17
Spencer
When I woke up and checked my phone, I remembered that I had promised Robin I would take her to lunch. I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face. I really wasn’t looking forward to continuing the lie further, but at the same time, Robin had seemed so desperate that I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her alone to deal with her scumbag boss.
I pushed myself out of bed and got myself ready for the day, all the while panicking about how I was going to manage to keep the whole thing under control. I couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter what I did, I was going to just put more space between myself and Rylee.
Getting along with chores on the ranch was one way of dealing with it all. There was hardly time to worry about Rylee when I was too busy feeding and grooming the horses. But time passed all too quickly and as lunch time approached, I grew more and more apprehensive. It was hard to think about anything but the distance this could create between me and Rylee, but I knew it was something I had to do anyway. I couldn’t leave Robin to suffer alone. So, I cleaned myself up and headed for the car.
As I drove to the offices of Jenkins & Co., I tried to concentrate on how important the whole thing was to Robin and how much I wanted her sleazebag boss to leave her alone. I knew I was doing the right thing in standing by Robin, but I couldn’t help but wince when I imagined the impact they could have on my own life.
When I pulled up to the law firm, I parked my car and tried to straighten out the suit I was wearing before I walked inside. The lobby was immaculate with not even a single sign of dust anywhere. It was decorated in a modern style with sleek black leather chairs and glass surfaces. The receptionist was pretty and pleasant where she sat behind the front desk. I approached her with my most charming smile.
“Good afternoon, I’m here to see Robin Bratton,” I told her as I leaned my forearm on the counter.
“She’s up on the second floor,” the woman replied and pointed me toward the elevator.
I thanked her and strode toward the shiny, silver doors. As I rode upward to Robin’s floor, I took in a deep breath and tried to calm myself. It was too late now to go back. I was already in too deep; I couldn’t fail Robin now.
The doors opened and I saw Robin’s familiar face sat behind a desk right in front of me. I headed straight for her with my best impression of an adoring boyfriend smile on my face. When she saw me, Robin’s face lit up and she stood.
“There you are, sweetheart!” I called out, far louder than necessary.
“Hey Spencer,” she greeted. “It’s so good to see you. Are you ready to go for lunch?”
“I couldn’t be more ready. I always love going to lunch with my girlfriend!”
Robin smiled at my demonstration for the benefit of her office. I took a quick peek over her shoulder and saw an older man watching the interaction with a grimace permanently etched onto his miserable face. He had a full head of gray hair except for the crown where he had a rather large bald spot. As Robin and I continued our little charade for the benefit of her colleagues, he stood up and began walking toward us with his rotund belly stretching his shirt so tight that it looked like his buttons might ping off at any moment.
“Is that him?” I whispered under my breath.
Robin peered over her shoulder before turning back and nodding. “That’s him, that’s Archie,” she confirmed.
I nodded to her and began to mentally prepare for the confrontation that seemed inevitable at this point. When Archie finally reached us, he didn’t say anything for a long time. Instead, his eyes dragged down my body as though he were giving me a once over. I immediately knew I detested the man. His face looked as though he was constantly frowning and I imagined that he truly was as hard to get rid of as Robin had explained.
“Oh, Archie! You’re just in time to meet my boyfriend. Archie Jenkins, this is Spencer Reid,” Robin said with an uneasy smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Archie,” I said and offered him my hand to shake.
“Actually, it’s Archibald Jenkins,” he replied curtly while still giving me the stink eye. He glanced down at my hand before letting out a huff of indignation. “How do you know, Robin?” he asked.
I frowned at his rude behavior and dropped my spurned hand. “We went to high school together,” I explained, trying my best to keep a cheery demeanor while internally wanting to throttle the man. “I moved back to town recently. That’s when Robin and I met again at our high school reunion and well…” I paused and glanced in a way I hoped looked sincere and lovingly toward Robin. “We just couldn’t resist each other. That’s how it is with old flames, I’m sure you understand.” I winked at Old Man Jenkins despite his surly attitude and hoped I’d put on enough of show for him to back off.
I hadn’t.
“And what do you do for a living, Spencer?” he asked instead.
I frowned and admitted, “Well, I’m retired technically, but I used to work as an engineer and an inventor—quite successfully, I might add.”
Old Man Jenkins smiled for the first time then. “And how do you expect to support Robin if you don’t have a job?”
I laughed. I couldn’t believe how obviously vile this man was being toward me. His atrocious behavior only made me think less and less of him as our conversation went on. “Don’t you worry now, Archie. I have a very healthy bank account. I’m sure Robin will want for nothing while she’s with me.”
Old Man Jenkins’ face began to burn bright red and I imagined it might literally explode like in a cartoon. He was fuming and everybody knew it. Instead of taking it out on me, however, he gripped Robin’s arm tight – much tighter than I liked – and dragged her across the room and toward his office. I followed promptly behind them, but he slammed the door in my face. Thankfully, his office was glass paneled and I could see everything that was happening.
“Don’t you know it’s inappropriate to carry on your sordid little affair in the office? Right in front of every staff member?” he asked, his voice raised and angry. “I’m going to have to reprimand you unless you promise not to do anything so stupid like this again.” Robin was practically shaking in fear and her face was pale as a sheet.
I’d had enough. I needed to put a stop to this. If Old Man Jenkins was going to behave this way toward Robin, what hope did any other pretty woman have in his presence?
I stormed inside the office. “Take your hands off of my girlfriend!” I barked, my eyes blazing as I strode toward him, readying myself for a fight.
“Who do you think you are?!” Old Man Jenkins spat, still holding Robin’s arm tight. “Get out of my office!”
“No,” I said, refusing to move even so much as an inch. “I’m not going anywhere until you let go of Robin and if I ever find out that you’ve so much as placed a finger on her, you’re going to have me to answer to, buddy.”
The two of us stared each other down for a long moment until Old Man Jenkins seemed to realize that I was the taller, stronger, and younger of the two of us. He sized me up and then finally, he withdrew his hand from Robin. She ran toward me and I put my arm around her shoulders comfortingly.
Without so much as a backward glance in his direction, I left Old Man Jenkins and ushered Robin toward the elevator. I could hear her shaky breathing and I knew the whole thing had taken its toll on her. As quickly as I could, I escorted her to my car and headed toward a little café around the corner.
Once we were inside, the two of us collapsed with a sigh of relief into our chairs. “What an asshole!” I cried as I slumped in my seat and let out a quiet laugh. “I can see why you wanted my help now.”
“Yes, I’m really grateful,” Robin replied, looking exhausted. “It’ll be nice for everything to go back to normal at work after this.”
“Well, that should have done the trick,” I told her with a grin.
Robin laughed. “I think so too. Now, what are we eating? All this drama has left me hungry.”
* * *
An h
our later, I was already back at the ranch and hard at work on the fields when I felt the phone in my pocket buzz. With a puzzled expression, I drew back and dropped the hoe I was using to answer it.
“Hello, Spencer Reid here,” I quickly said.
“Spencer,” Robin’s familiar voice responded down the line. “Oh God, Spencer, I don’t know what to do…”
Straight away, I stood to attention. The sadness in Robin’s voice made me feel completely on edge. “What do you mean, Robin? What’s happened?”
“Well, after you dropped me back at work, Archie pulled me into his office again…”
Oh God, this isn’t going to end well, I thought to myself. I knew Old Man Jenkins wasn’t going to go down quietly. “What did he do, Robin? I swear to God, if he laid a hand on you, I’ll come back down there right now and I’ll—”
“No, no, he didn’t,” she admitted sadly. “He fired me.”
For a moment, everything went silent. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way Old Man Jenkins was that much of a bastard, right?
“You’re joking… Robin, tell me you’re joking,” I replied.
A stifled sob sounded over the crackling phone line. “I’m not joking. He really fired me.”
Rage bubbled up inside me. “The nerve of that bastard!” I barked. “He’s not going to get away with this! What reason did he even give you for dismissal?”
“He said that I don’t have the type of friends that reflect positively on the company,” she confessed.
I scrubbed a hand over my face and sighed. My little stunt in the office had clearly backfired. “I’m so sorry, Robin. I know how much this job meant to you.”
“It’s not your fault, Spencer,” she told me between sobs. “I just… I don’t know what I’m going to do…”
I knew what she meant. Rylee and Jayden depended on her. If she lost her job, they were all going to suffer. My stupid stunt with Robin’s boss was going to make the whole family suffer if I didn’t step in…
I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve. I couldn’t let that happen. “It’s okay, Robin. I’m going to find a way to fix everything.”
18
Rylee
It’s Saturday and I was totally freaking out. The last time I saw Spencer he’d insisted that he was going to meet Jayden this weekend and I wasn’t sure when or if he was even going to turn up. I was pacing the living room of my mom’s house while Jayden busied himself playing with his race track. I couldn’t help but wonder if I should have stayed at the diner and ironed out the details with me, but I was still stubbornly clinging to the hope that Spencer might give up on this whole thing.
Despite my hope that Spencer would be a no show, I still dabbed a little foundation on my face and brushed my lashes with mascara. I even put on a nicer dress than I’d typically wear on one of my days off. It wasn’t like I was trying to impress Spencer of anything, but if he did turn up, I didn’t want to be caught off-guard. I wanted to be prepared and confident for anything that might happen. Jayden fell asleep on the couch and I carried him up to his bedroom before returning to the living room.
When the doorbell rang, my heart stopped. I stood still and watched as my mom headed straight for the door. It could be the mailman, I told myself. It could be absolutely anyone. There was no guarantee that it was Spencer. And yet, I kind of hoped it was.
“Oh! Good morning, Spencer!” my mom greeted. “I didn’t know you were coming over today. What a pleasant surprise.”
I crept toward the door of the living room then and peered around the doorway. I wanted to get a good look at him myself. Was he a mess? Was he still pissed at me? Was he here for me and Jayden or for my mom? My mind raced with question after question and I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied until I found out the answer from Spencer himself.
“Good morning, Robin,” Spencer replied as he stepped through the doorway and hugged my mom affectionately. Jealousy rippled through me and I tried to remember that Spencer didn’t really have feelings for my mom. It was all a ruse. Yet, seeing the two of them together, seeing Spencer with a woman of his own age, made me feel like the odd one out. It just confirmed my beliefs that I was too young, too inexperienced, and too naïve for someone as charismatic and smart as Spencer.
“I’m sorry for just dropping by, but I felt awful after what happened yesterday. I never would have threatened your boss if I’d known it would lead to you losing your job. I promise, I’m going to make it up to you,” he said with a kind smile.
My heart raced as I saw Spencer talk so passionately. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt and the material clung to his biceps in a way that made me tingle. I wanted to run my hands all over him, but I knew I couldn’t. It was wrong. He was too old for me. Everyone would talk about us. Jayden would never have a normal life…
“Oh, Spencer, it wasn’t your fault,” my mom replied. “It was Archie being a bull-headed pig as always! Besides, I’m a confident woman with load of experience and a lot of people skills. I’m sure I’ll bounce back soon enough.” Her words didn’t quite match her nervous expression and I sighed. My mom was trying her best to stay positive, but I knew she was worried about our future. We both were.
“I know it wasn’t my fault,” Spencer told her with a sincere expression. “But I’m still going to make it up to you. Look, I’ve already contacted one of my friends who works as a lawyer in New York. I told him about the whole thing and he thinks we’ve got a good case for a wrongful termination law suit against Jenkins & Co. All you have to do is say the word and we’ll get started on that right away.”
I gasped. Was Spencer being serious? That sort of thing could be incredible for my mom. Not only would she get justice against the asshole who ruined her career, but also, she’d get some money to tide her over until she found another job. Spencer was a real lifesaver.
“Oh, Spencer, I can’t thank you enough—”
“Hold on, Robin, I’m not finished,” he interrupted with a wide smile. “I’ve also booked the entire family an all-expenses paid vacation to Hawaii for a whole week, starting tonight. I’ve organized a chartered plane to stand by at the local airfield. All I need you guys to do is pack your bags.”
“You’re kidding,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. Two pairs of eyes turned and set their gaze upon me straight away and I immediately regretted opening my mouth.
“Oh, Rylee! Did you hear that? Isn’t it wonderful?” my mom gushed, rushing toward me and taking my hands in hers. “A vacation to Hawaii! I’ve always wanted to go there and we haven’t taken a trip since before Jayden was born!”
I was speechless. It was an amazing idea, but I still wasn’t sure how I felt about spending time with Spencer or how I felt about Jayden spending time with Spencer. “I… I have to work this weekend, I’m sorry,” I explained, looking down at my feet and trying to avoid making eye contact with either of them.
“Oh, what a shame…” Robin lamented.
“No, you don’t, Rylee,” Spencer interjected.
My head snapped up and I sent him a fierce glare. “What do you mean? Of course, I—”
“No, you don’t because yesterday, I bought the grocery store,” he stated plainly.
My eyes widened. He couldn’t be serious. This was crazy.
“As the new owner, I’m giving you paid vacation time for the entire length of the trip. You don’t have to worry about a thing, Rylee,” he continued with a great big smirk on his smug face.
My jaw dropped to the floor as did my mom’s and we both stared at him dumbly.
“I… I knew you had to have a decent amount of money to retire so young, but I had no idea you had this kind of wealth, Spencer!” Robin exclaimed, still looking at him in shock.
Spencer shrugged. “You know me, Robin. I’m not one for bragging. And besides, this vacation is the least I could do to make up for getting you fired.”
My mom smiled wide. “Well, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! I’d love to get wh
isked off on a tropical vacation. I’ll get packing right away.” With an excited squeal, my mom raced up the stairs and left Spencer and I alone in the hallway.
For a long moment, we stared each other down and said nothing. I glanced upward to the stairs, worried that mom might overhear us, but then I heard her turn the radio on and begin singing cheerily. The fact that Spencer had made my mom so happy wasn’t lost on me and I softened a little toward him, but still, I had Jayden to think about.
“Spencer, are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked him with a thin-lipped smile.
“It’s the only thing I could think of that would let me spend time with my son away from the prying eyes of the town,” Spencer explained with a shrug. “I want to meet him still, Rylee. I want to learn who he is and what he likes. I think it’s only fair that you let me have that chance, Rylee. Besides, a vacation to Hawaii must sweeten the deal for you, huh?”
I scowled at him. It was a nice gesture, but I didn’t want him to think that I was the type of person who could be bought like this. At the same time, however, I knew that if I refused to go, my mom and Jayden would miss out on an amazing vacation. I couldn’t do that to them.
“Fine. I’ll come, but only for Jayden and Mom. I’m not coming for any other reason, so don’t think that you can buy me by throwing your money around. I told you, I’m only interested in what’s best for my son. Nothing else.” Feeling confident that I’d made myself clear, I stalked off upstairs to pack and check on Jayden.
Once I’d packed all the essentials that the two of us would need for such a long trip, I went over to Jayden’s closet and rummaged around for a few more pairs of shoes when the little tyke finally awoke.
“Mama?” he called in a quiet, croaky voice. “Whatcha doin’ in my closet?”
Mommy's Boyfriend (Be My Boyfriend Book 1) Page 11