Leap of Faith (Preview)

Preview

Author's Note: This is the first chapter of Lili Grouse's Leap of Faith, now available on Amazon. All rights reserved. 

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FAITH THOMPSON carried thelast of her elderly neighbor's boxes over to the waiting cab. The movers had already taken the larger pieces, and now it was just Mrs. Daniels left with the little mementos she didn't trust the movers with.

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Daniels said and smiled, the creases on her face rearranging with the stretch of her skin. "I think I'm going to miss you the most." She patted Faith's hand lovingly, and Faith felt genuine warmth run through her.

Mrs. Daniels had been the perfect neighbor and landlord, always ready to lend an ear or a cup of sugar. In return, Faith had helped her with grocery shopping and filling her prescription at the pharmacy in downtown Mercy. Situated a few miles from Albany, New York, the little town of Mercy had only one pharmacy, and it was the kind of town where everybody knew everybody.

"I'm going to miss you too, Mrs. Daniels," Faith said and blinked away tears. "But I'll be by to visit you at Whispering Willows."

"Oh, don't worry about me, dear. I'm happy to make room for the next generation. I hear it's a young couple that's moving into my little place. I'm sure they'll be much better company for you than this old bat." Mrs. Daniels chuckled and patted Faith's cheek.

"I doubt it," Faith muttered under her breath as Mrs. Daniels climbed into the cab, but made sure to smile and wave as her former landlord – and a major part of her support system – left for a new life in the retirement village on the outskirts of Mercy.

The old duplex that Faith had shared with her elderly neighbor for the past seven years sat at the end of a one-way street; the lane was cut off by a strip of forest with a running trail that led down to the city center of Mercy. The house itself had seen better days, which made the rent on her upstairs apartment affordable. The new owners would undoubtedly want to remodel, which would inevitably raise her rent. And maybe they were looking to start a family and get rid of the tenant that came with the house...

Her footsteps echoed on the narrow wooden staircase, driving home the realization that for the first time in years, she was well and truly alone. Getting her apartment door open took a light push with her shoulder. In the old days, she'd played touch football with her friends down on the football field and had taken quite a few hits. Her shoulder was resilient, though, her body strengthened by exercise and the hiking trips she made at least once a month.

Faith pulled her brown mane out of its ponytail and headed for the bathroom. Her body was grimy from cleaning out Mrs. Daniels' apartment, and her temperamental shower beckoned. As she was undressing, she heard a car pull up outside. Holding her sweat-soaked top to her chest, she peered out the window and spotted a strange car in front of the duplex. Were the new owners here already?

The blue paint looked like it had peeled years ago, and the porch railing was slightly crooked. It was a definite fixer-upper and he was a real estate broker, not a handyman. At least he could put a sledgehammer to a wall or two. Maybe he'd be able to work off some of his frustrations.

Chase closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, forcing himself to loosen his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. There was no use in crying over spilled milk, as his mother would say. The past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind, keeping him from processing what had gone down, how his life had changed with a few spoken words and sheets of paper.

How ironic that his parents had gifted him a house in his hometown for his fifth wedding anniversary, and now he wouldn't be celebrating any more anniversaries. At least he had a place to stay while the divorce went through. Lori had already staked her claim on their L.A. apartment by inviting his business partner into their bed. There was no way he would ever set foot in their bedroom again after finding out about the affair, so he'd stayed in a hotel while they drew up and filed the divorce papers.