CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SPENCER’S POV:

I just walked into the living room in complete horror. I can not believe my dad just asked Ashley when her last medical examination was. My god if you didn’t know any better you would think he was in the freaking CIA.

Spencer: (Goes up to Arthur and whispers so Ashley won’t hear.) What are you doing?! You said you weren’t going to ask her any questions?

Arthur: No I said I wasn’t going to make her fill out the questionnaire.

Spencer: It’s the same difference dad.

Ashley: Spencer, is everything okay?

Spencer turns around to face Ashley and tries to put on a smile even though she is really embarrassed.

Spencer: Yeah, everything is…fine. We should go.

Spencer grabs her jacket and tries to rush Ashley out the door. Arthur follows them to the door and watches them walk to Ashley’s car.

Arthur: You two have fun. Well, not too much fun.

Spencer begins to speed walk. When they get to Ashley’s car Spencer quickly climbs in a shuts the door.

Ashley: (trying not to laugh.) What was that all about?

Spencer: I’m really sorry. My dad can be really overprotective sometimes. God, you should have seen him when he interviewed babysitters for me. On second thought, I’m glad you didn’t.

Ashley begins to laugh.

Ashley: Don’t worry about it. It just shows how much he cares about you. I think it’s great that he is so protective of you.

I smile at what Ashley just said. Even though I was completely embarrassed before, she managed to make feel a hundred times better.

Ashley: So are you ready to do some shopping?

Spencer: I am always ready for that.

The first part of our day was spent mostly going from store to store trying on clothes. Since a lot of the stores we went into were kind of expensive I didn’t buy anything. But later Ashley took me to some vintage shops where I found a lot of cool stuff. Next, we went and ate lunch at a small café near the beach. The view of the ocean was magnificent and the food was almost as good as my dad’s. Now, we are on our way to the beach to relax and hang out.

(Ashley and Spencer pull up into the beach parking lot and start walking towards the shore.)

Ashley: My favorite thing about California: the beach.

Ashley closes her eyes and lets the wind flow through her hair.

Spencer: (listens to the waves crash along the shore line.) I can see why. It’s so beautiful out here. So, peaceful. Do you come out here a lot?

Ashley: Yeah, it’s kind of like my safe haven, you know? When I need to get away from the world this is where I go.

Spencer: I used to have a place like that, but it wasn’t a beach it was more like a cardboard box.

Ashley: (laughs) What?

Spencer: The town we lived in was really small, I had to entertain myself somehow.

Ashley: You are something else. Come on I want to show you something.

(Ashley starts walking over to the pier. They get to Ashley’s favorite spot under the pier and sit down on a couple of old logs.)

Spencer: So is this where you come to clear your head?

Ashley: Yeah. It’s my secret spot. I’ve never taken anybody out here before.

Spencer: So why me?

Ashley: Because you’re not just anybody.