His voice was excruciatingly polite and decidedly cool. He’d met her grandmother twice. Once when they’d first started dating and a few months after they’d gotten engaged. Thanks to Ellie’s mother, Spencer wasn’t a fan of Agnes. He said she made him nervous.
His reaction to Agnes had been one of the reasons Ellie had never shared with him that she was psychic. She’d only read his mind once the entire time they were together. Hours after she’d caught him in bed with his costar, he’d begged Ellie to give him a second chance. He’d said he still loved her, but that’s not what she saw when she read his mind. He was relieved he’d been caught.
Her grandmother smiled and offered her hand.
Spencer balked, looking a little green.
“You’re a nervous Nellie, aren’t you?” her grandmother said. “I have my gloves on, laddie. I can’t tell your future.”
“Sorry, of course.” He gave her grandmother’s hand a quick shake.
“We didn’t expect you until Tuesday. Are the rest of your people coming early too?” her grandmother asked.
“No. I only learned that you were in town and running the inn yesterday, Ellie.” He looked from her grandmother to Nate and then back to her. “Do you think we could talk somewhere privately?”
“There’s an empty table over there.” Her grandmother pointed at the one Nate, Chase, and his brothers-in-law were blocking.
“I, ah, was thinking a little more private than that,” Spencer said.
“We can talk in my office, if you’d like,” Ellie offered.
“Yes.” He nodded. “That would be great.”
“I have a feeling Ellie’s beau would disagree. He’s an agent with the NCSBI,” her grandmother shared. Then she grinned. “He kills people for a living.”
“That, um, doesn’t surprise me,” Spencer said.
Ellie rolled her eyes. “My office is this way,” she said, leading Spencer from the dining room, sighing when she realized her grandmother was trailing after them. “Granny, I think Sadie could use a hand with the dessert trays.”
Afraid someone, namely a very large and lethal someone, might decide to join them too, Ellie fished her phone from her bra and texted Nate. I’ll be in the office with Spencer. I won’t be long. There will be a desk between us, and there’s a gun in the safe. I know how to use one, in case you’re wondering.
Her phone pinged with a text from Nate. My gun is bigger than yours.
She snorted, then texted back. I know exactly how big your gun is and just how well you use it. She smiled at the sound of choked laughter coming from the dining room.
“So, you and this guy, is it serious?” Spencer asked.
“We haven’t been together that long, but yes, I think it’s headed that way.” She hoped so at least. According to his sisters, the fact that Nate was still here spoke volumes.
“It looked pretty serious from what I saw.”
Their plan had worked, then. Though from Spencer’s expression, she wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It would be easy enough for her to find out, but that wasn’t something she would do. And surprisingly, she really didn’t care how he felt. All she cared about was ensuring that their past didn’t mess with Highland Falls’ chances of winning the contest.
“Why did you come two days early, Spencer?” She opened the door to the office and ushered him inside.
“To see you,” he said, taking a seat. “We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms, and according to the itinerary my assistant sent me, we’ll be spending quite a bit of time together on air. I didn’t want it to be awkward, for either of us.”
Abby was livestreaming the events on her channel.
“I may not be as good an actor as you, but I’m perfectly capable of putting on a show for the camera.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t have to act, Ellie.” He searched her face. “I missed you, you know. I missed us. We were good together, weren’t we?”
“I don’t know if we were, Spencer. If we had been good, you wouldn’t have cheated on me.”
“She didn’t mean anything to me. It was a stupid mistake. I—”
Ellie raised a hand. “Please, that’s not fair to either her or me.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, sorrier than you’ll ever know. I wish there was something I could say or do to make it up to you.”
He’d just given her the opening Abby had been hoping for, but Ellie couldn’t use it. “A heartfelt apology works. You never said sorry, you know.”
“Of course I did.”
“No, you didn’t. You begged me for a second chance. Swore you’d never do it again. Blamed it on work, exhaustion, your costar coming on to you, and even on me for not dropping everything to be on location with you. But not once did you apologize, Spencer.”
“Would it really have made a difference?”
“I don’t know. It was over a year ago. But it doesn’t matter anymore. We’ve moved on with our lives. I’m happy. Happier than I’ve been in a very long time.”
“Happier than you were with me?”
That wasn’t a question she’d asked herself. But thinking about it now, she realized that she was. And while Nate and her feelings for him certainly played into the contented, warm bubble of happiness that filled her these days, it was more than that. Her life was fuller here, more balanced. She was surrounded by people and a place that she loved.
He held up his hand. “Don’t answer that. I’m not sure my ego could handle it.”
She smiled. “I’m sure it would take more than that to wound your ego, Spencer.”
“I’m glad you’re happy. I really am. I just wish I’d made you as happy as you seem to be now.” He leaned forward in the chair, reaching across the desk to take her hand in his. “I’m sorry for messing up. I’m sorry I hurt you, but mostly, I’m sorry I ruined us.”
Chapter Twenty
What do you think of this one?” Ellie asked as she walked into the kitchen, modeling another sundress for Nate. They’d moved up several stops on the tour of Main Street to today.
He looked up from cracking an egg and dropped it, shell and all, into the mixing bowl. She looked amazing. The purple floral sundress brought out the color in her eyes and hugged her curvy frame.
“Too short.”
She looked down. “How can it be too short? It’s longer than the last one. You can’t even see my knees.”
He’d forgotten that was what he’d said about the blue dress. “I meant the neckline is too low. I guess you could wear a sweater.”
“It’s seventy degrees out, and it’s only nine in the morning.” She tugged at the neckline. “Do you really think it’s too low?” Her phone pinged. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the screen. “It doesn’t matter anyway now. Spencer vetoed it.”
“You modeled the dress for him too?” he said, and cracked another egg in the bowl, imagining it was Spencer’s head.
She looked from the bowl to his face and grinned. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”