That evening at the farmhouse.

Spencer expected Avery Kim to join in laughing with him but when she kept the same expression, he realised she wasn’t joking.

“Wait your serious? I thought you were having a laugh,” Spencer said incredulously.

“Oh no that was their big plan to bring you back to Washington,” Avery explained.

“You know that could never happen, right?” Spencer told her, looking first to Amy before framing his next response, “I know a lot of people were happy to see the back of me.”

Spencer and Avery both knew what he was talking about. Back when he was a lobbyist Spencer had a reputation as being one of the fiercest, most ruthless people when it came to finding out things people didn’t want known. He could have been responsible for the downfall of over a hundred different senators and congressman if what he knew was to ever come out. Spencer considered himself fortunate that he had left that life behind and that Amy didn’t have a clue about what sort of real career he once had.

“I knew. They had this big plan of bringing you back in and using you to sweep all resistance aside. I told them they were stark raving mad if they that was ever going to happen. I said the only chance you’d have of Spencer returning was in some sort of campaign manager in an advisory role if you got to do it remotely. I guess they took that idea and sort of ran with it,” Avery explained further.

“So, I have you to blame then.”

“I said remotely. They just didn’t listen to that part once they were off and running.”

They drove for a while further. Through the main center of Avonwick and had just started leaving the more built up areas out towards the farmhouse when Avery asked, “is the hotel out of town? We’ll only be needing the one room after all. Sam thought it was too risky just yet to be out of state overnight with what they had planned.”

Spencer realised he hadn’t told Avery about him not booking the Bed n Breakfast. He been under the impression it was Dennis, his old friend and someone else staying, and hadn’t imagined it was going to be a woman by herself in his house.

“I’m so sorry! I though it was going to be Dennis so I was going to put him up in my house overnight. I’ve just finished the reservations and thought it would give us a better chance to get reacquainted. I can call around and find you somewhere I’m sure,” Spencer offered.

“No. This is fine. I haven’t seen you for six years Spencer. It would be nice to catch up.”

The look she gave Spencer was one of genuine happiness so Spencer was relieved he hadn’t made a mistake by not doing as Dennis had said after all.

Not wanting Spencer to overthink things and start getting awkward over it, Avery quickly changed the subject onto something else. “So, Amy, did you want to tell your Dad what Mr. Hedwall is buying you.”

“Oh my God, Dad! Avery found me a pony and bought it,” Amy said in barely contained excitement.

Spencer served the car violently for the briefest second looking back at Avery before the driver assist in the BMW corrected it. “Avery! That’s far too much! You shouldn’t have.”

She just smiled happily. “Nonsense! Amy told me how you were building a barn for one anyway. I know a breeder down in Georgia that would be happy to let one go. He’s even going to look after it until your barn is built.”

“But the cost!” Spencer complained knowing he was about to win this.

“Don’t even think about it. Dennis will just charge it back to the DNC anyway. What do you think is more expensive to run anyway? A horse or that plane? And they don’t even blink at that.”

Knowing Amy already had a pony to go into the barn, Spencer resolved that he would give John Monaghan a call tomorrow and see how he was going with his quote and to check on the status of the ground penetrating radar he’d mentioned he wanted to try out.

Pulling up the long stone driveway that lead to Spencer and Amy’s house, he parked around the back near the side door that lead straight to the kitchen and opened the door for Avery who’d been seated behind him on the drive. The tall blonde looked every bit a movie star as she stepped gracefully out of the car, keeping her knees tucked tight together as if she was stepping out of a limousine onto the red carpet for a movie premiere.

“This is a beautiful house,” Avery told Spencer as he retrieved the overnight bag she’d brought from the rear of the car to bring inside.

Amy was the first to the side door. Opening it, Spencer could see a cloud of light grey smoke break free from inside the house as she was about to step inside. Spencer could smell the smoke just as Amy yelled out, “Dad!” to her father.

Rushing in, Spencer waved the thickening cloud away from his face as he rushed to the oven where he’d put the roast on.

“Not again!” Amy groaned as Spencer took out the dish. The meat a uniform dark brown but the vegetables it was sitting on were blacked and smoking.

“Meats done at least,” Spencer said about his latest kitchen mishap.

Coming over to where the overly-roasted vegetables continued to spit and pop Avery took a look at the mess and asked Spencer, “when did you put the veggies in?”

“Same time as the meat,” he told her.

“They should only go in about halfway through,” she informed him of his mistake.

As he and Amy opened up the windows and doors in the kitchen to clear out the smoke, Spencer didn’t want to think what might have happened had he been even half an hour later coming home that evening. His just finished renovations might have been all for nothing.

“Take out again hey Amy?” Spencer asked his daughter causing her to groan on her way to her room to get changed out of her school clothes. It would be about the third time in a week that he would have rung the Calabresi for pizzas if so.

“I’m sure we could save this,” Avery offered as Spencer directed her to where they kept the plates along with a knife and carving fork. “If you have bread, I don’t mind sandwiches as long as you have something to wash it down with.” Avery smiled, happy to make the best of a bad situation.

Spencer fished out a bottle of wine he kept in the cupboard, it wasn’t Stumbling Fox, as Avery wrapped up the cooked meat in aluminum foil to rest it and to retain as much moisture in it as possible. In the time it took, Spencer showed Avery to the upstairs guest rooms that she could take her pick of. Amy joining them for a dinner of smoked beef sandwiches in the living room before she headed back to her room to start on her homework. She hadn’t really ever known of Avery unlike she did Dennis so was happy to leave Spencer to entertain his guest. The pair of them starting to reminisce and catch up on the couch with a wine glass in their hands each.