Read Online Spencer Cohen Series, Book Two (The Spencer Cohen Series 2) by N.R. Walker - Free Book Online Page B

I wouldn’t allow it to be. Because, if for whatever reason he decided I wasn’t right for him, then I wouldn’t allow my world to fall apart.
    I couldn’t let that happen again.
    I guessed it was part of the defence mechanism I’d learned to put up around my heart. And I couldn’t deny it. If Andrew did decide I wasn’t the one for him, then I’d be devastated. I knew it was only early days, but he was a remarkable guy. He knew my family history and was still interested in getting to know me, in spending time with me. And that made me incredibly happy. But I could compartmentalise enough to know that the fact I was letting someone past my defensive walls was a huge thing for me.
    It showed me I was ready, finally after all these years, to move on with my life.
    I wasn’t worthless, like my father had told me. I wasn’t unlovable, like he’d implied.
    And so even if Andrew and I didn’t work out, I’d made incredible groundwork that my old psychiatrist would have been proud of. I’m sure she’d have told me exactly what Lola had said. I deserved to be happy. And I was happy. My life here in LA was great. I had the best friends, who doubled as my family, and Andrew was just the icing on the cake.
    Mmm, cake. I wondered what kind of cake was his favourite. Did he even like cake? It was something I’d never thought to ask… When I arrived at the store, I headed straight for the bakery section and pulled out my phone. I shot him a quick text.
    Do you like cake?
    His response took a minute. Is that a euphemism?
    I laughed at the screen, not caring what the people standing next to me thought. LOL No. Actual cake. Chocolate, caramel, vanilla?
    Um, cake with fruit?
    I squinted at his reply. What? Nobody likes fruit in their cake. Except old people. At Christmastime. It’s like a crime against humanity.
    My phone rang almost immediately. Of course it was him. There was no hello or anything. “Crime against humanity?”
    “Yes. No cake should have fruit in it. It’s an insult to the cake part.”
    He laughed. “Where are you?”
    “In the cake aisle at the shop.”
    “At the shop?”
    “Grocery store. Seriously, American people need to learn Australian. And they don’t even have fruity cakes for sale when it’s not December.”
    “Yes, they do.”
    “No, there was a petition. All the real cakes, like chocolate and buttercream, decided that fruitcake didn’t qualify as a cake.”
    I could hear the smile in his voice. “No?
    “Nope. It was decided that fruitcake contained more fruit than cake, therefore it was not eligible.”
    “Really?”
    “Yep, really. But then it didn’t technically fit into the fruit section either. And the alcohol section certainly didn’t want it.”
    “Is this conversation going somewhere?”
    “Yes. It’s going back to the chocolate cake section.”
    Andrew laughed. “Chocolate cake it is, then.”
    “Do you even like cake?”
    “Um, not really.”
    I stopped walking. “But you said you did.”
    “Well, I thought I had to pick one. Like it was a trivia question or, well, I don’t even know.”
    “Dear God. You’d pick fruitcake ?”
    He laughed again. “If I were to pick dessert, it wouldn’t be cake at all. I would choose ice cream. Gelato, actually.”
    I turned toward the dairy section. “Now, gelato I can certainly do. What flavour’s your favourite?”
    “Is there a right and wrong answer?”
    I chuckled into the phone. “Yes. But I’m not telling.”
    “Well then, I would choose lemon gelato.”
    I stopped walking again. “Seriously? What is it with you and fruit?”
    He was still smiling, I could tell. “If you’ve never had lemon gelato, you are surely missing out.”
    “Do I need to try it?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “All right. But if it’s gross, you owe me chocolate cake.”
    He laughed. “Deal.”
    “And the good stuff. I like mud cake with the ganache. Not some supermarket bought one.”
    “You were going to get me a store-bought