“I asked if you caught his name,” the officer said.
She nodded. “Steve Harris.”
“Good.” He nodded approvingly. “We’ll check into him. Maybe he’s a regular. If we’re lucky, a bartender or waitress knows him.”
He jotted down the information and shoved his pad into his shirt pocket. “I’ll follow it up and get ba
ck to you. In the meantime, the forensics guys will run the information they collected. I’d appreciate it if you came by at your earliest convenience, okay?”
“She’ll be there,” Uncle Yank called from down the hall.
The cop shot her a sympathetic look.
“I’ll come by,” she promised.
“Thank you.” The officer gestured to the rest of his team, who’d almost finished packing up. “We’ll be in touch, folks. And Ms. Jordan?”
She inclined her head. “Yes?”
“Try not to go out alone.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
SOPHIE COULDN’T BEAR to remain in her office. The crews worked on fixing her door, which had also been broken, and cleaning up the broken glass. She headed for the small kitchenette, poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the little table and chairs in the room.
“May an old man join you?” Spencer stepped inside and pulled out a chair.
She gestured for him to sit. “Since when do you go around calling yourself old?” she asked the handsome man.
“Since I started feeling that way.”
She wrapped her hands around the hot mug. “And would that have anything to do with the news hitting the papers?”
“Actually, it started when my son told me he wanted nothing to do with me.” He bowed his head in dismay.
Sophie sighed. “Are you upset because he wants you to keep your distance or because you finally realize what you put him through all those years?” she asked softly.
A smile lifted his lips. “You’re too smart for my own good,” he said, laughing.
“What can I say? It’s easier to figure out other people’s problems than my own.” She stared into the muddy coffee. Somebody had to teach Nicki how to measure coffee grounds before they overdosed on caffeine. “Spencer?”
“What’s on your mind?” His hazel eyes, so much like Riley’s, stared into hers.
“I owe you an apology.” She said what had been on her mind since she’d seen him at the police station in Florida. “I had no right to judge you or the decisions you made. I couldn’t begin to guess what you were feeling back then.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand. “No need to apologize. I was an ass then and now, to quote one of your uncle’s favorite phrases.”
“Still, I am sorry.” When Spencer had stepped up and taken responsibility with the police, assuming the break-in had been related to him and his issues, Sophie had seen how seriously he took his role as a protector of the people he cared about.
She’d seen him make decisions for his clients that were in their best interests, not his own. She should have trusted in Spencer and his motives regarding his son. It wasn’t for her to criticize him. She wondered if it was too much to hope that one day Riley would come to feel the same way.
“So this is where you two are hiding.” Yank stood in the doorway. “Sophie, they want you in your office.”
She stood and paused to hug Spencer before heading to deal with the mayhem once more.
SPENCER WATCHED Sophie leave the room and his best friend take her seat. He was grateful to these people who’d given him unconditional love and acceptance, even after he’d kept a huge secret from them—a secret that could destroy their business, their livelihood, their worlds.
Okay, so that was an exaggeration, but lately everything that had happened felt huge. Larger than life, almost. Devastatingly awful in some ways, and in others, too good to be true. Like his best friend and partner not holding his omission against him. In fact, Yank hadn’t once demanded to know why Spencer hadn’t shared the truth. Instead Yank had given Spencer a pat on the back along with his unwavering support. Humbling, for certain, Spencer thought.