Double Life

Disclaimer: Don't own Wendell and Vinnie, don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 14 (Living Arrangements)

Upon arriving at the apartment, he found Taryn and the kids lounging about on the couch. He was surprised they got home before he did, but at the same time, they were closer to the complex than he was. He took a deep breath as they made eye contact with him. "So…welcome home." Already he was nervous, specifically since he still had no clue what to say to Wendell or Carly.

"So, dad," Carly stood up from the couch and folded her arms, smirking slightly. "I'm nowhere near used to calling you that, but um…Wendell and I were talking." Spencer raised his eyebrows and smiled weakly as Carly took a slow step forward. "I want to move here, because well, evidently I have a little brother that I would like to be here for and get to know." He was happy to hear that, but at the same time, he was still concerned over where Carly was going to stay. "I want to find a local college around here, and I'm having d-" She stopped and cleared her throat and lifted her hand, closing her fingers into her palm. "Grandpa…I'm having grandpa ship my stuff here, but all this only if it's okay with you." She refolded her arms and flattened her eyebrows and thinned her lips. "Literally if it's okay with you of course. You did request he suggest Italy to me once you figured out you had to come here."

He swallowed a breath of air and gave her a quick nod, "That was a mistake, Carly. I would love to have you here." The corners of her lips tilted up slightly and her eyebrows curled into a relaxed state. "You're my daughter, I would love to have you here. There's not much room in the apartment, so I'm not exactly sure where you could stay-but we could make it work!" Carly chuckled calmly and looked over to Wendell and Taryn, then back to him.

"I know. You have one bedroom where Wendell sleeps and your main room. I was thinking of staying on the couch." He didn't want her to have to sleep on the couch though, there was no way of knowing how long it would be, and surely it would take a toll on her back. "Seems like that could work out just fine."

"No, you can stay in my room and I'll stay on the couch. At least until we work things out." She raised a skeptical eyebrow and unfolded her arms.

"Are you sure about that? I don't really want to make you lose your bedroom, you know…"

"He sleeps on the couch sometimes anyway," Wendell added. Carly hummed for a second and Spencer tapped his fingers anxiously on his leg. "It wouldn't be much change for him. It's also easier to wake him up when he's on the couch than when he's in the bed."

Spencer crossed his arms and chuckled, "That is true actually. The bed is pretty comfortable." Carly glanced back to him and smirked slightly. "I can get the sheets cleaned and have the bed ready for you. I just don't want you to wind up sleeping on the couch and waking up aching. Over time it's likely to do that."

Taryn raised her hand, "I have an air mattress that you guys can use, if that helps." Spencer was grateful for the suggestion, especially since sleeping on the couch for extended periods of time was treacherous even for him. "Either way someone's waking up with a bad back sleeping on the couch, so I'm more than willing to give away the air mattress."

"That sounds like a great plan, thanks Taryn." Spencer thought of the possible colleges nearby that Carly could attend. They were in West LA, just a few miles away from the University of California, LA campus. Wilma went there before going to law school, and it was said Gary attended college there as well. "You know Carly, the University of California is a pretty good school. The LA campus is a few miles from here."

Carly smiled and slowly nodded, "It is one of the ones I'm looking at. Hopefully I can consider getting in the fall semester, but I might take some time off from college. The fact is, going in as an international or out of state student is pricier than going in as an in-state resident."

"I can afford it. I own a business, and one of my experts that I talk to actually has been trying to convince me to expand it into a larger antique shop as well…I'd be making a lot more money if I did that, but it would be quite an investment to make."

"Well you do have a growing family," Taryn smirked. Her words struck him with realization. He had to be realistic, that was true. Owning a small pop memorabilia shop was making him a few thousand a month, yes, but it was only enough to support him and support Wendell. Now with Carly, who would likely be going off to college, it was possible he would have to take the advice of Mr. Perkins and expand. "I would suggest taking some time to look at the best business move."

"If I actually enlarge it to be a more antique shop, then there's probably going to be more than just pop culture stuff in the store…I know I have what it takes to do it, so it's not a bad thing."

"Right, and Carly's old enough to get a part time job if she wants. Right Carly?" Carly agreed with Taryn and moved back to the couch. She crossed her legs and clicked her tongue.

"I was actually looking at some possible part time opportunities around here while we were out walking. There are a lot of 'now hiring' signs out there."

Taryn looked up to Spencer with a thoughtful hum, "Doesn't Wilma need a part time assistant? It could be good to talk to her about hiring her niece." How would that look? Spencer worried maybe Wilma wouldn't be happy with it, but at the same time, it would mean some time for Wilma to get to know her niece a little more. Spencer wasn't confident enough with the thought, however.

"She won't talk to me right now."

"I'll talk to her, or I can try."

"Great!" Wendell chimed out, "Carly gets to stay?" Spencer smiled happily, with tears starting up in his eyes. Taryn nodded and Carly beamed with pride. "Carly, want to check out the rest of the house?"

"Sure." With that, Wendell led Carly away. Taryn pat the cushion next to her and Spencer walked over, taking a seat beside her.

"So where'd you go? We got here a little before you, the cupboards were open still." Spencer looked to the kitchen and shrugged.

"I took all the alcoholic drinks out, stuffed them in a bag, and went over to Grant's place." A look of concern spread over Taryn's face and she slowly reached over, patting his hand on his leg.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't have anything to drink." He looked back into her eyes and smiled slightly as her concern warmed his heart. "It was tempting, so I knew I had to get rid of all that stuff…but I needed some help there. Went to see my counselor and we shot all the cans."

"Shot?" She raised her eyebrows and his lips turned up into a brighter grin.

"I come from a long line of hunters. Actually my counselor told me to take advantage of that, so maybe I'll ask Dad if he wants to go hunting sometime. Bring some food back…maybe teach Carly and Wendell the ropes of hunting and camping. Sounds good?"

"Sure. Maybe invite Wilma too?"

"If she would want to go…" He could feel his heart slowly sink at the thought of asking Wilma. It was more nerves that made him not want to, considering he was almost certain she would either say no, or try to hunt him. He gripped his knees and nodded, "I'll try though."

"Good. I'm glad you're feeling a little better. What else did Grant tell you?"

"To take it a step at a time. Slowly, but not too slow, and not to rush things too much." Spencer looked towards the stairs where Carly and Wendell had gone. He felt a sense of peace as Taryn gently squeezed his hand. He did care deeply for her, still even though she'd turned down the concept of dating him in the past. He did back off to let her get over her ex, but still it was in the back of his mind that he wanted the chance. "Carly and Wendell seem to like you…maybe better than they like me at this point."

"Don't be so sure." She laughed and pulled her hand away to move her hair back over her shoulder. "I'm sure they love you just the same. Obviously they need to warm up to the idea of you being their father, more than anything else."

"Yeah." It was very important to him that they'd be close to anyone he dated, if possible. It seemed neither Carly or Wendell knew a real mother, and maybe if he could get Taryn to come around a little more often, there could be that woman to help out here and there. Though more importantly, he didn't want to have to go through everything alone, and Taryn had been a great person over the months that he'd known her. "Taryn?"

"What's up?"

"I was wondering, if it's not still too soon…" She raised an eyebrow and he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to keep his nerves from shutting him up. "Maybe you'd like to grab a drink or something. I mean, I know things are difficult right now, and-"

"Relax, it's fine." He opened his eyes and glanced over. She had a calm, near serene expression and gave him a subtle nod. "I'll go out with you. You're a good guy, and I know you're trying to do the right thing with your family. I can see you care, and it isn't like you're a great big douche or anything."

"Heh, thanks for that."

"We can give it a shot, see what happens. It's been a year since my ex, and well you remember the whole thing with Wilma helping me get rid of all his crap. So, yeah, I think I'm ready to date. I'll give it a shot if you want to give it a shot. I know things are going to be a little difficult with your family and all, so I want you to know that I'm here for you."

"Thanks." His heart skipped a beat and he nearly jumped up in excitement. Instead, he remained stoic and calm, despite the immaculate cheering inside. He was glad she was willing to give him a chance, he didn't want to do anything to mess this up. Was he nervous? Yes, but he knew he could take things carefully with her.

"So do you have anything specific in mind?"

"What do you think of Sushi?"

"I like Sushi. I could go for some."

"Great. So maybe tomorrow? I don't have to go in to the shop, and we could go while Wendell's still in school?"

"Sounds good to me." She stood from the couch and dusted off her jeans, then flashed a smile at him. "It's a date, then. Let me know if you need anything else tonight with Carly or Wendell."

"Great, and okay." He waited as Taryn left the apartment. Once gone, he beat his fist into the air, cheering inwardly. He heard snickering and quickly looked back to see Carly and Wendell leaning over the stair railing. "Oh…hi there…" He chuckled nervously as the two made their way down.

"It's about time," Wendell remarked. "We're happy for you. Just don't mess things up."

So it's been decided Carly will stay with them. Spencer may want to find a bigger house soon. Oh, Spencer and Taryn have known each other for months at this point, just to let ya know. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, next will come soon