Free A Splash of Hope by Charity Parkerson Page B

determined to keep her face turned in the opposite direction. Shrugging off the feeling, Faith continued following the older lady’s directions until she found Carter relaxing at the pool’s edge in a huge wooden lounge chair, looking more at ease than she’d ever seen him before. Except for a pair of swim trunks, his body was bare. A pair of dark shades covered the sharp eyes that normally struck fear into the hearts of men.
    It hit her how young he looked and she guessed he really was still young at forty-six, but she never saw him in this light. His body was trim yet hard with muscle from years of exercise. His skin was a golden brown from the sun. There wasn’t a single doubt where his son had gotten his looks, but all of those things were secondary and had nothing to do with the reason Faith was completely blown out of the water. As the housekeeper warned, Carter wasn’t alone. Curled into his side with one leg thrown over his, appearing to the entire world as if she was where she belonged, was Serenity. Neither of them seemed surprised by Faith’s sudden appearance. She wondered if she’d already been announced, or if they expected she’d eventually find her way here.
    Rage was beginning to build inside Faith’s chest at Serenity’s betrayal. Not only had she allowed Faith to worry over her well-being, she’d jilted Adam for his father.
    “How could you do such a thing to your own son?” Faith ground out between clenched teeth. She focused her anger on Carter while avoiding Serenity’s gaze for a moment since looking at her hurt the most.
    “It was for his own good,” Carter replied, and Faith’s eye twitched. A jolt of anger climbed up her spine, causing her to fear for his safety. She had to look away. After a moment of counting backward from ten as she stared off into space, she sucked in a deep calming breath. She needed to face them both rationally. She wasn’t her parents and she could handle this like a levelheaded adult.
    A blond kid with a deep tan skimming the pool caught Faith’s eye. The same feeling of déjà vu overcame her as when she passed the maid. She stared harder at him, trying to remember where she’d seen him before. He glanced up, meeting her gaze. Heavenly Scents coffee shop flashed across her mind along with the young maid/neighbor informing her of Serenity’s four-month-long empty apartment. Suddenly, everything fell into place.
    “You,” she growled, watching as his eyes widened in surprise. The tiny bit of calm she’d managed to reclaim flew out the window as the magnitude of what was happening around her blossomed to life. She took two steps in his direction, determined to unleash her full wrath.
    “Ugh,” he began as he attempted to scramble away. He held the advantage with the pool separating them.
    “You little fucker. You broke my car!” she yelled, as she attempted to cut off his escape.
    “Faith.” The sound of her name and the touch of Serenity’s fingers on her arm brought her up short. “Don’t blame Timothy. I asked him to disable your car.”
    A mixture of confusion and hurt welled inside Faith at Serenity’s words. “Why would you do such a thing?”
    Serenity shrugged. “Because I knew you’d go to Adam for help.”
    It had all been a setup, Faith realized with a spurt of horror, and she was their intended target. “And I’d fall into his arms, because let’s face it, I haven’t ever been able to resist his charms,” Faith finished bitterly.
    Carter moved to stand at Serenity’s side. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled Serenity closer to him. “Don’t blame your sister. This was my idea.”
    “Does Adam know?” Faith asked, pushing the question past her rapidly swelling throat.
    “Faith, this—” Carter began, and Serenity tried to talk over him.
    “Faith, he—”
    Faith waved her hand through the air, cutting off their words. “Tell me the truth. Did Adam have any part in this plan?”
    “Of course not,” Carter