Nick laid his arm across her shoulders. “I told you that you didn’t have to come, Penelope.”
She leveled a glare at him. “My father wants me to check out the sites. I’m an employee, just like you are.”
“Yes, and you never let anyone forget it,” Nick muttered as he set their luggage on the cracked concrete.
“You two about done?” Spencer asked.
Penny smiled at him brightly. “Just your average marital bickering. Totally normal. You wouldn’t know, Mr. Lone Wolf.”
“I’m not a lone wolf,” Spencer huffed.
Penny made a howling noise and walked ahead of them into the hotel, her heels clicking smartly.
Spencer sighed and glanced at Nick, whose brows were furrowed in irritation.
Spencer wanted to ask him what he was so uptight about. Spencer was the one who was sweating through his shirt thinking about being back in Tory, Maryland, for the indefinite future.
He’d see Alex again. This town was too small and apparently her family and friends were everywhere. He wondered if she’d be angry. What they had was clearly meant to be one-time. He wasn’t invited to get to know her any more than he’d invited her.
He could maybe hole himself up in his hotel room for the duration of his stay, but that would defeat the purpose of why he was here.
Which was to work.
Plus, Penny would never let them stay inside. She’d never been to Maryland, and she wanted what she called “the full experience.”
He reminded her this was a business trip, that they were making the final decision on where to build another Royalty, but Penny said they could mix business with pleasure.
He’d nearly swallowed his tongue. Last time he was in town, he’d done just that and all it had gotten him were wet dreams. And a keychain.
Christ, he needed to get a grip.
Penny handled checking them in while Spencer and Nick stood awkwardly in the lobby surrounded by luggage.
“So, the drive was okay for you?” Spencer asked.
“The roads in Pennsylvania are shit,” Nick grumbled. “What the hell do those people do to their roads? Penny read the whole time. She should have ridden with you. I’m sure she would have enjoyed it more.”
Spencer kept quiet, which was usually the way his conversations with Nick went. But it was getting harder and harder for Spencer to ignore Nick’s remarks. Spencer also worried about Penny. Her first marriage had not been a good one. Her first husband and father of her children was a man who seemed to want a strong woman on his arm but yet wasn’t willing to stand aside as that strong woman stood on her own. Spencer didn’t know how to approach Penny about Nick, how to caution her on his behavior and ask if their marriage was okay behind closed doors. Was it any of his business?
And it wasn’t that he thought Nick didn’t treat Penny well, because Nick did try. It was that he didn’t think Nick was the man for her. Which sounded incredibly pompous when he thought about it. Who was he to know what was best for Penny? But Nick seemed vaguely threatened by everything, from Penny’s position at Royalty to her friendship with Spencer.
For now, Spencer kept his mouth shut and pulled out his cell phone, tapping aimlessly until Penny walked to where they were standing, key cards in her hand.
They were on the same floor, a couple of rooms apart, and Spencer was finally able to breathe when he was behind the closed door by himself. He unpacked his clothes and opened his laptop on the small desk. But he stared at his backdrop and eventually his gaze drew to the window in his room. His view was the pool, which was closed for the season.
Nick was also a scout for Royalty. That was how he and Penny had met. Spencer didn’t care much about impressing Richard Moore. He worked because he liked it. He loved fulfilling a need in a town for excellent lodging. He loved the site of a freshly built hotel, the air still smelling of cooling asphalt.
The past two weeks, the team in New York had narrowed down the site for a new hotel to two locations—the one Spencer recommended, and the land behind Payton and Sons Automotive. That . . . had not been his recommendation. At all. For some reason, Nick had thought that location was more attractive, except he wanted more. He wanted the land the auto repair shop sat on too. Which meant . . . he wanted to buy out the Paytons.
That made Spencer want to puke, but he didn’t want to think about that, couldn’t entertain the thought that Nick’s recommendation would be chosen over his. So his job while in town was to convince Penny his recommendation was best, while Nick would . . . well, he’d do what he did, which was flit around like a fly and annoy everyone. Or maybe just Spencer.
Spencer had confidence he could convince the company that he was correct.
He knew his emotions weren’t swaying him. He’d chosen to recommend the first property before he’d ever laid eyes on Alex. But now, he was even more determined. He didn’t know a lot about his sprite, but he knew she loved her job and she loved that garage. It was evident in her posture when she stood in the shop and in her voice when she talked about her work.
Spencer shut the lid to his laptop and paced the room restlessly. He’d always loved being alone. He needed the time to recharge his batteries, to keep all his armor in place so he could continue to be the carefully crafted L. M. Spencer.
But the past two weeks, his skin had felt too tight, his chest heavy. Like there was something else he should be doing, something he was missing.
Thoughts of Alex had eased him and shortened his breath all at the same time. When Penny’s father had instructed the three of them to return to Tory, Spencer had gone home and gotten drunk. On the hundred-year-old Scotch he’d been keeping for a special occasion.
He’d woken up on his living room floor wearing his robe. It had been unsettling.
He didn’t know what he would say when he saw Alex again. How would she react? They’d both been safe under the presumption they’d never see each other again after that night in his hotel room. That had been their safety net, and now he’d poked a big ol’ hole in it.
He got the impression Alex didn’t like surprises.
Yeah, well, he wasn’t too fond of them either.
He undressed and got in the shower, thinking maybe he’d sleep because come tomorrow, he’d have to unleash Penny and Nick in Tory.
And he wasn’t quite sure this would end well for anyone.
BELLINI’S HAD GOOD crab cakes. And that was the only reason Alex had let herself be talked into a fancy dinner on Friday night.
Brent didn’t seem too happy either, but he’d do anything for his girls. Ivy and Violet had gone all out, dressed up with hair and makeup and heels to celebrate Ivy’s birthday.
Okay, so Alex was at this fancy dinner for the crab cakes and her sister.
She was even in a dress, although it was black with a bright-red cherry print. She’d spent a good twenty minutes going through her lipstick stash to find the perfect shade to match. Her eye makeup was on point, dramatic winged eyeliner and smoky eye shadow.
Hey, if she was asked to dress up, she was going to do it her way.
Didn’t stop her from wearing lace-up boots, though. Because heels were the devil.
She took a sip of her wine and watched Violet carefully pick up the correct utensil to eat her fancy salad. Alex thought it looked like rabbit food, but clearly she wasn’t the clientele for a place like this. Ivy loved it and that was all that mattered.
Her sister looked radiant, wearing a purple dress, her hair loose around her shoulders. Her happiness was a tangible thing, floating in the air like a feather. Alex wanted to snatch it and tuck it behind her ear, save a little for herself.
She stared at her nails, which were painted dark blue, the polish chipping. She picked at a thumbnail, trying not to let her mind wander and think about Spencer.
His nickname for her had made her give up the clear soda for life. She wondered if he thought about her at all, if he regretted their time.
If he still had that keychain
.
That had been dumb, to give it to him. No way would he keep something like that while he was cruising around New York, saying hello to his doorman and sitting in his fancy office.
Buying necklaces for women that weren’t her. She shouldn’t be bothered by that, because she’d agreed to the one-night rule. Hell, she’d wanted it. So what right did she have to be angry he slept with her the night before and bought a necklace for another woman the next day?
She didn’t have any rights to his life. She wasn’t willing to give him any rights to hers.
She shook her head as the waiter placed their plates in front of them. Alex dug into her crab cake right away, while Ivy tutted over the gorgeous “presentation” of her dish.
As they ate, Ivy was moaning about the tenderness of her fillet while Violet was talking about a boy at school.
Brent was—predictably—frowning at the idea of a boy paying attention to Violet.
“He told me my hair is the color of poop,” Violet said. “It was really mean.”
“That kid is a, a—”
Ivy looked up at Brent sharply with big eyes.
“Is an . . . awkward boy,” Brent said, cringing.
Alex hid her smile behind her napkin.
Brent’s glare told her she hadn’t hid her giggle well. “Anyway,” he said, focusing back on Violet, who was listening intently. “Your hair is beautiful. So’s your mom’s and so’s your aunt’s.” He grinned and ran a hand through his hair. “Mine is great too, right?”
Violet nodded.
“You like your hair?”
“I love my hair,” Violet said, twirling a strand.
“Then don’t let a boy make you feel differently about it,” he said. “And if he bugs you too much, tell a teacher.”
“Okay,” Violet said.
Alex wasn’t grinning anymore. How she wished she’d had someone like Brent when she was a little girl. Then maybe she wouldn’t have let Robby change how she viewed herself. Maybe she would have been strong enough . . .
She took another sip of wine, and excused herself to head to the bathroom. Despite eating most of her crab cake, she probably shouldn’t have had so much wine beforehand. She was a little unsteady and even more grateful she hadn’t worn heels.
In the bathroom she stared at herself in the mirror, fixing her lipstick and wiping a smudge of eyeliner below her eye. Her hair was down, which was rare for her, and a little huge. It had rained earlier and the humidity had wreaked havoc on her mane, so it cascaded all around her like she was in a bad ’90s sitcom.
She huffed and did her best to tame it down before she walked out of the bathroom.
She weaved her way through the tables and was close to reaching her family when a feminine laugh caught her attention.
It wasn’t the owner of the laugh who stopped Alex in her tracks. It was whom the woman sat with. Alex remembered that suit jacket. Those shoulders. That hair that was a little on the longer side now, curling around his ears and brushing the collar of his shirt.
She couldn’t understand what he said, but she’d remember that deep rumble anywhere. His head was turned slightly, so she could see his profile.
Spencer.
Leslie Michael Fucking Spencer was back in town.
And he was sitting with a woman who looked like she’d stepped out of a New York socialite magazine. Large earrings dangled from her ears and she wore a necklace that sparkled in the candlelight on the table. Her dress was a deep purple color, something classy, and her makeup was understated yet clearly done with care.
She was everything Alex wasn’t.
And Alex was okay with that, dammit. She’d always been okay with that until fucking Robby had made her feel like that wasn’t enough, like that would never be enough, until she didn’t know what was right anymore.
All she knew was that the man she couldn’t get out of her head was sitting with a gorgeous woman, and they were smiling at each other and drinking wine. This was the woman he belonged with. That he’d marry.
Alex had known all along, of course, that she wasn’t anything special to him. What they had was simply a hookup, but to see Spencer’s future with her own eyes wasn’t a good feeling. She thought she’d never see him again, and maybe it was a little irrational, and maybe they hadn’t made promises, but she was a little angry with him for violating this unspoken pact.
Something rolled in Alex’s gut and she placed a hand over her mouth. Oh God, the last thing she needed was to throw up in the dining room of Bellini’s.
So she put her head down and walked briskly to her table, hoping Spencer didn’t see her.
When she sat down, she gulped the rest of her wine as Ivy stared at her. “You okay?”
Alex set her glass down harder than she meant to. The centerpiece rattled. “Uh, yup.”
Ivy frowned. “You sure?”
“Never been better.”
Ivy opened her mouth to say more, but Brent—God bless the irritating bastard—began talking about the Halloween costumes he planned for this year, and Alex thanked him silently for the reprieve.
She pretended to listen while her brain could do nothing but focus back on that table. Spencer was here. He was back. In Tory.
The questions rattled around and around—questions she didn’t think she’d ever get answers for, because she intended to do everything she could to keep from running into Spencer again. He must have lied too. He had a woman. She was there, right across from him, with her perfect hair and white smile and class.
She ate dessert methodically, not really tasting it, while Ivy gave her odd looks in between bites of her crème brûlée.
Brent paid the check and everything was going swimmingly as they stood up from their table until Brent scanned the restaurant.
His eyes lit up.
And Alex knew at that moment she was a little doomed.
“Hey, it’s the English guy!” he said. “Babe, hold on, I wanna say hi.” He bent down. “Vi, you wanna meet someone from Britain?”
Violet nodded enthusiastically as Alex looked at her sister in horror.
Ivy pulled on Brent’s arm. “Honey, he’s having dinner, maybe we shouldn’t interrupt—”
“Nah, it’s cool.” He grabbed Violet’s hand and began walking toward Spencer’s table.
Alex didn’t move, just stayed where she was standing, because how the hell would this end well?
Brent arrived at their table, and Spencer’s dining companion looked up at Brent, smiling radiantly, and then Ivy was all possessive girlfriend, stalking haughtily over to the table and slipping her arm in the crook of Brent’s elbow.
Alex rolled her eyes and followed slowly, fingering the hem of her skirt and watching the table from under her lashes.
Spencer looked up at Brent and Ivy, his face going momentarily pale before he craned his neck around them, looking for . . . And then his gaze met hers.
He’d been looking for her.
His expression didn’t change as she arrived at the table and stood behind Violet. His gaze didn’t leave her face, though, until Brent drew his attention.
“Good to see you, man. You back in town for work?”
Spencer’s gaze flitted from Brent to Alex before settling back on Brent. “Um, yes. I am actually.”
“What do you do?”
“Royalty Suites.”
“The hotel chain?”
“Yes, and we’re looking here in Tory for locations to build one.”
“Huh.” Brent scratched his head. “Would create more jobs in the area, so that’s good. We can support another hotel?”
Spencer smiled and nodded. “Yes, it’s why we’re here. You aren’t far from the airport and your highway is a main thoroughfare for business travelers.”
“Cool.” Brent nodded, but his interest seemed to have waned. “So, how’s the car?”
“It’s running fine, thank you.”
“Great, great. Well, hey, this is my girlfriend, Ivy, and our daugh
ter, Violet. And you met Alex, right? She works at the shop too.”
Spencer swallowed and shifted in his seat. “Yes, we’ve met. I actually met your girlfriend too, at Delilah’s.”
“I like your accent,” Violet said and giggled.
And Spencer smiled. “Well, I like yours.”
Ivy’s eyes were narrowed as she stared at the woman at the table. “Did you like the necklace?”
Alex’s knees buckled and she braced a hand on Violet’s shoulder to steady herself. Could this get any more awkward?
The woman was smiling big now, holding out a delicate hand to Brent. “I’m Penny.” Her accent was American. “And that necklace was for my daughter. She does love it.”
Alex worked hard on breathing properly. Damn, it was worse. He had kids.
Brent stared at her hand like he didn’t know what to do with it, then he enclosed it in the grasp of his big hand and shook it gently. “Nice to meet you, Penny.”
“Lovely town you have here,” she said, her tone not condescending, which made Alex angrier. She wanted this woman to be a stone-cold bitch. But she wasn’t. Her smile was genuine, her eyes warm.
“Spencer bring you for a vacation?” Ivy asked, her voice even.
Penny’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows lifted. “A vacation? Oh no, I work with Spencer. But maybe we’ll take some time off and enjoy all the sites Maryland has to offer, right, Spence?”
Spence. She called him Spence.
Alex curled her hand at her side into a fist.
Spencer’s gaze was back on Alex and he muttered, “Sure.”
And Alex had never been good at keeping her mouth shut. “I hope hospitality on this visit is just as nice as it was on your first visit.”
Spencer’s eyes widened slightly. Ivy’s head whipped to Alex, and Brent’s brows furrowed.
“What does hospitality mean?” Violet asked.
Alex knew her face was red, that her voice had been bitter. Penny’s gaze was ping-ponging between Spencer and Alex, something like understanding dawning on her face.
It was time for this to be over.
“Well, we should be going—”
A man arriving at the table cut her off. He bent down and kissed Penny’s cheek, then sat down at an empty chair Alex hadn’t even noticed was at the table.
Dirty Deeds (Mechanics of Love #3) Page 6