But the worst part?
His breath catches, and then he hisses a whistle of approval when he's a short distance away.
“You're late.”
Ah, we are going to play this game.
“By two minutes because some baseball player apparently picked out a dress that involves a tie that acts as a lifeline for my cleavage.”
“I approve.”It feels like he is drinking me in.
I clear my throat. “You look...” How do I explain that I may drool?
“Everyone will be looking at you, and I might be regretting my choice now. Should have gone for the turtleneck option.”
A wry smile doesn’t leave my face. “Well, you did want me to look fuckable, as you put it in your ever charming terms.”
“Nah, you look way classier than that.Come on, we should go.” He offers me his arm. I’m slightly taken aback by his manners, but I interlink our arms anyway.
A whiff of his spicy cologne hits me, but it's enough to make my senses melt. His arm feels strong, and I need to get used to it because I think I'll be glued to him for most of the night.
By the time we're in the car and on our way, I recognize that the air between us has shifted; we’re easy around one another.
I decide to break the ice. “Looks like the tooth fairy will be in business soon. Hadley’s front tooth looks loose.”
“I noticed that.” An elated look spreads on his face. Spencer taps his fingers on his thighs as he looks out the window until he turns back at me. “How's the food blog?”
“I'm stockpiling recipes and photos, thanks to your kitchen. A total opposite to my life as an accountant.”
“Good. That’s good.”
We don’t seem to know how to handle this new dynamic between us, probably because we can’t define it.
“New sports camp, huh?” I attempt to keep the conversation flowing.
“Yeah, it would be good for Lake Spark. Once I retire, then I'll have something to do.”
“But you don't like kids except your own,” I point out the obvious.
He rolls a shoulder back. “Doesn't mean I don't recognize that it's good for the community, or maybe I want to work with teenagers.”
Oh my, I was not expecting that response.
“You'll retire soon?”
“I probably have one or two more good years, then I'll need to do something. I don't think coaching is for me.”
“It does generally require interacting with people,” I state.
He gives me side-eye. “Funny.” His jaw eases. “I would like to spend more time with Hadley.”
"Of course.” I lean against the window, taking in the fact that I’m dressed to the nines and sitting with Spencer whose hardened exterior feels softened. I try to remember the last time I was at a black-tie event with a man. My soured feeling must be apparent because I feel like Spencer has a sneer forming.
“You okay?”
“The last time I went to an event like this, I was with my ex. It was his firm’s Christmas gala.” I puff out a breath. “Truthfully, I didn’t have the best of times. He was all work and forgot about me most of the night.”
“Nothing I’ve heard about this dude has been positive.”
