Page 76 of The Best Is Yet to Come

Chapter 21

Spencer heard the doorbell ring and turned up the volume on his headphones. He hoped it wasn’t someone for him. He was in no mood for company. The bell was pressed a second time, and his mother left the kitchen to answer the door.

A minute later, she found him in his bedroom, in the dark with his blinds shut. He was sprawled out on his bed with his eyes closed, music blaring in his ears. His mother waited until he removed the headphones. “Callie’s here,” she told him.

Callie was the last person he had any desire to see, let alone talk to.

Now or ever.

“Send her away,” he said, glaring up at his mother to be sure she understood he wasn’t willing to compromise, no matter how good of friends their parents were.

“The least you can do is hear her out,” his mother insisted.

He stubbornly disagreed. “Tell her to leave.”

“I know you’re upset, sweetie, but I think you should listen to her. She’s upset and—”

“Mom, no.”

“It’s all right, Mrs. Brown,” Callie said. She’d apparently followed his mother down the hallway leading to his bedroom. “I can understand why Spencer wants nothing to do with me.”

Spencer groaned and yearned to cover his face with his pillow and block out the world. If not the world, then at least Callie.

“I promise this will only take a minute,” Callie assured his mother, but the message was for him as well.

As far as he was concerned, even one second with Callie was more than he could tolerate.

“Spencer,” his mother said, chastising him. “The least you can do is give her a chance to speak, seeing as she came all this way.”

All this way?What? A mile, maybe two? His mother didn’t get it. Callie had literally ruined his life.

“Please,” Callie whispered, standing next to his mother, crowding the doorway.

“Fine.” He sat up, but refused to look at Callie. He feared once he did, he’d lose the fragile hold he had on his temper. The urge to verbally rip into her hovered on his lips. One wrong word and he was going to lose it.

Callie remained standing in the doorway after his mother left. Spencer kept his gaze focused on her shoes. He’d listen; not that he expected anything she said would be worthwhile. Polite or not, he intended for her to leave as soon as possible.

“I came to tell you how horribly sorry I am about your car,” Callie said, barely sounding like herself.

“Fine. You’re sorry. So am I. Good-bye.” All he wanted was to get this apology over with so he could continue blocking out the world with his music.

“I blame myself.”

As she very well should. Callie was the one who’d dragged him into this mess. Furthermore, she’d set him up by telling Scott that he was on to the fact the football player was dealing drugs.

“I know how important that car is to you.”

He had nothing to add. That car was a classic. He could only imagine how much the repairs would tally. Money he didn’t have, unless it came out of his college fund.

Sheriff Terrance had questioned him about who Spencer thought might be responsible. It was on the tip of his tongue to name Scott Pender. He didn’t, though, sensing that there would be further retribution if he did. Besides, he had no real proof.

Scott getting away with this left a bitter taste in Spencer’s mouth. He ended up telling Sheriff Terrance he had no idea who might have set fire to his car. The deed was done. Naming Scott would cause the entire school, and the entire city of Oceanside, to hate him for pointing a finger at the most important member of the football team. In their eyes, Scott Pender could do no wrong.

Undoubtedly there would be an investigation, but in the end, it would be impossible to prove. Spencer had watched enough crime shows to know how highly unlikely it was to find those responsible in arson cases.

“I have three thousand dollars saved from my summer job, and birthday, and Christmas money,” Callie said, as she came all the way into his bedroom. “I know it probably isn’t enough, but it’s all I have. It’s yours with my apology.”

Spencer didn’t want her money.

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