Page 7 of Guilty As Charged
Chapter Five
ABBIE
A man holding a giant bundle of daisies is standing there. As soon as I realize what’s happening, I take a couple of steps back while shaking my head no.
“Delivery for Abbie Mann.” He glances at the card before his eyes come to me. “Is that you?”
“Who is it from?” Spencer towers so high over both of us that he has to peer down at the flowers to try and read the card.
“Don’t know, just a delivery name,” the guy says and tries to hand the flowers to Spencer.
Spencer looks at me with concern in his eyes. “Do you know who sent them?”
“No, but I’m highly allergic to daisies.” I take another step back, my throat tightening in response to seeing them.
"Are you going to take them?" The delivery guy pushes them a little more in my direction.
"No," Spencer clips.
"Well, I can't keep them. I’m not trying to get fired." The delivery guy is talking to Spencer, but he’s watching me with a puzzled look on his face. I know the expression and what it means. He’s trying to figure out where he recognizes me from and why I look familiar.
"Does this work?" Spencer pulls out his wallet, handing the guy a crisp hundred-dollar bill.
"Yeah, sure." He takes the money with his free hand, then points to me. "Are you?—"
"No, she's not." Spencer shuts the door right in the man's face without a single apology. "Does Geoff know you're allergic?" When I nod, he presses his lips together in frustration before glancing around. "Okay, let's get your things together. I need you out of here." He runs his fingers through his short locks. "I'll help, or we can call a moving crew."
"A moving crew? Why would we need all that? I thought this would be for a few days until we get everything worked out.”
"All right, we’ll start with bags then." He goes into my room, and I hurry after him.
There’s a small closet in there, and I grab a couple bags out. I also grab the box of comics I keep in there. They are the ones I've written myself, and I don’t want to leave them behind.
Spencer starts to take the box from me, but I hold on to it tighter.
"Not this one." It's not only what they mean to me that makes me protective of them, but I also have never let anyone else see them before.
"Super secrets?" he teases.
"Comics." I lick my lips nervously. "Ones I made. They're personal."
My comics are a little different because they carry a romantic element. They aren't the norm, but they are what I often crave more of when I read comics. It made me think I can't be the only one.
“They're all you?” he asks, a half-smile tugging at his lips. Lips that keep catching my attention. I want to draw them—hell, I want to draw all of him. I’m already certain he's going to be an inspiration in my future work. Geoff can’t take that away from me. I might not be able to do anything with my work, but I can keep creating it.
“Yeah, I’m shy about them,” I say and shrug one shoulder.
Spencer’s smile is soft and genuine. “If I work on getting you to be not so shy, maybe you’ll share them with me?”
“I’d like that,” I say and hold the box tighter. “But not yet.”
“No pressure, and I promise not to peek. You don’t need a death grip on it.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you’d?—”
“You didn’t. And it’s okay.” Spencer reaches out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “You had someone close to you break your trust, so you’re hesitant. It’s understandable.”
“You’re really sweet, you know that?”
