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“Doyoubelieve you can take care of yourself?”
“I thought I did. But now …” I swallow hard. “I don’t have enough of a work history to qualify for a mortgage, and I can’t afford to buy the house outright. Not at the price he and Emi deserve, and I’d never ask them to sell it to me cheaply. So they need a real buyer, and I need to move out. To move on. But I’m also not ready yet.”
Spencer tilts his head, like he’s got a question for me, but he’s afraid to say it out loud.
“What?” I ask.
“Couldn’t your brother help out?”
I shake my head. “That goes against everything I’m trying to be.”
“Yeah. I get that.” He scrubs at his hair, which is already a mess above his head. He looks rumpled now. And casual. Even sexy. Spencer issexy.
“There’s just something about that property I don’t want to leave,” I say, to shift my attention away from attraction.
“Like what?”
Like what?My heart swells at the question. We’re not teasing each other or avoiding anymore. Spencer’s genuinely interested in how Ifeel. I could talk about how the house is completely remodeled, and that Nash redid the back porch too. But it’s the grounds that are truly special to me. That’s what I want to share.
“There’s an old gnarled tree on the side of the house, with a big branch stretching out, and a tire swing hangs from it. When the wind blows, the tire spins.” I shut my eyes. “And when you’re out on the back porch, you can hear the frogs croaking at night. There are creeks running all around the place.”
Spencer nods. “Sounds pretty great.”
“It is,” I agree. “Everything feels like it’s right where it belongs. The house. The river. The swing. The tire. There’s history there. Happiness that’s bigger than loss, you know?”
Spencer shakes his head, just an inch. The movement is subtle, but I catch it. “Not really,” he says. “I’ve never lost anything all that big. Not yet.”
I gulp. “Well, you’re lucky.”
“So far.” Something flashes behind his eyes, and I can’t help wondering if he’s talking about the bet now. Or about kissing me.
“I won’t tell Frank,” I say, testing the waters, trying to figure out what’s going on in his head without straight-up asking. A part of me is afraid to discover he’s not thinking about me at all. “That you told me about the bet, I mean. I don’t want to ruin things for you.”
Spencer stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Thanks, but I don’t like the thought of you keeping secrets or lying for me.”
“I appreciate that.” I nod. “But you stand to lose a lot if Frank finds out.”
“Yeah.” The cords along his neck throb. “Maybe my self-respect is worth it. And keeping you out of Frank’s line of fire definitely is.”
“I’ll tell you what,” I say. “If he flat-out asks me ‘do you know about the bet and did my brother tell you,’ I’ll admit the truth. But I can’t imagine he’d drill me with questions like that directly.”
“Have you met my brother?” Spencer grits his teeth. “He’d love the chance to embarrass me in front of you.” He blinks. “I don’t mean you specifically,” he adds. “Frank just likes embarrassing me in front of people. In general.” He tries to smile, but it’s more like a grimace since his teeth are still clenched.
Maybe Ishouldpush for more honesty between us, even at the risk of saying something I’ll regret. If Spencer knew how conflicted I feel about our kiss—that a part of me is interested in him—he might feel better about the bet.
“I need to tell you something too,” I begin, but his eyes flicker over my shoulder.
“What the—”
“Spence!” a deep voice calls out.
“I can’t believe they’re here,” he says.
