All of Me (3 page)

Turning from the window, she climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. Her first trip to the beach, something she’d always dreamed about but never accomplished before now, and Alec Winston left an imprint tied within her memory.

Faith hadn’t yet decided if that was a bad thing.

“We’re not leaving for a couple weeks.”

Faith watched Ginny closely, looking for any signs the sixteen-year-old was upset with what Mia had just told her. She didn’t find any. Ginny continued to color her picture of flowers, concentrating on what was in front of her.

Mia exchanged a look with Faith from across the kitchen table, her eyes concerned.

Faith gently stilled Ginny’s hand with her own. “How do you feel about Cole and Mia going on a little trip?”

Instead of answering, Ginny asked a question of her own. “What’s a honeymoon?”

Mia smiled and ran her fingers through her short black hair before answering. “When two people get married, they take a vacation together afterward, so they can get closer. That’s called a honeymoon.”

Ginny mulled that over and tapped her chin with a finger. “But you’re already married.”

“Yes,” Mia hedged. “There was a lot going on after the wedding six months ago, though. We had just moved here, remember? Things are settled down now, so we’d like to take that trip.”

“I can’t come?” The question was asked matter-of-factly and without sadness, apparently a distracted thought, because she’d already gone back to coloring.

“Not this time, pretty girl. But I won’t go if you’re scared or worried. Talk to me.”

Faith rested her chin in her palm. Mia used that phrase a lot with Ginny.
Talk to me.
It allowed for open communication between them and worked very well in getting Ginny to relay her feelings.

“How long will you move away?”

Mia reached for Ginny’s hands. “I’m not moving away. Never. I’ll be back in just under two weeks. We can talk by phone every day.”

“No.” Ginny slapped the table. “How long will you move away?” Her voice rose in frustration and Faith realized what Ginny was trying to say.

“Do you mean how far are they traveling?”

Ginny nodded, anger deflating.

“They’re going to Cozumel, which is in Mexico. To fly there by plane, it takes about two hours. So she won’t be very far away at all.”

“And,” Mia added quickly, “you get to stay at Lacey and Jake’s house. Won’t that be fun?”

“I want to stay here.” Her voice had an edge of hysteria that Faith knew preceded a tantrum.

“That’s okay, Ginny.” Faith kept her voice cool and calm. “You can stay here with me. Or maybe Jake and Lacey could stay here for those two weeks. We can ask them at lunch today. Would you like that?”

Ginny nodded and picked up her crayon again, clearly done with this conversation.

Mia blew out a silent breath and tilted her head toward the dining room.

Faith nodded and followed her out of the room.

The Covingtons’ maid, Bea, was busy setting the table for guests when they walked in. Chicken salad, croissants, and fresh fruit were laid out, along with a pitcher of sweet tea. White china and crystal glasses of water reflected the sunlight streaming through the window.

“This is ready, Miss Mia.” Bea wiped her hands on an apron.

Mia nodded. “It looks delicious, Bea. Have you eaten?”

“No, ma’am. I’ll wait until your company leaves.”

Mia waved her hand. “Don’t be silly. Everything’s set out. You go relax for a while.”

Bea hesitated, a wrinkle creasing the dark cocoa skin of her forehead. After a few moments, she swiped a hand over her tight bun, nodded, and stepped out.

“She’s still a little frightened of Cole,” Mia said. “He tries so hard to put her at ease, too.”

That was the odd thing about the Covingtons. They didn’t treat their staff like staff. They never barked orders or pretended they were invisible. At St. Ambrose, the students came from affluent backgrounds and knew it. As a teacher, Faith had often been demeaned and dismissed as if not important. In the two days since she’d arrived, Mia and Cole had insisted she eat with them and spoken to her as if she were their friend, not an employee. It made it hard to understand the boundaries.

“Maybe we should put off the trip,” Mia mused, interrupting Faith’s thoughts.

“What’s this?” Cole strode in the room wearing faded jeans and a white button-down shirt. He still had a trace of a limp from the injuries he’d endured overseas, but one had to look closely to notice. The long, purplish scar on his neck, however, was blatant. He wrapped his arm around Mia’s
waist and kissed her briefly on the mouth. “You want to postpone the honeymoon again?”

There was no animosity in his tone, just humor. They were a cute couple. Affection shone in their eyes, and whenever Cole looked at Mia, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. Faith wondered if it had anything to do with how long it took them to get back together. She’d read Cole’s memoir, every captivating, painful word, and she felt like she knew these two on a level too personal for comfort.

Mia brushed a strand of Cole’s blond hair from his forehead. “Ginny’s upset about us leaving.”

“I’d rather have you alone, but we can take her with us. Family vacation?”

Mia looked unsure, her gaze traveling over Cole’s shoulder and around the room. “We haven’t had any time to ourselves, but I also don’t want to leave if she’s worried. There hasn’t been any stability in her life—”

“Stop it. She had you.” Cole turned his brown eyes to Faith. “What do you think?”

They also asked her opinion a lot, which was both humbling and flattering. “You don’t leave for two more weeks. It’ll give her some time to get used to the idea. I would just keep reminding her that you’ll be back. Perhaps have Jake and Lacey spend a little more time with her to get her used to the transition.”

Cole nodded. “If that doesn’t work, we’ll take Ginny with us.”

Faith opened and closed her mouth, hoping she hid her surprise. It took a special kind of person to be willing to take his wife’s disabled sister with them on a honeymoon. For the first time since accepting the job offer, Faith knew it was the right choice.

*   *   *

Alec followed Lacey and Jake into Cole’s house and whistled through his teeth. “Nice digs, Cole.” He hadn’t been inside the house in years, not since John and Kathryn Covington
owned the place, but it looked different now. Instead of expensive paintings by famous artists and deco wallpaper, there were rich blue-gray walls and family portraits.

“Alec Winston.” Cole shook his hand. “Been a long time. How’s the new book coming?”

“It’s coming.” Not at all, but it would. Hopefully before his publisher threatened to sue.

Jake snorted. “He has writer’s block.”

Cole’s eyebrows shot up. “For how long?”

Alec narrowed his eyes on his brother before turning back to Cole. “A while. I’ll work through it.”

“It’s been a year.” Jake shrugged when Alec shot him another glare. “Cole’s an agent. He’d understand. Maybe he can help.”

Further awkward conversation was avoided when Mia strolled in. Jesus, her blue eyes were still one of the most intense things Alec ever had the pleasure of seeing. Last he’d seen her, her black hair had trailed down her back. She’d cropped it all off since then.

“Look at you, all grown up.” She smiled and drew him in for a hug. “And you finally grew into your shoes.”

“Har, har.” Yeah, he wasn’t so gangly anymore. He released her and stepped back. “You are as lovely as ever.”

“Aw. Still know all the right words.”

They’d never had a romantic history. Mia had only ever had eyes for Cole, and Alec had only ever wanted to live in the fantasy inside his make-believe stories, but they’d had some good summers long ago.

Jake snorted again at Mia’s comment, insinuating he didn’t, in fact, currently have the right words due to his writer’s block.

Alec pinned his brother with a shut-up-or-die glare.

“Let’s have some lunch and you can tell me about your problem.” Cole gestured deeper into the house.

Alec glanced heavenward and followed them into the dining room. Faith was standing next to the table where Ginny
was seated. In daylight, her reddish-brown hair was lighter than he’d first estimated. The thick waves brushed her delicate shoulders. Today she wore khaki capris and a fitted green blouse of some kind with little ruffles on the capped sleeves. Why he noticed that, he didn’t know. A scattering of pale freckles dusted her nose and cheeks, indiscernible had she not been standing in the sunlight.

“Faith, this is Alec, Lacey, and Jake.” Mia smiled and directed her gaze from Faith to her sister. “Ginny, do you remember Alec?”

He didn’t see how she could. She must’ve been in kindergarten last they’d crossed paths. Yet the girl nodded and grinned from ear to ear. Her droopy eyes and low ears, the typical characteristics of Down syndrome, were a telltale sign of her disability, but she had sparks of Mia in her, too. Dark hair and a pretty smile.

“Ginny has an excellent memory,” Mia informed, pride resonating in her tone.

“You write scary stories.” Ginny’s speech slurred slightly and was louder than necessary.

“And how would you know that?” he teased. It was safe to assume horror fiction wasn’t something Mia let her dabble in, even if she could comprehend the story.

“Mia has all your books. She reads with the lights on because they’re scary and it’s not so scary with the lights on but I don’t think the dark is scary.” Compound sentence complete, Ginny nodded. She was an adorable charmer.

He grinned. “Well, I guess I’m doing my job if she needs to leave the lights on, but good for you for not being afraid of the dark. Everything’s still the same, even with the lights out. Right?”

“Right.”

“I’ll let you get on with your lunch.” Faith smiled at Ginny. “We’ll do your paint by numbers after you’re through.”

It didn’t escape Alec’s attention that Faith had yet to look
him in the eye. He still didn’t know her eye color, and for some unforeseeable reason, that bugged him. As she turned to leave, he had the oddest urge to grab her arm to stop her, probably because that voice still had his interest piqued. In the end, he didn’t have to.

Mia took a step forward. “Where are you going?”

Clearly confused, Faith pointed vaguely toward the kitchen. “You have company . . .”

Her words hung in the air until Mia and Lacey shared a brief look. Mia turned back toward Faith. “Please stay. You’re our guest, too.”

Faith flinched. Literally flinched. As if the concept of being wanted was foreign. She obviously thought she was intruding. Her mannerisms made him think of a wallflower desperate to blend into the background. He’d bet, if she had one, she even apologized to her personal journal.

Dear Diary, I’m sorry to bother you . . .

“If you’re sure,” she said.

Uncomfortable topic out of the way, they sat down and passed the platters around. Once they had a few bites down, Jake leaned around Lacey to address Faith.

“Where are you from, Faith?”

She paused mid-chew, her gaze never leaving her plate. Slowly, she swallowed and darted a glance in his brother’s direction. “I’m from the Charlotte area.”

“Do you have a big family?”

Alec knew his brother was just trying to break the ice, but he was only making the room arctic in the process.

Faith squirmed in her seat. “It’s just me and my parents. They’re retired.”

“So, Mia. You’ve read all my books?” Alec wasn’t trying to be an egotistical ass, but Faith needed saving. He’d wonder why later.

“Guilty. They scare the bejesus out of me, but I can’t put them down.”

Lacey laughed. “Have you seen the movies? I about died watching that last one. What was it called?” She turned to Jake for assistance.

“
Thread of Fear
,” Jake supplied. “I still have the claw marks on my arms from her fingernails. Mia can go to the theater with her next time. I’m out.”

“Oh no.” Mia shook her head. “The books are enough for me, thank you.”

Alec could feel his head expanding with the praise. Adoring public aside, it mattered what these people thought because they were connected to his roots. His beginnings. “What about you, Faith?”

“I’ve never seen your movies.”

Head successfully deflated.

Ginny bounced in her seat. “Can I watch one?”

Cole laughed. “Not a good idea, darlin’.” He tossed his napkin on the table. “So, Alec. Writer’s block?”

Alec groaned. “Yeah, it’s been an issue.”

“Oh no.” Mia turned in her seat. “You’re not writing?”

He could kill Jake with his bare hands. Maybe he’d off him in his next book. If he wrote a next book. “All authors get it from time to time. Nothing to worry about.”

Cole braced his elbows on the table. “What’s your agent say?”

“I fired him two months ago.” Alec didn’t know why he was telling them this, but it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t hear about it.

Jake waved his hand. “There you go, Cole. Another client. My brother here needs an agent.”

Cole shook his head. “I don’t really handle horror. Mostly mysteries and memoirs, but if you have something, I can take a look.”

That would be the problem, wouldn’t it? He didn’t have a damn thing. “I’ll let you know.”

“Can I excuse Faith?” Ginny asked.

For the first time since he’d walked in the door, Faith
grinned. It transformed her whole face from soft and frail to approachable. Sweet. “I think you mean may Faith and I be excused.”

Ginny nodded. “Yes.” She turned to Mia. “Can we?”

“Sure, pretty girl. I’ll come check on you in a while.”

Ginny pushed back from the table and rushed into the kitchen.

Faith stood. “She’s excited. Art’s her favorite subject.” Hesitantly, she turned toward Alec but didn’t meet his eye. “It was nice to meet all of you.”

Lacey stood. “I’ll come with you. I’m an . . . artist,” she added. “I’d like to hang out with you two, if that’s okay?”

Faith looked at Mia, who nodded.

“Lacey’s very good. She painted those acrylics of the ocean in the guesthouse.”

Alec wondered if she did the ones in his guesthouse, too. If so, she did have serious talent. Jake wasn’t kidding.

“Really?” Faith’s eyes widened, but damn it, he still couldn’t see their color while she was only offering her profile. “They’re beautiful. I’m a terrible artist. I have Ginny doing paint by numbers because it helps her recognize numbers, too, but I’m really bad with art projects. It would be great if you could offer ideas.”