by Jenna Brandt
The server showed up with glasses of water for each of them, then she took their orders. Once the brunette was gone, Molly tried to relax. If she didn’t get comfortable, she was going to have a harder time questioning Spencer. Yet, even though she knew what she needed to do, she couldn’t seem to make herself calm down.
“So, what type of doctor are you?” Sarah asked with curiosity.
“I’m a plastic surgeon. I have my own practice in Miami.”
Spencer leaned back in his chair as he gave Rick a look of disapproval. He quickly masked it, but not in time for Molly not to notice.
“He does reconstruction for birth defects, fire victims, and domestic violence survivors,” Molly stated defensively.
Rick either didn’t notice or didn’t care—Molly couldn’t be sure of which one it was—but instead of reacting negatively, he said with a smirk, “Don’t let her fool you. I’m not that noble. That’s like 5% of my patients. The rest of my time is filled with trophy wives wanting to go up a cup size, and rich teen girls getting nose jobs for their sweet sixteen gift.”
Molly wanted to die right on the spot. Sometimes Rick could be so uncouth. What was wrong with him? For being educated and at the top of his field, he sure acted like an imbecile way too often.
As Molly watched Spencer, she could tell he was amused by Rick rather than offended. She wasn’t sure if it bothered her more than if it had been the reverse.
Irritated, and wanting to put Spencer on the spot, Molly said, “Well, now that we have what my boyfriend does cleared up, let’s move on to you Spencer. I know you’re a public defender, but not much more than that.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. Though she did know he had an unusually high success rate, and was great at getting his clients off or pleaded down to a lesser crime, she wanted to hear his take on it. One of the first things she learned when interviewing people—especially when they didn’t know it was happening—was to get them talking about themselves. Almost everyone liked to, and once they started going, they often would slip up and reveal more than they planned.
“I’ve been a public defender over four years now. I do my best to understand where my clients are coming from, and to help them the best way I can.”
“Okay, that sounds exactly like a prepared response, rather than an answer with substance,” Molly pointed out. “I want to know why you made the choice you did? There must be a reason you decided to use your law degree the way you have. I mean, you didn’t need the money after you made billions with that social app you created.”
Spencer shifted in his seat, then crossed his arms. He looked visibly uncomfortable with her question.
“Maybe you should just let it go,” Rick suggested. “Can’t you tell the guy doesn’t want to go into it?” Giving Spencer an apologetic look, he added, “She’s naturally curious. Sometimes she doesn’t realize she comes off pushy.”
Molly’s head snapped to her boyfriend as her eyes narrowed. Geez, Rick was on a roll and about to get a medal for being the biggest jerk in the room.
“It’s okay,” Spencer said with a shake of his head. “I’m just not used to people wanting the details of why I became a public defender. Usually, I just tell them that general info and they move on to something else.” He took a sip of water, then continued. “During my last year of college, my older brother ended up getting hooked on heroin and started dealing to cover his habit. No one in the family knew, so when he got arrested, it came as a shock to all of us. My parents had just lost all their money in some bad real estate investments and my social app was in the beginning stages, so no one had the finances to hire an attorney. He was assigned a veteran public defender. We thought my brother would be fine, but the guy completely botched the case. My brother should have gotten a short sentence—two years max. Instead, he ended up getting six years in prison.”
“That’s awful,” Molly said with shock. “I remember you telling me how important your brother was to you.”
Spencer nodded. “It doesn’t end there though. The worst part was that nearly halfway through his sentence, a fight broke out in the jail and my brother was stabbed to death. It destroyed my family. They moved away shortly after that.”
Both Molly and Sarah gasped at the shocking news.
“I never knew that,” Sarah stated with sympathy. “Why don’t you talk about it?”
“It’s too painful,” Spencer stated plainly. “The best way for me to honor my brother is to not let what happened to him, happen to anyone else. It’s why I decided to use the money from my social app to go to law school, then moved back to Crystal Cove to take a position as a public defender here.”
“Is that why you started your nonprofit organization to help fund lawyers for underprivileged youth?” Sarah inquired with curiosity.
Spencer nodded. “I do my very best to keep other families from feeling the loss we did when that public defender failed my brother. I can only help so many, the organization is able to step in where I can’t.”
Molly resisted the urge to reach across the table and take Spencer’s hand. All this time, she only thought about how hard the last ten years had been for her, but she never stopped to think about what Spencer might have gone through during that same time.
She could see from the tension in his body and face, he was fighting back the emotions raging just below the surface. Though she knew he was vulnerable right now, and asking follow-up questions would catch him off-guard, she couldn’t bring herself to dig any further.
What was going on with her? Her whole purpose for coming here was to find out the truth about Spencer’s dealings as a public defender. Yet, the first moment he revealed something personal, albeit tragic and devastating, she put her purpose on the back-burner. She felt bad for her target, and was surprised by it, because she was usually tougher than this.
Not liking her reaction to his story, Molly decided she needed to take a few moments to clear her head. She jumped to her feet as she said, “Excuse me. I need to go to the restroom.” She glanced at Sarah and asked, “Is it still in the back?”
“Here, I can go with you,” Sarah offered as she joined her, and they moved towards the back of the diner.
“You really didn’t know any of that about his brother?” Molly asked.
Sarah shook her head. “I’ve been going to church with him for years and he never talked about it. I just always assumed his brother moved away.”
“I kind of feel bad, pushing him like that. If I had known it would result in him having to talk about that, I wouldn’t have.”
“I know that. You’ve always been a kind person, Molly.”
They entered the restroom. Molly glanced around and realized that just like the rest of the restaurant, it hadn’t changed much. There was a small area with two sinks and a mirror. Further back were two stalls with toilets inside.
“I can wait for you out here,” Sarah said.
“That’s okay. I don’t really have to use the restroom. I just needed to get away for a few minutes.”
“Why? It’s surprising you’re having such a reaction to Spencer’s story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s sad and all, but you two didn’t part on the best of terms. To be honest, I’m surprised you agreed to come here at all.”
“Believe me, you’re not the only one, but Spencer still has a way of getting me to agree to things I never thought I would.”
Molly’s mind instantly recalled the fact that she agreed to carry on a secret relationship with him, despite all the warnings her head told her heart. Why couldn’t she say ‘no’ to Spencer Wilmington?
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. You should know, Spencer isn’t like he was when we were kids. He’s really changed for the better. You don’t have to worry about what he will do anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m only here for a few days. Once I’m back in Miami, all of this won’t matter anymore.”
Even as Molly said the words, she realized she wasn’t sure if they were tr
ue. The moment she first saw Spencer in the library the day before, something rekindled in Molly’s heart that had been extinguished for over a decade.
Dr. Rick Colson was an ignoramus. As Spencer watched him flirt with the young, brunette server named Sandy, the anger built inside him. This idiot somehow convinced the most perfect woman in the world to be with him, and yet he wasn’t content.
Spencer hadn’t gotten into a fight since he was in college, but he was seriously considering changing that tonight. It was taking all his self-control to not reach out and punch the smug doctor straight in the jaw.
“Wow, I can’t believe you worked on all those famous people,” Sandy said with awe. “And to think, they all fly in from New York and Los Angeles just so you can work on them.”
“Well, shh, don’t tell anyone. It has to be our little secret,” he said with a wag of his eyebrows.
Rick was exactly like Spencer when he was in high school and college; self-absorbed and egotistical. Though Spencer had changed, it pointed to one obvious fact, Molly was attracted to jerks.
“I have to get back to work or my manager is going to flip out. Can I catch up with you later?” she said, handing him a folded piece of paper. “Here’s my number. Feel free to call me anytime.”
Rather than throw away the piece of paper, he kept it in his hand.
“Does that happen often?” Spencer probed, hoping Rick would try to deny it. Spencer wouldn’t believe him, but at least it would show he cared enough to keep Molly from finding out.
Rick shrugged. “Eh, often enough that when I’m single, I don’t get lonely. You never know when you might need some company, which is why I never get rid of these,” he said, shaking the piece of paper. “I mean, every relationship gets stale, so to keep from going crazy, a little extra on the side doesn’t hurt anything.”
Spencer had to choke back the bile that rose in his throat. What a disgusting person Dr. Rick Colson was turning out to be. Not only was he a hellacious flirt, he was straight-out admitting he had no regrets about cheating.
“We’re back,” Sarah said as they came up on the table.
Rick quickly pushed the piece of paper into his pocket before Molly could see. Oh, how Spencer wished she had arrived a few seconds sooner.
The women took their seats just in time for the food to arrive. As everyone ate their meals, the conversation centered around Sarah’s upcoming trip, Rick’s latest celebrity patient, and the writing award Molly won last month.
Spencer didn’t feel like sharing, and focused on eating his meal instead.
“You know, I keep telling this one,” Sarah said, lightly elbowing Spencer in the side, “he needs to stop focusing solely on work and get out on a date. He’s not getting any younger.”
“We’re the same age,” Spencer pointed out.
“Yes, but I already went on the relationship train, and it derailed right in the middle. It left me barely holding on,” Sarah said as a sad look crossed her face. “Now I need to take a break and refocus on what really matters. It’s why I’m volunteering overseas.”
“I’ve been hit by the same train before,” Molly stated, staring directly at Spencer. “It feels awful, but you’ll eventually heal. When you do, you’ll be ready to get back out there.”
Spencer wanted to squirm in his seat. He could see from her face, she still felt the pain from his poor choices. He hated the fact he had hurt Molly so badly when they were young. She didn’t deserve what happened, and he should have done more to protect her.
Sarah’s phone rang, causing her to pull it out of her purse and look at the screen. “I have to go. It’s my roommate. There’s a problem at our apartment.”
“I can drive you home,” Spencer offered, coming to his feet.
“No, there’s no need for that,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “I can grab an Uber. Stay here and enjoy your time.”
Sarah made her way around the table to Molly, leaned down and gave her a hug. “It was so good seeing you. I’ll see you at the reunion Saturday night.”
“I look forward to it,” Molly stated as she returned the hug.
Once Sarah left, Spencer returned to his seat right before the server showed back up. She directed a flirtatious smile at Rick as she asked, “What can I get you for dessert?”
He returned the smile. “We’re all good here. No one needs the extra calories that come with it.”
Molly shot Rick a dirty look. “Speak for yourself. I can afford a few extra calories, and I’ve been dying for a piece of the famous Pina Colada pie.”
The server nodded as she jotted down the information. “Do you want anything?” she asked Spencer.
“I’d love a cup of coffee,” he said.
“Oh, that sounds great. I’ll take a cup to go with my pie,” Molly stated with a smile.
Rick looked irritated as he stood up and threw his napkin on the table. “I have to go to the restroom.” Without another word, he stormed off towards the back hall.
“I guess he really didn’t want anyone to get dessert,” Spencer observed.
A laugh escaped Molly as her eyes grew round with mirth. She placed her hand over her mouth to try to muffle it. “Right? I can’t believe how he just decided for everyone.”
Spencer shook his head, disgusted by the bad behavior of the other man. “Is he always like that?”
Molly shrugged. “We’ve only been dating a couple of months. He can be assertive, and he tends to want things a certain way, but his attitude has been pretty awful on this trip. I’ve honestly been put off by it.”
“I guess you really get to know people when you travel with them.”
“It seems that way,” Molly agreed.
Spencer didn’t want to talk about Rick anymore. As he watched Molly, all he wanted to do was reach out and kiss her. He fought the urge, and instead said, “You look really beautiful tonight.”
“Don’t waste your charm on me,” Molly stated with a roll of her eyes. “I quit being susceptible to it ten years ago.”
“Nothing is wasted on you,” Spencer stated in a steely voice. He leaned across the table, and added, “You should be told you’re beautiful often, and thoroughly.”
Molly’s cheeks turned red as she shifted in her seat. Her eyes met his as she whispered, “Why did you have to say that?”
Spencer reached out and touched her hand. “Because I meant it.”
Rick came back at the exact moment. The irritation from earlier was gone and was replaced with fury. He reached out and pulled Molly up by her arm. “I think it’s time for us to go.”
Molly pulled away with a shocked expression. “What’s wrong, Rick?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Rick accused as he gestured towards Spencer.
“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Spencer said, coming to his feet, “but you should calm down before you go anywhere.”
“Don’t tell me what I should do,” Rick barked out, as he crossed his arms. “I’m not about to let that happen after I catch you putting the moves on my girlfriend.”
Molly gasped. “Rick, what are you talking about?”
“I saw the two of you just now; not to mention how he has been looking at you all night. When we came here, you made it sound like he was just an old friend, but I’m beginning to think there’s more to it than that.”
“There’s nothing going on between us,” Molly denied as she reached out and touched Rick’s arm.
He yanked free from her grasp and glared at her. “I won’t be played for a fool.”
“That’s not what’s happening,” she protested, “let’s just get out of here.”
Spencer watched as they turned to head towards the exit. Over her shoulder, Molly mouthed the words, ‘I’m sorry.’
A few minutes later, the server arrived with the pie and two coffees. She glanced around, then asked, “Where did they go?”
“Can I just get the check, please?”
The server nodded, placing the items on t
he table before scurrying off.
Spencer realized that Rick wasn’t as big a fool as he first thought. He had recognized correctly that there was something between Spencer and Molly. The question was, did Rick have a strong enough pull on Molly to keep her from seeing Spencer again. If that happened, if he never saw Molly again, could Spencer live with that?
As he headed to his car, the truth sank deep into his heart. He hated the idea of never spending time with Molly again.
Chapter 5
The chirping of the birds outside Molly’s window woke her up. She stretched her arms above her head as she yawned, then turned on her side, wanting to check the time. Her eyelashes fluttered for a few seconds before her eyes focused on the clock. 9:00 a.m.
Her need for coffee overtook her desire to stay in bed. She slung her legs over the side of her twin bed—still covered in hues of teals and black, her favorite colors from a decade ago.
She glanced around the room for a moment, and had to remind herself it wasn’t the late 2000s. Posters of Katy Perry, Hannah Montana, and Maroon 5 lined her walls. She walked over and lightly touched the row of headbands—a huge trend when she was in high school—and picked up a big black-bowed one and popped it on her head. She moved her head back and forth.
She let out a small laugh, remembering how hard she had tried to fit in during high school, and how little good it did her.
Her phone buzzed from across the room and she rushed over to her nightstand and picked it up. She read the incoming text.
Can you join me for lunch?
I wanted to apologize for last night.
The text read from Spencer.
Though she didn’t think Spencer needed to apologize for anything on his end, she did think she could continue to question him about his job. She hadn’t gotten to all the questions she would have liked, and figured another chance would be beneficial.
Sure, I can meet you today at 11:30.
Do you want to meet at the restaurant at Echo Island Inn?