The email she’d received from her mom earlier in the morning wasn’t helping her mood either. Her eyes flicked to the closed laptop sitting on the kitchen table as if afraid her mother’s pleading voice might echo through it at any second. She’d gone on and on about Thanksgiving. For some reason, her mom thought ‘all the drama’ would take a time out for the holidays.
“We were so disappointed not to have you here for Thanksgiving. We kept hoping you’d show up and surprise us.”
I mean really, Mom? Frustration radiated from Sam in waves. Deep down, she wasn’t mad at anyone but herself. She’d pushed the one person away who’d made her feel something for the first time in years.
She’d done her best to avoid any sort of relationship since losing Tyler, she hadn’t wanted one, but she was losing control when it came to Spencer. She was desperate to talk to him. She missed his easy laugh and she couldn’t get their kiss from months ago out of her mind.
Sam paced across the kitchen with bare feet, the tapping on the hardwood floor the only sound. Maybe she could find a way to run into him. Then she could talk to him just to see how he was doing. Maybe it would be enough to put her mind at ease. After all, he’d been a good friend over the last few months. It was natural to want to see him.
She grabbed her keys, purse, stepped into some shoes, and headed for the door. Enough was enough. No more sitting around and waiting.
Spencer rubbed a hand over his bristled face. God, he was miserable. He thought he could use work to get her out of his mind, but it hadn’t worked.
“You awake over there?” Jake ran his paintbrush along the wall near the trim. “That wall isn’t going to paint itself.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Spencer turned and dipped his roller into the light blue paint.
“Why don’t you just call her?”
Spencer glanced behind him. Jake was leaning against the ladder with his arms crossed, studying him.
“Do you want my help or not?” Spencer debated on whether or not to roll paint down his brother’s face, but fear of Ann’s wrath held him back. Jake shook his head and returned his attention to his own wall.
Even when he tried to keep himself busy by helping Jake with the nursery, Sam worked her way into the conversation. He was still pissed he’d missed the chance to see her at the church the previous weekend. Jake and Ann had spent the whole afternoon with her and he couldn’t help but feel they were rubbing it in every chance they had.
Then there had been the trip to Florida. Visiting with his mom had been great until she started asking him about the old house. Sam was everywhere now. She seemed to have touched every part of his life in just a few short months. He could barely remember his life before her.
He needed a plan. He needed a way to see her which wouldn’t look as if he were trying to check up on her. He told her he would stay away and he had, but he’d always secretly hoped she would miss him and want to seek him out.
It was time to call in reinforcements. Maybe Ann could have them both over for dinner. He’d just stop off in the kitchen and run the plan by her. It was about time for a break anyway.
“Hey, I’ll be right back.”
Jake waved a hand without sparing him a look and continued to bob to the music playing through his headphones.
As Spencer rounded the corner of the living room he heard voices in the kitchen. He would just have to get rid of whoever was visiting. He raised an arm to push open the door to the kitchen and then stopped in mid-motion.
“Ann, I need some advice. I hope it’s okay that I dropped in like this.” He could hear Sam’s muffled voice through the door.
“It’s no problem. I’m glad you stopped by. Here, let’s have a seat at the kitchen table.” There were footsteps and then the sound of chairs scraping across the floor. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m a bit of a disaster.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t say that.” Ann said.
“Remember how I told you I was worried Spencer was mad at me because I wasn’t ready for a relationship?”
“Yes, I remember. Did you change your mind?”
Spencer’s heart raced, but he couldn’t betray her trust again, not after the photo album incident. She wouldn’t forgive him twice. With his conscience weighing heavily on his mind, he walked through the door without giving himself time to hear Sam’s answer.
“Hey, Ann, we were wondering— Oh hey, Sam. I didn’t realize you were here,” Spencer passed through the revolving door hoping he sounded convincing.
“Hey. I was just visiting with Ann,” Sam replied, but not before her face turned red.
“You know, girl stuff,” Ann winked. “What did you need, Spencer?”
“Nothing. It’s not important.” He stalled while he tried to think of something. “We were just wondering if you had any sweet tea made up.”
“I could probably handle that.” Ann got up and made her way to the refrigerator. Spencer took the initiative and sat down in her seat.
“So, how’ve you been?” She was even more beautiful than she’d been the last time he’d seen her.
“Good. And you? Been busy?”
“Yeah, I’ve been working a lot.”
“That’s good.” Sam stared at her hands resting on the table. “I didn’t see your truck outside.”
“Oh yeah, I rode over with Jake.”
A minute of pained silence stretched between them. Sam barely looked at him.
“Spencer, you boys about ready to call it a night?” Ann asked as she poured tea into a glass. “Maybe Sam could drop you off at home since she has to drive right by your place.”
“Oh, I don’t want to make Sam go out of her way.” He tried to sound nonchalant, and again was reminded how wonderful his sister-in-law was.
“I wouldn’t mind.” She smiled at him for the first time. “Really, it’s on my way.”
“Great. Well if you guys are off then, I’ll go upstairs and take this to Jake and let him know you got a ride. I’ll talk to you both later.” Ann disappeared out of the kitchen.
“Ready?”
They drove in silence all the way to Spencer’s place. Sam’s fingers tapped the wheel. There was something different between them. Maybe it was the time apart or maybe it was all just in her head, she wasn’t sure.
“You can park here if you want.” He motioned to an empty space next to his truck. “Would you mind coming upstairs? I have something I’d like to show you.”
Sam’s mind was waging war, common sense versus desire. She wasn’t sure she would have the strength to leave. “I don’t know. I really should be getting home and making myself some dinner.”
“If you’re hungry, I have some deep fried turkey leftover and I could make us some sandwiches. It isn’t much, but there’s nothing better than fried turkey.”
“You don’t have to do that, really. What is it you want to show me?”
“Trust me, you’ll like it. And I really don’t mind. It’ll be nice to have the company.”
“You aren’t tired of people after all the family and traveling?”
“You’re a different kind of company and our Thanksgiving was pretty low key.”
“Mine too.” Her mind made up, she leaned forward and turned off the car. “Okay, you’re right. Eating alone is no fun.”
He grinned at her and then they both got out of the car and climbed up the stairs to his floor. The hallway walls were bare, but recently painted. She counted three other doors besides his.
“Welcome to my humble abode.”
Sam stepped through the door and admired his spacious loft. It was larger than she’d expected and the open floor plan added to the illusion of space. It reminded her of lofts in Chicago, except for the decorating. It was definitely a bachelor pad.
“You can throw your stuff over there on that chair if you want. I’ll go ahead and make us some sandwiches.”
“Sounds good.” Sam wandered around and studied every detail. Spencer had an array of fish
ing magazines on his coffee table and how-to books lined his shelves. He was every bit a man’s man. There were no frills or plants. Everything was hunter green and brown and it fit him. She walked over to his window and looked down at Main Street. The view alone would be well worth the rent.
“Order up,” he called from the kitchen.
She joined him at his little table off the kitchen. “Thanks for this.” She held up the sandwich before taking a bite. Then, her eyes rolled in satisfaction. “This is the best turkey I’ve ever had. Fried turkey,” she said around a mouthful, “who knew?”
“Once you’ve tried it this way, you’ll never go back.”
They laughed and enjoyed some relaxed conversation. He told her stories about the hayrides and talked about his latest renovation and listened, while she talked about the new shipment of antiques they received. Her shoulders relaxed as they fell back into their familiar rhythm. It was nice spending time with him again, like returning home.
“I met one of your friends the other day.” She shot him a sly grin.
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“Susan. She’s very interesting.”
“Not Susan,” he groaned with a pained expression, “she’s still convinced I’m going to marry her daughter. We went out a few times in high school and for some reason, she thinks we’re meant for each other.” He leaned toward Sam as if he were going to tell her a secret. “To be honest with you, I think her daughter would be more into you than me. I think it’s a denial thing with Susan.”
Sam burst out laughing. She couldn’t believe how silly she’d been.
“Plus, that was like ten years ago,” Spencer added before taking another bite of his food. Sam continued to laugh and he grinned. “I’m glad you find my past love life so amusing.”
“No, it’s not that, really.” Sam brushed tears out of her eyes.
“Amazed someone’s mom would actually want me around their daughter?” He asked in a playful voice. “Hey, I’m going to grab that thing to show you.” In a flash, he was in the room off the side of the kitchen.
Sam smiled again and leaned back in her chair.
“Here it is.” He handed her an old photo album.
She opened it to the first page and saw her house. In the picture, there were two people, each with a hand resting on the shoulder of one of the two little boys standing in front of them. “What a nice looking family. And look at the house. It was beautiful then.”
“Now, too. Those are my parents,” he pointed to the taller of the two boys, “and that goofy looking kid is Jake.”
They flipped through the album together and Spencer talked about the adventures he and Jake had in the tree house shown in one picture. He also regaled tales of the dog that sat waiting at the bottom of the rope ladder in a few of the others.
When they reached the end, Spencer held her eyes with his. “I wanted to share some of my past with you since you told me about yours. It only seemed fair. Besides, I thought you’d get a kick out of seeing your house. And there’s that whole thing about me being a really cute kid.” The slow smile she loved so much began to curve.
Without a second thought, she leaned in, their chairs so close she didn’t have to lean far before her lips brushed his. The same electricity from the night underneath the stars erupted. And only a second of shocked surprise passed before Spencer was returning her kiss. The kiss deepened and a small groan of pleasure escaped her lips. It was everything she knew it would be. She’d been dreaming about it for months.
Sam raised her hand and touched his face and then reached around to the back of his neck and pressed their mouths together tighter. Spencer pulled her chair over until it was touching his. Then he extended his arms around her, his thumb playing with the nape of her neck as he continued to kiss her.
Finally, after several blissful moments the two parted and looked at one another. Sam’s thoughts were only of Spencer.
Chapter 22
The next morning she was beyond happy. She rolled over, buried her face in her pillow and squealed with delight. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stop what she’d started and she didn’t want to. The night before, on the drive home, she decided there would be no more living in the past. She was ready to move on. It had been years since she’d felt this way and she was sure no one had ever kissed her like Spencer had.
The phone rang while she was fixing her morning coffee. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sam. So, how’d it go last night? Did you get Spencer home okay?” Ann couldn’t hide the delighted tone in her voice.
“You know something, don’t you?” Sam grinned.
“Let’s just say Spencer came over this morning and although he hasn’t said anything, his feet haven’t hit the ground since he got here.”
“Things are better now than they’ve been in a long time.” Sam couldn’t stop smiling during the rest of their conversation. It was a new beginning. She had a small group of friends and a man she cared about. She would never forget her life in Chicago or the people she loved, but it was time to move on.
Lieutenant Stephens and Detective Martin walked toward the fence and the armed guard. The air was cool even with the sun at their backs. They showed their badges, checked their guns and walked through as the buzzer sounded to signal the closing of the gate.
“How do you want to play this?” Stephens asked.
“Keep it simple. Have a conversation. They’re already locked up and know we’re not coming in to try to pin them with anything, so maybe they won’t try to jerk us around. We can only hope they’re willing to talk since the other guys are dead.” Martin hefted the metal door which released as an earsplitting squeal of metal against metal.
A guard stationed behind a desk buzzed them through another gate and then the only sounds were their footsteps echoing off the concrete floor. They approached a small interrogation room and went inside. The walls were eggshell white and everything smelled stale and musty.
Stephens walked in a circle around the confined space. “Being in here makes you wonder why people choose to do some of the crazy shit they do.”
“You got that right,” Lt. Martin grumbled as he sat down in one of the metal chairs. “Maybe we ought to take kids on a tour when they turn sixteen as a sort of deterrent.”
The files on the inmates they were set to meet sat on the table detailing their personal lives and past crimes.
Stephens flipped through the file for Kevin, the first inmate they were set to interview, then handed it to Martin so he could do the same. A moment later, the door opened and a guy in his late twenties strolled in wearing the traditional orange jumpsuit and his hands were cuffed in front of him. The officer who was escorting him pulled the chair out across from the officers and placed a hand on the inmate’s shoulder until he was all the way seated.
One look at the kid spoke volumes. He had his guard up. He looked like every other guy that had spent time in a cell. Untrusting and hard.
“Got a smoke?” he said as he settled into the chair.
“Sure.” Martin leaned across the table and offered him a cigarette out of the box from his coat pocket. They sat in silence studying each other while the prisoner took a few pulls.
“What do you guys want with me? I promise I’ve been a good boy.” He said it with a sneer.
“We wanted to talk to you about your old cellmate,” said Stephens, who’d been quiet up until now.
“What about him? He’s dead.”
“Yes, we know.” Their continued silence and lack of questioning was beginning to work its intended magic.
The kid shifted in his seat and sat up straighter. “Look, it wasn’t me.” He was immediately defensive.
“We know that, too,” Martin said.
“Then what do you want?”
“Do you happen to know who stabbed Andy?”
The kid shook his head. “No. When they found him in the bathroom, he was already dead.”
“You know how things are in here. You hear
things.” Stephens leaned forward. “Have you heard something, Kevin?”
“Look, I don’t know much. I try to keep my head down.”
“Sure, but it’s hard not to hear when there’s talk.”
“Yeah, I mean I’m not deaf. There was a rumor that it wasn’t just a regular fight.” Kevin put out his cigarette and looked over both shoulder before he leaned in. “I work down with the laundry, you know? And right after it happened, I heard rumors that some guy was in here to go after Andy. He was pissed about something that happened on the outside.”
“Really?” Stephens flipped his notepad open and clicked his pen.
“Yeah, I mean, supposedly there was no struggle. Supposedly, the guy came up behind Andy.” Kevin was beginning to get excited. He was relaxing and getting into the story. Happy to have an audience.
“Did you ever hear who it may’ve been?”
Kevin shook his head and leaned back in the metal chair. “Nah, no one was using names. You never know who it could’ve been and you don’t want to make an enemy like that.”
“Thanks for talking to us, Kevin. I think that’s all we need.” Martin hefted his bulk out of the chair and crossed over to the door. He knocked twice and the guard appeared.
After Kevin was escorted back to his cell, Martin and Stephens had a break before the next cellmate was supposed to join them.
“What do you make of what he said?” Stephens stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles.
“I know it was just a rumor, but everything he said as far as the bathroom and that it was from behind, that was all true. It matches the coroner’s report.”
Stephens realized Martin was talking aloud to himself more than answering the question as he paced in front of the two-way glass, but it didn’t matter. He could learn a lot from watching Martin think through the case.
Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) Page 14
