Chapter 21
The next afternoon, Hannah was at the coffee shop struggling with a scene that just wasn’t coming out right. It was almost three thirty and she’d been there for three hours. There was no one else in the shop and she thought she might as well pack up and head home. She put her laptop in her tote bag and as she stood to leave, the front door opened and Spencer strode toward her, looking more excited than she’d ever seen him.
“Are you busy right now? Want to go for a quick ride? The shelter called and said I can pick up Lady and Tramp today. Since you helped me pick them out, I thought you might want to come along. And I wouldn’t mind an extra pair of hands to get them in and out of the car, if you are available.” Spencer’s enthusiasm was contagious.
“Sure, let’s go.”
At a few minutes before four, Spencer arrived at the animal shelter. Ellie smiled when she saw him. “They’re ready for you. I’ll bring them right out.”
She walked out back and returned a moment later with both dogs. They saw Spencer, and Tramp immediately began wagging his tail while Lady ran over and licked his hand.
Ellie shook her head. “It’s like they know. I told them you were coming.” Ellie handed their leashes to Spencer. She also gave him a packet of information for him to share with his vet.
“I wish you many happy years together,” she said.
Spencer smiled. “I know Tramp likely only has a few more years, but I intend for them to be good ones.”
Hannah knew that Lady was only two and a half years old, so hopefully she would be around for much longer.
The two dogs followed him to his car and jumped right in his back seat. Spencer and Hannah climbed into the car and fifteen minutes later arrived at his house. Spencer and Hannah got out first and each went to one back door. Hannah grabbed Lady’s leash and Spencer got Tramp. They led the dogs to Spencer’s backyard, which was completely fenced in.
Hannah noticed that he also had a dog door on the deck that led inside. Spencer noticed her looking at it.
“I had that installed when I moved into the house six years ago, for Bixby. He was a little smaller than Tramp. But the door should be plenty big enough for both of them.”
Spencer put some water and a bowl of food on the deck and Tramp ran over to it. He didn’t eat but had a good drink of water. Lady did the same.
“They’re not hungry yet,” he said. It was a quarter past four.
“Did you say there is a beach nearby? We could take them for a walk,” Hannah suggested.
“Sure. If you have time. I can drop you back at your car after.”
They each took a dog and set off down the road. The beach, as Spencer had said, was just a short walk away, maybe a quarter of a mile or so. They walked along the beach, following the dogs to the water’s edge, where both dogs ran in and out of the surf.
As they walked, Spencer told her about some of the new cases he was working on. He didn’t share any names so he didn’t divulge any confidential information and Hannah loved hearing the details of the cases. They were all so different and it gave her more story ideas to consider.
“I actually have to work tonight. Once we get back and I get them settled. I need to stay ahead since I’ll be taking most of tomorrow off,” Spencer said.
Hannah wasn’t surprised. She knew that both he and Natalie often took work home if they needed to. Sometimes their caseloads demanded it as they never knew when new clients would call with work.
Hannah liked this side of Spencer. He seemed more relaxed outside of the office, with the dogs. She was inspired to try and get a little writing done when she got home, too, since she would be missing her usual afternoon writing session the next day.
She looked around as they walked, taking in the bright sun shining over the water, the families swimming and relaxing on the beach, and the sand that varied from sugar soft in areas to rocky in others—a typical New England coastline—beautiful and, in the off-season, remote.
“Did you ever wish you’d lived off-Cape for a while, after graduating law school?” Hannah wondered.
“I did live off-Cape, for years while I was in college and law school. I lived in Southie with roommates and went to school in downtown Boston. That was enough for me. Boston is fun, but I couldn’t wait to get back here. I mean, look around you.” He turned and gestured with one arm toward the ocean. “I have everything I need here. Lots of room for the dogs, the beach whenever I want it, a good job, and family nearby.”
“Well, when you put it that way… you may have a point,” Hannah agreed.
“What about you? Do you ever think of moving home to Chatham? Or do you love living in the city?” Spencer slowed his steps and faced her to see her response.
Hannah didn’t hesitate. “I honestly never think about moving home. I love Chatham, but I really love living in Brooklyn. There’s nothing like the energy of a big city. Have you been to New York City?”
He nodded. “A few times while I was in college. Fun place to visit, but too much concrete there. After a few days I couldn’t wait to get home. Guess we’re just wired differently,” he said.
Hannah laughed. “Yes, I suppose so.” She glanced out at the ocean. In the distance she could see a huge barge going by and several smaller sailboats. “It really is beautiful here though. I’m happy to be home for the summer. And I love playing tourist when people come to visit. It’s fun seeing the Cape through their eyes.”
Spencer smiled. “Yeah, you really appreciate it more when you share it with others.”
They walked along silently for a few minutes, watching two other dogs race into the water, followed by their owners. Spencer and Hannah walked the dogs down to the water’s edge one last time and let them go in a little until they’d had their fill and raced out shaking their fur and sending water everywhere.
Lady and Tramp both ran to Spencer as if they belonged with him and he petted them both. He looked madly in love with both dogs, and it was cute to see. After they’d had enough attention from Spencer, the two dogs walked over to Hannah for more petting and she happily complied.
“You’ll have to bring them by to see your grandparents soon,” Hannah said as they walked back into Spencer’s yard.
Spencer grinned. “I will. My grandmother has been suggesting for a few weeks now that it was time for me to get a dog. As usual, she was right. She’ll be thrilled to see that I got two.”
Spencer locked the fence door, so the dogs were safe in the backyard, before driving Hannah back to her car.
“Thanks for coming along,” he said as he parked next to her car. Hannah grabbed her purse and tote bag.
“That was fun. I was glad to see them again. I think they will love it there. And I bet you will enjoy the company,” she said. She could picture Spencer working on his sofa with the dogs curled up beside him.
He smiled. “Yeah, I think they will be good company. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hannah pulled out of the driveway and headed back to her aunt’s house. It had been fun going with Spencer to get the dogs. She found herself looking forward to the next day even more—watching the Red Sox and heading to Boston. It was something she hadn’t done in so long.
Hannah debated what to wear the next day. It was a sunny day, and warm—perfect weather to go to a baseball game. The only baseball T-shirt she had with her had the Yankees emblazoned all over it, which wouldn’t be appropriate. She smiled thinking of Spencer’s face if she dared to wear it. He would no doubt be wearing a Red Sox shirt. She decided on her favorite pair of faded jeans and a solid white T-shirt and a pink hair tie. She pulled her hair into a low ponytail, and added a matching pink baseball cap.
Her aunt was in her office working when Hannah heard Spencer’s car outside. She waved goodbye and headed out to meet him. He was walking to the door and as expected, he was wearing a Red Sox shirt, matching baseball cap, and jeans. He looked just as good in casual wear as he did in a suit.
“Ready to go?”
They climbed into his car and drove off. Spencer went through a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through and they both got iced coffees for the ride.
“Do you like Pearl Jam?” he asked as they turned onto the Mid-Cape Highway.
“Sure. Especially their slower songs. I’m not as crazy about the harder rock,” she said.
“Same. I have a playlist with their stuff and similar bands. Let me know if you get sick of it and we can change to something else.”
Hannah relaxed and sipped her coffee while she gazed out the window and listened to the music.
“How’s your grandfather doing?”
“Not too bad. I stopped in there before I picked you up. He’s a little frustrated with the cast and not being able to move around easily. But my grandmother is taking good care of him.”
They rode along for a while, just enjoying the music. Hannah sensed that Spencer wasn’t one for a lot of small talk and she didn’t want to bother him while he was driving. But the traffic was light and they sailed along, crossing the bridge over the Cape Cod Canal and merging onto Route 3, which led them up the South Shore toward Boston.
When they reached the Braintree split, Spencer veered right onto I-93, which would take them into the city.
“What made you decide to become a lawyer?” Hannah asked. “Did you always know you wanted to do it?”
“No. I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I majored in business just because that seemed like a good major with lots of options. Senior year I took two classes, philosophy and logic, that I really loved. A teacher mentioned that people who did well in those classes might have an aptitude for law.”
“So, it was those classes that made you decide?”
“Partly. A neighbor of my grandparents’ was an older woman. Her landlord threatened to kick her out even though she was paying the rent and had a lease. He wanted to sell the place. She was really upset and thought she had to move. She didn’t have the money for an attorney but my grandparents found her someone that would help, pro bono, and he was great.
“The landlord was totally in the wrong and she had every right to be there until her lease was up. She was a nice lady and it just made an impact on me. I wanted to be able to help people like that, using the law.”
“That’s nice. Natalie said you do a lot of pro-bono work.”
He stayed quiet for a moment before saying, “We all do. Donna supports it. It’s a way to give back.”
Spencer took the back roads to Fenway and found a parking spot on the far end of Boylston Street by the Longwood medical district.
“Do you mind walking a little way? It’s nice out and we won’t find anything closer unless we go into one of the paid lots and those can take a while to get out of when the game ends.”
“I don’t mind walking.”
Spencer parked and they made their way down Boylston Street to Yawkey Way and into Fenway Park. The place was already crowded with people buying T-shirts, hot dogs, and beer.
“Are you hungry?” Spencer asked. It was a quarter to one, and the hot dogs smelled so good.
“I could definitely eat.”
They both got hot dogs and fries and Sam Adams draft beers. Hannah wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but it went well with the hot dogs and sunshine. They took everything to their seats, which were pretty good ones, about ten rows back with a nice view of the field. The sun felt great as it shone down on them.
The game got started on time, just as they were finishing up eating. The Red Sox were playing the Toronto Blue Jays and it was a close game with lots of scoring on both sides, so it was fun to watch.
They both switched to water as the afternoon went on, and at the bottom of the eighth inning, after singing along with the boisterous crowd to the classic song “Sweet Caroline,” a tradition at all Fenway home games, Spencer went to use the restroom. He came back with two banana splits and grinned as he handed one to Hannah.
“This looked good, so I got you one, too.”
She laughed. The dessert was ridiculously huge, with three different flavors, plus a banana, hot fudge, whipped cream, and nuts, but she was game to give it a go.
“Thank you.” She managed to eat a good two-thirds of the sundae. Spencer polished off his and finished hers when she said she was done. The sugar plus the warmth of the sun made her a little sleepy as the game headed into the bottom of the ninth inning. She woke up, though, when a Blue Jays player hit a grand slam home run and tied the game. The Red Sox had had a comfortable four-point lead before that.
“It’s never an easy win with the Sox,” Spencer said. They paid close attention as it was time for the Red Sox to go to bat and try to pull off a win. They managed it with the last hit of the game and a solo home run.
Spencer and Hannah followed the happy crowd out of the stadium and walked back to the car.
There was a little traffic getting out of the city as it was rush hour, but it moved along and once they reached the Braintree split and turned onto Route 3, they picked up speed.
“How is your book coming along?” Spencer asked. “You’re missing a writing day today. Unless you plan to write at night when you get home?”
She laughed. “I don’t usually write at night. I’ll try and get another writing session done at home before I head into the coffee shop tomorrow.”
“Do you go there every day? Sort of like your office in a way.”
Hannah nodded. “Most days. I like getting out of the house and having somewhere to go. And I like being around people, even if it’s just customers coming and going. It’s like white noise, and when I get stuck, I can people-watch for a while.”
“I work better when it’s quiet. That would totally distract me.”
Hannah smiled, picturing Spencer trying to do his job in a busy, noisy coffee shop.
“Your grandmother said you worked in Boston for a few years right after you got out of law school. Do you miss being in the city at all?”
“No. I lived in Braintree and commuted into the city and I don’t miss it—especially the rush-hour traffic. Working in downtown Boston was pretty cool, but we were too busy to really enjoy it. I’d go out with friends at night and that was fun, but when the opportunity at Donna’s office came up, I jumped on it. I love the Cape. It’s just tougher to find good jobs there, especially when you’re just starting out.”
“Yeah, there were no options when I graduated from college.”
“What made you decide on New York over Boston?”
“I always knew I wanted to be a writer and I thought it might be fun to start with getting a job in publishing and those are all in New York.”
“Oh, you worked for a publisher before you sold your first book?”
“No. I tried, but it’s so competitive and I didn’t have any relevant experience. Instead of working in a bookstore, I spent my summers waitressing. I signed on with a temp agency and they put me at a marketing agency doing administrative work and that turned into a full-time job. It was a nice company. It’s where I met my best friend, Lucy, and Jeremy.”
“Who’s Jeremy?”
“My ex. We dated for almost two years. I broke it off right after my mother passed. He’s a nice guy. He just wanted to get serious and I didn’t feel the same way.”
“Sounds like what happened with me and Michelle, the one you met at the dinner the other night. Though I was the one that wanted to get more serious. But it just wasn’t meant to be.”
He didn’t sound like he was still hung up on Michelle anymore. Hannah wondered if he’d actually started dating again. Though she guessed Natalie would have mentioned it if he had.
“I’m glad that I am able to spend the summer here. It’s nice seeing my sister more and my aunt, too,” Hannah said.
“Do you ever think about moving back to Chatham? Now that you’re an author, you can live anywhere, right?”
“I really haven’t thought about it. I love Brooklyn and have a life there, a cute apartment, and good friends. I may try to get back to the Cape more often, though. It’s really not that far.”
“It’s not like living in Boston, though, where it’s an easy drive to the Cape for a weekend. New York is a good six hours from here.”
He was right. And that was why she hadn’t gotten home as often as she would have liked. It wasn’t a short drive.
“Do you ever get to New York?” she asked.
“Not so much these days. I had a college roommate that lived there so I went to visit a few times when I lived in Boston. But I haven’t been back since I moved to the Cape. It’s a great city, though. Lots to do.”
“There’s so much to do,” Hannah agreed. She felt a pang of homesickness. She needed to give Lucy a call. They messaged each other all the time, but she’d only talked to her once since she’d been in Chatham. Hannah wondered what her friend was up to and what she was missing out on.
“I don’t think I could ever live in New York,” Spencer said. “It’s a great city to visit, but there’s too much cement there for me. I’d miss the trees, and the beaches. I didn’t really appreciate the Cape as a kid. Not until I lived in Boston during law school and for a few years later. It gets busy in the summer with tourists, but nothing like city traffic. And it’s a good place to raise a family, a lot safer than the city.”
“That’s true.” Hannah had always felt safe in her Brooklyn neighborhood but was careful where she went at night. She never had to worry about that on the Cape. And truth be told, she hadn’t given a lot of thought to starting a family. It wasn’t a priority the way it was with some of her friends or her sister.
Though she supposed if she’d met her person in college like Sara had, she might feel differently. She just wasn’t in a hurry for it. It was interesting to hear Spencer say he’d given it some thought and had been close to asking Michelle to marry him.
Spencer was starting to grow on her. She saw his earlier prickliness now more as protectiveness for his grandparents. Though he was still very much her opposite in how he approached things. Spencer was super focused, uptight even, and organized. Whereas Hannah was looser, more willing to go with the flow, and no one would ever call her organized. But she was starting to like him, as a friend. Even though for that split second at the gala she’d looked at him differently, she knew it was just a moment. And the moment had passed. He might be fun to hang out with more, though, along with Natalie and her sister. There was a whole summer ahead of her and once Hannah finished her book, she wanted to play tourist and just enjoy herself as much as possible.
Spencer pulled into her aunt’s driveway and she thanked him for the day.
“Are you heading over to check on your grandfather?”
“Yes, and my grandmother wants me to stay for dinner, though I’m sure they’ve already eaten by now.” It was almost six thirty.
“Well, tell them both I said hello.”
“I will. I guess I’ll probably see you this weekend, at Caitlin’s party?”
Hannah had no idea what he was talking about. “What party?”
He laughed. “Talk to Natalie, she was going to call you about it. Caitlin at the coffee shop is having a cookout at her boyfriend’s house. It should be a good time.”
“I’ll give her a call.”
After Spencer drove off, Hannah checked her phone and there was a text message that she’d missed from Natalie asking her to call when she got home.