Taking my hand in his, Spencer led me back inside before locking the door. Within minutes we were settled in his truck, weaving amongst the traffic. Today I didn’t want to be in the city, I needed to be outside. For twenty minutes we drove before pulling into a vacant spot along the St. Kilda beach front. Somehow Spencer could read my mind. He knew I needed fresh air and he’d taken us to exactly the right spot. Sunday on the esplanade was chaos, but I didn’t care. Some of the stalls from the morning’s markets were still open and trading, while others were busy packing up, stuffing things into their cars.
Hand in hand we walked along the promenade in silence. We didn’t need to talk. We just needed to be together.
“You okay?” Spencer asked, stepping in front of me.
Other than being completely and utterly humiliated, I was fine. As soon as the idea of being with Spencer crossed my mind I’d frozen. Stopped walking. I think my heart may have even skipped a beat or two.
I forced myself to nod. “Yep.”
I knew Spencer didn’t believe me. Not for a second. The look on his face was a dead giveaway. The boy could read me like a book?a fact I wasn’t all that happy about. Right now, I would have preferred to remain anonymous, and for Spencer to remain oblivious.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. We ate more than we should have, walked along the beach in the sunshine, and even stopped in a pub where a live band belted out Aussie classics. We didn’t talk about the future, or the past, or anything that could possibly ruin the fun. Instead we laughed. We laughed until it hurt too much to laugh anymore.
By the time we fell through the door, the sun had long ago disappeared and I was buggered. Completely worn out…but in a good way. I felt normal. Collapsing heavily on the couch, I kicked my shoes off and dropped my feet on the coffee table.
“You right there?”
“Yeah.”
Spencer flopped down beside me and let his head fall back. He looked as tired as I felt. I watched as his eyes fell shut and his breathing steadied. It wouldn’t be long ’til he was snoring. Summoning all my courage, I said, “Spence?”
“Yeah, Zoe.”
“When are you heading home?”
“Had enough of me already, hey?” Spencer teased as his eyes fluttered open.
“No!” I protested, probably a little too quickly.
“I was going to head off tomorrow.”
“That soon?”
I knew I sounded like a clingy, needy, whiny girl, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want Spencer to go. Not today. Maybe not ever. With him here, everything felt better. Everything looked better. I was not so secretly terrified what would happen when he left again.
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. I was just wondering,” I lied.
“You go back to work tomorrow, don’t you?”
I nodded, unable to hide the sadness in my eyes.
“You’ll be fine, Pippi,” Spencer reassured me. “It’s getting late. You should probably go to bed and get some sleep.”
“I guess.”
Spencer grunted as he scrambled to his feet, offering me his hand. Once I was on my feet reality set in and I sagged into his arms. Without missing a beat, Spencer scooped me up in his arms and carried me into my bedroom. A moment later I was dropped on the fluffy comforter with a bounce. Despite the pain coursing through my broken body, I couldn’t contain the smile that crept over my face.
“Get changed and get into bed, Pippi.”
“You’re bossy.”
“Don’t look so surprised.”
Kissing my forehead affectionately, Spencer smiled at me. “Sweet dreams, Zoe.”
I watched as Spencer started towards the door. His butt looked damn good in those jeans. My throat constricted. “Wait!”
