“Well, that settles it. You like my eyes, you don’t understand me, and you kiss me with deep regret. We must get married at once.” Lord, what had gotten into her?
He stilled a split second before he laughed. Long and deep and jagged.
Wow. She could listen to that all day. He obviously didn’t do it nearly enough because the sound was rusty in the quiet kitchen.
She waited a few beats for her pulse to level out. “Now that you’re feeling better, what really had you knocking on the door?” She rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm.
It was as slow as the sunrise, but it eventually came: heat replaced the humor previously in his eyes. “You make me want to kiss you again. Really kiss you, not like the half-assed one the other night. A knock-you-off-your-feet kind of kiss.”
Only a writer . . .
God, fire roared through her veins just thinking about it, though. No one had ever spoken to her like that before.
“Since you didn’t enjoy it the first time—”
“I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy it.” He ran a hand through his hair. Shook his head. “I went to see my folks today. My dad has a special talent for making me feel like shit, even though he doesn’t mean to. That’s what’s bothering me.”
Parental issues. To this she could relate. “That’s too bad. It’s probably his own insecurity showing.”
“If it’s one thing my dad isn’t, it’s insecure. He just doesn’t think before he speaks. He lacks the tact gene.”
Faith decided to change the subject. “Are you still doing well on the book? You had gotten pretty far—”
“No. I stalled.”
And there it was. The real reason he was here. It had nothing to do with kissing her or the visit with his parents. Those things were temporary, irritating distractions to someone like him. Alec saw her as some kind of fix for his writer’s block. It was the only thing of real interest he saw in her. She should’ve known better.
She nodded and rose. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Faith printed off a form in Cole’s office and collected Ginny from the living room. She sat both Ginny and Alec at the kitchen table and handed Alec a pencil. She slid the book Ginny had just finished toward the waiting teenager.
“Ginny, Alec’s going to help you do your book report. Take all the time you need.” To Alec, she said, “Don’t take off if you get an idea. Let me know you’re leaving first.”
Faith didn’t look at Alec again when she left the room, because she was pretty sure the tears welling would spill if she did. Instead, she walked up the stairs to collect Ginny’s math book for later and allow a minute to collect herself.
chapter
ten
“I thought maybe we could go over some wedding ideas.” Lacey’s eyes were rounded in excitement, and she clutched several bridal magazines to her chest.
Ginny bounced on her feet. “Can we? Can we?”
“Sure.” Faith let Lacey inside the front door and followed them into the living room.
She’d gone the whole of her life never being asked her opinion or advice, and now it seemed everyone wanted a piece of her. Part of her was grateful to be included. The other part warned how temporary this place and these people were. Eventually Ginny wouldn’t need a tutor and Faith would have to move on. The rest of them would remain close, as friends or family, but Faith was just a momentary person.
“I tagged some bridesmaid dresses. You can tell me what color you like, Ginny.”
“I’ll leave you guys alone for a bit.”
“No, stay. I want your opinion, too. Please,” Lacey urged when Faith hesitated.
“Shouldn’t you be doing this with Mia? Maybe you should wait until she gets back.” After all, they were sisters-in-law and friends. What did Faith know about this stuff?
“Oh, there’s plenty to do. But August will be here soon, and the dresses take the longest to order.”
“Okay,” she sighed, sitting on the couch next to her. Ginny flanked her other side.
For the next two hours, they went over colors and styles. Lacey decided to let Ginny and Mia pick out their own instead of going with matching dresses. Faith liked that idea, allowing them their own individuality.
Lacey wasn’t who Faith had expected. With the money and power the Covingtons had, Faith had anticipated a royal snob who ordered her minions around, like her former students and their families at St. Ambrose. Lacey wasn’t like that at all. She was warm and kind and funny in a subdued sort of way. She seemed to just be coming out of her shell after being under her mother’s thumb all those years, and just starting to figure out who she was as a person. Faith could relate to her random insecurities. In a way, they had a lot in common.
After going over tuxedo options—and Faith imagining how good Alec would look in one—Faith stood. Bea was off this week with Mia and Cole out of town, so she needed to get lunch started.
“Would you like to stay for lunch?”
“Oh, I can’t. I have to meet with the caterer while Jake takes his lunch break. Maybe some other time. We can go shopping?”
“Sure. I’d like that,” Faith said, surprised she meant it.
Lacey turned to Ginny with a smile. “I’ll see you for our sleepover party tomorrow night.”
“Yeah!”
When Lacey left, Faith made some quick sandwiches and a salad for her and Ginny, but after lunch the girl was restless and bursting with energy. Faith was just about crawling out of her skin, too. She couldn’t pinpoint just what was wrong, except that Alec hadn’t been over in two days. The book report must’ve helped.
She smiled, pride welling inside that she’d been able to help him work through it. The lack of productivity had obviously bothered him.
Rubbing her forehead, she watched Ginny squirm in her seat and doing anything but her math problems. Math wasn’t Faith’s favorite, either.
“You know what, Ginny girl? Let’s quit for today.”
“Yeah!”
Faith grinned and closed the workbook with a snap. “Come on. Let’s go work the ants out.” She laughed at Ginny’s confusion. “Figure of speech. It’ll be fun. I promise.”
They headed into the living room where they went through the CD collection by the stereo. Ginny picked out a dance mix, which Faith set in the tray. A booming pop song mixed with a retro beat filled the room. Not her first choice, but Ginny loved it.
“Now what?” Ginny said.
“Now we dance.”
Since no one else was around to hear them, Faith turned the music to blasting and grabbed the girl’s hands. Ginny laughed and threw her head back, spinning and swaying. Faith picked up Ginny’s crazy rhythm and followed along.
* * *
Alec hadn’t slept more than four hours in two days, but hell if he’d ever felt better in his life. The words flowed. Chapter after chapter. Through the night, bleeding into the day. He was back. Sanity maintained.
Leaning back in his chair, he grinned and scrubbed his hands over his face. He should keep going, in case he lost this tangible thread, but his stomach rumbled and he was pretty sure he smelled.
He threw a frozen pizza into the oven and went to shower while it baked. Thoughts scrambled for purchase in his head as he stood under the spray. Plots morphed and characters screamed. Grabbing a bar of soap, the manuscript played out in his head until the end while he lathered.
The book was not coming out exactly how he’d first charted it in his timeline. Instead, the female lead was quickly becoming the heroine. The Nightmare demon had kidnapped her, and her brother searched in vain, losing a bit of his own self along the way. But it was the girl who broke free and escaped, using her own hidden strength and wit. Alec was about halfway through the manuscript, about to reach the peak where everything crumbled to shit and Nightmare grew fierce with fury. This part of writing a book was always a rush like no other. The exact moment when he knew conflict collided with action and the reader would be glued to the page, hanging on to every word.