Page 34 of Prime Time Romance

“I guess….” Spencer takes a long sip of his water, and as he does, Josh leans in, his voice low.

“What are you doing?” he growls in my ear.

“Nothing,” I answer through clenched teeth. “Just making conversation.”

He pauses for another breath, as if he’s thinking about saying something else, but instead leans away.

“What about you, Spencer?” I ask. “Did you like living in LA?”

Spencer smiles, as if he’s been waiting for me to ask this question.

“LA has such an iconic vibe. Iconic people. Iconic scene. It’s really…”

“Iconic?” Josh deadpans.

Spencer nods, oblivious. “Yeah, but I missed this place. I missed the smell of ocean air.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Isn’t LA on the ocean?” Josh asks.

“Yeah.” Spencer opens his eyes. “But it’s different.”

There’s a question I’m longing to ask him. Has he pined for Sloan the way I know she has for him?

“Was there, um, anyone special in your life while you were out there?” I attempt to sound nonchalant. “Like a pet? Or a girlfriend?”

Spencer shakes his head. “I’m not the kind of guy that can be fulfilled by a superficial fling or a one-night stand. I think I’ve always been the kind of guy who believes that when you fall in love, there’s no coming back from it. You fall hard. All in. And it either stands the test of time or it wrecks you.”

My heart clenches.

Josh snorts.

Spencer glares at him. “I know it’s been awhile, but I have a hard time believing you’re suddenly an expert on true love.”

Josh looks amused. “And why is that?”

Spencer crosses his arms. “Well…your track record, for one. You’ve always preferred quick and easy to anything lasting or meaningful. You started that band and then never played after your first gig. You ran that entire campaign to be prom king and never showed up to prom. Mandy? Tammy? What was that other one’s name? Jolene? How many times have you quit the Bronze because something better suddenly came up? I’m not saying you’re a bad guy, Fletch. You just tend to prioritize your impulses over long-term commitment.”

“Come on, Spencer.” Luce hits Spencer in the arm.

He ignores her. “What? You don’t agree with me?”

“No, you’re right,” Josh says with a completely straight face. “Classic…Fletch. And you know what? I’m feeling the impulse right now to depart this picnic a little early.” He gets to his feet, brushing the sand from his shorts. “Thanks for dinner,” he says, mainly to Luce. “I’m going to go for a walk.” He heads off in the direction of the woods.

Spencer seems to shrug off Josh’s sudden departure as Fletch being Fletch, but Luce watches him leave. When he’s out of sight, her focus shifts to the sky and the sun that is now no more than a hazy hue of orange on the horizon.

“I’m thinking we should probably head back soon,” she says, more to me than to Spencer. “It’s getting kind of late, and the wind coming in from the east makes me think there’s some weather coming.”

Her eyes flick to the woods and then back to me.

“I guess I’ll go get Josh,” I offer, then realize my mistake. “Fletch. I’ll go get Fletch.”

She narrows her eyes but nods. “Thanks. I’ll pack up the boat.”

I get to my feet and follow the path Josh took earlier.

I find him at the very edge of the forest, sitting on a rock, ripping the bark from a stick he must have picked up along the way.

“What is wrong with you?”