Pucker Up (26 page)

When
the doorbell rang for the fifth day in a row, Faith didn’t even answer it.  She
didn’t wait for a text message to arrive either before sending one of her own. 
How long are you going to keep sending me tarts?

Dustin’s
reply was instantaneous. 
Long enough already?

She
wanted to be pithy, but something else came out, unfiltered
.  Every time I
see them I can’t help but remember my cooking lesson.

And
me?

And
you
,
she admitted.

She
answered the door and put the tarts in the fridge, these topped with kiwis and
dragon fruit, before seeing his reply
.  Then I’ll just keep sending them
forever… So you’ll never forget me.

She
sighed and shook her head with a smile but a slightly exasperated one. 
If
it hasn’t happened so far, not sure you have anything to worry about.

Sweet
treats for sweet memories
, he responded.

Her
fingers hovered over the keys for a moment. 
Most of them weren’t sweet.

Most
of them were – you just need something to remind you.

Faith
sighed and pushed the phone away, dropping her head into her hands as they
rested against the table.  Was that true?  Was she only remembering the bad
things, forgetting about all of the shiny, happy things in between?  Was her
memory one of revisionist history?

They
used to argue a lot, but what else would happen when two strong-willed people
got together?  They were young, just trying to navigate growing up.  Faith had
been everywhere; Dustin hadn’t been anywhere, but he had an adventurous
spirit.  He was always worried she’d leave him behind, but the best part of her
life was always coming home.   She’d just wanted to be her, without the persona
or demands.  Someplace where there was peace.  That had been him.

She
got up from the table and made her way into her study, enjoying the quiet of
the house and the light streaming through the windows.  The wall was adorned
with pictures – they were there to make her smile, but it had been forever
since she’d so much as glanced their way.  She could remember when each one had
been taken, and most of them felt as phony as Andy Peters.  Somewhere along the
way she’d gotten so sure she couldn’t achieve happy that she’d stopped trying.

She
stepped up to the wall, letting her fingers brush against the frames.  The ones
with Bea were genuine – all twinkling happy spirit that could never quite
contain itself.  Faith hadn’t stepped foot on Sorrento Ranch since her wedding,
but Bea owned at least twenty hotels, and Faith stayed in them every chance she
got.  Bea had come to her more times than she cared to admit. 

All
the ones of Attitunes were real – their first day, their last day, all the
weddings since.   The special occasions had her smile a tad more strained, but
it had been real.  They were all just beacons of a carefree life she couldn’t
understand any longer.  She’d never stopped caring though, about any of them,
even Maya; there’d been too much history to just throw it all away.  She’d been
mad but never not cared. 

The
same could also be said for Dustin, though there wasn’t a picture of him on her
wall.  If she’d hung the highlights of their relationship in a frame, what
would she be staring at?  Him and his horses – the first moment he let
something other than his annoyance shine through his tough exterior.  The first
night they spent standing around a flower pot, wondering what kind of insane
path Bea had put them on.  Neither of them were gardeners; how could they care
for a tree?  Dustin had grew into a gardener, hadn’t he?  Was it time for her
to follow suit?

Faith
approached her bookcase and opened a hidden drawer.  Instead of reaching inside,
she pulled the whole thing out and plunked cross-legged right down on the
floor, the drawer perched in her lap.  She’d hidden every remnant of Dustin in there,
wiping away every trace of him in her life.  Except for the lemons; she could
never quite part with the lemons.

The
first thing she grabbed was a sonogram.  She turned it over and ran her hand
over the words on the back.  Meyer Ingrid Andrews.  She thought about what
Dustin had said, a cherub face with blonde pigtails and mischievous eyes,
covered in dirt and surrounded by critters. Always, always smiling…She hugged
the photo to her chest, a watery smile on her face.

Her
wedding ring was underneath, the white gold band inlaid with tiny diamonds
Dustin had been so ashamed of.  Faith had secretly loved it, the pure simplicity
of it.  Their love needing no extra trappings.  There weren’t any huge
gemstones, but the engraving was so much better than a diamond solitaire.  She
bent it towards the light so she could read the simple etchings. 
Sweet
enough to always crave more.
  She’d told him once during an argument that
lemons were bittersweet, that maybe their life was destined to be too.  That
had been his answer.

Dozens
more things were inside.  Letters and pictures he’d sent her while she was
touring.  The flower she had in her hair the day he took her on the horseback
ride that changed her life.  The bracelet he’d made for her out of reeds when
she told him who she really was, his word that he cared not one wit about her
money or fame.  The first clippings of their lemon tree.  Every item made her
remember the boy she’d fallen in love with one crazy summer.  That boy was now
a man trying to court her with lemon desserts. 

She
looked away from the pile of memories, and her eyes fell on her desk, the USB stick
the girls had handed her catching her attention.  She still hadn’t looked at
it, not wanting to open up that wound.  Then Dustin had started sending her
text messages and did it for her.  And now she wondered what was on it.  Had a
bedtime story really sent Harmony on a forbidden road trip halfway across the
state?  Must be one hell of a bedtime story…

Faith
set the drawer aside and went to her laptop, plugged in the drive, and pushed
play, her curiosity now too high to overcome.  It was an hour before she
moved.  His voice had her living it all over again, reminding her of all the
sweet tucked in with the sour.  It was the emotion in his voice, the strong,
stoic, silent man she loved, that had her trapped in place.  The girls had been
right – it wasn’t just a bedtime story.  It was a love story.  Their love
story.  And one she was no longer ready to end.

Faith
laughed at the words on her phone, sitting in a comfy armchair with her feet
flung over the arm. 
You are ridiculous.  I never said that.

You
did.  You So did.  I should have recorded you for proof
, Dustin replied.

That
was before recording devices fit in pockets.

Should
have a blanket rule that all conversations take place in a recording studio
then
. 

Faith
glanced at the clock on the wall, and her brow furrowed slightly. 
Your
delivery boy is late.

Impossible
, was the reply. 
He
always arrives exactly when he should.

I’m
looking at the clock, and it's five past the hour
, she argued. 
Dustin had said she was in for a treat this morning, and she was hoping for
blackberries on her tarts.

Are
you sure nothing has arrived?
  The message pinged on her phone just as
the doorbell rang.

Saved
by the bell
,
she typed before extricating herself from the chair.  Her smile was happy and
light, so unlike the way she’d greeted the first delivery a month ago.  The
idea of being courted with a burner phone and sweets was insane, but it worked
for them, slowly reconnecting the way people do now with text messages and
conversations that never have to end.  She hadn’t felt this giddy in years,
waiting for the phone to make noise and her daily tart delivery.

She
was definitely in for a surprise when she pulled the door open; Dustin was standing
on the other side, pink bakery box in his hand.  “If you make them yourself,
why are they always in bakery boxes?” she asked, hand on her hip and smile of
her face.

“Nieces
decide on the pretty packaging.  I would have sent them in Tupperware.”

“So
what’s my surprise then?” she asked, trying not to smile but failing.

He
raised an eyebrow at her as he replied, “Me.”

Faith
grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into the house, so
forcefully the box fell out of his hands and landed upside down on the front
step.  Neither of them cared.

His
kiss was even more addictive than she remembered.  “What took you so damn
long?” she asked between brushes of their lips.

“Me?”
he asked in surprise as she pushed him back against her front door.

“Yeah,
you.”  He leaned in towards her, but she backed away slightly, stopping to
catch her breath.  “Well, what’s the answer?”

He
caressed her arm with the back of his hand, sending shivers up her spine.  “I
didn’t want to cloud the issue with this.”  He grinned.  “We both know you
can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“Me?”
she responded, exactly like he had.

“Yeah,
you.”

She
shrugged one shoulder.  “Been accused of much worse.”

His
voice turned seductive.  “I bet you have.”  He grabbed her waist and pulled her
up against him.  She didn’t resist his lips this time.

“Tell
me you missed me,” he demanded as his mouth skirted across her jaw.

“Oh,
damn it, Dusty, I missed you.”  She sighed.

“Which
part?” he asked.  “This part?”  His lips skimmed the column of her neck, his
tongue darting out to tease her.  “Or this part?”  His hand slipped under her
shirt and stroked against her ribs, rising higher until he was cupping her
breast through the lace fabric.

“Or
this?” he asked, more groan than sentence as his hand traveled across her
backside, raising her leg slightly and pulling her closer, molding their bodies
together.

“All
the parts, baby,” she said, her hands in his hair.  “So much better when they
come together as the whole.”

“Are
we really gonna do this?” he asked against the pulse in her throat.

“Dear
God, I hope so.” She sighed again.

He
cleared his throat and pulled back slightly.  “I don’t mean this.”  He waved a
hand between them.  “I mean us.”

She
propped an elbow on his shoulder and covered her eyes for a second, trying to
regain some semblance of coherent thought.  “Any chance we can have this
conversation naked?”

He
laughed, one of the deep throaty laughs she used to dream about, and a feeling
of peace slid over her.  She disentangled herself from his embrace and took his
hands in hers.  “There’s something I have to do first.”

“It’s
not sow your wild oats, is it?  Because you’ve had ten years to do that, Ally.”

She
laughed.  “You’re the wildest oat I’m ever going to sow, Dustin Michael
Andrews.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. 
“And don’t you ever forget it.”

“Yes,
ma’am.”  He kissed her passionately, causing her knees to weaken, before
setting her away from him.

“You
want to go someplace more comfortable?” she asked with a bat of her eyes.

“No. 
I mean, yes I do,” Dustin clarified at the startled look on her face, “but I’m
not going to.  No shenanigans until you’re all in.” Another hand wave.

“Shenanigans?”
Faith laughed.

“Been
spending way too much time with Peter.”

“Well,
if I can’t entice you with sex, how about food?”  She was already pulling him
towards the kitchen.

“Do
you want me to grab the tarts?”

“No.”
She laughed. “I have plenty of those already.”

“Do
you have lemonade?” he asked.

Faith
raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed.  “Did you forget who you’re talking to,
mister?  You can always find lemonade here.”

Faith
looked at Bea and smiled.  “I’m sorry it took so long to actually make this
happen,” she said with sincerity.

“All
that matters is it’s happening now.  And even better than I could have
imagined.”  The grounds of the ranch were inundated with personnel – security,
stagehands, singers.  But the hustle and bustle was definitely worth it.  All
the public knew was Faith West was performing a pop-up charity concert.  Ten
dollars got you in the door for “An Afternoon of Surprises,” – or so the posters
all over Instagram and Twitter promised.  Harmony and Melody had been in charge
of packaging for her too.  They did not disappoint.

“So,
are you going to tell me what surprises you have in store for us today, young
lady?”

“Sorry,”
Faith said with a twinkle, “but you’re just going to have to wait and see like
everyone else.”

“Hmmm.”

“No
special treatment for meddling widows, that’s how it goes.”

“Maybe
next time I won’t meddle then.”

Faith
pulled her in for a hug and whispered in her ear, “Don’t you ever stop.”

She
exited Bea’s office and made her way to the huge white tent set on top of the
hill, the same place where she’d had her impromptu wedding.  It was the closest
place to the outdoor amphitheater for them all to get ready.

“What
are you guys doing here?” Faith asked in surprise when she saw Trevor and
Madison round the corner of the tent holding hands.   “I never thought you’d
actually come.  You left the baby?”

Trevor
laughed.  “Our place is done, and we’re getting ready to move back.  When we
showed the flyer to my mom, she insisted we leave so she could have some
quality baby time.”  They’d texted her a picture of Ella the week before, and
Faith had responded with one of her baby, the flyer announcing the concert.

“I’m
amazed at this turnout,” Madison said.

“And
in just under twenty-four hours.”  Faith breathed a sigh of relief that it was
all coming together.  “Well, welcome!” She said, reaching over to give them
both a hug.  “Want to be reintroduced to a girl group?”

“That’s
the big surprise?” Madison asked.  “Attitunes reunion.”

“One
of them,” Faith replied coyly. 

 She
took them into the tent and smiled at the chaos.  She loved the energy and
creation of it.  The birth of a performance.  Charlie – former Beach Babe,
current fashion correspondent – was in the corner trying to convince Maya that
leggings were so over and refusing to respond to anyone trying to address her
as Charlotte.  Tara – Skater Girl – was supposed to be practicing choreography
since she’d always been particularly bad at it but found the only crew member
having a bad day and started consoling him instead.  

“Oh,
you’ll like this.  Trevor, do you want to meet Angie Hudson?”

“Wait,
Angelica
Hudson?” he asked as they made their way over to the corner. 
“She was in a girl group?”  His surprise was normal.  Unlike Faith, who’d
stayed in music, no one remembered that the all-star tech mogul and coder
extraordinaire used to be the Country Honey dressed in daisy dukes, flannel
shirts, and pig tails.  She’d shed her persona the most.  And she’d been the
most excited to take a sojourn from the real world and put it back on for an
afternoon.

“Faith,
hey.  Don’t know why it’s not working, but I will figure it out.  I will not
succumb to calling tech support,” Angie said as they approached.

“Good
thing I brought my own then.  Angie, Trevor.  Trevor, Angie.”

Angie
looked up.  “What, you don’t trust me?”

Faith
laughed, knowing her innocent face hid a wicked sense of humor.  A decade ago
those words always got her into trouble.  “Not in the least.  But I just so happen
to have a techie of my own who wanted to meet you.”

Angie
turned and eyed Trevor critically before smiling and extending her hand to
him.  “Want to have some fun, Trevor?”

“Not
too much fun,” Madison said.  “He’s excitable.”

“I
am not a puppy,” he said.

“Yes,
you are,” Madison said with a grin as she ruffled his hair.

“That
your wife?” Angie asked as Trevor kneeled next to her to see the computer
screen.

“Yeah.”

“She’s
hot.  Not as hot as mine though.”

“I
beg to differ,” a woman’s voice said as she approached the desk.  She sat a cup
of coffee down next to Angie.  “His wife is Madison Duncan.  You are
breathtaking,” she said, taking one of Madison’s hands.  “Hi, I’m Lara.”

“Nice
to meet you.  And it’s actually exhaustion.  I think I get to keep the
pregnancy glow for another few days before the dark circles take up permanent
residence.”

Charlie’s
voice vibrated across the room.  “Did you just have a baby?  I need to see
pictures!”  And then all the rest of the girls converged on Madison and her
phone, making cooing noises and showing off their own photos.  Faith stepped
back and smiled at the interruption.  It was different than before, than
concerts and music videos and magazine covers.  But it was also the same – the
bonding and comradery.  She’d been there for the big moments, for the weddings
and funerals, but she’d never fully showed up again.  Not until today.

“You
okay?” Maya asked, her shrewd eyes taking in Faith standing slightly apart.

“Yeah,
I’m good.”   And she was.

The
next few hours passed by in a blur of activity.  The only people who knew what
she was planning was her band and the Attitunes themselves.  Not Bea or the
girls, not Jackson, not Dustin.  The more people she had to tell, the more she
feared she’d never go through with it.

Thirty
minutes before the concert was set to start, Faith spotted Trevor with a
determined look on his face.  “What are you doing?” Faith asked.

“Is
he out there?” Trevor replied instead.

 “Somewhere.” 
She wanted to peek but wasn’t sure which would be worse, seeing him or not
seeing him at all.  She took a deep breath and injected a note of teasing into
her voice.  “What, you think you’ll know him on sight?”

“He’s
brooding, isn’t he?  All the girls go for brooders these days.”

“Yours
didn’t.”

Trevor
turned towards her with a grin.  “But I did.”

“Madison’s
not a brooder.” Faith laughed.

“Not
anymore.”  He winked at her before walking away. 

Faith
just shook her head.  Maybe her guy wasn’t a brooder anymore either.  Did
brooders make award-winning tarts?

Faith
walked out across the stage, and the excited screams were deafening.  She stepped
up to the microphone and smiled.  “How’s everybody doing?”  Her words were met
with cheers, and she fidgeted slightly as she waited for them to die down. 
“Thank you all for coming out today for this afternoon of surprises on behalf
of a wonderful cause, to help at-risk youth find better paths in life.  And
boy, let me tell you, have we got some surprises in store for you tonight.  All
your friends – going to be totally jealous.”

The
crowd went wild, and Faith’s smile turned genuine.  She was getting into the
groove of the performance, and her nerves disappeared as she slipped
effortlessly back into the guise of performer.  It wasn’t until later when her
heart would start pounding again.