Free Moment of Weakness (Embracing Moments Book 1) by Katie Fox Page B

matched the color of my skirt. Pulling out my hair tie, I allowed my waves to fall against my shoulders and down my back.
    “Gosh, I wish I had hair like yours.”
    I turned around to find Lacey tugging at her bright red curls in the mirror.
    “Why? Your hair is gorgeous, Lace. Guys go crazy for women with natural red hair.”
    A dry laugh parted her lips as her brows shot up her forehead. “Please, half the time I’m walking around like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket. I mean, hello!” She gestured toward her hair, and her lips twisted in disgust. “I look like the ugly spawn of Merida from Brave and Simba from The Lion King! ”
    I chewed on my cheek, trying to hide my grin. “No, you don’t, Lace.” I felt bad for her, but I didn’t know what else to say because she had a point. Not that she looked like a messed-up spawn of two animated Disney characters, but I never needed to fuss with my hair. It always seemed to fall into place with little effort on my part.
    Once we finished changing, we walked out of the changing room and into the studio. The first thing I noticed was Roman standing outside the window looking in. As soon as my eyes found his, he looked away. Lacey wanted to refill her water bottle before leaving, and I figured that was a good idea.
    “Who is that guy? He’s still here, and he’s staring at you. God, he’s hot! I wonder what he looks like without his shirt on. I bet he has a chest that screams, Lick me, Lick me now! ”
    She ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “Lace!” I gasped, smacking her in the arm. “His name is Roman. And I can assure you there will be no licking. He’s my personal security detail for the summer.”
    Lacey’s red brows blended in with her hairline and wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she gaped at me. “Nuh-uh! You’re kidding, right? Does Robby know?”
    “Robby and I broke up,” I told her, twisting the lid back on my water bottle. I swallowed and turned my attention back to Roman, who was staring at me. The words came out with little effort now. “He was having an affair with Megan.”
    She frowned. “What a douche. I’m sorry, Jules. I didn’t know. Are you okay?”
    “Yeah,” I said, but she didn’t look convinced. “I’m okay. We never saw each other. It wouldn’t have worked out anyway.”
    And that was a fact.
    Even if Robby wasn’t having an affair and we went to Europe, I would have never allowed myself to get close to him. There was only so much space left in my heart, and that space belonged to my father and Theo. It was the only part of my heart I had left, and I refused to trust anyone else with it. I knew if something happened to my father or Theo, it would crush me, but I refused to allow somebody else to have that power over me. It was safer this way.
    We swung our bags over our shoulders, and I followed behind Lacey as she walked out the front door of the studio. Theo already had the car pulled out front and Roman was leaning against it, waiting for me. Lacey looked around the parking lot, her hand perched over her eyes, shielding them from the bright sun.
    “Do you need a ride, Lace?” I questioned. I knew she had her own car, but from what I could see, it wasn’t in the parking lot.
    “No, my cousin, Shane, is on his way. He’s visiting for the summer. My car’s in the garage for the next few days, and he offered to pick me up.”
    I was getting ready to say goodbye and give her a hug when a silver Porsche 911 turbo pulled in next to the Cadillac. The driver, who I assumed was Shane, looked to be our age. He hopped out and jogged toward us.
    “I’m so sorry, Lace,” he said, grabbing her bag and mat from her hands. “I had to get gas.”
    “It’s okay. Perfect timing. I want to introduce you to Julia.” Lacey turned toward me.
    “Aunt Shelly’s wardrobe Julia?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. The blood drained from my face, and the tips of my ears felt like they were on fire. The memory