Chapter Eighteen
Tabitha
You are not alone anymore.When Spencer spoke those words, warmth blossomed in my chest, spreading out to encompass my whole body. I feel tingly and excited too, though not in a sexual way. Those five simple words changed everything for me. I can”t deny the truth, and I”m not the sort of person who would panic at such a romantic declaration. No, the truth is obvious.
I”m falling for Spencer.
That”s why I”m taking him home to meet my family. I hadn”t realized that until just a minute ago, but it”s incredibly obvious now that I”ve accepted the fact that I have serious feelings for Spencer.
”Tabitha, are you all right?”
”Yes.” The way I jerked when he said that probably didn”t make my affirmation believable. ”I”m fine, promise. I was just thinking, that”s all.”
”About what?”
I pretend I didn”t hear his question and study the map on my phone. ”Okay, our first destination that we”ll be driving past on the freeway is Shenandoah National Park. Skyline Drive takes you through all the gorgeous scenic places in the park including the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
”That does sound lovely.”
”In Roanoke, you can explore the Virginia Museum of Transportation. It has lots of historic vehicles on display.”
”Interesting. I do love all sorts of vehicles, though I”ve never been able to afford a flash car.”
”Neither have I.” A few more swipes on my phone net me more destinations. ”Ooh, I”d love to visit this place on our way home. The historic village of Old Salem. It”s right on the way.”
”Is that where witches were burned at the stake?”
”Yeah, I think so. But Old Salem is more than witch trials.” I scroll through a list of search results until I find a few more cool places to visit. ”Thomas Jefferson”s old house, Monticello, is open to the public. That could be interesting.”
”A bit of American history? I”d love that.”
”Once we get to Asheville, there are quite a few touristy places we could visit. There”s Helen”s Bridge, which is supposedly haunted, and a pinball museum too.”
Spencer grins. ”I was a pinball wizard when I was a boy.”
”Ooh, what about the Moogseum?”
”Ah, what in the bloody hell is a Moogseum? It sounds like a torture chamber.”
I laugh and punch his arm lightly. ”Haven”t you ever heard of Bob Moog? He invented the synthesizer. Modern music owes a massive debt to his pioneering efforts.”
”You”re quite the Moog aficionado, eh?”
”Not really. But I watched a documentary about him a few years ago. It was fascinating.”
”Then we should stop there on our way home.”
It”s my turn to grin. ”Can”t believe I”m so excited about seeing museums dedicated to pinball machines and synthesizers.”
”Don”t forget the witches and the ghost.”
I relax into my seat, feeling so good that I don”t even take the time to worry about what Spencer will think of my family. He lets me take command of the radio, and I plug my phone into the USB jack so we can enjoy my favorite tunes. I asked Spencer if he had any music on his phone, but he said no.
”Mobile phones are for making calls, pet. Radios are for listening to music.”
”You”re kind of behind the times, but that”s okay. I hope you don”t mind if I sing along to the music.”
”I would love to hear you sing.” He winks at me. ”You never know, I might join in.”
For the next several hours, we listen to a hodgepodge of music styles, everything from eighties synth pop to hard rock to sappy seventies ballads and so much more. Spencer does indeed join me in a sing-along. We have so much fun that I barely notice how long the drive took, and before I know it, we”re entering Asheville.
”Where do we go now?” Spencer asks. ”I have no idea how to find your family”s home.”
A thread of anxiety wends through me, but I rip it out and fling it into an invisible trash can. Spencer won”t be horrified by what he”s about to see. Considering what he”s told me about his family and friends, he”ll be fine when he meets the Remingtons. I offer to drive the rest of the way, but Spencer dismisses the idea.
”Just point me in the right direction, love.”
Exactly seventeen minutes after he spoke those words, we pull off the paved road and start down a gravel two-track surrounded by woods. A couple of minutes later, the trees thin out to reveal a large clearing---and several structures. I had sent my sister a text when we were getting close to Asheville, so everyone should be ready and waiting for us.
Yep, there they are.
The gravel drive ends about twenty feet from the largest structure. Spencer parks behind the other two vehicles that sit nearby, and we get out of the car, yawning and stretching. Wow, that was a long drive. I”d almost forgotten how tiring it is just to ride in the passenger seat.
A shriek echoes through the clearing.
Spencer jerks. ”What the bloody hell was that?”
Before I can explain, a figure emerges from behind the closest building, racing toward me with arms outstretched. When she reaches us, she flings her arms around me. Her embrace becomes so firm that it”s hard to breathe. ”Ease up, would you? I”m on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen.”
She finally releases me, taking two steps backward. Then her attention shifts to Spencer, and one side of her mouth kicks upward. ”Who is that?”
I hook my arm around Spencer”s, feeling oddly protective. ”This is my boyfriend, Spencer Halfenaked. Spencer, this is my sister, the very annoying Sabrina Remington.”
Spencer holds out his hand to my sister. ”It”s a pleasure to meet you, Sabrina. Are you also named after that television series, Bewitched?”
”No. There isn”t any Sabrina in that show. I got my name from an old movie, that one with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.”
”Ah, yes, I understand now. Your parents love television and films, I take it.”
Sabrina rakes her gaze down Spencer”s body and up again, her smirk deepening. Then she gives me a light punch in the arm. ”You sly puppy. How long have you been hiding this piece of gooey melted chocolate spice?”
What does that even mean? She”s deranged. ”I met Spencer recently. He”s the new chief risk analyst at Bramson Feigenbaum. He”s basically my boss, but we keep it professional during work hours.”
Sabrina makes an exaggerated wink, even opening her mouth to make it all the more ridiculously overdone. ”Oh, yeah, I”m sure you two are totally professional. If I had a hot boyfriend like yours, I”d go commando every day.”
I know what she”s implying---and, okay, I”ve actually had sex with Spencer in the office---but I still don”t like what she said. He”s my boyfriend, and I don”t like my sister ogling him. I experience a bizarre, powerful urge to grab a fistful of Sabrina”s hair and start pummeling her. I”ve never been the cat-fight kind of woman, but I”m feeling my claws preparing to come out.
Sabrina is just having fun at my expense, I remind myself. She doesn”t want to steal Spencer from me.
My sister ditches her sassy attitude in a heartbeat. ”I”m sorry, Tabby. If I”d realized how much you like this guy, I wouldn”t have teased you.”
”Forget about it. I”m just tired from the long drive.”
Sabrina smirks again. ”Does he speak? Or is this your personal AI boss robot?”
”You just heard Spencer speak. Do you have dementia? You”re awfully young for that, but then, you do love to watch The Golden Girls.”
The door of the main building bursts open, and my parents rush toward me and Spencer. Sabrina moves aside, still seeming far too smug about the situation.
Dad clamps his hand around Spencer”s. ”It”s great to meet you, son. I”ve never seen our Tabby this happy. Most guys don”t appreciate her free-spirit nature, but I can tell right off the bat you do get it. I”m Barry Remington, by the way, and this here is my wife, Connie.”
Mom seizes Spencer”s face, hoisting herself up on her tiptoes to smack a big wet kiss on his cheek. ”Welcome to the family, sweetie. Spring weddings are my favorite kind.”
I roll my eyes. ”For heaven”s sake, Mom, I met Spencer a few weeks ago. We aren”t getting married this afternoon.”
My father slaps my boyfriend”s arm. ”Do you like shooting, son? I just bought a shit ton of ammo yesterday, and I was thinking about doing some target practice this afternoon. Tabby and Sabrina are crack shots, but Connie prefers archery.”
”I”ve never tried either of those sports, but I wouldn”t mind giving it a go.”
Dad grins. ”I knew I”d like you the second I laid eyes on ya, Spencer.”
”You can call me Spence, if you like.”
Sabrina pushes herself in between Mom and Dad. ”Can I call you that too?”
”Of course.”
My sister gets that sly look in her eye again. ”Is your last name really Halfenaked? That sounds made up.”
”It is indeed a genuine surname in England, though it”s fallen out of favor for obvious reasons. But we London Halfenakeds are determined to keep the name alive.”
”You”re from London? Which part?”
”Tottenham. It”s a working-class neighborhood.”
Mom pushes my sister out of the way. ”Tabby, you and Spence must be exhausted after that long drive. Would you like a snack and something to drink before we give him the grand tour?”
”Uh, sure, if Spencer wants that.”
He slings an arm around me, pulling me close to his side. ”That does sound lovely.”
Sabrina takes control of Spencer”s other arm as we trudge toward my parents” house. ”So, tell me, Spence, what”s it like working with my sister? She can be a tyrant at home.”
”Tabitha is the most wonderful woman in the world. And she”s the best, most efficient assistant any executive could hope to have.”
”What a sweetheart you are.” She cranes her neck to look at me. ”I bet he”s fantastic in bed, huh, Tabby?”
”If you don”t stop talking about my sex life, I”ll mutate into Catwoman and smack you down hard.”
We”ve just reached the front door, and my parents are already inside the house. Mom waves and smiles. ”Come on in, Spence. Have you ever visited a tiny house before?”
”No, I can”t say I have. Never heard of such a thing until I met Tabitha.”
Thankfully, my sister lets go of my boyfriend and jogs into the house.
Spencer holds my hand as we approach the front door. ”This doesn”t look as tiny as I expected.”
”It”s three hundred square feet. That”s tiny for sure, but with the right layout, a structure like this can seem almost spacious.”
As soon as we step inside the house, Mom starts to give Spencer the grand tour. ”You saw our cute little patio out front. Now, let me show you around the inside.” She waves toward each element in turn. ”We”re in the living room, and that futon can serve as a sofa or a bed, if we have guests. The floor you”re standing on is made of real bamboo.”
Spencer seems genuinely fascinated by this house. He sits down on the futon to try it out, then rises to stretch his arms above his head. ”Yes, this is a surprisingly spacious tiny home. I rather like it.”
”Let me show you the kitchen, sweetie.” Mom commandeers my boyfriend”s hand, leading him toward the open kitchen. She halts at the little island that separates the living room from the kitchen-slash-dining area. ”Barry and I just love our little house. Think of all the electricity we save.”
”You use electricity? I suppose I assumed you have some variety of green energy. Tabitha told me you lot used to live in a commune.”
”That lifestyle was hard to keep up, especially with two little girls. As for our tiny home, it”s very energy efficient, though it”s not totally green. We have an old-fashioned windmill, but that”s just for aesthetics.”
Spencer peers over the island to study the kitchen.
Mom pulls him away from there. ”Want to see where we sleep?”