Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

SPENCER

I took a drink, letting the cold liquid slide down my throat.

"Did you hit him?" Rhett asked.

"No, but I should have."

"Man, you're getting way more worked up over this than you need to," he said. "Dakota loves her. Wouldn't you want to fight for a woman you loved?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "That's not love, it's delusion. And if a woman told me to fuck off, I would fuck off. Plain and simple."

He rolled his eyes. "How do you know that's what she said? She might just want to be chased. Their marriage wasn't horrible."

"She doesn't want him calling her," I said firmly. "She asked him not to. She blocked his number. Then he shows up at the office? Multiple times? Come on, you know that's not cool. He's harassing her."

Rhett shrugged. "I think he's just persistent."

"One man's persistence is another person's stalking." I shook my head. "You can't turn a blind eye to this."

The tension in the Graylan living room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Rhett looked uncomfortable. Good. He should be uncomfortable. I was pissed. I stood, pacing back and forth, trying to keep my temper in check. I knew I'd come in too hot, too aggressive, but the adrenaline from my encounter with Dakota hadn't fully worn off, and Rhett's complete lack of loyalty to his own sister was infuriating.

"The guy is a snake," I spat, barely able to contain my anger. "If you didn't have a broken leg, I'd drag your ass outside and beat some sense into you too."

Rhett rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Always with the threats, Spencer. Lay off, will you? Marlow can handle herself. Since when are you her knight in shining armor?"

"Since nobody else was willing to step up," I growled back. "Marlow is a good woman and she deserves our support. She shouldn't have to deal with the likes of Dakota. How she ever married that guy in the first place is beyond me, but that's not the point. Their relationship is over, according to the great state of New York, and if he doesn't leave her alone, I'm going to take matters into my own hands. And if I find out you're associating with him again, I'll drive right back here, broken leg be damned, and teach you a lesson on how to properly treat your own flesh and blood."

Rhett, as obstinate as ever, scoffed at my warning. "Sounds to me like you're just jealous, Spencer. Marlow's a big girl. She can look after herself."

The blatant disregard for his sister's wellbeing made my blood boil. I could feel the vein in my neck throbbing with indignation. For a moment, I contemplated turning my rage on him.

"What if she tells you herself she doesn't want that asshole bothering her? Are you going to be in her corner? Are you going to believe it then? Or are you going to keep telling yourself it's just love?"

"She has never said anything to me," he retorted.

"I think you should pay attention to how your parents are feeling about this guy. They know something. They can see right through this guy's bullshit."

Rhett leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest, his expression one of outright defiance. "She's my sister, not yours. You don't get to lecture me about how I should handle this."

"I'm not lecturing you," I snapped back. "I'm telling you how it is. And she may be your sister, but she's also my friend and my colleague. So, I'm going to look out for her whether you get your head out of your ass or not."

We stared each other down for a few moments, the only sound the ticking of the wall clock. Rhett winced as he shifted his broken leg, reminding me of his current state. I held his gaze, unblinking, until finally, he looked away, an admission of defeat if there ever was one.

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Dead serious." I nodded, breaking eye contact as I started pacing again. My mind was whirring with plans and strategies for keeping Marlow safe from Dakota. I didn't trust the guy. I was surprised that Rhett didn't see it. To me, it was so obvious. "She was scared, dude."

"I'll talk to Dakota," he said, relenting.

"Talk?" I scoffed. "Are you going to encourage him to keep chasing a woman who doesn't want him?"

"I heard you the first ten times," he muttered. "You don't know him."

"I know enough to know he's an asshole harassing your sister and you're letting it happen," I shot back. "If not actively encouraging it."

"Enough!" he exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "Seriously. This has nothing to do with you."

"The hell it doesn't," I said. "Like I said, one of us needs to fucking do something. I was willing to give you a pass, chalking your accident up to you letting this happen, but now I see you just don't care. You want Dakota as your brother-in-law again. Clearly, you don't give a shit about what your sister feels."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed his clenched fists, his face going white then red as he struggled to restrain himself. His anger was palpable. When we were younger, like most guys, we got into some disagreements. We had a few fistfights. I would like to think we grew out of that, but things were tense. I was furious.

"That's not fair, Spencer," he replied through gritted teeth. "I do care about her but she's got this thing with Dakota. They go back and forth all the time. Heck, everybody saw the fire between them, and it's hard to believe it's fully extinguished. She got pissed at him, but I think she was just trying to teach him a lesson."

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around to face him again. "Do you hear yourself? She's not trying to teach him a lesson! She's trying to move on with her life and he seems determined to stop her. Quit going against your own fucking sister. She's not an idiot. She knows what she wants, and it isn't him! Damn, since when did you become such a jackass?"

Rhett's face hardened, his eyes flashing with anger. "Get out, Spencer."

"Stop being a coward, Rhett," I shot back. "Marlow needs you to stand up for her, not hide behind your excuses."

Both of us were too stubborn to back down. I knew if he could, he would be on his feet giving me hell. Just when I thought that might be exactly what he was going to do, the front door opened. Jodie walked in, balancing a load of groceries in her arms.

Neither of us moved. "Spencer, stop standing there like a lamp post and come help me," Jodie ordered.

I rushed to her side, taking the bags from her hands. As I carried them to the kitchen, I could feel her eyes on me, sensing the tension in the room.

"What's going on here?" she asked, her tone curious but concerned. "Did I interrupt something? I thought I heard yelling outside. Were you two yelling at each other?"

"No," Rhett and I answered at the same time.

She looked from me to him and then back at me. She didn't believe us. That was that mom power.

I sighed, setting the bags on the counter. "I should go," I said.

"You're not staying?" she asked.

"No."

"When did you get here?" she questioned.

"Earlier."

"Spencer, stay for dinner," she said. "You drove all this way."

"Thank you, but I need to get back to the city." I smiled.

"What brought you up here today?" she asked. "Is everything okay? Didn't you have work today?"

"I did." I nodded. "But I had to take care of some things here."

"Oh?"

"It was good to see you, Jodie," I said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Drive safe," she said.

I turned to walk out but stopped. I looked her in the eyes. "Jodie, Dakota is a bad guy. Rhett should cut him off for good."

Jodie's expression shifted from curiosity to worry. "Spencer, what happened?"

"Nothing, I'll see you later." I walked through the living room, pausing at the door. "Don't be a coward, Rhett. Stand up for your sister."

With that, I walked out, not looking back. I got into my car, my hands gripping the steering wheel as I tried to calm down.

I started the engine, listening to the purr before pulling away from the curb. I drove away from the Graylan house, wondering if I would ever be invited back. Rhett and I were no longer on speaking terms. Once Marlow found out what I had done, she would be pissed at me, too. I had no doubt about that.

As I drove away, the once familiar streets of our hometown now seemed foreign to me. I felt like a stranger in a place that held memories of my youth. I looked around. The trees had dropped most of their leaves, leaving bare branches. It all felt so cold and lifeless.

I stopped at the gas station in town. As I stepped out of the car, a blast of chilling wind cut through me. It was a small town. Everyone knew everyone here and their business. The gas station attendant, a burly man in his fifties named George we grew up calling Uncle G, spotted me and his face broke into a wide grin.

"Spencer?! Is that you? Haven't seen you around these parts in a while," he boomed across the parking lot as he approached me.

"Hey, Uncle G," I said, trying to force a smile on my face. "Yeah, it's been a long time."

"Filling her up?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Let me do it for you," he said.

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"You're a bit of a celebrity around here," he said. "Local kid makes it big. Really big."

"Thanks."

"I heard you and the Graylan girl are working together?"

I nodded, using my credit card to get the pump going. "Marlow."

"We're pretty lucky to have two young people that found serious success," he said. "Most people just end up puttering around here forever."

"Thank you." I took the receipt he was handing me.

"Be sure to visit more often," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We miss seeing you around."

"Yeah." I nodded, trying to appear grateful rather than uncomfortable. "I'll try my best."

The conversation ended there, and I got back into my car. He waved goodbye as I pulled out of the station, merging onto the main road leading out of town.

My mind was focused on the confrontation with Rhett. We had argued before, sure, but nothing like this. Nothing so personal, so raw. I hoped our friendship had not been irreparably damaged.

I thought about Marlow, how things would change for her when she found out what happened. Would she thank me for trying to defend her? Or was she going to be as pissed as Rhett was? Maybe I overstepped. I didn't care. Dakota was bringing his bullshit into my office. I had every right to speak up.

And yes, I cared about Marlow. Maybe I had no right to have feelings for her, but I couldn't stand by while her psycho ex hounded her.

Rain began abruptly, its intensity drowning out everything else. I switched on the wipers, but they only smeared the droplets across the windshield, blurring my view. The streetlights were distorted blobs. I drove slower than usual, taking each turn with caution.

I might have screwed up by coming down here today, possibly pissing off a bunch of people I cared about, but at least I could look myself in the mirror and know that I stepped up for the woman I cared about when no one else would.

Whatever consequences came my way, I would face them with my head held high.