Free All of Me by Kelly Moran

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.