“I don’t care. I’ll wait.” Maggie took a seat outside of Spencer’s office, refusing to budge until he saw her. The flustered personal assistant – not the same one from a year and a half ago, she noted – didn’t seem to know quite what to do. But it had been no easy feat to slip out from beneath the watchful eyes of her self-appointed big brothers, and she was not leaving without speaking to him.
“Is there a problem, Janice?” Spencer asked, stepping out of his office.
“This woman insists on speaking with you,” the woman said. Disapproval dripped from her perfectly-coiffed form, evident by the distinct downturn of her scarlet lips and scathing glances from her artfully smudged, lined eyes. “She refuses to leave. I was just about to call Security –“
“No need, Janice,” Spencer said smoothly when he saw who stood there. “Maggie is an old friend.”
Janice looked like she wanted to argue, but her lips, thinned in irritation, softened when Spencer smiled at her. Maggie fought the urge to roll her eyes. Apparently Spencer’s female fan club was still going strong. She wondered vaguely how many “bonuses” this one earned, then realized she really didn’t care.
Spencer led Maggie into his plush office. Little had changed since the last time she was in here, though this time she was able to appreciate the quality décor since her eyes weren’t drawn to the sight of Spencer having sex with his secretary on his desk.
“Please, sit down, Maggie. Would you care for some tea? You were quite fond of jasmine, if I recall.”
“I would love some, thank you,” she said, sitting down carefully in an expensive leather chair. Clearly surprised by her easy agreement, his eyebrows rose slightly, but he recovered quickly. Pressing a button, he made the request.
Spencer stepped in front of his desk, then leaned back against it, facing her in a classic power pose. The dark navy suit fit him perfectly. The striped blue and gray tie was a bit conservative for him, but maybe he was finally growing up a little.
“You look beautiful, Maggie,” he said. “Radiant, in fact. Pregnancy agrees with you. But then I always knew it would.”
Maggie wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. There was no use in denying it at this point, she supposed. Everyone in Pine Ridge probably knew. “Thank you,” she managed.
“Michael Callaghan is a lucky man, Maggie. I hope he has more sense than I.”
It was a good thing she was already sitting down, since his unexpected words would have knocked her on her behind. Not so much because of the words themselves – Spencer could charm the scales off of a snake if there was a profit involved – but because he actually sounded sincere.
How exactly was she supposed to respond to that? Thankfully, she was saved from having to by a soft knock on the door announcing the arrival of the refreshments. Spencer thanked Janice (who glared daggers at Maggie behind his back), then proceeded to pour a cup of tea for Maggie and coffee for himself. Rather than sit behind his massive desk, he took the matching leather chair adjacent to hers.
“So tell me, Maggie. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?”
The tea smelled wonderful, but Maggie’s stomach was doing flip-flops. “I think you know why I’m here, Spencer.”
He raised one eyebrow and sipped his coffee. “Maggie, every time I thought I knew what you were thinking you have proven me wrong. I would not dare to suggest I have even the slightest clue this time.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, the corner of her mouth quirked. She had forgotten how charming Spencer could be when he wasn’t laying it on so thickly.
“Ah,” he said. “You see? A smile would be the very last thing I would expect to receive from you, yet you have surprised me once again. I must tell you, I prefer it to your hand across my cheek.”
Maggie had the good sense to look abashed. “I am sorry for that, Spencer. I should not have lost my temper.”
Spencer inclined his head. “Apology accepted, but I daresay I deserved it.” He lifted the mug to his lips again. “But you did not come by today simply to apologize, did you?”
“No. I came to ask you to call off your hounds, Spencer. I will gladly have the property reassessed, and I will pay the back taxes. But you know that what you are proposing will ruin me.”