He knew he’d forgotten something. “Nope. I’ve got it. Be right back.” He darted inside, grabbed the basket he’d placed it in then headed back outside. “Here you go.”
“Thanks. I know I should avoid bread as it seems to go directly to my hips, but it smells divine.”
“Your hips look perfect to me. I don’t think a slice of bread will harm them.”
Her cheeks pinked.
He chuckled. “Too forward?”
She held up her hand and pinched her finger together then pulled them a little apart. “A smidge.”
“Sorry.” He served up his plate then dug in. Delicious. He watched Sierra’s face for her response. Pleasure shone. Whew! After all she’d been going through, he’d wanted to treat her to something special.
They ate in comfortable silence. She only ate half of what he’d served her then set her plate on the coffee table. “You’re finished?”
“Yes. It was delicious, but I can’t eat another bite.”
“You hardly ate anything.”
She chuckled. “I’m not a big person, Spencer. If I ate as much as you do, I’d be two sizes bigger.”
“So no cheesecake?” Disappointment hit him. He should have let her serve herself.
She shot him a cheeky grin. “I saved room for dessert. When I said I couldn’t eat another bite, it wasn’t because I was full, but rather, I was satisfied.”
The disappointment melted away and was replaced by admiration. Good for her. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t hungry any longer either. He placed his plate on the table as well. “I almost hate to bring it up because I don’t want to upset you, but what are you going to do about a job?”
“I don’t know. I’m in the process of buying a house here in Sunriver thinking we’d be here a good long while, but now . . .” She shrugged. “I’m taking one day at a time.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a good idea for now. Are you still planning to move into my buddy’s place tomorrow?”
“Yes. I can’t wait to be out of Mrs. Drake’s house. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an incredible home, but being there is no longer enjoyable.”
“I understand. That was pretty rotten of her to do that to you and Trey.”
“Exactly.” Fire lit her eyes. “If it was only me affected by her actions, I wouldn’t be so upset, but it affects my son too, and that does not set well.”
He hurt for her, but knew of no way to make things better. “How about you come sit over here?” He patted the space beside him on the loveseat.
Her eyes widened and to his delight she stood and did exactly that. “This is even more comfortable than the chair, which I thought was quite comfy. You did well in buying this set.”
“Thanks.” He draped an arm across the back and rested his hand on her shoulder. “When I first met you, I never imagined us sitting here like this.” Experience had taught him to take things slow when it came to women. He hoped the signals she was sending could be trusted. He’d been burned before and didn’t care to go there again. But Sierra wasn’t like that. She was easy to read, maybe too easy at times, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Me neither.” She chuckled. “I’d love to forget about our first encounter.”
“I think we all would. At least Trey seems to have gotten past it.”
“Yes. I agree.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I could sit here like this all night, but I promised Trey I wouldn’t be late. Let’s go clean up, then have dessert.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” He stood and pulled her up with him. They stood so close he could feel her breath on his shoulder. He stepped back. Now was not a good time to kiss her silly. They might do something they’d both regret. And he didn’t want any more regrets.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow and accompany you and Trey over to my friend’s place.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I want to. Besides, I have the key.” He waggled his brows.
She laughed. “Okay. Just don’t do that thing with your brows in front of Trey. He’ll think you’re weird.”
“Aren’t we all a little weird?” Pleasure shot through him—if only they could spend every evening like this bantering back and forth.
“Penny for your thoughts?” She looked up into his face.
“They’re worth way more than that.”
“Oh really? In that case . . .” She stood on tiptoe and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, then said softly, “I’ll save up.”
His heart tripped. She had an effect on him no other woman had ever had. He was in big trouble, if he was reading her signals wrong.
Chapter Twenty
Sierra hoisted her suitcase into her SUV. “Do you have everything, Trey?”
“Yes. You okay, Mom?” He reached up and pulled the door closed. “You haven’t been yourself for a couple of days.”
How could she tell her son she’d lost her job? It wasn’t fair. None of this was. She never should have given up their apartment and moved to Sunriver. For that matter, she never should have taken the job working for the Belafontes. She’d been doing fine before, even if it wasn’t in her career field. At least at her former job, no one had accused her of things she hadn’t done.
A hand touched her shoulder. She jumped, but it was only her son. “Trey. What do you need?”
“Something’s wrong. I’m old enough to take it. Just tell me.”
She sighed.
Spencer pulled up in his pickup, parked, then sauntered over to them. “You all moved out?”
She nodded. “I’m glad you’re here.” His friendship had meant so much these past few days. He was like a rock to her shifting sand life. She reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Do you have the key?”
“I do. I’ll meet you there. I still want to check out the place. Make sure everything looks normal.”
Her pulse surged. “Is that really necessary?”
“Probably not, but it would make me feel better.” He released her hand and slipped an arm around her waist, then whispered into her ear. “It’s going to be okay, Sierra. I promise.” He placed a soft kiss on her temple.
She blinked away sudden tears. Trey couldn’t see her lose it. She’d barely held herself together these past few days, and Spencer’s tender kindness threatened to send her tumultuous emotions spiraling out of control. She cleared her throat. “We should get going.”
Trey looked from her to Spencer. A knowing look filled his eyes. Good. Let him focus on her growing relationship with Spencer. She’d much rather deal with that than her current unemployment and arsonist suspect status.
She moved away from Spencer and sat behind the wheel. “Let’s go, Trey.” She put down the window.
Spencer rested a hand on the sill. “I’ll follow. You know the way, right?”
“Yes. See you there.” She waited for him to get into his pickup then backed out. Ever since the Belafonte family had turned their backs on her, Spencer had practically become her shadow. She didn’t understand why—unless he thought she was guilty. She gasped.
“What?” Trey asked.
“I just thought of something.” There was no way Spencer thought she was guilty. He wouldn’t deceive her like that—then again, he was a man. Her track record with men wasn’t great. But Spencer was different. He seemed genuine compared to other men who had tried to gain her affections over the years. Besides that, she really and truly liked him. She couldn’t have the kind of feelings she had for him if he was deceiving her. Could she?
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying, and you’re freaking me out. I’ve tried to give you space like John and Spencer said to do, but—”
“Wait. John told you to give me space? When did you see him?” She glanced toward her son then quickly returned her focus to the road.
“I don’t know. We run together. I guess last I saw him was a couple of days ago.”
“I don’t want
you to run with him anymore.”
“Why?” His voice hitched.
She sighed. “I really didn’t want to have to tell you this, but I can see you need to know. John fired me.”
“What happened?”
“It seems the Belafontes believe I started the fire at Mona’s house.”
“That’s crazy. You’d never do anything like that. John didn’t say anything to me. I can’t believe he did that.”
“Me either, until he fired me,” she muttered. What kind of game was John playing? Whatever it was, he needed to leave her son out of it. “I don’t trust John any more, and I would prefer if you don’t run with him in the future.”
Trey stared out the side window. “Okay.”
Her mom-heart broke for her son. He’d looked up to John, and she could tell he was hurting. “Maybe once they find the real arsonist things will get better and you can run with him again.” She tried to add a cheerful lilt to her voice, but it came out sounding forced.
“No. I don’t want to run with him now.”
Her throat burned. “I’m sorry, Trey.” She glanced his way.
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Spencer’s cool. What I don’t get, though, is if you’re a suspect, why Spencer is being so . . . ah, friendly.”
She chuckled. “You and me both, but I’m not complaining.” It felt so weird talking to her son like this. But maybe it was a good thing. He was nearly grown and needed to have grownup conversations from time to time.
He laughed.
She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “What’s so funny?”
“Spencer. I knew he had a thing for you from the first day he knocked on our door.”
A tiny smile tugged at her mouth. “I suppose you could be right. But we’re only friends.”
“Friendly friends, too.” He shot her a teasing grin, then pointed. “You’re going to miss your turn.”
“Ack!” She hit the brake hard, signaled and turned onto the cul-de-sac, parking at the first house.
Trey jumped out. She took a moment to collect herself. The driver’s door flung open. Her gaze slammed into Spencer’s.
“You going to sit there all day?” He held out his hand.
Her heart thundered. “Nope.” She undid the seatbelt, took his hand, and walked beside him to the door. The small house reminded her a lot of the one she was buying. At least she hoped she was still buying it. What if the bank found out she’d lost her job?
Spencer unlocked the door and thrust it open. “Home sweet home.” He turned to her. “Why don’t you and Trey go grab your bags while I take a look around?”
Unease gripped her. Why did he think precaution was necessary? It was time they had a talk. She needed to know what was really going on. She grabbed her bags then waited beside Trey for the all clear.
Spencer approached the door, smiling. “Welcome home.”
Home. Kind of a relative term lately. “Thanks. After I put my suitcases in my room, can we talk?”
“Sure. It’s a nice day. We could take a walk.”
“I’d like that.” She climbed the narrow stairs to the loft and dropped her suitcases beside one door. “How’s the room, Trey?”
“It’s fine. I have homework. Do you know the Wi-Fi password?”
“It’s on a pad by the phone downstairs.”
“Thanks.” He shot past her with his laptop and trotted down the stairs.
She cringed as his shoulder rubbed against the rough, wood covered wall.
Spencer stood at the bottom of the stairwell. He offered his arm as she reached the last step. “Which direction should we go?”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” she said.
He led the way out the door. “We won’t be too long, Trey,” Spencer said as he closed and locked the door behind them. “So what’s on your mind?”
“Too much.”
He shot her a sympathetic grin. Her insides warmed. How she had ever been annoyed by him, she had no idea. He was really very sweet. “Maybe start with what prompted you to ask to talk.”
“Right. I get the feeling you don’t think I’m safe. What’s up with that?”
“I’m a cop. Being cautious goes with the territory. It’s nothing specifically to do with you.”
“Honestly?”
“Yes. I won’t lie to you, Sierra.”
“I appreciate that. Then maybe you can tell me why John accused me of starting his mom’s house on fire then fired me.”
He winced before looking over his shoulder. “There is enough circumstantial evidence to make you appear guilty of all the stuff that has been going on.”
“But I’m innocent. You know that. Why don’t they believe in me too?”
Silence met her question.
What was he hiding? He’d said he wouldn’t lie to her, but wasn’t not telling her something every bit as bad? “Please, Spencer. I need to know what you’re not saying.”
He drew her over to a boulder situated between the paved path and the house and seated her beside him. “Against my better judgment, I will tell you as much as I think you need to know, but you must trust me with the rest. Can you do that?”
She nodded. “It seems I have little choice.”
“And I’m sorry about that.” His gaze took in all the land around them. He lowered his voice. “Mark and I believe someone wants you to take the fall for all that has been going on. We are hoping they will tip their hand when they find out the family turned against you and fired you.”
“I don’t understand. How would my getting fired draw them out?”
“Think about it. They would presume you’d be angry, maybe even enough to take revenge. We expect the person or persons to do something big soon. We also expect whatever they do will leave evidence that will point to you.”
“How can someone hate me that much?”
Spencer draped his arm across her shoulder and drew her against his side. “I doubt any of this has to do with you, but rather the convenience you provide. The family, their homes, and worksites are all under twenty-four-hour surveillance. Whoever is doing this will be caught.”
“Wow. That must be expensive.”
He didn’t reply.
“So why are you with me and not on the surveillance crew?”
“My job is to give you an alibi. John’s request.”
“Oh.” He was only with her to provide an alibi, not because he wanted to be.
“Why do I feel like I said something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Yes, it’s something and it’s big. Please tell me.”
She took a breath. “I was hoping you were with me because you wanted to be, not because you had to be.”
He drew her close. “Aw, sweetie. I’m sorry you misunderstood. I volunteered because I want to be with you. I need to make sure you are safe and no one can hurt you. I don’t think you realize how much I care for you.”
She blinked back sudden tears and rested her head on his shoulder. “You are the kindest man I’ve ever known.” The anger she’d harbored toward him dissipated. Relief flowed through her—she’d been right about him after all. “Oh.” She sat up and twisted to face him. “Does that mean my job loss is only temporary?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t supposed to tell you about any of this. We felt like it would be easier if you didn’t know, but I could see what not knowing was doing to you, and I can’t stand seeing you hurt like that.” He ran the back of his hand down her cheek. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“I know you won’t.” She looked into his eyes, wishing he wasn’t such a gentleman. She wanted him to kiss her more than anything right now. She looked away before she kissed him and embarrassed herself.
Spencer’s heart hammered as he gently turned Sierra’s face toward his. The gold flecks in her eyes darkened. “May I kiss you?”
She nodded.
His lips met hers. She slid an arm around his neck deepening the kiss before pulling
back. A twinkle lit her eyes. “I was hoping you’d do that.”
“Oh, yeah? Then you won’t mind if I do it again.” He loved her. Pure and simple. He hadn’t realized until this moment the depth of his feelings.
She placed a soft peck on his lips, then slid off the boulder. “How about that walk?”
“Or we could sit here and make out.” He flicked a grin.
She laughed. “I don’t think so. My son is an impressionable teenage boy, and I’m pretty sure that I just spotted the curtains in the house move.”
He chuckled. “Okay. You win.”
A police vehicle pulled up behind Sierra’s car. “That’s odd. I wonder why Mark is here.”
Mark stepped out and approached them. A grim look covered his face.
Spencer’s gut tightened.
Sierra grasped his arm. “Were you expecting Mark?”
“No.” He stood and waited in place for Mark. “What’s going on?”
“I have a warrant for Sierra’s arrest.”
He stepped in front of her. “What are you talking about? All the evidence against her is circumstantial.”
“Captain’s orders. I’m sorry, Sierra.”
“Spencer, you can’t let him arrest me. I thought the police were on my side.” Panic filled her voice.
His chest tightened and pain gripped him. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. Don’t worry.” He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“What about Trey?”
“I’ll take care of him. Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
“I don’t see how.” Her voice caught.
Trey stepped outside. “What’s going on?” He jogged over to them.
Thankfully Mark hadn’t put cuffs on Sierra. “Your mom is being arrested for starting the fire at Mona Belafonte’s house.”
“She didn’t do that!” He looked to Sierra. “Mom, tell them.”
“They know, honey. You stay with Spencer, and I’ll get home as soon as I can.” She shot Spencer a look—fear filled her eyes, but so did strength.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sierra sat in a room at the police department. When would an officer come in and talk to her? She’d already been processed, but rather than put her in a cell, a female officer had brought her to this room and left her. Was this some sort of torture tactic? Leave her long enough, she’d confess to a crime she didn’t commit?
Designing Love: An Inspirational Romance (Sunriver Dreams Book 3) Page 14
