Page 5 of Guilty As Charged (Love and Lawyers #3)

Chapter Five

ABBIE

A man holding a giant bundle of daisies is standing there. As soon as I realize what’s happening, I take a couple of steps back while shaking my head no.

“Delivery for Abbie Mann.” He glances at the card before his eyes come to me. “Is that you?”

“Who is it from?” Spencer towers so high over both of us that he has to peer down at the flowers to try and read the card.

“Don’t know, just a delivery name,” the guy says and tries to hand the flowers to Spencer.

Spencer looks at me with concern in his eyes. “Do you know who sent them?”

“No, but I’m highly allergic to daisies.” I take another step back, my throat tightening in response to seeing them.

"Are you going to take them?" The delivery guy pushes them a little more in my direction.

"No," Spencer clips.

"Well, I can't keep them. I’m not trying to get fired." The delivery guy is talking to Spencer, but he’s watching me with a puzzled look on his face. I know the expression and what it means. He’s trying to figure out where he recognizes me from and why I look familiar.

"Does this work?" Spencer pulls out his wallet, handing the guy a crisp hundred-dollar bill.

"Yeah, sure." He takes the money with his free hand, then points to me. "Are you?—"

"No, she's not." Spencer shuts the door right in the man's face without a single apology.

"Does Geoff know you're allergic?" When I nod, he presses his lips together in frustration before glancing around.

"Okay, let's get your things together. I need you out of here.

" He runs his fingers through his short locks.

"I'll help, or we can call a moving crew. "

"A moving crew? Why would we need all that? I thought this would be for a few days until we get everything worked out.”

"All right, we’ll start with bags then." He goes into my room, and I hurry after him.

There’s a small closet in there, and I grab a couple bags out. I also grab the box of comics I keep in there. They are the ones I've written myself, and I don’t want to leave them behind.

Spencer starts to take the box from me, but I hold on to it tighter.

"Not this one." It's not only what they mean to me that makes me protective of them, but I also have never let anyone else see them before.

"Super secrets?" he teases.

"Comics." I lick my lips nervously. "Ones I made. They're personal."

My comics are a little different because they carry a romantic element. They aren't the norm, but they are what I often crave more of when I read comics. It made me think I can't be the only one.

“They're all you?” he asks, a half-smile tugging at his lips. Lips that keep catching my attention. I want to draw them—hell, I want to draw all of him. I’m already certain he's going to be an inspiration in my future work. Geoff can’t take that away from me.

I might not be able to do anything with my work, but I can keep creating it.

“Yeah, I’m shy about them,” I say and shrug one shoulder.

Spencer’s smile is soft and genuine. “If I work on getting you to be not so shy, maybe you’ll share them with me?”

“I’d like that,” I say and hold the box tighter. “But not yet.”

“No pressure, and I promise not to peek. You don’t need a death grip on it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you’d?—”

“You didn’t. And it’s okay.” Spencer reaches out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “You had someone close to you break your trust, so you’re hesitant. It’s understandable.”

“You’re really sweet, you know that?”

“For you.” He winks at me, and I have to turn around and start packing again to distract myself.

While I pack my clothes and toiletries, I show Spencer what items I want to take with me so I have things to work on. A little while after that, I hear a knock at the door and flinch.

Spencer is immediately by my side. “It’s okay, I’m here. Whoever it is would have to get through me first.” He places his hand gently against my back, and I relax.

“Good thing for me, because I don’t think that would be an easy feat.”

"Especially when I’ve got someone worth protecting.

" He walks over to the door, and this time when he opens it, there’s a man in slacks and a buttoned-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

He’s got lots of tattoos, and he's built broader than Spencer.

He might not be as tall by an inch or two, which isn't saying much.

It still puts the man well over six feet.

"Spencer," he greets before giving me a chin nod. "What you got for me?"

“Laptop,” Spencer says and hands it over to the guy. “I need your phone too, babe.”

I momentarily pause, wondering if I heard Spencer correctly. Did he call me babe? It might be a name he uses as endearment, but I can’t see Spencer calling random women babe. He’s not the type, but what do I know? I’m shit at thinking I know a person.

“Oh yeah, right.” I grab it out of my purse and hand it over to Taylor.

“I’ll see what I come up with and let you know tomorrow. Unless something big pops off.”

“I appreciate it,” Spencer says.

“Anything else?” Taylor asks, his eyes bouncing between the two of us.

“That should do it.” Spencer looks at me, and I nod.

Taylor lingers in the doorway. “Is this why Scout cut out early?”

“I told her she could leave early if she wanted. Why?”

Now I’m watching the two of them. I’m missing something, but I’m not sure what it is.

“No reason. I’ll be in contact.” Taylor steps back before disappearing out of sight, and Spencer lets the door fall closed.

“Are you okay?” he asks when he turns to face me.

“Better than I was this morning.”

“I’ll get you a new one,” Spencer says.

“A new what?” I’m not sure what he’s talking about.

“A new phone.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. You’ve done too much, and I don’t need it for anything, really.” I’ve isolated myself so much that all I’ve been using it for since I deleted my social media is ordering groceries.

“It’s fine, I’ll get you one.”

“You’re going to make me feel bad. You already paid a hundred bucks to make the daisies disappear.” At the mention of the flowers, Spencer clenches his fists at his sides.

“It’s nothing,” he says and comes over to me.

“It’s not nothing.” Right now, it means everything to me.

“I’m saying that a hundred bucks is nothing to me. I’m not telling you to be cocky or brag, I only want you to know so that it doesn’t bother you.”

This man can’t be real.

“Thank—”

“No more thank yous,” he cuts me off. “Let’s finish. I’m going to tell my driver we’re almost done.” I nod and put the rest of the items I want to take into my bags.

When we get outside, I hand the small bag that I carried over to the driver. I had to basically beg Spencer into letting me carry one.

“Are you thinking city or country?”

“What do you mean?” I ask, confused by his question.

“I have a place in the city and one in the country. Which would you prefer?"

“Whatever works for you.” I don’t want to be more trouble.

“What works for me is you picking.”

Okay, so he’s not going to make this easy on me. I let out a small laugh.

“Normally I’m a city girl, but the country sounds nice right now.”

“Country it is,” he says and helps me into the car.

With every mile we drive away from the city, the more relaxed I become. If I don’t think about it too much, it could almost feel like I’m going on a vacation.

“It’s been a minute since I’ve been there, so it will be good to check on the place.”

“How many homes do you have?” I tease. I’ve been in isolation for a while, so I’m not used to conversations, but something about Spencer makes me want to keep talking to him.

“The ones I own myself, or do I count the ones I own with Landon and Gideon?”

“Is this you not bragging again?” I laugh.

“Damn, I forgot to mention the beach house. I should have offered that instead.”

“No swimsuit.”

“You’re in luck, it’s a private beach.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and another laugh bubbles free. It feels nice to be laughing and carefree. It’s been so long, and I know that with Spencer I’m safe.

"You're being serious, aren't you?" I say, when he doesn't laugh with me.

"There is a cabin in Aspen too if you'd rather have snow."

“You own those with Landon and Gideon?”

“I do. It’s convenient for us to share.” That makes sense if they are vacation homes. I can’t see them putting their houses up on Airbnb.

“That sounds nice. Having friends like that.” After high school, my friend group broke apart, and I didn’t have the means for college. It’s not so easy making friends as an adult. Plus, a lot of people think my hobby is strange.

"They actually took off on vacation today with their new wives."

Oh, shit. My eyes drop to Spencer's hand to see if I somehow missed a ring. Thank goodness there’s not one, but he catches me looking.

"Oh, I’m single. Well, unless you count being married to the job. But I guess all three of us have been at some point."

He’s young for how successful he is, so I imagine he had to devote all of his time to the firm. Spencer is a great guy, so it’s the single part that surprises me the most.