Catching the Con (Swindled In Love #2)

1. Hard Eight to Break Even

1

Hard Eight to Break Even

T he sunlight filtering through his curtains wasn’t what caught Spencer’s attention upon waking. It was the curious weight next to him. He could have sworn he’d gone to bed alone last night. The barely contained chorus of giggles gave him a clue to who the body belonged to.

A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he bit it back and resisted the urge to open his eyes. He wanted to let her savor this moment. Anytime he could coax a laugh out of her, even at his own expense, was a good thing.

“Finished with your artwork yet, Picasso?”

The giggling ceased. “How did you know?”

He rolled onto his back, confirming his suspicion. Nessa had decorated his arm with an assortment of colored markers. “Your artistic talents are hard to miss,” he said, grinning as he admired her handiwork.

“Do you like it?”

“The colors are amazing, but it’s a little abstract for my taste.”

“I’ve seen your real tattoos. Your taste is questionable.” Her brunette braided space buns rocked back and forth as she laughed again .

“Touché.” He winced, looking at the ocean waves. He’d gotten the shoulder tattoo to cover the name of an ex-fling he’d gotten on a dare. “If you don’t want to make stupid mistakes like your uncle, stay in school.”

“I will. As long as you start getting me there on time.”

Spencer looked at the alarm clock and jumped. It was a quarter to nine. She needed to be on the bus by eight thirty at the latest. “Looks like I’ll be taking you today.”

“Oh, lucky me,” she muttered.

“Brush your teeth, you smart aleck.”

She followed his instructions as he hopped out of bed and began rifling through his drawers. He had to be at the office by ten and it would take a half an hour to get there from her school. Spencer had left behind his days and nights of living like a frat boy, but the early mornings still got to him. If only he could figure out how to set his alarm and actually hear it.

Nessa was waiting by the car when he came down, her purple backpack slung over her shoulders. As they got in, his eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Put your seat belt on and remember, never drive like this when you’re older.”

Her seat belt clicked into place as she promised, “I won’t.”

Spencer sped out of the driveway, praying they would not pass a police car. Luckily, they didn’t, and they arrived at the elementary school with minutes to spare. “Alright, get out of here before you make us both late. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Spencer watched her run inside, his chest full of affection for the kid. The last year of her life had been anything but normal. Yet through it all, she hadn’t lost her smile. He didn’t know if she kept it for him or for herself, but it relieved Spencer every time he saw it. Making her happy was what kept him going on days when all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed.

The office was quiet when he finally got in, something he’d grown accustomed to. Scuffed wooden floors, a couch whose black leather was beginning to peel off, and sunlit dust particles were the sight of his lobby. It was a small space, with only two more doors. One to his office and the other to the bathroom. A makeshift break room fit into the corner of the lobby. It featured a dorm room-sized fridge, an unplugged microwave, and a beat-up coffee maker.

In the middle of the room sat his secretary, Yara, at the front desk. She sported a grey buttoned up blouse, matching jean skirt, and a sad smile she tried to make resemble a happy one. “You don’t have to tell me. I can tell by your face we’ve gotten no calls.”

“I’m sorry. I thought I was getting better at not showing it.”

“Yara, I don’t care if you let your emotions slip from time to time. It’s not like we have clients coming in to see them.” He went into his office and closed the door behind him. He and Yara were alike in that they didn’t do well at masking their emotions. The difference was, Spencer wouldn’t let anyone in on that secret.

They were the only employees in today. His paralegal, Rachel, had come in early, but only for a few hours before she left. Part of him felt bad for having her work for nothing, but her job was secure. If the agency went under tomorrow, she would have no trouble finding another job. Spencer didn’t have that luxury anymore.

Growing up, success got handed to him on a silver platter. Spencer never had to lift a finger to make things happen for him. He breezed through school without ever having to study. Scholarships fell into his lap, even when he took a gap year. He spent his weeknights at parties, but his name was always found on the Dean’s List.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end. Three years out of graduate school, Spencer’s world changed overnight when his dad died of a sudden heart attack. The stress of running his own father’s private detective agency and dealing with his daughter, Melanie’s drama, had caught up with him.

As if dealing with his grief wasn’t enough, the biggest thing left to Spencer in his father’s will was the agency. Left behind for him to run. Spencer’s interest in it was zero. He made plans to sell it, but his mom shot it down. She cited it as his long overdue time for responsibility.

So here he was, two years later, struggling to keep the failing agency afloat. It didn’t help the agency was already past its prime when his father was still around. Then you add in it shutting down for a year while Spencer got his necessary qualifications. Not to mention his sister left him with another massive responsibility to manage.

Despite not wanting the job, Spencer planned to do whatever it took to make the agency work. It was his father and grandfather’s legacy, and he refused to let it crumble under his watch. But old clients weren’t returning his calls. They doubted his ability to fill his father’s shoes, and new clients were scarce.

It was as if the world knew what a mistake it would be to have him at the helm. He wasn’t qualified for this. He couldn’t help but feel like the universe was playing a cruel joke on him. Revenge for all those years of him skating through life with ease.

He was so lost in his thoughts the ringing of his cell phone startled him. More than the sound, it was the name of the caller that sent a shiver down his spine.

His sister, Melanie, was on the screen.

He let it ring, just as she had done for the last year of their lives. After a moment, her name disappeared, but returned to tell Spencer she left a message. He was about to delete it without listening to it, but something inside him stopped him.

A year and three months. That was how long they’d gone without talking. Not something Spencer ever expected, considering how close they were. Melanie was four years older than him, so Spencer relied on her a lot when they were kids.

With her, he was never without a maternal presence. His mother filled the role as best she could, but she, like his father, was career-oriented. They made sure their children never lacked for anything. Spencer knew how privileged he was to have that. But there were times he wished there was someone around who cared about things other than money.

Melanie was the one who was there. Then one day she wasn’t. Leaving only Nessa behind. At Spencer’s door.

“I understand why you don’t answer, but I hope you’ll listen to this. You must be thinking the worst of me right now, but I’m telling you I’m doing so much better.”

Spencer stifled an eye roll. Melanie’s sobriety had been in a state of flux since her teenage years. It renewed itself in the wake of their father’s death. He wanted to believe the best in his sister, but the woman speaking on his voicemail wasn’t her. The sister he knew would never abandon her child.

“I can’t ask for your forgiveness. Not when I haven’t forgiven myself, but I want to be a part of Nessa’s life again. I want to see her. And I want you to see me, Spencer. See how well I’m doing. Let’s meet—”

He cut the message off, knowing there was no chance of reconciliation between them. Spencer could have forgiven Melanie for leaving if she had only left him. But she hadn’t. She deserted Nessa too. He refused to entertain the possibility of a reunion between them.

Nessa was too young to understand what it meant to be abandoned by a parent, but the pain of it was still felt. Spencer wasn’t about to let his sister waltz back into her life and have the chance to cause that pain all over again. He hoped she got the message loud and clear: she was no longer welcome in their lives.