine, but I’m not gonna watch.” Rachel turned her back. “There’s a lot more light out here, and I don’t want to see your muscles rippling. I had to have a C-section with Kaycee. Do you have any idea how many sit-ups I had to do just so I could raise up without floundering? My stomach has never come close to looking like that.”

“Would it make you feel better if I put my shirt back on?”

“Yes, damn it. Okay, wait, let me look again.” Rachel turned around and cocked her head to the side, then whirled around. “Okay enough, enough! Shirt on, please.”

Faith grinned and shrugged into her shirt. She took full advantage of Rachel’s back being turned and stared at her butt in a pair of snug-fitting workout shorts. “You may not be satisfied with your abs, but you should be really proud of your ass. I could bounce a quarter off of that bad girl.”

“I do okay from the waist down. It’s the northern tier I can’t seem to get into shape.” Rachel turned again and narrowed her eyes. “Are you staring at my boobs?”

Faith grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that region at all.”

“Less ogling, more stretching.”

Faith was pleased with the slight grin she’d put on Rachel’s face. She also liked the way Rachel’s eyebrow arched as she stretched. Rachel pretended not to show much attention, but she was watching, and Faith liked it—a lot.
It’s a shame you don’t do casual
was on the tip of Faith’s tongue, but she bit it back. Not because she knew Rachel would counter with a cocky remark, but it seemed wrong. She had little time to ponder why when Rachel got antsy.

“Are you done?”

“Be patient, you want me to hurt myself?”

“Uh-huh,” Rachel said with a grin.

“Ass. Where’re we going first—around the lake or the trails that run around the back of the cabins?”

“Let’s start with the lake.” Rachel turned and sprinted off.

Faith chased after her.

The sunrise cast a pink and yellow glow over the lake curtained by mist. Everything was quiet and still, except for the pounding of their shoes on the well-packed gravel road that gave way to the earthen trail around the lake. Through the trees, light of a new day slowly became brighter.

Faith glanced at Rachel, who ran beside her. Her mind was somewhere far off as she ran, and Faith wondered what was in her mental sanctuary because Rachel’s face looked relaxed and peaceful. She loved jogging; all her cares drifted away as her body found its rhythm. Rachel apparently felt the same way. It was yet another thing they had in common. Neither of them spoke, both seeming to understand there was no need, and there was no awkwardness. Faith knew she didn’t have to explain why she preferred to remain quiet.

She wanted to blame the warm charge that swept through her on endorphins, but the exhilaration felt different. It was all encompassing. Rachel was her friend, but she wanted more.

*******

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“Faith.” Patty groaned as she rolled over and looked at the clock. “It’s seven thirty, and it’s my day off.”

“Answer the question.” Faith leaned against a tree and watched as Rachel played chase with a group of girls.

“Only when it comes to pizza. You’ve met a woman at that camp, haven’t you?”

Faith looked at Rachel again. “Yes, I have.”

“Honey, it’s hormones and the fresh air, not love. You don’t really know anything about her if you’ve only just met.”

“I feel like I’ve known her all my life.”

“Well, you haven’t if you just met. You probably feel that way because you can’t sleep with… You haven’t slept with her in a camp full of kids, have you?”

“No. I don’t want to…I mean, I want to, but I want…I could strangle you for tricking me into coming here. I’ve got crazy thoughts going on, Patty. You don’t want to know what’s going through my mind right now.”

“It’s the
Deet
. Back off the bug spray.”

Faith moved behind the tree so she would no longer be able to look at Rachel. “Do you…have you ever envisioned the perfect man with all the attributes you want, both physical and mental?”

“Yeah, and he’s shacked up with Angelina Jolie.”

“Be serious.”

“I am.” Patty sighed. “Yes, I have concocted that perfect man. Here’s the thing, they’re perfect in your mind, say and do all the perfect things while they’re in your head. They don’t exist in reality, though.”

“If that perfect man walked into your life, what would you do?”

“I’d shackle his ass to my bedpost.”

“Patty, please. You’re the only person on the planet that I can talk to about this. I’m so blindsided, I didn’t expect this, never in a million years could I believe this would happen to me. We were just talking, and it hit me like a wave. I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m afraid to talk to her now because I may say something that’s gonna tip her off. What if she laughs in my face? I’ve never been so afraid of being rejected, I feel like my whole future—”

“It’s Rachel. She’s the one, isn’t she?”

Faith released an explosive breath. “Am I crazy?”

“Yes, but that’s beside the point. It’s not love at first sight, sis, you
have
known Rachel all your life. I can’t really say I’m surprised. You both have so much in common.” Patty laughed softly. “I figured you’d realize that when you called the truce.”

Faith sighed loud and long as she peeked around the tree. Rachel had caught one of the girls and was packing her around like a bag of potatoes as she chased the others. “I thought by hashing it out with you that I’d come back down to earth, but you’ve only made it worse.”

“You gonna tell her how you feel?”

“Hell no! Are you crazy?” Faith ducked behind the tree again.

“How does she act around you?”

Faith thought back to a couple of hours earlier when Rachel had raved over her muscles. She was tempted to read a lot into that. “She’s nice. I mean, we still taunt and tease each other, but it’s not mean-spirited. I just don’t know. I can’t look for the same cues in Rachel like I do other women.”

“Why?”

“Because if I misread and she rejects me, I’ll be embarrassed…I’ll be crushed. I’ve never cared before, you know? I threw my line out, and if I got a bite, great, if not, no big deal. I enjoy her friendship. If that’s all I can have, I don’t want to ruin it.”

“Aw, shit.”

“What?”

Patty laughed. “You are totally smitten.”