Chapter 6: Losing Faith

So far, the morning had been pretty smooth, so Faith knew something was about to blow up. Quietness at Rutherford Construction never lasted long. As she reached for another file from the stack of never-ending paperwork, she spotted Edwin as he poked his head through the doorway. A quick glance at her computer clock told her it was smoke break time. Cherish already reached into her purse for her own cancer stick. With a deep breath, Faith decided today she wouldn't say anything.

As it turned out, she didn't have to mention it. Edwin did.

"Faith, care to join me for a cigarette break?" He leaned against the doorframe, his powerful hand gripping the wood as he smiled at her. He didn't even glance at Cherish.

Confused, Faith glanced back and forth between Cherish and Edwin. "I don't smoke."

"So? Come breathe in my habit secondhand and keep me company." He patted the doorframe before disappearing back down the hall, already assuming she would follow.

She glanced over at her sister, who was already throwing her cigarettes back into her purse. The look on her face showed that the day had definitely taken a turn for the worse. Oh well, might as well earn the foul mood she would have to tolerate for the rest of the day. Faith grabbed her bottled water and headed for the back door.

"Enjoy your private time with the boss," Nessa winked at Faith as she passed out of the Girls' Den.

The late morning sun blazed overhead as she stepped around to Edwin's Ford. It was barely ten in the morning, and already, the Florida heat caused the plants to droop. The chill that came with the morning hadn't lasted long. Edwin stood, his right foot on the rear bumper, hands resting on the tailgate while a Salem already sent a strand of smoke into the fresh air. He smiled at her as she exited the building and joined him at the rear of his truck. "Welcome to Smoker's Alley," he teased.

She smiled back, still not sure what was going on, but deciding to just go with it. "Thank you. Is there some sort of hazing that goes with inductees, or is it open to anyone?"

"I'm sure I could come up with a private initiation for you." He wiggled his eyebrows at her as he took a pull from his cigarette. "Truck windows are tinted."

Faith laughed as she shook her head. "If this is what Cherish and you do on your little excursions, no wonder she's miffed. Who would want to miss an afternoon romp with Mr. Coldwell?"

Edwin glanced at the building a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "She'll get over it." He turned his dark, mischievous eyes back to Faith. "You, of course, seem to be the fun sister at the moment."

"Is that so?" Faith leaned back against the tailgate and stared out at the woods behind the property, the midmorning breeze tugging through the branches. A jet flew low, preparing to land at the nearby airport. "And why is that?"

"You're the one with stories of parties and dancing." Edwin flipped around and sat on the rear bumper, sliding a little closer as he did. Faith didn't scoot away. "No longer the wallflower, I hear."

Faith shrugged. "Life is too short not to have fun. Selby and I have decided we only get one shot at this life, and we intend to live it to its fullest. There are plenty of adventures out there for someone with the guts to go for them. We just so happen to have the guts."

"Good way of looking at life. Is that the reason for the warm reception from your mom, or why Cherish seems bitchy toward you?"

"Cherish hates that I'm happy. She doesn't approve that I can enjoy life."

"What is it she doesn't approve of?"

Faith gave a bitter laugh. "That's the funny part. She doesn't know. I don't talk to people about my life. All they know is that I'm out having a good time instead of kowtowing to their wishes for my life." She took a sip of her water before continuing. "Mom is Mom. She's been cold toward me since the day I said I was marrying Selby."

"She doesn't like your husband?"

"She doesn't like that she no longer has control of my actions. She blames Selby for me finally standing up for myself."

Edwin nodded as if he understood, but Faith knew he didn't. He couldn't. People who have a good relationship with their family can never really understand those who don't. It's a foreign concept to them. Parents—normal parents, that is—love their children no matter what they do. A parent's love should be unconditional. Faith only received that from her father. Her mother had nothing except conditions attached to her love.

"Well, I'm sorry for yesterday," Edwin said after a moment of silence. "It seemed to be my day for screw-ups." He took another drag from his Salem and dropped it to the ground, grinding it under the toe of his work boot.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "How were you to know? Hell, I'm part of the family, and half the time, I don't even know what's going on."

"That has to suck."

"It is what it is." She glanced up at the climbing sun. "I better get back in before her highness takes her anger out on Nessa."

"Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here." His face was sincere. Then, in a blink, his expression turned to playfulness. "Or if you want to take me up on that initiation, we can always pop into the cab of my truck."

Faith laughed as she pushed away from the vehicle. "You don't think they'd see it rocking?"

"I hope they do." He grinned at her, and she felt the heat flush in her cheeks. "It would only boost my sagging reputation."

"I'm sure nothing sags on you."

"Not when you're around."

Faith glanced at his crotch and then caught herself. Jerking her eyes back to his, she knew she had been busted, and the smirk on his face only made her pussy drip. He patted the truck and grinned at her. "Just food for thought."

"Edwin! I need your signature," Terry called from the warehouse, waving a clipboard.

Edwin gave her a suggestive wink as he walked over to his warehouse supervisor. Faith watched him walk away, his jeans outlining his firm ass and powerful legs. From sweet to sexy in one sentence, Edwin showed concern and stirred her passion at the same time. He made some wisecrack as he took the clipboard from Terry about the other's lousy timing and then gave Faith another playful smile before turning back to work.

She stared a moment longer before returning to the office. Her thoughts, however, weren't on work, but on the inside of Edwin's truck. What would it be like to be alone with him there? Was he as good in bed as he thought he was?

"I see all the buttons are in place," Nessa said with a shake of her head as Faith entered the Girls' Den. "Too bad."

Faith gave an overdramatic sigh. "I know, right? Rejected. My feelings are deeply hurt. I don't think I'll recover."

Nessa winked at Faith. "I can soothe those hurt feelings."

"I may just…"

"Can we just work around here?" Cherish slammed a manila folder down on her desk. "That type of conversation is not appropriate for the office."

Both Nessa and Faith just stared at Cherish. She pressed her lips into a tight thin line, and instead of her normal light tapping, she pounded the keys on her keyboard. Faith just gave Nessa a shrug as she swung back around to her own computer. She couldn't believe her sister became so riled up over one cigarette break. Missing one fifteen-minute break would not cause her to lose her queen bee status within the Rutherford walls. Faith had been right, however. Quietness at the construction company never lasted long.