Targeting the Teacher

Part 18

Chapter 18

“This is ridiculous,” Amy mumbled beneath her breath as Spencer threw an arm around her shoulder.  He laughed at her disgruntled expression, but wisely didn’t say a word.  “I can’t believe you won’t let me ride with him.”

Spencer steered her towards her own car, where Logan was sitting behind the wheel, tapping the dashboard with impatience.  Well, he could wait.  Her eyes narrowed on him, and when he looked up and saw her expression, he winked at her.  “Jerk.”

Bumping his side against hers, Spencer grabbed her attention.  “Come on.  You know why they won’t let you ride with them.  It’s dangerous.  What if someone found out which car Jaxon was in?  We can’t risk having something happen to you when all they want is him.”

“Do you honestly think letting Marshal take him into our town is smart?  You were the one that just said you didn’t trust him.  What if he drives off with Jaxon and never returns?”

Spencer stopped walking.  Dropping his arm from her shoulder, he stepped in front of her.  He bent down a little to make eye contact, a gesture he had been doing for as long as Amy could remember.  Out of all of her brothers, he was the only one that would lower himself so that he could see her eyes, and for that reason alone, Amy couldn’t keep a thing from Spencer no matter how hard she tried.  “Amy,” he whispered.  “Is the reason why you want to ride with Jaxon because you’re afraid Marshal is going to take off with him, or is it because you don’t want to ride with Logan?”

She tried to glance away, but Spencer simply moved his head with her.  The urge to kick him made her foot twitch, but she pushed back the feeling.  “He hurt me, Spence.  I know that I didn’t let him know it, but I wish he would have had more confidence in me.  If he thought that I would share those things with Marshal, why hadn’t he just let Marshal ask me?”

“He’s you’re older brother, Amy.  We do stupid things like that because we think it’ll help you in the long run, but we forget that the best way to help you is to let you make your own mistakes.”

“You should have been a counselor,” she mumbled while pushing him away slightly.

By the smile on his face, she knew that he had taken her comment for what it was, a diversion.  Talking about her life wasn’t at the top of her priorities right now.  She understood that her brothers never acted out of anything but love, but there were those few times when they drove her insane with their persistence, and right then was one of those times.

Spencer swung an arm back around her shoulder, but instead of leading her towards her car, where Logan was waiting, he walked her towards Asher’s.  “Let me fight one more battle for you, and then I promise to consult you beforehand,” he whispered before making his voice overly loud.  “Please don’t make me ride with Asher,” he begged with wide eyes.  Cutting a short glare towards their older brother, Spencer released Amy before clasping his hands together.  “If I have to ride hours home with him, he’ll convince me to let his special client stay for another two weeks.”

Everyone around them laughed, buying into her brother’s theatrics, but Amy knew better.  Once again, he was doing what he always did best; he was keeping the peace between the family, because no matter how much Spencer denied the fact, he was their glue.  He was the person who pushed them together when they didn’t want to talk to one another, and he was the one who kept them apart when talking would only make matters worse.