"No, I’m not okay. What was all that talk at the bakery about letting me keep you if I want you?" The words rush out of me, not allowing time for a breath. "I don’t know what to say. I'm out of danger, but you're still here. Do you like me? Are you sticking around because you feel bad for me? I can't handle…this. I don’t even know whatthisis."
My arm flails out front of me, indicating the space between us. A few drops of hot chocolate fly out of the small hole of my hot chocolate cup and land on the ground beside Frankie. The two of them each take a step back, but there isn’t far for them to go in our crowded, little sidewalk.
“I’m walking your dog!” I jiggle Frankie’s leash.
My hands drop to my side, my small outburst stealing my energy. Spencer and Frankie both continue to stare, and I resist the urge to feel my neck in case I’ve grown a second head. Even that would be better than the fact I had a small emotional breakdown in front of Spencer in the middle of Main Street. I’ve gone my entire life never being the topic of one of Pearl’s phone-tree updates, but from the stares of those around us, that comes to an end tonight.
And to make matters worse, both Spencer and Frankie just continue to stare.
"Well?" If I'm gonna make Pearl's list, I might as well actually figure out how Spencer feels.
"I don’t sleep with random women," Spencer says like this is an obvious fact he's already told me. But he totally hasn't. I would remember an I-don’t-sleep-with-floozies conversation.
"Shhhhh." I check the surrounding area to see who heard him say "sleep with". That's sure to draw attention. Thankfully, no one seems to be listening. Although, you can never be too careful. Pearl has eyes and ears everywhere in this town.
"Well, it's true," Spencer whispers. "I don’t sleep with a woman unless I plan to pursue something with her. I certainly wouldn’t let someone stay at my house unless she's my girlfriend."
I lean a few inches closer so no one can hear. "But that was part of your security detail." It doesn't count when he’s paid to be around me.
Spencer laughs, tucking a piece of hair that's fallen in front my face behind my ear and under my hat. "If it wasjustsecurity, I could've asked any of the guys to keep an eye on you. There's a reason it was always me."
"Oh." That's nice to know. I do my best to look anywhere but at Spencer as each moment makes me feel a little more stupid about my freakout. Scanning the ground, I notice Frankie chewing on her leash. "Frankie, no."
Spencer bends down to inspect the damage. In the short amount of time we’ve sat here talking, she was able to chew more than halfway through the hot pink fabric. "I guess it's time to buy another one." He sighs, dropping the leash, and Frankie sticks it right back in her mouth.
The ground shakes, and I study myself on the brick building behind me with a hand.
"What the hell?" My question is punctuated by a scream.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Get down!” Spencer yells, pushing my left shoulder until I’m hunched over with Frankie’s nose in my face.
It happens slowly, yet all at once. Like a large wave off the coast, the crowd filling the sidewalks of Main Street surges forward. People bump into one another as they run down the street in a mad dash.
"You and Frankie get to safety. I'm going to check it out." Spencer takes a step back, the crowd parting around us, but Frankie and I don't move with them. He pulls a gun from somewhere behind him.
Where the hell is he always hiding that thing?
"You're going alone? I should come with you," I yell as the crowd gets louder with their screams.
"No, you should stay safe."
"So should you."
He gives me a clearly-not-amused look. "I have special training to handle these situations."
"So do I." What does he think the four years of medical training I went through was for?
Seeing my resolve, Spencer sighs, his shoulders hunched over. When he stands back to his full height, I’m forced to take a step back with Frankie to look up at him.
“Okay, take Frankie to the bakery and work on setting up a triage area. That sounded like a large explosion. If anyone is hurt, I'll send them your way.”
I don’t like it, but it's a compromise I can handle. I’d never be able to live with myself if I knew I was here and ran away rather than help people when they needed it the most.
Spencer slips away from Frankie and me, but then stops and turns back. His lips smash against mine in a hard and lingering kiss that conveys more emotion than I'm ready to deal with at this moment in time. He pulls back with a quick, "stay safe," before running into the crowd.
Spencer is quickly lost in the mass of people still streaming forward. I have no plans to be run over by a scared, panicky mob today, so I turn, taking Frankie’s leash with me, but she resists.
