was very clear
beforehand.”
“Why did you stop me from leaving if you’re
just going to pursue an argument with me?”
His eyes narrowed at her. “Mind if I catch a
lift home? Rob took my car.”
“You have a car?”
“Of course, I have a car. I’m not a complete
loser, Doc.”
“Sure. I guess.”
He followed her out and they stopped in front
of her car. He got into the driver’s seat as if he had every right
to do so. He glanced at her, as if waiting for her to get the keys
out. She sighed. He was so unpredictable. So moody. So strange. But
did she order him out of her car? Or even scold him? No! She simply
handed her keys to him and slid into her passenger seat.
“Were those your friends?” Erica asked, once
they were on the road.
“People I used to know. Rob and I used to
party a lot. We knew a lot of people.”
“You don’t anymore?”
“Know people? Yeah. But that kind of crowd
has short-term memories. They exist only in the here and now. Rob
went to rehab, and I dropped out of the scene for awhile, to clean
my own act up. That made a lot of them forget us.”
“Forget you? Or perhaps they just don’t
recognize you as Spencer. Spike and Spencer don’t even resemble the
same species.”
He laughed. “You could be right. Unlike you,
a lot of them resented my change from Spike to Spencer. Especially
after they discovered I broke up Zenith .”
“Which you did to save your best friend’s
life.”
“Yeah. But it wasn’t appreciated by our
fans.”
“Rob seems to appreciate it. It says a lot
about you, that you’d do that. Give up your dream just to help your
friend.”
He shook his head. “ Zenith was Rob’s
dream. His voice is a damn miracle. He was why we went beyond a
garage band. He is the talent. Not me.”
Erica considered his profile. “I don’t
believe you.”
He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
“Well, maybe you should.”
“I don’t. I don’t know why you continually
underestimate your talent. Or why you won’t talk about Zenith , or music, or even tell me your favorite color. I
don’t know why, after knowing you at work for months, I have no
clue about you beyond your name change. I don’t know why that is.
But it just is that way with you, isn’t it?”
His mouth tightened. “Yeah. It just is.
There’s nothing to tell. Nothing much to say.”
“There’s everything to say. But you won’t. To
me. To Tamira. To Joelle even. No one. Isn’t that lonely? Tiring?
Exhausting to remain so isolated? So shut off to everyone? With
only Rob knowing anything significant about you?”
He ignored her questions. She waited, but he
refused to take his eyes off the road. The only indication that he
heard her was his jaw tightening when she spoke.
She let out a long sigh. She couldn’t even
goad him into reacting to her comments. “Well, those people may be
pissed at losing Spike, but I like you much better as Spencer.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel and
he glanced at her with a piercing gaze. Still, he remained
silent.
Pulling into his driveway, Spencer turned the
car off. He opened his door and stretched his long legs out, as
Erica did the same. His swift movements seemed angry. Annoyed. Was
he letting her know what he thought of her prying? She walked
around to the driver’s side of her car and he went up in front of
her hood and stopped her.
“You ever dump that prick, Dr. Roy?”
“No. Why? Did I say I was going to?”
“You were there, right? Didn’t you notice he
thought that crappy pamphlet was almost okay? He didn’t seem too
upset. Since, you’re so into prying, why not look at your own life?
Or is all that judgment and advice meant only for the women
patients you so easily dispense it to? Oh, yeah, and to me, the
out-of-work musician that I am, and loser handyman to you. Isn’t
that right, Doc?”
Erica was startled by the harshness of his
voice, not to mention all the hostility directed at her. She
stepped back.
“No,
beforehand.”
“Why did you stop me from leaving if you’re
just going to pursue an argument with me?”
His eyes narrowed at her. “Mind if I catch a
lift home? Rob took my car.”
“You have a car?”
“Of course, I have a car. I’m not a complete
loser, Doc.”
“Sure. I guess.”
He followed her out and they stopped in front
of her car. He got into the driver’s seat as if he had every right
to do so. He glanced at her, as if waiting for her to get the keys
out. She sighed. He was so unpredictable. So moody. So strange. But
did she order him out of her car? Or even scold him? No! She simply
handed her keys to him and slid into her passenger seat.
“Were those your friends?” Erica asked, once
they were on the road.
“People I used to know. Rob and I used to
party a lot. We knew a lot of people.”
“You don’t anymore?”
“Know people? Yeah. But that kind of crowd
has short-term memories. They exist only in the here and now. Rob
went to rehab, and I dropped out of the scene for awhile, to clean
my own act up. That made a lot of them forget us.”
“Forget you? Or perhaps they just don’t
recognize you as Spencer. Spike and Spencer don’t even resemble the
same species.”
He laughed. “You could be right. Unlike you,
a lot of them resented my change from Spike to Spencer. Especially
after they discovered I broke up Zenith .”
“Which you did to save your best friend’s
life.”
“Yeah. But it wasn’t appreciated by our
fans.”
“Rob seems to appreciate it. It says a lot
about you, that you’d do that. Give up your dream just to help your
friend.”
He shook his head. “ Zenith was Rob’s
dream. His voice is a damn miracle. He was why we went beyond a
garage band. He is the talent. Not me.”
Erica considered his profile. “I don’t
believe you.”
He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
“Well, maybe you should.”
“I don’t. I don’t know why you continually
underestimate your talent. Or why you won’t talk about Zenith , or music, or even tell me your favorite color. I
don’t know why, after knowing you at work for months, I have no
clue about you beyond your name change. I don’t know why that is.
But it just is that way with you, isn’t it?”
His mouth tightened. “Yeah. It just is.
There’s nothing to tell. Nothing much to say.”
“There’s everything to say. But you won’t. To
me. To Tamira. To Joelle even. No one. Isn’t that lonely? Tiring?
Exhausting to remain so isolated? So shut off to everyone? With
only Rob knowing anything significant about you?”
He ignored her questions. She waited, but he
refused to take his eyes off the road. The only indication that he
heard her was his jaw tightening when she spoke.
She let out a long sigh. She couldn’t even
goad him into reacting to her comments. “Well, those people may be
pissed at losing Spike, but I like you much better as Spencer.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel and
he glanced at her with a piercing gaze. Still, he remained
silent.
Pulling into his driveway, Spencer turned the
car off. He opened his door and stretched his long legs out, as
Erica did the same. His swift movements seemed angry. Annoyed. Was
he letting her know what he thought of her prying? She walked
around to the driver’s side of her car and he went up in front of
her hood and stopped her.
“You ever dump that prick, Dr. Roy?”
“No. Why? Did I say I was going to?”
“You were there, right? Didn’t you notice he
thought that crappy pamphlet was almost okay? He didn’t seem too
upset. Since, you’re so into prying, why not look at your own life?
Or is all that judgment and advice meant only for the women
patients you so easily dispense it to? Oh, yeah, and to me, the
out-of-work musician that I am, and loser handyman to you. Isn’t
that right, Doc?”
Erica was startled by the harshness of his
voice, not to mention all the hostility directed at her. She
stepped back.
“No,
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