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Even if my phone chained me to my job, it was also the thing that freed me from it and linked me to all my connections to the outside world. It was also the only thing that connected me to my brother, Shane, and my sister, Liz, whenever she felt inclined to get in touch, which was almost never.
“Hey.” A soft voice came over my head, and I looked up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” I cleared my throat, nodding at Spencer as I blinked quite a few times to refocus.
I was nothing if not a problem solver, and thanks to technology, phones were easily replaced. Of course, drowning the man who’d ruined the phone and ending up in a lengthy murder trial wasn’t a problem so easily solved, so homicide was out of the question. I suppose I just had to deal with the phone, then.
“I have an encrypted iCloud account,” I said, reassuring myself more than informing Spencer. “Everything on this phone would’ve been uploaded to the cloud. It’s just a matter of getting a new phone.”
I shut my eyes as I groaned internally, thinking about the time, and how none of the nearby Apple stores were likely to be open.
“Listen,” he said, “my place is two houses up the beach, and it’s just past seven. The Apple store in Topanga closes at nine. So, if you come with me and give me a minute to change, we can go straight from there. I’ll take you to the store and replace the phone for you.”
I heaved a sigh as I shut my eyes tight, debating the wisdom of this plan. Biting my bottom lip, I tried to measure the pros and cons of going to Spencer’s house while he was dripping wet. I needed to put a cork in my irritation and plans for pre-meditated murder and go into damage control mode to fix this issue, square away my phone, and get my ass back on the grid as soon as possible.
“Time’s a ticking, Nat.”
That sealed the deal. “You’re goddamn right you’ll replace the phone for me,” I answered, feeling my no-bullshit mood surface and take over.
He grinned at me. “Glad you see it my way.” He reached out and took the phone from me, tucking it into his pocket.
“I only see shit my way.” I leaned down to pick up my pale-blue Longchamp bag from where it sat in front of the lounge chair before I turned back to Spence. “And don’t get cocky on me, Monroe. My mood is not to be borne,” I said with a threatening arch of my eyebrow.
Spencer’s eyes bore through mine in this standoff between two powerful minds that never bent to anyone’s will or protest. I didn’t give a fuck what he said, thought, or did, and his flirty yet challenging grin no longer amused me.
“You are a mystery,” he said, and if anyone on this deck was trying to get our attention, neither Spence nor I could hear them.
“To be sure,” I answered. “Now, let’s get my phone fixed.” I paused and cocked my head to the side, eying him. “What the fuck is your deal with phones anyway?”
“Huh?” he asked, his stern expression replaced with a look of confusion.
“Yeah,” I arched my eyebrow. “You know, answering calls whilst fucking, and finding a way to destroy mine in less than a hot second.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Natalia,” he said, scraping his nails through his hair. “Let that shit go.”
“How can I when all I seem to experience is a fucking disaster with you and fucking cell phones?” I said.
“One day,” he smiled and softened up with his flirty eyes, “I’ll prove why you should really be pissed off that I was distracted by my cell phone ringing while fucking you.”
“Wouldn’t you love that opportunity?” I teased. “Let’s just go get the replacement phone before I end up in prison.”
The look on his face, not having the first clue what I was talking about, was priceless and enough to shut me up. For now.
The two of us walked to the other side of the deck, and I did my best not to pay attention to the others as we headed for the steps that led down to the beach.
“Hold up, Spence!”
We both looked up to see Alex approach, holding Spencer’s laptop bag. Spencer sighed in relief, and his face broke into a grin as he reached out for the bag.
He took a minute to look back and forth between us, and then a wicked grin spread fully across his face. “Have fun, kids.”
He ran back up the stairs before I could say anything in response. So instead, I sighed and shouldered my bag, holding my sandals in my hand and allowing my feet to shuffle through the soft, white Malibu sand as I walked down the beach, Spencer at my side.
We didn’t say anything for a while, simply taking in the beauty of our surroundings as the waves continued to come in, filling the silence with a soothing sound. This was nice. Who knew I could use a lovely stroll on the beach this evening? I was nearly fully immersed in the splendor of this, but the distraction of Spencer and me being alone for the first time since he insulted me during sex was what pulled me back to the reality of taking an unexpected walk on the beach. Fuck. God only knew where this would all lead.
I tried not to think about anything but getting the replacement phone and heading home soon after to do updates and transfers all night. Jesus, I did not have time for this crap. While pitying myself, I heard the squelching of Spencer’s feet in his expensive, likely destroyed, leather shoes.
“Are you okay?” I asked, breaking the silence between us. “You must be miserable in those wet pants and shoes.”
