Or so it seemed to him. He knew he was right, though. He’d watched people his entire life, could read them.
She pulled a phone from her pocket and stared at the screen. After several long moments, her arms fell to her sides and she plopped her butt on the sand. Still holding the phone, she brought the heels of her palms to her eyes and rocked.
He was halfway down the beach before he realized what he was doing and stopped. She hadn’t come out here for comfort or company. She’d come out to be alone. Obviously something had her in tears. Tears in general he could handle. Faith in tears? Probably not.
And he was the last person who could make someone feel better. He’d proven that over and over again.
Backtracking, although he really wanted to move forward, he made his way to the guesthouse to leave her to it.
* * *
“What can I get you to drink?”
Faith looked at the glasses of champagne Mia and Lacey held, and then up at the spa attendant. Should she ask for water? Would it be rude to refuse a drink? She never indulged in alcohol, not even wine. But as long as she didn’t do it in excess, one glass wouldn’t hurt.
“Whatever they have is fine. Thank you.”
“So.” Lacey leaned back in her pedicure chair. “Alec wants to get everyone together for a night out.”
Mia wiggled her toes in the footbath. “What’s he have in mind?”
“Clubbing or dinner was mentioned. What do you think?”
Faith didn’t realize Lacey was talking to her until no one answered. “Oh. Sure. I can watch Ginny for you while you guys go out.”
Lacey laughed. “We meant for you to join us.”
Her chest swelled a little at the offer, but . . . “Oh, well . . . I’m not sure.”
Alec was a bigwig author from New York, used to brushing elbows with the rich and famous. Clubbing was probably a nightly thing for him. Lacey and Cole were upper-crust elite. Martinis and caviar kind of people. Mia, though from an impoverished childhood, had settled into her new, comfortable life here. But Faith would never fit in.
“Faith’s got a point. We’d have no one to watch Ginny.”
Lacey mulled that over. “Would Bea do it? Ginny knows her.”
Faith didn’t know how long the Covingtons had employed Bea as their housekeeper, but Ginny did seem very comfortable with the young woman. She was also a hard worker and very responsible.
Mia tipped her head to the side. “Perhaps. I’d hate to ask her to stay after she’s worked all day. Plus, if Cole and I are going to take that trip, I don’t want to upset Ginny by leaving her with a sitter, even for just a few hours.”
“I’ll stay with Ginny,” Faith said again, hoping they’d take her up on the offer.
“No, no.” Lacey took a sip of champagne. “You have to come. We’ll just have to do something Ginny can participate in.”
The attendants came back and towel-dried their feet. Awkwardness caused Faith to squirm in her seat. She had never had a pedicure before. Seemed like a waste of money. But then the attendant started rubbing lotion into her feet, massaging her soles, and she had to bite back a moan. Okay, this wasn’t so bad.
“We could do the pier,” Mia suggested.
“Good idea. They have games and the Ferris wheel.” Lacey pulled her phone out of her purse. “What’s your number, Faith?”
Faith rattled it off.
Moments later a text chimed. Faith dug her cell out of her pocket, seeing that Lacey had added her to a chat with Mia, Cole, Jake, and Alec.
Lacey: How’s the pier for next Friday sound? We can bring Ginny.
Jake: Works for me.
Cole: Sure. Mia? This okay?
Mia: Yes. I expect popcorn and prizes.
Jake: lol
Alec: I’m in, too. Faith, you comin’?
She knew she was wearing a stupid grin, but couldn’t help it. They wanted her to join them. Were including her. Alec specifically called her out. Plus, the pier was something she could do without feeling like the oddball. She thumbed out a response.
I’ll be there.
Lacey: Good. It’s settled. 7? Hey, Jake. I’m getting my toenails painted a naughty shade of red.
Alec: And on that note, I’m out. Bye.
Mia laughed from the next seat. “What color are you getting, Faith?”
“I don’t know.” A “naughty shade of red” didn’t suit her personality. Was nail polish supposed to match your personality? She glanced at the selections in the tray. There was a light iridescent blue that drew her. “This one.”
“I like that color.” Mia peeked at Lacey, who was still texting away. Her gaze settled back on Faith. “It took me a while to get used to all this, too,” she whispered. “I grew up wondering what Ginny and I were going to eat from one day to the next. But Cole and Lacey aren’t the flaunt-their-money type. They both donate to charity. And Alec and Jake came from a blue-collar family. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around us.”
These people had barely known her a week and had already accepted her into their group. Meanwhile, her parents hadn’t initiated a conversation once. Faith took a sip of champagne to clear the lump in her throat. The bubbles tickled going down and caused a warmth in her belly.
“Thanks, Mia.”
Her cell chimed. Seeing Alec’s name on her phone shouldn’t make her heart pound and her stomach flutter. Yet it did.
Alec: What color polish are you getting?
She laughed at the absurd question and typed out her response.
Blue.
Alec: Like your ocean. Catch you tomorrow.
She bit the inside of her cheek. Her ocean. What did he mean by that?
“Is there something going on between you and Alec?”
Faith’s head whipped up to find Mia staring at her, amusement crinkling her eyes.
“With Alec? No.”
“Uh-huh. That’s why you’re smiling?”
Was she? Oh boy. “I’ve been trying to help him with his writer’s block. That’s all.”
The acrid scent of polish filled her nose as the attendant began painting her nails. The color was nearly sheer, hinting at a bluish color rather than throwing it in her face. She liked the look it gave her feet when she moved, the way it caught the light.
“You know it would be okay if something was going on with Alec. He’s pretty sexy, if you ask me. A nice guy, too.”
As if Alec Winston, a bestselling author who was too handsome for his own good, would be interested in her. Even if the sky fell and it were to happen, how could that possibly last? He’d be going back to New York in a couple months.
Faith shook her head. Why was she even thinking like this?
Lacey put her phone away and examined her feet. “Cute.” She swiveled to face Faith. “You ready for that haircut?”
By the time Faith settled into bed that night with a book and a cup of steaming chamomile, she had a slightly shorter haircut with layers, toenail polish she couldn’t stop admiring the look of, and five new contacts in her phone.
And plans for Friday night.
chapter
seven
Alec gave it three days, but not one syllable had been added to his book. He was going loonier than the characters he wrote about. Or used to write about. He’d held off visiting Faith so far, not wanting to delve into her being the reason why he got that one and only paragraph out in the first place.
But it was because of her. She’d done . . . something to get the words to click in his brain again, even if for just a short time.
And he liked her. Awkward, reserved, quiet Faith. She wasn’t anything like his typical girlfriends, or anything like anyone he knew. She didn’t swoon over him or demand his time. It was oddly refreshing. Perhaps that explained his interest—his curiosity mixed with the puzzle of her. The creative side of him would be drawn to someone like Faith, if for no other reason than to figure her out.