Chapter 2

Faith was excited to be in Miami for Noah's show despite the circumstances at home. She wasn't sure why she lobbied Noah to let Adam stay, but she felt like it was the right thing to do. The thought of him sitting alone on the plane didn't seem right after he went out of his way to convince her dad to let her come.

After Faith got a tour of the gallery from Noah, she decided to sit at one of the tables and people-watch as she ate the hors d'oeuvre she'd grabbed. As she was looking around the room, her mom and Adam caught her eye. They were standing side-by-side in front of one of Noah's paintings talking. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but her mom was grinning ear-to-ear as Adam told her a story, gesturing animatedly with his hands as he spoke. When he was done speaking, Sharon stepped toward him, whispered something, and then bumped him playfully on the arm with her shoulder. He smiled down at her mom and used his hip to bump her back, earning a not-so-serious glare in return.

Faith couldn't help but stop munching as she watched the exchange because she was so enthralled by it. She had never seen this side of Adam before, not that she was looking. Before he became her kidney donor, she hated him and avoided him whenever possible. It was weird to see him smile and let loose. He was always so serious. And her mom… Well that was even odder. Faith couldn't remember the last time she saw her smile so much. She looked so animated and carefree, which was odd given that she had never seen her mom look this way with Rey in all the time she's been with him.

Sharon looked over at Faith and waved and then held up her water bottle. Knowing her mom was asking if she wanted some, too, Faith shook her head. When Sharon looked at Adam, he mouthed "Scotch". She nodded at him and smiled to acknowledge his response and then she turned away to walk over to the bar. As she did so, Adam watched her with a look that Faith, even in her limited experience, could only describe as hopelessly in love. How had she never noticed this before? Was she even paying attention?

When her mom was done at the bar, she returned to Adam and handed him his scotch. When he took it from her, their hands met and held and they stared at each other intently. Suddenly, her mom dropped her hand as if she'd been shocked and stepped backward. She used her free hand to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear as Adam raised his glass to his lips and practically downed his whole drink in one gulp.

When Adam finally brought the glass down from his lips, Sharon side-eyed him and he shrugged in response. And then, just like that, they were back to themselves as if the moment never happened.

They continued talking like they were best friends for a few more minutes until her mom, who was facing the main entrance of the gallery, went pale. Suddenly, she put more distance between her and Adam, swallowed convulsively, and pasted a blank expression on her face. The change was so abrupt that Faith couldn't help but wonder what had caused it.

She looked over at the entrance, saw Lola, and all her questions were immediately answered.