15. Shattered Facade
15
Shattered Facade
“ T hank you for taking me out. I needed it,” Spencer told Lawrence as they sat down at a bar near Lawrence’s home. After he told his friend about his fight with his mom, Lawrence suggested he take him up on his offer for drinks. With Nessa spending the weekend with her grandma, Spencer couldn’t find a excuse why not. That’s how he came to be nursing a club soda on Sunday night while Lawrence scouted for a hook-up.
“Repay me by finding me a half-decent looking man for me to go home with.”
“Still in the rebound hook-up phase?”
“Still in the avoiding your problems phase?”
Spencer chuckled and took a sip of his drink. “Touché.”
Lawrence patted his back. “In all seriousness, you’re welcome. I know you’re going through a lot right now. I’m here for you in any way you need me to be.”
“I appreciate it.” Spencer didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He came out to get his mind off work and family drama, and he was going to do that. “That guy over there.” He nodded in his direction.
Lawrence turned and groaned. “That’s my neighbor, Ty. He’s an asshole.”
“He’s kinda hot.”
“He’s not.”
“Look at him objectively. He’s not a terrible sight on the eyes.”
“Fine. He’s attractive. Doesn’t change he annoys me.”
Spencer grinned. “That can make it hotter.”
“Ew. I hate when you say that.”
“But it’s true.”
“How would you know? Anyone come to mind for you?”
“I always regret telling you stuff.” Spencer had filled him in on his undercover case. What Lawrence took away from it differed from how Spencer viewed it.
“Are you trying to tell me this woman who has conned multiple men into marrying her isn’t hot?”
Nicole was the first woman Spencer avoided looking at closely. Like Medusa. He didn’t want to fall under her spell. He couldn’t allow her looks to cloud his judgment like Nicole had done to her past victims.
His small glances at her made it easy to see how she had used them to reel men in. If you didn’t want to wait until after sunrise or before sunset to see the golden hour glow, you didn’t have to. You could find Nicole and have it whenever you wanted.
A smile designed to make it feel it was only for you. Her curves were barely contained, even in her modest knee-length skirts and dresses. Her sun-kissed skin that begged to be touched. They were all just a distraction to her victims. A way for them to miss the warning signs.
She had an innocent look to her that screamed, “trust me”. Those brown eyes that could be seen as gold in certain lights could draw anyone in. Making you forget there was more to her than her looks. But that’s exactly what she wanted. To be underestimated.
Spencer shook his head, but it didn’t clear his thoughts. He still saw Nicole .
“Objectively, yes. Nicole is a beautiful woman, but she’s evil.”
“That can make it hotter,” Lawrence said, using his friend’s own words against him. “I’ll do you a favor and let this go for now. I’m going to go test your theory if attraction born from hate is real.”
Spencer watched Lawrence get up and go across the room to Ty. They chatted animatedly, occasionally laughing at something one of them said. He was happy for Lawrence, but the interaction made him remember how easy it used to be for him to go after what he wanted. Sometimes it was a girl, sometimes a guy. Nowadays, it was no one.
Spencer didn’t miss the playboy he used to be, but he missed the freedom. The freedom to follow his impulses without a second thought. Every decision he made now was made with the reminder it wouldn’t just affect him anymore.
The bell connected to the bar’s entrance rang. Spencer’s eyes glanced at the mirror above his head, pointed directly at the door. The glance was quick, but the sight made the hair on Spencer’s arm stand up. He turned his head to get a better look and there she was — Nicole.
What was she doing here? Nicole lived across town like him. She was going to wonder the same thing when she spotted him.
Trying to sneak out through the back would get him stopped. Spencer stayed put, facing his head down. Only looking up slightly to watch her order a drink. She sat a few seats down from where he was.
“Can I get you another drink?” A man approached her and asked.
“I’m not the woman you’re going to get drunk enough to sleep with you. Move along.”
The man scoffed. “I was just trying to be nice to you, lady. Didn’t have to be a bitch. A woman your age should be flattered.”
“My age?”
“Yeah. I’m sure no one is lining up to get with you and if they are, they’re after your money. Not your dry ass pussy. ”
“And the women lining up to get with you, are they blind and deaf? Because they couldn’t possibly be with you for your looks or personality.”
“Fuck you, old hag.”
“You should take your own advice and fuck off.”
“Listen here, you bitch—”
Spencer had heard enough. Nicole might have been a thief, but Spencer would never tolerate a woman being spoken to like that. Without second guessing himself, he made his way over to where she was sitting.
Nicole’s eyes practically came out of her head at the sight of Spencer standing before her. And again when he brought his hand to the small of her back. “I’m sorry I’m late, babe. Parking was a nightmare.”
“It’s fine,” she answered, looking back at him. “Did you find a space?”
“No, but I was able to drop the car off at the garage and walked the rest of the way.”
“But I’m wearing heels. My feet are going to kill me.”
Spencer leaned in closer, his voice soft and reassuring. “I’ll carry you.”
Nicole let out a surprised laugh. A real one, not forced.
He turned his attention to her harasser. “Is there a problem here?”
“I didn’t realize she was with someone. My bad,” he said, trying to save face. As he walked past Spencer, he muttered to him. “Good luck handling that bitch.”
Spencer was about to tell him off, but Nicole placed her hand over his, stopping him. “Let it go,” she requested. The lightness in her voice from a moment ago was gone.
He nodded. “I’m sorry if I overstepped, but I wasn’t going to stand by and let him disrespect you like that.”
“No, I appreciate it. Thank you. I’m the one sorry. Sorry you had to witness me not on my best behavior. It’s been one of those kinds of days.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Spencer asked, curious about what could have made her unravel like this.
“Oh, no, no. We should maintain some level of professionalism.”
“What if we didn’t?”
“What?”
“Seems like we’ve already thrown it out the window. What if for tonight I was just a stranger at the bar who helped you out with an asshole and ordered you a drink, without expecting sex. Would that be okay?”
Nicole stared at him. He could see her calculating the risks in her head. “You won’t hold anything I say or do against me?”
“No.”
“You say that now, but…”
“No, Nicole, I swear. Tonight, whatever happens. This stays between us. It won’t affect our working relationship in the slightest.”
The gears in her head turned again until she relented. “Okay… I’d like that.”
“What will it be?”
“Rum and coke, please.”
He ordered and watched as she finished it without pausing. “Would you like another one?”
“It’s not every day a millionaire offers to pay for my drinks, so yes.”
After three more rounds, Nicole was no longer the stiff party planner he knew her as. She was a fun-loving woman who laughed easily and challenged him to pool. “I’ve never played before,” he admitted as she grabbed a cue stick and chalked the tip.
“That’s surprising. It’s a great party trick and excuse to touch other people’s bodies.”
“So that’s why you wanted to play. To get your hands all over me.”
“Or maybe I wanted your hands all over me,” she joked, whispering in his direction like they were in a library.
“Then I suggest you bend over,” he told her, motioning to the table. “And show me how it’s done.”
“Ooh, that could be taken the wrong way,” Nicole giggled, doing as he suggested.
She lined up her shot with precision. Her focus was unwavering as she sunk the striped ball into the corner pocket. She straightened up with a triumphant smile.
“Impressive. Looks like I’ll have to step up my game if I want to keep up with you.”
He took his turn, trying to mimic her concentration and finesse. The ball rolled across the felt and bumped against the striped one. Nicole watched as the ball teetered on the edge of the pocket before finally dropping in with a satisfying clack.
“Well, well, looks like you’re not all talk after all.”
“Beginner’s luck.”
“Beginner’s luck, my ass. You’ve got skills, Spence. Don’t sell yourself short.” She grabbed their drinks, then sat on the edge of the pool table. The distance between them shrinking. “You know, I’m starting to think I misjudged you.”
He wasn’t aware he was being judged. “How is that?” he asked, taking his club soda from her.
“Like the rest of my clients, I did my research on you.”
“So cyber-stalking?”
“More like professional due diligence. Anyway, I read you as an overgrown frat boy who liked his fair share of women.”
“And men,” he added. “I’m bi.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Well, well, Spencer. You continue to surprise me.”
“Is it a good surprise?” he asked, not wanting to add homophobia to Nicole’s list of crimes .
“I’m not one of those Karens who pulls a right to refuse service because of my clients’ sexuality. If you ever see my office desk, there’s a mini pride flag in my cup-holder. My pansexual daughter got it for me. I love it like I love her.”
Her response was the bare minimal of human decency, but at least it showed there was something human about her. The alcohol was helping give him a glimpse of the real Nicole, whoever that may be. “I’m glad you’re a safe space for your daughter.”
“I try to be. I messed up with her in the past, so I’m trying to make up for it. How about you? Are your parents your safe space?”
“Uh… it’s…”
“Complicated?”
“Yeah. Growing up, I was a disappointment to them for not living up to my full potential.”
“Bet that changed when you became a millionaire.”
“Sure did,” Spencer replied, remembering to be his cover.
She took a sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving his. “I must admit, I find you more intriguing than I initially thought.”
“What made me less two-dimensional to you?” He put his hands on either side of her, wanting to get a good read on what she said next.
“For starters, your ability to hold your own on the pool table.” They shared a chuckle. “But beyond that, I see the way you are with Nessa. You’re great with her. Do you want to have more kids?”
More kids. Not kids of his own, but more. Spencer loved Nicole’s phrasing of the question. For a split second, it made him warm to her. “If I met the right person, sure. But if I’m destined to just be Nessa’s dad, I’ll be more than okay with that. I’m proud to be a father to her.”
“You should be. You’re a great father.”
“My mother would disagree with you.”
“That you’re a great father?”
“That I’m even her father. ”
Nicole studied his face. For once, Spencer didn’t try to mask what he was feeling. “My sister might want Nessa back and because I’m her guardian, not her biological parent, my mom thinks I should give her back.”
His eyes dropped. He couldn’t believe he was telling the woman he was investigating this. But what if this was what he needed to get close to her so he could nail her? Nicole’s hand touched his, bringing his eyes back to hers. “I’ve been around a lot of adults who gifted themselves the title of being my parents. Not one of them loved me the way you love Nessa. That’s what makes you her father. Not your blood or a piece of paper, but how much space you reserve for her in your heart. Situations may change, but your love for her won’t. Neither will her love for you. No matter what happens, you will always be her father.”
Spencer didn’t know how to respond. He was close enough to her to know she wasn’t lying. She was skilled, but not that skilled. In a moment of true authenticity, Nicole gave him words he hadn’t even known he needed. His hand squeezed hers, not knowing what other gesture to do to show his thanks. They stared at each other, sharing something. Something he didn’t have a word for.
“Are we interrupting?” Spencer turned to see Lawrence across from him with Ty, giving him “who the fuck is this” eyes.
“Not at all.” He straightened his body, giving Nicole space. “Lawrence, this is Nicole. Nicole, this is my friend Lawrence and his friend Ty.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Ty took a swig of his beer. “What brings you guys here tonight?”
“A need for a distraction,” Nicole supplied. “Ty, do you play pool by any chance?”
“Yeah, but I’m rusty. ”
“I promise to take it easy on you.”
While Ty and Nicole begun to play a round, Lawrence dragged Spencer closer to the bar. “Nicole? As in the con artist, Nicole?”
“One and the same.”
“And you’re flirting with her?”
“We weren’t flirting.”
“Bullshit, dude. You two were eye fucking the hell out of each other.”
“My client encouraged this.”
“Eye-fucking her?” Lawrence looked appalled.
“No. He wants me to get close to her so I can learn about her business. Find out what scam she’s running currently and if her business is a decoy to hide the money she’s stealing. It’s the only way to take her down.”
“Your client is an idiot for not seeing all the ways this could go wrong.”
“Why are you jumping down my throat? I didn’t do anything.”
“Would you have if Ty and I didn’t come across you guys?”
“No,” Spencer insisted. Could he admit things got more personal than he was prepared for? Yes, but he didn’t forget who Nicole really was. “Everything you saw was for show. And if you believed it, that means I’m doing one hell of a job.”
Lawrence looked skeptical, but didn’t push it. “Please, be careful.”
“I’m not giving Nicole my credit card.”
“No. I mean, don’t lose yourself in this. You don’t want to wake up and not know where your cover ends and you begin.”
Lawrence left with Ty a quarter after 10. That’s when Spencer and Nicole called it a night, too. They headed out together as rain scattered down the streets. They stayed on the sidewalk, huddled together under his olive Harrington jacket.
“This is what I get for not checking the weather report,” Nicole huffed .
“Where are you parked? I could walk you to your car so you don’t get drenched.”
“In the parking garage. What about you?”
“I rode with Lawrence, but I’ll call a ride-share.”
“Or I could drop you off.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s out of the way.”
“I like long drives. Besides, it’s the least I can do after you helped me.”
“I wouldn’t be the man my parents and sister raised if I didn’t.”
“That’s a noble quality. Not many men have it.”
“That’s the second time tonight you’ve complimented me.”
“Hang out with me a bit longer and I might feed you more.” She moved out of their safe dry spot, walking backwards toward the parking garage. Not paying attention to her heel or it lodging itself in between the crack in the sidewalk. She stumbled backwards, her butt hitting the concrete. Instead of letting out a cry, she laughed.
“Are you okay?” Spencer asked, coming over and kneeling down to her, holding the jacket over her head.
“Yeah.” She grinned while looking at her lap. “But the bruise on my ass is going to be nice and purple.”
He closed his eyes, trying to not picture that image. “I should drive you. Something tells me you wouldn’t fall on your ass if you were sober.”
“Noble and smart. Good for you.”
“You forgot one of my best qualities.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Chivalry.” Nicole gasped louder than the rain hitting the street as she felt him scoop her up in his arms. As if she weighed nothing, Spencer carried her bridal style down the rest of the sidewalk and into the parking garage. He had a smug grin on his face, enjoying catching her off guard again .
“I don’t need to be carried. I’m more than capable of walking, Spencer.”
“Really? Could’ve fooled me with that spill you took.” She shoved his shoulder, not moving him in the least. “Besides, I promised to do this for you earlier.”
“As a joke, not literally. Put me down.”
“A promise is a promise. As you get to know me, you’ll learn I like to keep mine.”
Nicole wiggled in his arms, but he kept his hold on her. Spencer would not be held responsible for her falling on the concrete… again. He wouldn’t put it past her to sue him for his fake millions.
“Okay, we’re in the parking garage now. You can put me down and let me walk us to my car.”
Spencer bit back a laugh. Shouldn’t she be used to this? What with the six weddings? “The sooner you tell me which one of these cars is yours, the sooner I’ll put you down.”
She stopped struggling and looked at him, the alcohol in her system making her soft and pliant. “The silver Audi.”
“Was that so hard?”
She rolled her eyes as she got her keys out of her purse. Spencer took them from her and pressed the button and unlocked the door. He settled her in the passenger seat, searching around for her seatbelt.
“What are you, a boys’ scout?”
“Boy Scouts of America would have kicked me out for being bi, so no.”
“Too bad. You would’ve been a great one.”
Spencer avoided looking at her, finally finding the seatbelt. He pulled it around her and clicked it into place. He was a second away from moving, but her hand caught his. “Thank you.”
Something about how she said it told him this wasn’t a normal thank you. There was a weight to the two words, as if there was something deeper attached to it. Looking up and seeing Nicole’s glassy eyes confirmed it. If Nicole wasn’t a case, Spencer wouldn’t have pulled on that string. But she was, and he had to.
“What are you thanking me for?”
He stayed bent down, so he was smaller than her, but her voice somehow managed to be the smallest thing between them. “I wasn’t being nice when I offered to drive you earlier. It was self-motivated.”
“Motivated by what?”
She stopped looking at him, changing her focus to the exit of the parking garage. He saw the rain still raging on through the reflection in her eyes. “I hate driving in this weather. Or being alone in it. My parents drove me to daycare in weather like this. They dropped me off, but never drove me anywhere again.”
Shit.
Spencer wasn’t prepared for her honesty and the heaviness of it. Her voice was still quiet, almost a whisper, like the words were coming out unwillingly. “I don’t remember the day. I was too young to remember. Yet this feeling of panic comes over me whenever it rains. Spiders or snakes don’t scare me, but rain does. It’s silly, I know.”
“No, it isn’t. Do you want to hear an actual silly fear?”
“I’m sure it can’t top mine.”
“I’m afraid of leprechauns.”
She turned back to look at him, surprised. “What?”
“My sister loves horror movies. When our parents were away, she would pop in one for us to watch. This was before I was old enough to know they were fictional. So I’m nine-years-old, watching Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, thinking it’s a documentary. It traumatized me for life.”
Nicole’s laugh was hidden behind her hand. “Is St. Patrick’s Day a tough day for you?”
“Oh, yeah. I have to stay inside. Too scary to be out in the world. ”
She laughed harder. It relieved him to hear it. Making someone laugh never felt as good as it did then.
“You should have never trusted me with that secret. I could tell Nessa and she’ll dress up as one for Halloween.”
“Not with my money. She won’t.”
“I’ll have to buy her the costume myself, then.”
“You wouldn’t,” he said over her laughter. “You’re an evil woman.”
Spencer didn’t say it with the same level of contempt he said it earlier with to Lawrence. There was a lightness, a playfulness to it that wasn’t there three hours ago. It was two different situations, sure. But somewhere along the way, there had been a change and Spencer felt it.
Nicole dropped her hand, revealing that magnificent smile of hers. Her brown eyes staring at him with more emotion than they had all night. “Thank you for helping me with that creep from the bar. For not laughing when I wiped out on the concrete. But for most of all, thank you for waiting out the rain with me.”
“How do you know that’s what I was doing?”
“Because I’m a big believer in intuition. And mine tells me that’s what you were doing.”
Her intuition was right, but he hoped it wasn’t good enough to scope out ulterior motives. Or else his investigation would be over before it started.
Spencer closed her door and got into the driver’s seat. To their delight, the rain was clearing up. Good enough for Spencer to deem it safe to drive. Nicole gave him her address, and they drove back into town in the peace that only came after the rain.
They were at a red light when Nicole ended the quiet. “The thing about the silence is, it’s supposed to be peaceful and comforting. For me, it forces me to rethink everything I’ve said and done in mortified fashion. Telling you, a client, about my parents, is going to be one of those things that haunts me for years.”
“It shouldn’t, Nicole. There’s nothing embarrassing about it.”
“It’s not that it was embarrassing…” she trailed off.
It was that it was intimate. Spencer finished the sentence for her in his head. It was a glimpse into her inner workings, her fears, what drove her to become who she was. It was personal, and their relationship was supposed to be impersonal.
“It’s just not how I am.”
In the nature of the green light, Spencer kept going, pulling that string. This time with himself. “Would it make you feel better if I admitted something personal to you?”
“Something more personal than the leprechauns?”
“Yes. More personal than the leprechauns.” He glanced at her with a smirk. “People treat me like the person I used to be, not who I currently am. You see, I used to be promiscuous.”
Nicole looked at him and said in a false disbelieving tone, “No kidding.”
“Yes, but I don’t feel ashamed of it. It’s part of who I was, but it’s not who I am anymore. But people still look at me as the guy I was in my youth. They don’t recognize how far I’ve come and how much more there is to me. My mom sees it even less.”
“Why do you care? If your mom can’t see the man you’ve become, why let it work you up?”
“Because I think she would be proud of me if she knew. And for once I would like to feel that she likes me. I know she loves me. She has to. I’m her son. But I don’t think she likes me as a person. If we weren’t connected by blood, I don’t think she would give me a second glance on the street. She would want to have nothing to do with me.”
Spencer felt Nicole’s eyes on him even as he drove. She had a way of looking through him, seeing him. It was unnerving. Did she look at her marks like this? If so, he was beginning to understand how they fell under her spell.
Her hand fell onto his knee, giving him a squeeze. “If it helps, I see you. I see the man you are and what an amazing father you are. The people who don’t, that’s their loss.”
Her hand lingered on him. It’d been two years since someone touched him there. The fact that the person touching him was a con woman he was investigating didn’t stop his skin from growing warm under her touch.
“I’m pretty good at reading people, so don’t take this lightly. You have a good heart, Spencer. I’d hate to see it get broken.”
Nicole took her hand back, and the warmth he felt dissipated. It was replaced with something colder, heavier. Guilt.
It was nonsense. He was doing his job, cozying up to a professional liar. A thing she’d done for years to her own marks. It should’ve felt like winning, getting the con to open up and trust him. None the wiser to him or his plan. Yet, it didn’t. It felt wrong. Like a line was being crossed. His line.
For being a private detective, Spencer had never felt this dirty before. When he got home, he would need a shower. Or three.
When they pulled onto her street 15 minutes later, Spencer turned off the engine and saw Nicole asleep against the window. Her purse sat by her shoes on the floorboard. Her phone sticking out.
For any PI, it was an easy grab, but Spencer was born with the curse of a conscience. So were his dad and his grandfather. It was what made their agency different and would make it run out of business. Mr. Johnson’s words came back to Spencer then. He needed clients like him to make ends meet.
Clients that were dishonest, but could pay. He needed to do dishonest work to survive. That was the rationale for grabbing Nicole’s phone and turning it on. The first place he went was to her Notes App. Surely, there would be files containing information on the people she conned.
Scrolling back months, he found files titled like E.H. and M.M. pop up. He clicked on them, but they required face ID. He put the phone in front of her face again, careful not to wake her. It unlocked. He repeated the process on each file he found and sent a copy of them to his email. When he finished, he deleted the emails from her end.
Spencer exhaled when he locked her phone and put it back in her purse. She remained asleep, unaware of the invasion of privacy committed against her by a man she believed had a good heart. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he watched her. He meant it.