Wait, what? I felt a ping of disappointment. Spencer was incredibly sexy, and the way she held herself was the exact opposite of the way my ex did. Plus, she seemed to be a few years younger than I was, so way to go, Sarge.
“Where’s G?” she called.
“Outside.” Zoe pointed the direction with her head. I gathered she wasn’t a fan of the sergeant’s wife, given the glare she graced her with when Spencer caught sight of me standing there.
“Hey.” She shrugged off her coat and hung it neatly on the back of the chair. She extended her slim hand toward me. “Spencer Peters.”
“Blake Daniels.” I gave her a firm squeeze and tried not to notice how soft her palm was.
“Ah, yes.” Her smile reached her eyes. She seemed very genuine, and her mannerisms were calm and direct. “The detective.”
“That’s correct.” I nodded politely. “And you are?”
“Late!” Zoe burst into our discussion and pushed Spencer toward the sliding doors. “You know how G gets when you don’t check in.”
“Excuse me,” she said over her shoulder with a scowl at Zoe.
“No problem.”
I watched her over the next couple of hours while the people I met became a blur. Spencer was constantly surrounded by others. Clearly, she was close with the other officers, and I liked that. In order to do our kind of job, you needed to surround yourself with like-minded people. It was the only way to feel a sense of normalcy. Spencer seemed to easily fit that mold.
I made my way over and joined the group she was with to listen to their conversation.
“If that was me,” Benny jumped in over Fitz’s story, “I would take her to a restaurant, get her all full, and ask her to take a walk with me around the lake.”
“That is if you had a girlfriend?” Spencer asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay,” she smiled playfully, “just making sure we all know that this is a purely hypothetical situation, because we all know you do not have a girlfriend.”
“Mess off.” He shoved her shoulder, and she laughed harder.
I couldn’t help but be impressed with the way she handled herself with the guys. There was no doubt Spencer could hold her own.
“Dinner,” a woman I hadn’t met called from the doorway. Spencer waved and rushed toward the woman, wrapping her in a huge hug. I couldn’t help but notice how the evening light reflected off her long, glossy hair. I felt like I was seventeen with the emotions she stirred in me, and I needed to snap out of it. I needed to be respectful.
I sat back and watched everyone and tried to learn their likes and dislikes. Without meaning to, I profiled. It had been such a part of my life, I found it helped me understand my co-workers too. There was a lot you could learn about someone when they didn’t know they were being watched.
“I’m glad you came.” Sarge came up next to me after everyone was finished with dinner. “You get a chance to meet all the guys?”
“Most of them, I think. I appreciate the invite. It’s been a good first day.” I cleared my throat. “The guys seem nice, good sense of humor. I met your wife. She seems friendly.”
“Oh, you got to meet her?” He beamed with love. “She normally hangs out in the kitchen until after the food is cooked, then she comes out and mingles.”
“Where did you two meet?”
“She was in college.” He took a swig of beer. “I was working that block, and she got herself into a situation, and I just happened to be driving by. One thing led to another, and here we are.”
I wanted to ask about the age gap, but I knew that wasn’t wise. He didn’t need someone else pointing out the obvious.
“My niece was around here somewhere. I wanted you to meet her. I swear, I blink, and she’s gone. She’s not always that social. She likes to hibernate a lot.”
“Now, that, I understand.”
Chapter Five
Spencer
The sound of a doorbell filled my living room and drew me from the back porch over to the computer. I tapped the screen awake while Lloyd batted at my mouse.
“Hey.” I gently pushed his furry bum and tossed one of his toys on the floor so he’d leave me be.
A: Have you thought about my offer?
I slipped on my glasses and eased into the chair. I always assigned my alerts different tones. That way, I knew who was trying to contact me and could decide if I even wanted to answer. Something I got used to doing when my brother was actively seeking me out.
GW: You caught my interest.
A: Good. Pleased to hear it.
There was a pause, and I was curious if he was done. Just as I went to write back, an email popped up through my website.
A: Let’s get started. You will see I have very particular terms with this series. I’m sure this will be unlike any other project you’ve worked on.
GW: Okay, I will look over your email.
A: In summary, I will send you the details of each chapter on Sundays, and you will have one week to finish the three chapters. Each chapter must be roughly 3k long. On Saturday night at 9:15 p.m., you will send me what you’ve done through this chat. It will be a challenge for you, as you won’t know the storyline or location until it comes in. Are you prepared to take on a project such as this? I know it’s a lot with very little information.
I leaned back and sipped my coffee. I was intrigued but took my time before I responded. I snapped my thumb knuckle out of habit and pressed down on my beloved keyboard.
GW: What if I’m going in the wrong direction?
A: You won’t be, I promise.
“Okay.”
A: Here’s the catch. Books 1 and 2 need to be done ASAP. How quickly can you write?
I smiled and adjusted my glasses.
GW: Fast enough.
A: Now you have my attention. Let’s hope you can keep it. As soon as you’re finished, send me the chapters, and I’ll send you the next set.
“I guess we jumped from formal to just plain short and to the point. Okay.” I shrugged. Apparently, Lloyd wasn’t finished with me and jumped up on my lap and demanded an ear scratch. I read his last message again. “Someone’s a bit arrogant, isn’t he?” Lloyd purred in greedy pleasure.
GW: Sounds good to me.
A: How many people know you’re a ghostwriter?
I shifted uncomfortably; I took pride that I’d kept that part of my life a secret. Only a select few knew, and I planned on keeping it that way.
GW: I can assure you, I want to stay as private as you do…if not more.”
A: Doubtful.
I ignored his original question and pulled up his contract to scan the terms. I sent a copy of it to my lawyer to make sure all things legal were in both our favors.
GW: If I have any questions, do I come here or somewhere else?
A: Here.
He must be a man. His one-word answers were typical. I stopped reading when I came across the payment section.
GW: I see you will pay me through PayPal. That’s traceable.
A: No.
“Well, okay, then.” I laughed slightly as I checked the clock.
GW: I will get back to you soon.
A: I would like to have an answer by 3 p.m. today. I’m on a tight schedule here.