Faith (Rescue Me, A Contemporary Romance) by Elizabeth Nelson Page B

her hands. “Lord, save me from myself.”
    “If you ask, you will receive!” A man’s voice boomed out in front of her.
    With an embarrassed start she looked up, prepared to launch into a laugh and an explanation, but her words died before reaching her lips. The man standing in front of her was just plain gorgeous.
    He didn’t have a microphone or a spotlight on him, but everything about him screamed “star.” He wore a t-shirt and jeans, but made them look like an Armani suit. The soft fabric of the shirt clung to his washboard stomach and chiseled chest like it had been made for him. The dark denim gripped his thighs tightly enough to be fashionable, but not too much to be considered a novelty or a mistake. He was holding some flowers in one hand, and a pair of designer sunglasses in the other hand. He was close enough to her that she could make out the Gucci symbol on the glasses. She had lived in Alaska for many years, but she still loved the E! channel, and could recognize a movie star when she saw one. This man was Rory Reynolds; singer, actor, and potential Greek God.
    “Oh my god,” was all Faith could say as she stared at him in amazement.
    Why was Rory Reynolds standing in front of her? Here?
    “No, Rory’s fine , beautiful,” he laughed at her discomfort, but not meanly.
    “Sorry!” Faith said instantly, “I meant to say, hi!  I mean, oh my god, hi?”
    She needed to stop talking right now. This was getting embarrassing.
    “Hi,” he said. “Listen, I’m sorry I startled you. I guess you didn’t hear me come in. Is Penny here?”
    “Penny?” Faith asked, embarrassed and grabbing for the employee list she’d made sure to tape up in front of her earlier that morning. “What department does she work in?”
    “Well, I guess every department. She’s the Executive Director.”
    Faith blushed even redder and scanned the list for the executive names. There wasn’t a Penny anywhere on it? Was this guy messing with her?
    “Sorry!” He said suddenly, “Penelope? Penelope Myers. Everyone calls her Penny. Except me, I just call her mom.”
    The Executive Director was Rory Reynold’s mom? She wasn’t in Kansas anymore…or Alaska, as the case may be.
    “Oh wow, okay. Yeah. I just started. Today’s my first day.” She explained as she fumbled with the phone and then quickly put it down. “I guess I don’t need to announce you or anything right,” she laughed. “You can just go ahead in.”
    “This is your first day? Well that deserves something special. Here, take these.” Rory offered her the bouquet of lilacs and lilies he was holding. “I got them for my mom, sort of an ‘I’m sorry’ bouquet, but they should be used for good, not evil. You take ‘em.”
    She couldn’t move or speak. A movie star was attempting to give her flowers for her first day of work?
    “Oh no! I couldn’t take your mom’s flowers. I’m fine, I don’t need anything. You should really give those to her!” She protested loudly.
    “Give what to who?” Penelope – Penny – Myers asked loudly from the executive hallway behind the reception desk. “Rory! What a surprise. I thought you were on tour?”
    Penny stood regal and poised at the entrance to the lobby. Faith could hear the surprise and rebuke in her voice as she watched her son flirting with the receptionist, and trying to give away her flowers, no less; but, she was classy and well bred enough to mask her unease behind a lovely smile and good manners.
    “Hi mom,” he said as he lo oped around the circular, cherry wood reception desk and hugged his mother tightly.
    “I hope my son hasn’t been keeping you from your duties?” Penny asked Faith, with more than a subtle hint of “get to work.”
    “No ma’am,” Faith assured her with a sidelong glance at Rory.
    To her surprise he winked at her and grinned like a little boy who was caught by his teacher.
    Faith looked away from him quickly and started rearranging files on the desk in front