She laughed a little. “I know, right?” She shook her head. “It could still be a con, you know. It’s not like you’re being careful.”
“And you know this how?”
“Because you were sighted nearly getting in a fight protecting her yesterday.”
He wasn’t surprised. The building could’ve doubled for downtown Mayberry with all the gossip and secret spilling that went on, and that included the outlying streets as well. “Maybe there’s no conspiracy,” he said. “Maybe she just really likes me.”
Elle sighed.
“Is it really so hard to believe that a smart, attractive woman with a sense of humor could be into me?” he asked.
Elle straightened, bristling. “Okay, that’s not fair. There’s a lot about you to like. A lot, Spence. But face it, you’ve got a horrible track record.”
“We all have horrible track records,” he said. “It’s what leads up to the real thing. It’s what allows you to recognize it when it shows up. As you should well know.”
She stared at him for a beat and then acknowledged the truth of that with a sigh. “Okay, but I’m going to need you to tell me you’re not in love with her after only two-plus weeks.”
He paused. He didn’t want to lie to her but this wasn’t a conversation he was going to have with Elle before he had it with Colbie. “Probably more lust than love.”
Elle sighed again, this one pure relief. “Okay,” she said. “Lust is fine.”
“Thanks for the permission.”
She rolled her eyes. “You pay me a lot of money to keep you protected.”
“From the press,” he said. “From the needs of this building. From the demands on my time for things you can handle. Not my love life, Elle.”
“There’s that l-word again,” she said. “So, you know how Colbie takes notes all the time?”
“Yeah.”
“Tina got a peek at her laptop screen the other day at the coffee shop. Colbie had a page up about how deep you have to dig a hole to keep a dead body buried and safe from the elements.”
He shook his head, keeping his smile to himself.
“I know,” she said. “Kind of insane, right?” Her eyes narrowed, catching on to his amusement. “What the hell is so funny? Mrs. Winslow overheard her on the phone planning some sort of big heist. Even Finn and Sean are worried about you and you’re laughing about it.”
“Have you talked to Archer or Joe about this?” he asked.
“No. Archer told me to mind my own business, which obviously, I’m never going to do. I’ve been trying to get to Joe, but he’s been avoiding me like the plague, although . . . Shit,” she said, looking at her phone. “I did miss a call from him.”
“Call him back,” Spence suggested.
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
Elle pulled out her phone and hit a number. “Hey,” she said. “I—” She paused, listening. “Huh. And Archer knows this . . .?” Another pause. “Okay, thanks.” She disconnected, opened her e-mail, and thumbed through something. Two minutes later, she looked up and met Spence’s gaze. “You know.”
“Yes. But only since the other night, if that helps.”
Elle sank to a chair. “And Archer knows.”
“He’s Joe’s boss, so of course he knows. He knows everything. When you sicced Joe on Colbie, what did you think would happen?”
She shook her head. “Not this. But I guess I’m not all that surprised.” She didn’t look particularly appeased either.
“How about sorry,” he said. “Are you sorry?”
“Hey, it could’ve been any of a million reasons why Colbie was acting shady. I couldn’t have guessed this reason. It’s a good one though,” she admitted grudgingly. “Impressive.”
“Hugely so.” He had to laugh. “You can’t even admit when you’re wrong, can you.”
“I can admit when you’re wrong.” She sighed. “Dammit. You should’ve told me who she was. I’d have been . . .”
“Nicer?” Spence asked mildly.
She sighed. “Okay, yes. And I am sorry, but—”
“Sorrys don’t usually have a ‘but’ after them.”
“Fine. I was wrong,” Elle said. “And I’m sorry.”
“Wow.” Spence smiled. “Did that hurt?”
She ignored that. “But . . . something I wasn’t wrong about?” she asked. “Is that I can see you’re falling for her. Like really falling, Spence.”
“I don’t fall.”
Her expression softened. “Listen, I actually think she’s falling too.”
“I’m not as optimistic as you.”
That got a laugh out of her. Elle was a lot of things, but optimistic wasn’t one of them.
“The problem is, where does this leave you?” she asked. “You’re already having a hard time with this project and—”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, not wanting to talk about the drone project, which was currently at the top of his shit list. “None of it matters. She’s leaving on Christmas Eve and that’ll take care of everything.”
She stared at him and slowly shook her head. “You can’t really believe that. Love isn’t that simple, Spence.”
He drew a deep breath. “Yeah, well, love sucks.”
Elle didn’t even try to disagree. “Sometimes, absolutely,” she agreed. “But the thing is, once you’ve been hit over the head with it, it actually sucks a lot more to walk away and leave it behind.”
“I’m not the one walking away,” he said.
“Maybe it’ll pass,” she said. “Maybe . . . maybe it’s just a really powerful crush.”
“Deep green,” he said.
Elle blinked. “Huh?”
“Colbie’s eyes are a clear, piercing green, but sometimes they’re more like jade when she’s sad or upset.”
She was still staring at him. “You’ve finally gone off the deep end.”
“How long have I known you? And the others? And I don’t know what color anyone else’s eyes are.” Not even Clarissa’s. “But I know Colbie’s. I also know that she bites her lower lip when she’s trying not to smile. That her comfort food of choice is mac and cheese. That she loves and cares about her family more than she worries about herself. That she can laugh at herself and life. Hell, she makes me laugh at life, and we both know that’s a real feat in itself.”
Elle was still just staring at him. “Interesting,” she said. “It’s not just any woman who can get you to slow down and notice the little things.” She shook her head. “I guess I have no choice but to let this go. Or at least try.”
“Try real hard,” he suggested. “And while I’m asking something of you, I’m going to ask this too—she’s alone out here. No friends, no family. Can’t you and the girls invite her to something?”
“Like?”
“Like the chick nights you have where you all get together and . . . I don’t know, whatever it is you all do.”
Elle looked amused. “Just for curiosity’s sake, what is it that you think we do?”
“Look, all I know is that last month you, Pru, Willa, Kylie, and Haley all went to some drag show and ended up onstage. When the club got raided by the police for some shady dealings in the back rooms, everyone got dragged downtown. Archer, Finn, and Joe had to bail you all out.”
“You want me to get your girlfriend arrested?”
“No,” he said. “I really, really don’t want you to get her arrested. I want you to include her in your crazy-ass gang and make nice.”