“Daniel who?” Micah asked, his blue eyes wide with surprise.
Faith jabbed him hard in the side. “How many Daniels do you know?”
“My brother Daniel?” he pressed, clearly taken aback by the news.
“Bingo!” Lorelei said, trying to ease the sudden tension. “You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.”
Micah scratched his jaw. “You and Daniel? Huh. I never would have seen that coming. The two of you seem so…different.”
“Like us?” Faith asked, sending her fiancée a sassy look. Micah chuckled and pulled Faith to his side, planting a kiss on her temple.
“You’re the peanut butter to my jelly,” Micah said in a sweet-sounding voice.
“And you’re the salt to my pepper,” Faith said, smirking.
“You two are sickeningly sweet,” Lorelei said. “No wonder you’re getting married.”
“We hope you’re coming,” Faith said. “We really want you to be there.”
Micah wagged a finger at her. “You haven’t RSVP’d yet.”
“I’m so sorry. I was over in Europe for a few weeks doing shoots. I promise I’ll respond asap. I can’t wait to share your happy day with you.”
“As for you and Daniel, I think it’s great,” Micah said with a grin. “Just don’t break his heart. He’s had his heart kicked around a time or two, so I don’t want him to get hurt again. Just because he’s a big-time businessman doesn’t mean he’s invincible.” Lorelei could see the seriousness emanating from Micah’s eyes. He was giving her a subtle warning. Tread carefully.
“I won’t hurt him, Micah,” she promised. The moment she said it, Lorelei wished she could take it back. Never in a million years would she ever do anything to deliberately hurt Daniel, but the reality was that people did get hurt in relationships. It was just the nature of life. Sadly, her past was littered with failed relationships. Many of them had been before she had accepted God into her life. Lorelei had made many mistakes. She’d hurt her fair share of people out of fear and anxiety and not being right within herself.
Relationships were funny. She’d been hurt as well by people who had disappointed her and taken her for granted. Micah knew about the trauma she’d suffered due to James Ellis and he knew she was fragile in many ways. He’d always protected her on shoots and made sure she was comfortable in a myriad of different situations. Micah had guarded her as if she was his little sister. And even though he thought she might hurt Daniel, what Micah didn’t realize was that she too was at risk of getting hurt. Hearts were fragile things and one could never predict the future.
As a woman of faith, Lorelei had to believe. She had to believe in brighter days in the future. She couldn’t allow fear to hold her back. The past was the past. Perhaps if she showed up at the parole hearing she could shape her own future. She might be able to protect another woman from being victimized by James Ellis. But the very thought of it made her feel panicky and agitated. Facing Ellis would dredge up all of those painful memories. She’d worked so hard to move past it. It felt like an agonizing choice.
But she had already made her decision. She would put together a heartfelt letter pleading with the parole board to keep James Ellis locked up. There was no way she could put herself out there by showing up in person. As it was, she was already worried about the media attention surrounding the parole hearing. If the media caught wind of her appearing in person, her photos would be plastered all over the news. She didn’t want all the ugliness from the past brought into her present. For the most part the story had been buried.
That type of media attention was the last thing she wanted or needed. Four years ago her profile had been a lot lower than it was now. She was now a well-established model. She cringed at the thought of being dragged into the news based on something so negative. Although her address and personal information was supposed to remain confidential, she worried about it being released. Fear hit her square in the face. What if James Ellis was released? What if he found out where she lived? What if he came to find her?
Round and round the thoughts went until she almost wanted to scream out loud. Her anxiety was kicking in and her palms were beginning to feel moist.
“What’s going on? You’re supposed to be smiling. You look as if you’re a hundred million miles away,” Micah murmured as the director called out directions.
She turned toward Micah and plastered a smile on her face. “I’m fine. Just a little stomach ache.” She could see the concern in Micah’s eyes and she didn’t want to worry him even further by bringing up the parole hearing again. Other than Bethany, Micah and her agent, Lorelei hadn’t confided in anyone else about the troubling matter. She was used to keeping things close to her vest and this would be no different. She would lean on Bethany for support and handle the situation on her own. She had sworn Micah to secrecy, so she knew he wouldn’t discuss it with Daniel.
Lorelei smiled for the camera and put herself into a zone where she didn’t have to worry about James Ellis and the parole hearing. For the next few hours Lorelei would cast all her troubles aside and pretend as if nothing was wrong. It’s what she did when she was on set. She put herself into another zone where her troubles were non-existent. If she hadn’t learned this technique, she wouldn’t be able to work.
In the hours between darkness and dawn when she should be sleeping Lorelei would toss and turn and worry about things way out of her control. And Lorelei would pray that when she finally drifted off to sleep she wouldn’t have nightmares about James Ellis and the dark nightmare he’d plunged her into.
**
“Beginnings are important. First glances. First dates. First kisses. The very first time you look across the room and realize she’s the one. My advice is to savor every moment.”
Caleb Donahue
Chapter Five
Daniel felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. He’d been counting the days until his date with Lorelei and it was finally upon them. It wasn’t like him to feel so invested in a first date, but he couldn’t deny the feelings of exhilaration coursing through him. Spending more time getting to know Lorelei was akin to a gift from above. He was still a bit surprised she had agreed to go out with him.
Believe. It’s what his faith taught him. It was also his mother’s favorite word, one she whispered to him on a regular basis. More than anyone else in the world, Penelope knew Daniel’s struggles with self-confidence. Throughout his life she had acted as his cheerleader, reminding him of all the gifts God had bestowed on him. When he’d called to tell her about his plans with Lorelei, his mother had said, “Wow. What a lucky girl she is. Going out with you is like hitting the jackpot. Brains. Looks. And a heart spun out of gold.”
Believe. Daniel repeated the word as he drove to Lorelei’s house. Believe that good things were right around the corner. Believe that you’re worthy of a good God-fearing woman who enjoyed sunsets, big family barbecues and walks on the beach. Believe that you’re enough.