Page 63 of Spencer's Satisfaction
“I’m academically advanced,” Matt teases back, and we all laugh.
“Whatever,” Ash sasses lightly, then tosses Fancy Pants the bear into the makeshift rocket. “We’re still going to the moon.”
I share a look with Zephyr. “You wanna be a Martian with me?” I hold up my chosen stuffy: a toy dog with flopsy ears and big rounded eyes. “This is Marty the Martian pup.”
“There’s no Martians on the moon,” Katie starts, but Zephyr shushes her and grabs for a plush doll with knitted red hair and a gingham dress.
“Mary-Louisa Martian,” he insists primly, “and she moved to the moon with Marty because their house on Mars burned down.”
“Try saying that ten times fast,” Ash laughs. “Mary-Lou and Marty the Martians moved to the moon from Mars.”
We all spend a few seconds trying out the impromptu tongue-twister, giggling as we try to speed it up and verbally race each other before Ash shakes the ‘rocket’ and we return to the game at hand.
The Martians and the astronauts have just made friends when Daddy calls out to tell us that dinner is ready. We scramble up from the lounge room floor, with Ash pausing to offer Matt a hand up, and march towards the powder room to wash up before our meal.
As I come back to my adult self, I can’t help but think that this all feels surreal. It wasn’t all that long ago that I was a weird, virginal loner in a dead-end job that was making me miserable. Now I have a bunch of friends, and a boyfriend, and I’ve started to write my first novel.
Oh, and I have a cat. Frank has officially adopted me. Or, at least, that’s what Spencer says, and because I adore the black feline who is currently hiding from the influx of visitors, I’m going to say he’s right.
The food truck business launched this week with great success, too. I named itBurgers, Dinonuggets, Shakes & More,or BDSM for short. We serve a limited selection of quick and easy diner fare with kink-inspired names for each dish. The Grove were enthusiastic about partnering with us, and Charlie is already planning on utilizing the truck for events at The Center as well. I feel accomplished and truly independent for the first time in my life.
On top of that, Spencer also said that he’ll teach me the basics of audio engineering and editing to produce audiobooks in his home studio. I’m super excited about that.
I kiss Spencer’s cheek and gratefully accept the burger he’s put together for me. There’s not a lot of sitting room out here, so I just stand beside him as I munch happily and let the conversation around us wash over me.
Yes, it’s surreal. But I’m so happy right now, it’s not even funny.
Chapter Twenty-one - Spencer
Ilaugh my ass off the day Chance tells me what he, Josh and Charlie have been so secretive about for the past few months. Just when I thought things were settling into some semblance of ‘normal’, my best friend is almost guaranteed to turn everything upside down again.
“A Daddy auction?” I echo incredulously after catching my breath and calming down.
“Well, it was Josh’s idea, but-“
“Of course it was,” I shake my head, my wild hair swaying into my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to do it.”
Chance has always been kind of shy with people outside our social circle, so volunteering to get up on a stage to be eyed off and bid on is way out of character for him. It’s probably also why he’s opted to tell me while we’re out in public at a café for lunch, knowing that I won’t react quite as loudly or as nosily as I would if we were discussing this in private.
To my left, Tony jabs an elbow into my ribs. “Stop it,” he frowns, then turns to smile at Chance across the table, “I think it’s a great idea. Fundraising for The Centerandwith the possibility of Chance meetingThe One. Oh,” he claps his hands together in delight, “it sounds like a great meet-cute plot for a book!”
“Not gonna happen. This is real life.” Chance rolls his eyes back at him before looking at me, “Besides, I’m doing it for Charlie and Ash. You know,our friends? Always there supporting us? Ringing any bells for you?”
“You couldn’t just donate money?” I ask him in return.
Now it’s my best friend’s turn to shake his head, and I watch his scruffy red beard barely flutter from the movement. “Not the kind of money they’re hoping to bring in from this thing. They’re partnering with The Grove and everything.”
“Right,” I lean back in my seat and contemplate it. “And you just put your hand up and said you’d do it?”
“Nah,” he answers, “Charlie, Josh, and -of all people- Katie have been trying to convince me for a while. I’ve been helping them with logistics and planning, but I finally caved and agreed to be a part of the auction itself just to shut them up.”
Tony snorts at that. “You’re such a pushover for us Littles, you know that?”
“Unfortunately,” Chance agrees with a grin and a quick nod. He eyes me with playful annoyance. “They were gonna ask you, too, but you managed to go and fall in love, so that left me as the last single Daddy in our group. Traitor.”
I laugh and pull Tony in against my side, well aware that my boy is poking his tongue out at my friend. “Can’t say I’m sorry about that, dude.”
Chance’s expression turns soft with understanding and a hint of melancholy. “I know. I get it.”
