Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

***ARCHIE***

A rchie was surprised by the abrupt change in Felicity, then realized with a start that he'd been flirting with her and didn't answer right away. "It's cheaper than joining a gym," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't really like it at first, but I'm addicted now. I run every morning if I can. What about you?"

"I've only been running for a few months," Felicity said, then hesitated a second. "I, ummm……needed a way to get back in shape without having to go to the gym and being around people."

He glanced at the scar on her cheek, then away again, wondering who had done such a terrible job of closing the wound, the urge to reach out and run his fingers over the puckered red flesh rushing through him. It was easy to imagine the looks that Felicity got, the stares of curiosity, the whispers that she'd hear whenever she walked through a crowded room, and a flood of protectiveness erupted deep inside him.

"People can be terrible, cruel when they want to be," he said, shaking his head, wondering where the feeling was coming from. He didn't even know the woman. "Do you always run in the morning?"

Felicity nodded, "It helps me get ready for the day," she said, then pointed to a cabin. "This is me."

He was surprised to discover that he was disappointed their walk was over, "Well, I'd better let you get inside then," he said. "Maybe we'll run into each other again tomorrow, but this time, I promise not to scare you."

"I'd like that," Felicity said, then a blush spread across her cheeks. "I mean the part about you not scaring me."

He laughed, "I'll do my best not to sneak up on you again," he said, reluctant to let her go. "Maybe we'll see each other around the island. It's not a very big place. Or maybe you'd like to have lunch together one of these days."

Felicity studied him for a second, then shook her head, "I don't think that would be a very good idea," she said, then let out a long sigh. "I'm here with my sister, and well……I know what I look like, so whatever this is, it's not going to work. I don't need your pity, and I won't sleep with you just because you've given me some attention."

Shocked by her words, he stepped away from her, "Felicity, that wasn't……that's not what I'm doing," he stammered. "I'm here by myself, and you're the first person I've met; I wasn't trying to……well, you know, I was just trying to be your friend. I wouldn't ask you to ditch your sister. I'd be happy to have lunch with you both. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, so forget that I asked."

Felicity was silent for a second, her mouth hanging open, "I'm sorry, it's just that……" her words trailed off, and she shook her head, then took a deep breath. "I'm still getting used to looking like this. People treat me differently when they see my scar. I shouldn't have assumed the worst."

"That's okay, I understand," he said, smiling at her to show that there were no hard feelings. "I'm just looking for friendship, Felicity, maybe a running partner for a few weeks, that's it."

She studied him for a second, a look of indecision on her face, then smiled, "I like to watch the sunrise while I'm stretching," she said. "I'll meet you on the beach in the morning."

A little burst of happiness caught him off guard, but he didn't stop to question it, "That sounds great," he said. "I'll bring the coffee."

"Make mine a bottle of water, and you're on," Felicity said, smiling back at him. "But no funny business or I'm out of there."

"No funny business," he said. "You have my solemn vow."

She opened her mouth to say something more but was interrupted, "Felicity, are you coming in?" a woman called from the front door. "We're going to miss our lesson if we don't get going soon."

Felicity looked over at the cabin, "I'll be right there," she said, then looked back at him. "I guess I should go. We're taking a surfing lesson after breakfast, and Brittany hates being late for anything."

"Well, I better let you go then," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"Bye, Archie," she said, smiling at him and making his heart flutter. "I'll see you in the morning."

Felicity turned and climbed up the ladder to the porch, then waved at him before disappearing inside, leaving him standing there staring after her, a bit surprised by the turn his vacation had taken. Turning away, he told himself that he was only looking for friendship, someone to spend time with while he was here, and that Felicity was just one among many connections he'd make while he was on the island.

He couldn't expect Max to entertain him; he had work to do, so making a few friends was only natural, and the fact that he was attracted to one of those friends didn't mean anything. He was a grown man quite capable of controlling his baser instincts, and Felicity had made it very clear that nothing but friendship was possible between them. Ignoring the little twinge of disappointment the thought brought, he climbed the ladder to his cabin, reminding himself what giving into physical attraction had already cost him.

Just thinking about Susan cooled the heat in his blood, and he shook his head, "Never again," he said out loud to himself. "You made that mistake once; don't make it again, you idiot, a pretty face can hide something ugly, and you're never going to fall into that trap again."

***Felicity***

Brittany was standing in the middle of the living room, her arms crossed over her chest, a frown of anger and worry on her face when Felicity walked in the door. The smile on her face slipped away, and she braced herself for the storm that she knew was coming, hoping that she could shut it down before her sister got carried away.

"Where have you been?" Brittany demanded, but didn't give her a chance to answer. "Who was that you were talking to?"

"Maybe you could let me answer one question before you ask another one," she said. "I was out running; I told you last night I was going to. I jog every morning, and I'm not going to stop just because we're here."

That deflated her sister just a bit. "You were supposed to wake me up when you left," Brittany said. I woke up, and you were gone. You can't do that to me, Felicity."

"You were sound asleep, snoring like a trucker. There was no way I was going to wake you up. You're supposed to rest and relax on this trip, too, remember?" she said, walking past Brittany to the little kitchen. "Is there any coffee yet?"

Her sister didn't move, "You didn't answer my other question," she said. "Who were you with?"

She turned to look back at Brittany, "You're starting to sound a lot like Mom," she said, then let out a long sigh. "It was that guy from the dock, the one who saved me from falling in. His name is Archie. We ran into each other on the beach and got to talking. He invited us to lunch with him sometime."

"I hope you said no," Brittany said. "You have no business going to lunch with him."

"Why not?" she asked, getting angry. "Why shouldn't I have lunch with Archie? He's a nice guy, and he doesn't notice my scar, he notices me."

"Oh, Felicity, how can you be that na?ve?" Brittany asked, shaking her head. "He's taking advantage of you; I know guys like him. He thinks you'll be an easy mark, that you'll leap at the chance to sleep with him because……"

"Go ahead and say it," she said, hurt and angry. "I'm ugly, I'm disfigured, I'm disgusting. Give me just a second, and I'll think of a few more."

"Oh, Felicity, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," Brittany said, all the fight gone. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She let out a long breath, "I know that you're just worried about me, but I'm a grown woman, and I can take care of myself," she said. "I made a terrible mistake with Joe, I know that, but I'm not the same person I was back then. As hard as it is, you're going to have to let me make my own decisions."

Brittany walked over to her and gave her a big hug, "I'm trying, little sister," she said, tears in her eyes. "We came so close to losing you, I can't help being overprotective."

She snorted, "Overprotective, that's an understatement, but I love you for it," she said. "Now what about that coffee? "

Brittany let her go, "I started a pot right before you got home. It should be ready," she said, going to the cabinet for cups. "Are you going to go to lunch with him?"

"He invited us both," she reminded her sister, then shrugged. "I don't know. We're going to go running together tomorrow morning, and I'll decide after that."

Brittany turned around and stared at her, "Alone?" she asked. "That's crazy, Felicity."

"You're doing it again. I'll be perfectly safe, and I know how to defend myself now, so stop worrying," she said, getting the milk out of the refrigerator. "But if you're concerned, you could always come with me."

"No thanks, dawn and I don't get along," Brittany said, shaking her head. "I don't trust that guy, though. He's up to something."

"Will you stop?" she asked. "You haven't even met him yet, and besides, he told me himself that he just wants to be friends."

"Felicity, that's the oldest line in the book," Brittany said, putting their cups down on the table. "You can almost guarantee he wants in your pants if he used that one."

"Well, he's not going to get there," she said. "We're just going running together, it's not even a date. I'm not ready for all that, and I don't know when I will be."

"I'm still going to keep an eye on him," Brittany said, then took a sip of her coffee. "He's too good-looking not to be up to something, that's all I'm saying."

"Just because he's good looking doesn't mean he's up to something," she said, "but if it makes you happy, you can follow us everywhere we go."

"I thought you said you weren't going to lunch with him," Brittany said, narrowing her eyes at Felicity. "Have you suddenly changed your mind? "

"No, I was just trying to make you happy," she said. "Can we drop this now? I don't want it to ruin our day."

"Fine, I'm going to go take a shower," Brittany said, getting to her feet. "I'm just worried about you, that's all; I don't want to see some jerk take advantage of you."

"No one is ever going to take advantage of me again," she said. "I won't let it happen. Joe almost killed me, and you can be damn sure I won't let that happen again."

Brittany seemed satisfied and headed to the bathroom. Felicity refilled her cup, then sat down at the table again, thinking about how much she'd changed since that terrible night. She still had a long way to go before she would be able to completely trust a man again, but Archie made her feel safe, and he might be exactly what she needed to take that first step towards trusting again.