Saving Each Other (BWWM Romance) (18 page)

Faith wheeled Mrs. Robinson over to the side room where she had assembled the things for the first art class. To the right of the art set up, there was a small table complete with a lunch for the two of them: mini sandwiches and soup as well as lemonade.

“Faith, are you eating lunch with me?”

“If that’s okay with you then yes.” Faith rolled her up to the table.

“Yes it’s okay with me…usually someone sets it up when I'm resting and then Miss Watson brings it to me in bed. I'm usually alone so this will be a nice change for sure.” She smiled at Faith. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Faith was pretty nice and smiled a lot. She was a refreshing change and Cooper seemed determined to find someone to sit with her.

Chapter 6

They enjoyed a nice lunch together, chatting lightly about how hot it would be that day. They talked about old times and Faith gazed at her as she spoke of her husband, only now remembering that he was gone.

“He was a good man, my Harold. Cooper is so much like him but so lost sometimes.”

“I believe that he is, Mrs. Robinson.”

“When he isn’t barking orders and being such a downer.” Mrs. Robinson made a sour face which set Faith off to laughing. Soon, Mrs. Robinson was laughing out loud as well.

That is how Cooper found them.

“I see we are all enjoying ourselves this afternoon.”

“Mr. Robinson, what a nice surprise.” Faith stood and cleared away the dishes. He couldn’t help but think himself a fool when for a moment last night he had asked her to wear her uniform. It fit her perfectly and the grey and white hues only enhanced the darker tones of her skin.

“I'm back from my early rounds this morning and I thought I would check in and see how things were going.”

“We are just fine, dear. I quite like Faith around…she makes me laugh.” She stifled another giggle and Faith gave her a grin.

“I'm a little jealous though…” He trailed off. “I wasn’t invited to lunch, maybe next time I can come too.” He looked over at Faith and back at his Mother.

“I think that would be lovely, Mrs. Robinson, what do you think?” Secretly excited about the progress they were making, Faith encouraged them even more.

“Maybe tomorrow we can have the cook put together a picnic and eat outside before it gets too hot.”

“That’s a great idea, maybe we can take a lunch down by the pond and even take some art supplies so you can paint?”

Cooper knew he had a few things to do to make sure he was covered so he said his goodbyes and headed back out. He paused a moment on Faith, once again startled by how beautiful she was. She caught his gaze and smiled. He groaned inwardly, smiled back and headed back down the stairs

The first art class became a fun way of mixing colors they could use tomorrow and sketching out some ideas they had about what to paint.

After painting for an hour, Faith noticed Mrs. Robinson was slowing down. Not wanting to tax her too much, Faith yawned.

“Wow, painting sure can make you tired.”

Mrs. Robinson looked up at her, visibly relaxing. If Faith was tired too then it was work and not just her illness.

It was close to 3 o’clock and they began cleaning up and reorganizing the paints.

Later, Linda pulled Faith aside to speak to her.

“Faith, I haven’t seen her this excited about something in months.”

Faith looked over at Mrs. Robinson now humming a tune from the radio.

“I have nothing to do with that, Linda. She is a happy woman, she was just bored I think.”

“Well whatever it is, thank you.” Linda patted her arm.

Having the next hour or so to herself, Faith finished settling into her room and started working on a few outlines of the next day’s outing. She headed down to the kitchen to speak to Linda about the picnic.

“A picnic?”

“Yes, a picnic is that okay? I know it’s awfully short notice but it would be wonderful for Mrs. Robinson...and Mr. Robinson too.” Faith smiled

“I can do a picnic alright I'm just surprised is all, Mr. Robinson is rarely here for lunch. Linda shrugged. “What did you have in mind dear?”

“Well I was hoping you could help me, I don’t know what their favorite foods are and I want to include something special for them both.”

“I know just the thing!” Linda began and stated laying out her ideas for them to take.

Happy with the final decisions made about the picnic, Faith found herself wandering around the east hall. Not really planning to go anywhere, she opened a singular door which lead down a smaller walkway to the east. There was the musty smell of old leather and stale air the further she went. Even in the dusty, unused halls,  there was art. Beautiful paintings were everywhere, covered in sheets, some massive, some small. She would ask Cooper about them. Cooper…even in her thoughts she called him by his first name. He was all steel and anger outwardly, but deep down she could sense his pain and confusion. When she reached the end of the hall there was another door. Faith opened it to a large room with a domed ceiling. Covered in blue, it was as if you could look up and see the sky. There was a dressing table on one side with makeup and brushes lining it neatly.

This had been their room, she thought, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. Faith, now feeling like an intruder, turned to leave and ran into the very person she had been thinking of.

“What are you doing in here, Faith?” His eyes held a steely glint to them.

“Mr. Robinson, I’m sorry, I was just wandering around and to be honest I got caught up in the artwork in the hall and now here I am.” She was stammering and she knew it.

“No one comes down this wing, no one has in years. You shouldn’t be here.” He took a step away from her. She immediately headed for the door.

“Again, I’m very sorry, Mr. Robinson.”

He softened slightly, how could she have known? No one had told her to avoid the west wing of the house. “It’s okay, I am sorry about my tone it was…just a bit of a shock to see the main door opened.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Let me walk with you back downstairs.” He held the door open and they walked side by side down the corridor. He paused at a small painting Faith had left uncovered.

“Oh wow, I haven’t seen this ugly thing in a long time.” He smirked. The painting was a simple mix of greens and blues with yellow highlights.

“The technique is actually very good even if the colors are thicker than I would do. See the brushstrokes here?” She pointed to the right side. “They are perfectly connected to the side.” She put her face even closer to the canvas. All this did was allow her to inhale a large amount of dust which set her off into a fit of sneezing.

Exhausted, she apologized, “Wow I’m sorry, I guess I have a pretty sensitive nose, that happens a lot.” She smiled sheepishly.

Cooper looked at her thoughtfully, all disheveled she was even more beautiful. He shook his head to clear that thought away quickly.

“Let’s get out of these dusty halls, Miss Parks, I don’t want you falling into another fit.” He smiled and Faith giggled at the thought of it. They made their way back into the main hall. Cooper slowed down here and there to discuss some of the art he had acquired.

Fascinated, Faith took it all in. Even as an art major, she had never had an opportunity to see so much in person.

He hated to admit it but he loved the way she lit up while admiring the work. Come to think of it, she was always happy. Unable to control himself, he asked, “Would you care to see my Monet?” He was a little surprised to see her turn around quickly and respond with a simple, “Please.”

He led her down the main hall towards his office. Pausing outside of the doors, he asked her forgiveness in advance of the mess he was sure they would find inside.

“Linda told me these were your rooms and not to bother them. I feel special that you’re allowing me in at all.” She took in the large front room all at once as he opened the door.

“You are special, Faith,” he whispered as she walked inside, more to himself than her.

He led her into a small chamber to the right where he had a bed and table. Faith blushed at the state of the bed sheets, and the comforter was a tangled mess. All she could think was that he sleeps there. She felt shy at being someplace so intimate for him. It was then that she saw it. Titled "Antibes vue de la Salis," it was magnificent.

“That is France, it’s beautiful and such rich detail. It is truly beautiful.” Just thinking about the cost made Faith take a step backwards. Touching it in any way could damage it and leave it worthless.

“I love it myself.” He truly did. He had spent hours at a time looking up at it from bed when he couldn’t sleep. The painting consisted of a large tree with golden leaves and in the distance you could see the bustling town.

“It used to remind me to stop, take a moment and look around you.” He looked down at Faith.

“What does it remind you of now?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“I really don’t know, Faith, it’s been a while since I stopped long enough to look at it before today.”

He had called her Faith, but in that moment she didn’t want to spoil the mood so she let it go. Glancing at her watch, she realized the time. Mrs. Robinson would be needing her medication again soon and she needed to hurry to get back.

“I suppose I must get back to things, Mr. Robinson.” She turned to leave. “Thank you, thank you so much for sharing this with me, it means a lot to me.” She gave him one of her winning smiles.

“I’d be happy to discuss it sometime at length with you, Miss Parks, if you’d like. Perhaps when you have some time off, if you’re not busy. I’d love to hear your take on it in detail.” He held the door for her as she passed through.

She looked at him as she walked away and simply answered, “I would like that very much.”

Faith made her way back up the grand staircase but had to pause halfway up. Her heart was fluttery again but this time she knew it wasn’t the flu coming on. It was him. What was he doing to her and what would she do to stop it? He was still mourning the loss of his father, dealing with his mother’s dementia. She needed to put some distance between herself and him, before things got out of hand. There was no denying the attraction. She had never felt this way for anyone in her life. The combination of concern and fear of the unknown should be enough to keep her heart safe. Starting back up the stairs, Faith put on a brave new face and made the decision to stop thinking about Cooper altogether.

Chapter 7

Mrs. Robinson was happily watching TV when Faith came in. “Faith, you’re back. I know it’s time to take those awful pills and do therapy.” She sighed.

“I know, it’s not much fun.” Faith poured some water into a cup for her and propped her pillows on the bed. She moved Mrs. Robinson back onto the bed where they could do therapy for her legs after taking her medication. 

“It’s almost time for dinner.” Miss Watson had come back in. “Faith, go ahead and take a break before we meet downstairs. Mrs. Robinson and I are going to chit chat for a bit before we meet you down there.”

“I will see you both shortly then.” Faith made her way to her own room lost in thought. This assignment was different from her other ones. The actions were similar but the relationships definitely were not. Her heart tugged a little at the thought of Mrs. Robinson …and yes, Cooper too. What made it more interesting is that she felt completely at home here.

Dinner that evening was a simple one. Mr. Robinson had to stay over in town and so the three of them made idle chatter about how hot it would be the next day. Mrs. Robinson ate with relish and was in good spirits, a notable improvement which Linda remarked on. 

As the days passed, Faith found her routine there happy and carefree. The days grew warmer and the sun was always shining, not a bad perk to have. Faith frequently walked down the long drive and into the cove. Quaint yet comfortable, it was exactly what Faith needed to remind her where she had come from. Cooper was away on business more often than not and it had been two weeks since he had last been at home. She called him Cooper now, they had grown closer in some ways but he still held her at arm’s length, which was just fine with her. She certainly didn’t need the distraction. She had heard him come home late the night before. Never a heavy sleeper, Faith had heard the unmistakable sound of the gravel crunching under the wheels of a car when she had been restless and trying to sleep.

Nothing more was said about it and Faith set out trying to get to know her new neighborhood. She explored the gardens, taking in the fragrant flowers and statues. She gently smiled, running her hand over the one of the boy and the wagon. She thought back about that night in the garden and how Cooper had opened himself up.