“Yeah!”
Faith patted her hand. “Okay, but we have to finish your math when we get back.”
Ginny arranged some cookies on a paper plate and Faith covered it with plastic wrap. They went out the front door so they didn’t drag any sand in with them upon returning and made the trek through the grove.
Nerves fluttered in Faith’s belly at the thought of seeing him again. It was silly. Childish. Their conversation yesterday ran through her head, including his confusion about why she was upset over Mia’s theory of something going on between them.
Faith wasn’t immune to passion. She wasn’t a virgin, either, but she didn’t have the experience that Alec would no doubt be used to in women. Her only true familiarity with actual sex had been with a classmate in college. They’d been in the same study group and he’d asked her out during one late-night session. After a month, she’d just wanted the deed over with, and had let him do his thing. It had hurt. A lot. They’d done it a handful of times after that, but the guy had been unnerved by taking her virginity and broken up with her a few weeks later. At the time, she’d been too relieved to care. Not knowing what to do with her hands or how to turn him on had caused her brain to go into overload and prevented her from enjoying the act. She’d had a few boyfriends since, a few close calls and heavy petting. Nothing long term, and nothing that lit a fire deep within.
Nothing like what Alec Winston was beginning to make her feel. Just thinking about him made her face heat and her stomach clench with want. He was so, so far out of her league. If they were to cross that line as more than acquaintances, he’d be disappointed in her lack of skill, perhaps even pity her. Just like all the others. She’d gone her whole twenty-seven years without a broken heart. No sense in opening herself to one now.
Nothing would happen between them. It was dangerous to think like this. She knew better than to even daydream. Almost from birth she’d known her place in life. She didn’t invoke fire and passion and fantasies. She didn’t even invoke much interest as a friend. Or daughter.
Ginny knocked on Alec’s door and Faith took an uneven breath to calm down, pulling herself from her dreary thoughts.
The door swung wide to show Alec standing before her in a fitted black tee and plaid boxer shorts. His black hair stood up at odd angles, as if he’d fisted his hands in the strands. Redness rimmed his eyes, indicating he hadn’t slept. Confusion marred his brow until he lifted a finger and pointed at Faith. “You!” He grabbed her wrist and tugged her inside. “Take a look at this.”
He dragged her over to the coffee table and pressed on her shoulder until she dropped on the couch. Gesturing to the laptop, he said, “Eighty-five pages. That’s roughly twenty-two thousand words. All thanks to you.”
He’d started writing again. Her heartbeat tripped behind her ribs. Congratulations was on the tip of her tongue, but Ginny made a noise from the doorway and distracted her.
Ginny’s round eyes looked back and forth between them. Finally, her gaze landed on Alec. “Are you mad?”
“No.” His gentle voice contradicted the energy emanating off him. “No, Ginny. I’m not mad at all. I’m just a little excited. I’m—are those cookies?”
Ginny seemed hesitant, but passed him the plate. “You didn’t get any.”
“You are my favorite person.” He made a show of biting into a cookie and moaning. “Best cookies I ever had.”
Ginny beamed and clapped her hands. “Yay. Faith! Faith! He likes them.”
In the span of five seconds, Alec had Faith’s utmost respect and deep appreciation. Tears welled in her eyes. How a person treated the mentally handicapped, animals, and elderly said a lot about their character. Alec not only soothed Ginny, he complimented her and distracted her from why she’d grown upset. Above all, it clearly came naturally to him.
Faith bit her tongue and blinked rapidly so she didn’t embarrass herself. “I told you he’d like them.”
“I don’t like them. I love them.”
Oh boy. Time to go before she melted into a puddle at his feet. “Come on, Ginny. Back to math.”
Ginny pouted and waved good-bye.
Alec’s gaze followed Faith, his mouth twisting mid-chew. “Thanks, Faith. I mean it.”
She nodded because she didn’t think she could talk.
When they made their way back into the Covington house, Cole was leaning against the kitchen counter, reading a stack of papers and eating a cookie. “Don’t tell Mia.” He saluted them with the last bite and shoved it in his mouth.
Mia chose that moment to come downstairs. “Don’t tell me what? That you’re eating cookies again?”
Cole frowned. “But they’re good.”
Ginny giggled.
Faith sat at the table and waited for them to finish chatting before refocusing Ginny on her lesson. Mia had Cole on a high-protein diet, rich with fruits and vegetables, because of his injuries from when he was in the military. Cole abided by the diet, most of the time, and his leg cramps from his thigh wound were better for it. Mia also made him work out in the home gym every morning.
Faith watched them together, this mismatched family who loved each other so much. Cole was always touching Mia, smiling at Ginny. Mia put her sister above everything else, but never let a day go by without letting Cole know he was her true love, whether through words or subtle actions. They laughed and smiled and spent time together. Touched, hugged, and kissed.
Longing pulled at her chest. She wanted just a piece of that for a day. An hour, even. Some days she missed Hope so much it hurt.
Mia snatched a cookie out of Cole’s hand. “Have you thought about the trip, Ginny? How do you feel about us leaving for just a little while?”
Cole and Mia were supposed to be flying out on Monday, yet the contingency plan was to take Ginny along if she still appeared uncertain.
Ginny shrugged, her posture relaxed. “Okay.”
“Really, pretty girl? Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Mia patted her chest and sighed. She pulled Ginny in for a hug. “I’m so proud of you. You’ll have so much fun while we’re gone, you won’t even miss us.”
“Can I have a party?”
Cole laughed and covered it with a cough. “A party, huh? What kind of party?”
“A slumber party.” Ginny nodded emphatically. “With Lacey and Faith. Can I?”
Mia grinned. “Great idea. How about you and I make supersecret invitations this afternoon?”
chapter
eight
Alec parked the car next to Cole’s in the pier’s lot and turned to Faith. “You’re going to love this. Jake and I used to come down here as kids. Ready?”
“Yes.” Her stomach twisted and coiled, from excitement or nerves, she wasn’t sure.
Ginny bounced in the backseat. “I’m ready.”
Faith laughed. “Come on, then. Just stay close, sweetie. It looks like it’s pretty crowded.”
They exited the car and several scents accosted her at once. The salt from the ocean. Popcorn. Grilling meat. Roasted corn. Rain-drenched grass.
Ginny came up beside her and stared. “It’s so cool!”
It was pretty awesome. Against the fading sun, three massive piers jutted out over the ocean. The one on the left held a twenty-story-tall Ferris wheel. Food vendors lined both sides of the one in the center, and the one to the right had carnival games inside small tents. The beach in front of the piers was crowded with people sitting in the sand or at picnic tables. A DJ played music from a stage behind the dunes.
She looked at Alec only to find him staring at her feet. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.