Escape

Chapter 5

The days passed and Spencer didn't even think about going back to Washington anytime soon. He liked it here and he didn't feel any urge to go back to work, although he had been away for almost three weeks now – never had he been on holidays for that long. But...was it holidays he was having? It was more of a long break to recover from his injuries.

Of course, Vanessa was one of the reasons why he felt so good and welcome here and the two of them had already spent some more days together. Vanessa had told Spencer that most of the guests for her Bed & Breakfast would appear within the next two weeks and she'd be a bit busier then. But she had a friend who would help her out whenever she needed her.

When Vanessa didn't have time to be with Spencer, the young agent spent his time with a book or took strolls on the beach directly at the house. He hadn't been bored even once since he'd come here, although he hadn't been that active, except for the trip around Provincetown.

"I'll visit my grandma tomorrow, would you like to join me?" Vanessa asked Spencer when they both sat outside the house one evening, enjoying the late afternoon sun.

He raised his eyebrows. "You want me to meet your grandma?"

Vanessa nodded. "Sure. Why not? You quickly became a friend and she'd be happy to know that there's someone I can spend my time with. She always thinks I would be too lonely here, with only the guests of the Bed & Breakfast and not even a handful of friends," she explained.

"Well then...your grandma should know that you don't have to be lonely here," Spencer smiled before he stood up from his chair and stretched his limbs. "I think I should go to bed now. I'm tired." He couldn't hold back a yawn and Vanessa gave him an understanding smile.

"Of course. Have a good night and sweet dreams, Spencer."

"I wish the same to you, Vanessa," he said before he went inside. Vanessa watched him leave while she tried to capture the moment he had said her name. She liked how it sounded coming from his lips.

~

The next day, Vanessa was a bit nervous. Yes, it had been her who asked Spencer to come with her to visit her grandma. So, why was she nervous then? Spencer was just a friend. They didn't even know each other that good. But Vanessa liked Spencer. She liked how he made her feel when they were together. There was trust between them and she knew he felt as comfortable with her company as she felt with his.

Slowly she realized, that she was afraid her grandma couldn't like Spencer. What if she'd tell her he wasn't the right guy for her? And how did she know he was the right one? She couldn't even be sure that he felt the same for her! Vanessa shook her head while she cleaned up the kitchen. This was all so confusing. She needed to get rid of those thoughts before they'd leave for her grandma's.

Hours later, Spencer and Vanessa made their way to Vanessa's grandma. She didn't live far away, so they had taken the bikes again. When they arrived there, she could see that Spencer was a bit nervous and couldn't hide a smirk. It seemed as if they were both nervous. He would be the first man in ages she'd let meet her grandma.

She pushed open the door and exclaimed: "Grandma? It's me, Vanessa!"

"In the living room!" sounded a voice from somewhere and Spencer followed Vanessa when she entered the house and determinedly walked through the corridor. The old lady was sitting on the couch, watching the news on TV. When she saw her granddaughter, her blue eyes lit up and she tried to get up from the couch. She had some trouble doing so and Vanessa rushed over to grab her hand and help her.

"My dear child, I didn't expect you to visit me today!", she exclaimed, but her eyes were sparkling and the smile on her crinkly face showed how happy she was to see Vanessa. She was wearing a nightgown and her white hair was pulled into a bun. She looked as if she would go to bed soon, but she didn't care, although she had some visitors now.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone", Vanessa said as she still held her grandma's hand in hers. They both turned towards Spencer, who had been standing there a little bit awkwardly. "Grandma, this is Spencer. He's currently living in our Bed & Breakfast. Spencer, this is Lily, my beloved grandma."

Lily reached out a hand and after hesitating a second, he grabbed it. He was surprised that her handshake was still strong, stronger than he had thought due to her age. He guessed she must have been in her eighties. "Finally, you've found a handsome man!", she said as she still examined Spencer.

"Grandma...he's just a friend", Vanessa murmured, avoiding to look at Spencer. If she would have turned her head towards him, he would have seen her red cheeks.

"Ah, just a friend?", Lily grinned and with joy she looked at those two young people's faces turning red.

"Grandma!" Vanessa rolled her eyes at the old lady, but Lily just waved aside her reaction.

"Come on, I'll make us some coffee or tea," she said and slowly walked into the kitchen. Spencer and Vanessa followed her.

Minutes later, they sat at the wooden table, with huge cups of coffee in front of them. Lily had decided to have some tea instead and was moving the teabag in her cup now. Spencer listened to Vanessa and her grandma talking about the Bed & Breakfast and about the past. It seemed as if Lily loved to indulge herself in memories of the times when Vanessa had been a little girl.

"Do you remember that day when you were about...five or six years old and you ran away from the house just to see the whales that had appeared in the sea at our beach?" Lily chuckled.

Vanessa nodded. "It was the first time I saw whales and was totally fascinated."

"And your parents and I had no idea where you had been gone and almost freaked out", Lily continued while she looked at her granddaughter with so much love, Spencer couldn't stop smiling as he examined the two women.

"I just wanted to see the whales," Vanessa shrugged with a grin, "and you found me anyway."

Lily laughed. "That's true. And from that moment on, whenever we couldn't find you in the house or around it, we knew you were at the beach, sitting in the sand and staring at the ocean in hope that a whale would appear."

For a moment, everyone remained quiet and drank their coffee or tea before Lily turned to Spencer. "So, Spencer...what are you doing here in Cape Cod? Where are you from?" she asked and Spencer told his story once again. It was almost the same as with Vanessa. He felt as if he could tell that old woman everything and she wouldn't judge, just listen. And he was right: Lily listened, sometimes her eyes widened at his words and she let out a gasp when Spencer narrated about his injuries.

When he had finished, Lily put a hand on his arm and gave him a warm smile. "Coming here was a good decision, Spencer. People often come here to calm down and relax," she said.

Spencer nodded. "That's true. I already feel a lot better", he agreed.

~

Later, when Spencer was back in his room and lay in bed, he grabbed his phone – for the first time in days. Since he was in Provincetown, he rarely used it. He only sent short texts to Luke, JJ, Penelope or Emily to tell them that he was doing fine, that was all. He didn't have the urge to call them and have long talks or even have them asking when he'd return. He knew that they missed him – especially Penelope and JJ. But he didn't feel ready yet.

He quickly wrote a text and sent it to Emily after he had read all the messages he had received during those two days. Spencer kept to himself that he had met a young, beautiful woman he liked. They were just friends; therefore, he couldn't see why he should tell his team about Vanessa yet. He still wasn't sure what it was between them, he only knew that he would miss her a lot if he'd leave again at some point.

Sighing, Spencer put his phone away again and then turned off the lights before he nestled down into the pillow and fell asleep so quick, he didn't even have the time to keep thinking about Vanessa or anything else.