Chapter Twenty Three
“Do you have any idea about what you’re going to do? Are you going to be ready at eight o’clock tomorrow when Spencer sends his car after you? I don’t think he really meant any harm keeping that part of his life a secret from you.”
Nicey flung the newest profile she was reading down on the table in front of her. “Why are you on Spencer’s side? I invited you over to my house for a girl’s night and you trying to make me forgive him for lying to me for weeks. What is wrong with you?”
Rishelle was supposed to be her best friend and on her side no matter what.
Yet, she was sitting there in front of her selling her ex-boyfriend good qualities back to her.
Why was Rishelle telling her I-told-you-so?
She thought Spencer was a liar only days ago and now that she found out his is Rishelle wanted her to overlook it.
“Nothing is wrong with me,” Rishelle tossed back, “but I don’t think you should let a good man go because he has a family member he’s ashamed of. Doesn’t everyone have a black sheep in the family?”
“Cindy Carlton, isn’t a black sheep. She’s one of the most recognized faces on television right now. I heard that she’s going to make over two million dollars for her first movie.”
Rishelle frowned at her. “What does that have to do with your relationship with Spencer. You’re dating him, not her.”
“Don’t you see that there was a reason Spencer didn’t want me to know who he was,” Nicey accused. “His sister said as much dong her interview on that awards show. Spencer was just using me to see how the other half lived?”
“The only half lived,” Rishelle laughed. “Are you having a flash back to an old Spike Lee movie or something? Your relationship with Spencer was a case of jungle fever.”
“How do you know? Maybe it was and I’m glad that I found out before I got more involved with him than I already was.”
“Nicey LaRhon Johnson, if you weren’t my friend I would think you were the dumbest woman in the world. Spencer is double in love with you. What man who caterer a whole party just to get to know your crazy friends?”
“How many men would memorize a license plate just to find out the name of the woman driving the car? Are you serious about Spencer not being in love with you?”
Nicey was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Her mind was going in one direction and her heart was going in the opposite direction. She wanted to forgive Spencer and spend Valentine’s Day together like they planned, but her emotions were too raw right now.
“Rishelle, I don’t know what to do,” she moaned dropping her head into her hands. All the times she spent with Spencer were racing through her head making it hard to see a clear picture.
“The first thing you need to do is stop whining about Spencer and really think do you want this one little thing to break the two of you up. Then weight the pros and cons of your decision, but you have to give the guy an answer.”
“He has already informed you that he wants you more than anything in the world, but do you feel the same about him? Can you get up every day and forget that Spencer Davis Carlton was a part of your life?”
Raising her head Nicey wondered when Rishelle took over being the mature one in their friendship. All the years she had known Rishelle she seldom that about giving anyone a second chance at any time.
“Do you really think Spencer didn’t have an agenda when it came to me?”
“I saw how he was looking at you at that party. So much love shined at of his eyes for you that a blind man could have seen it. But I don’t want to push you into something that you don’t want to. If you are honestly hurt by his deception you have a right to dump him and more on with your life.”
“I was hurt,” Nicey admitted.
“Hurt enough to let Spencer go and find another man to take his place?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered honestly as Cindy’s awards show comments played over in her mind again.
“Well, you have less than twenty-four hours to figure that out,” Rishelle stated standing up from her seat. “I’m going to leave so you’ve some time alone, but please don’t make the wrong decision. Or let my words make you do something you honestly don’t want anymore.”
Pushing her body off the couch Nicey escorted Rishelle to the door, “Have I told you how much I love having you as my best friend and confidante?”
The left side of Rishelle’s mouth kicked up into a smile, “Not today you haven’t, I love having you as my friend too,” she answered opening up the front door and then going out of the porch. “If I don’t see you tomorrow have a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Nicey grinned Rishelle. “You too.” she waved goodbye to Rishelle as she made her way to her car. She waited until her friend had pulled out of the driveway before she went back inside and closed the door. Resting her head against the door she looked up at the ceiling.
“Spencer, is my love deep enough for you that I can forgive what you did to me,” she whispered in the empty room.