Test Drive

by Samantha Chase

  “No! It was real! All of it! I made a mistake. Please, just listen to me,” he begged.

  “I’ve been listening to you for weeks. Months, actually,” she added with a mirthless laugh. “And in all our getting to know you talks, you never thought to tell me the truth. Now I don’t know if anything you said was true or not.”

  “Willow, please…”

  She took one step back and then another. “It’s late and I’m just so tired, Levi. Go.” Then she turned and walked back toward her apartment with Jen and Donna quickly flanking her.

  He stood there in the dark long after the door was closed and realized he had no one to blame but himself. He’d ruined what could have been the greatest relationship of his life. And for a guy who was a master at solving problems and fixing things, he realized he had no idea how to fix this.

  17

  Ten days.

  She’d been sticking to her guns for ten whole days but she was starting to weaken. Levi had called and texted her every single day, apologizing.

  And she had ignored them both.

  Then he sent flowers.

  Her apartment could now double as a florist.

  Next came every kind of cake, cookie, and candy she had ever mentioned liking while they had been getting to know each other.

  And thanks to her scale this morning, she knew eating so many of them was a mistake.

  Now she was staring down at a giant box of assorted dog toys, treats, and accessories. There were leashes that were meant for multiple dogs, some harnesses, and a few sweaters for the little dogs.

  It was getting harder and harder to stay mad.

  Lying was a big no-no in her book. And although it wasn’t a terrible lie, it was still a lie.

  Maybe I should have talked to him…

  Yeah, it wasn’t the first time she’d thought it and probably wasn’t the last either. Every time Willow thought she was ready to answer his call or text, uncertainty grabbed her by the throat.

  Am I too gullible? Too trusting? How will I ever know when he’s telling me the truth?

  The list was endless.

  Her phone dinged with an incoming text and all she saw was his name and she chose to ignore it. When it rang a minute later, she was certain it was him, but then Gammy’s face was on the screen and relief washed over her.

  “Hey, Gams! How are you?”

  “Hello, my little Willow bell! What’s new with you?”

  “Well, not a whole lot.”

  Liar.

  “It’s my day off, so I am getting caught up on laundry and cleaning. Fun, right?”

  “Yes, you lead a very exciting life,” Gammy deadpanned. “What’s next? Washing your hair on a Saturday night instead of going out with Levi?”

  Yeah…that.

  As much as she didn’t want to, Willow decided to just rip off the band-aid and tell her grandmother what was going on. “Um…Levi and I broke up.”

  Silence.

  “So…yeah. We’re not dating anymore.”

  More silence.

  “Gams? Can you hear me?”

  “Oh, I hear you just fine. The question is, do you hear yourself?”

  “Uh…what?”

  “That’s what I’m saying!”

  “I don’t even know what that means!” she cried.

  “Willow, why are you afraid to be happy?”

  “I’m not!”

  “Oh, really? Then tell me, why did it take you so long to stand up for yourself and admit that you enjoy being a nanny?”

  “That’s different. I was already babysitting for Josh. That isn’t anything new.”

  “No, but you never told any of us how much you enjoyed it or how it was something you wanted to do full-time!”

  “Okay, fine. You got me there, but…that’s not being afraid to be happy. That was me not wanting to deal with my parents being all judgy.”

  “Well, you know what? Now I’m being judgy!”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you’re afraid to be…”

  “Okay, okay, okay! Saying that over and over isn’t getting us anywhere. I just don’t understand why you think that.”

  “Because you’re no longer with Levi!” Gammy cried with exasperation. “Sheesh! It’s like talking with a dolphin.”

  “Hey!”

  “Oh, stop it.”

  “Take it back,” Willow demanded, feeling beyond hurt. “I am not like a dolphin.”

  “You’re right. A dolphin would have understood what I was saying the first time.”

  “Gammy!”

  “Okay, that one was uncalled for, but I still believe…” She cut herself off and let out a long, weary sigh. “What happened?”

  Willow explained about the day when she showed up at the pub and Dex and then Anthony telling her how Levi owned the place. “He showed up that night to try to explain, but…I didn’t want to hear it.”

  “So, what happened when you saw him the next day?”

  “I didn’t see him the next day.”

  “Fine, what happened when you did see him?”

  “I haven’t.”

  Silence.

  And then another really long, dramatic sigh.

  “Willow, you’re like a granddaughter to me…”

  “Oh, no, you don’t! You are not going to use that line on me!”

  “I believe I just did.”

  Growling, Willow forced herself to calm down. “I don’t know what to say to him!” she cried. “I believed everything he ever said to me and now…”

  “Now you don’t know if you can.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know,” she admitted miserably. “I miss him so much, but…I’m afraid, Gams. We all know I make a fool out of myself on a daily basis just by being a klutz. I don’t need anyone else doing it for me.”

  “Oh, Willow…”

  Unable to help herself, tears began to roll down her cheeks. It wasn’t anything new; she’d been doing it for a week now. Wiping them away was almost pointless, but she still tried. “What do I do, Gams?”

  “And you haven’t talked to him at all?”

  “No.”

  “Have you answered any of his texts?”

  “No.”

  “Willow…sweetie,” she said sympathetically. “Levi doesn’t strike me as someone who’s going to chase after you forever. He’s a good man…”

  “Who lied!”

  “Yes, but…it wasn’t exactly a terrible lie. It’s not like he killed his family or had them chained in the basement somewhere,” she reasoned. “You met two of his sisters, and they were nice, right?”

  “Technically, I only met one, but…yeah. She was very nice.”

  “And the people who work for him at the pub? Do they like him?”

  “Well…yeah. Anthony said he was the best boss he ever had.”

  “Then maybe you should hear him out. Give him another chance.”

  “But what if…what if I’m wrong? What if he lies again and breaks my heart?”

  “What if he doesn’t, and he’s the greatest love of your life and you let him go because you were afraid to let yourself be happy?”

  “Ugh…you did not just bring that around full circle.”

  “Actually, I believe I did.”

  “Gams…” Her phone vibrated in her hand with an incoming text. “Can you hold on one sec?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks.” Looking at the phone, she saw the text was from Levi and it was a picture. Putting the phone back to her ear, she said, “He sent a picture. If I lose you while I’m trying to see what it is, I apologize.”

  “Oooh…do you think it’s a sexy text? Like one of those…” She cleared her throat. “You know, those pictures of his privates?”

  “Oh, my God! Stop it!” she cried, horrified. “And hold on!” Pulling the phone away from her ear, Willow swiped at the screen to try to pull up the text. When she
finally got to it, she stared at the photo for a solid minute before she realized what she was looking at.

  “Willow?” she heard Gammy ask.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered.

  “Willow? Are you all right?”

  “Oh, my God,” she said a little louder and with a small laugh. “Gammy, I have to go! I’ll call you tomorrow! I promise! I love you!”

  “Love you too!”

  Tossing the phone down on the sofa, Willow jumped up and ran to take a shower.

  It was time to go and see Levi.

  Staring down at the receipt in his hand, Levi had to wonder if it would have been cheaper to go and see a shrink.

  How was that for irony?

  Still, he had to hope this was going to work. If it didn’t, he was out of options.

  He’d tried every romantic gesture in the book and never got a response. Maybe he should’ve just taken the hint, but…he wasn’t ready to give up.

  At least, he hadn’t been.

  Right now? He wasn’t so sure.

  “You sure about this, boss?”

  Levi turned his head and gave Anthony a small smile. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think it’s great. Way better than all those cliched things you’ve been doing.”

  Eyes wide and jaw on the ground, he said, “What? Why?”

  “Dude, anyone can send flowers and candy. The cupcakes were a nice touch, but…” He shrugged. “They’re kind of empty gestures. Easy. But this? This is going to speak volumes.”

  “I don’t know. She hasn’t responded yet.”

  “Maybe she’s busy and hasn’t seen the text,” Anthony countered. “Not everyone sits around with their phone in their hands all day.”

  “I don’t…”

  “You have, and you do, and you need to stop. If it wasn’t the newest iPhone, I would totally smack it out of your hand right now.” Then he laughed. “But I like my job and can’t afford to replace it, so…”

  “Good to know that’s the only reason you’re not doing it,” he murmured before walking away.

  He walked around the pub, straightening chairs, making sure every table had what it needed. The lunch crowd was thinning out and Saturdays were a little slower, so he was a little at odds with himself on finding something to do to keep him from obsessing about Willow. As soon as he had sent the picture, he was certain she would respond. Everything in him screamed that he had finally gotten it right. But it had been an hour and…nothing.

  Raking hands through his hair, Levi called out he’d be in his office if anyone needed him.

  And then immediately prayed that someone would need him.

  Specifically, Willow.

  Closing the door behind him, he walked around and sat behind his desk and immediately started up his computer. There were bills he could pay, new products he could look at, or…play solitaire or Words with Friends. Gammy had gotten him into it while they were down in Florida, and he had to admit, it was kind of fun.

  Looking at his phone and seeing no response from Willow yet, he opted to open the Words With Friends app and abandoned the idea of getting any work done. He had a game request from someone named IreGemGal and figured he might as well accept and play.

  Their first word was moron.

  Shrugging, he looked at his tiles and made the word muse. He was about to put his phone down and give them a few minutes, but it immediately dinged with another word.

  Nitwit.

  “Hmm…someone is obviously mad about something if this was the way their minds worked.”

  Levi followed up with the word win.

  Yeah, because I’m such a wordsmith…

  Turd.

  Okay, it was hard not to start taking offense to some of these now, even though it was ridiculous. There was no way this person even knew who he was, so it was all just a coincidence, but still…they all felt like cheap shots at him.

  He played the word down, and they immediately played the word idiot.

  “That’s it,” he huffed, turning the phone off. “I’m done!” Leaning back in his chair, there was nothing left to do but work. After fifteen minutes of staring at the same page, however, Levi knew that wasn’t going to happen either.

  There was a knock on the office door, and it made him jump.

  “Hey, Levi,” Maxi said, peeking her head into the room. “We have a bit of a situation out here.”

  He stood. “What’s up?”

  “Irate customer. Claims we overcharged her for her lunch, but…we just served her what she ordered and charged her accordingly.”

  “Well, if it’s that cut and dry…”

  “Anthony’s getting a little heated and I think you need to come out and smooth things over. Please?”

  It was the last thing he wanted to be doing but reluctantly agreed. They certainly weren’t supposed to argue with the customers, so Levi did his best to relax, put a smile on, and followed Maxi out to the bar. He looked around and didn’t see Anthony or…anyone, really. “Uh…Max?”

  “Over in the corner,” she said, pointing to the front corner of the pub and…Willow.

  His knees almost gave out with relief at just seeing her there at her usual table. Fighting a smile and afraid to be hopeful, he made his way over to her. “Hi,” he said softly.

  She was perched on one of the chairs at the bistro set, looking prim and serious, and so damn beautiful that he wanted to reach out and touch her.

  But he didn’t.

  He couldn’t.

  Yet.

  “Hey,” she said with a small smile. “So, um…” Holding up her phone with the picture he’d sent, she continued, “I got this earlier and wanted to come and see things for myself.”

  Then she looked up.

  And around.

  And then at him.

  Her smile grew. “You’ve made some changes.”

  Shrugging, he said, “Yeah, well…someone mentioned to me how it might be time to fix the place up a bit. Lighting seemed to be a huge issue, so I thought I’d start there.”

  And he had. In the last three days he had changed all of the lights over the tables to the ones Willow had mentioned a time or two–the trio of mason jars–and he had to admit, they were pretty damn perfect for the space.

  “It’s only the beginning though,” he explained. “We’re going to change out some of these tables and chairs, freshen up the outside a bit, get some new signage, and…fix the sidewalk.”

  Nodding, she said, “About time on that last one. Look what kinds of trouble it’s already caused.”

  “Trouble?”

  She nodded again. “If it had been fixed months ago, I never would have fallen, you never would have come out to help me, and never had to deal with my crazy family.”

  Feeling slightly bold, he took a step closer. “You may not believe this, but…I never saw any of those things as trouble. If anything, I’d say that sidewalk was the biggest blessing of my life.”

  “Levi…”

  And then he did touch her. Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. “Meeting you was one of the greatest moments of my life, Willow. I don’t regret it for a minute.”

  “Hmm…”

  That was it? That was all she had to say?

  Swallowing hard, he tried not to take it personally and immediately pulled his hand back. “So, uh…what do you think of the lights? Is this how you imagined it would look?”

  She looked around again and nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely. And I know the sun’s still out so I can’t really tell, but I bet when it’s darker out and you really need these, they’ll offer much better views of the place.” Then she met his gaze. “I may even come back later and see for myself.” Then she hopped off the stool.

  “Oh, uh…you’re leaving?”

  Shrugging, she said, “Well, I came to see what I needed to see, and it all looks amazing.” She grinned. “Like I knew it would.”

  When she went to walk past him, Levi placed his ha
nd on her arm to stop her. “Don’t go.”

  She froze and slowly turned her head to look at him. “Why should I stay?” But there was no heat behind her words, just a softly spoken question.

  “Because I miss you so damn much that I can barely stand myself, Willow.” She turned fully to face him and he knew he had this one chance to say what he had to say–to make things right.

  And it scared the shit out of him.

  “At first, when we first met, it didn’t seem like there was ever a reason to mention that I owned the place,” he began gruffly. “It never really came up. And then once we started getting to know each other, you always sounded so insecure about what you were doing for a living and putting yourself down for not doing something more, and I didn’t want to be someone who made you feel bad about yourself.” He paused. “But in the end, that’s exactly what I did and I hate myself for it, Willow. It kills me to think that I hurt you.”

  Her expression turned sad as her eyes welled with tears. “You should have told me sooner. I shouldn’t have had to learn about this major part of your life from Anthony and my father.”

  “Your father?” Okay, that was new information.

  She told him about the phone conversation she’d had with her father right before coming to the pub that fateful day and it made him hurt for her all over again.

  Slowly, cautiously, he pulled her into his arms and held her. “I swore I wasn’t going to tell anyone else before I told you; you have to believe me. But,” he let out a long breath. “That man just pushed all of my buttons and it was out before I could stop it.”

  “I’d like to say I’m mad about it, but…I know it was necessary at the time and it really did help to put him in his place.” She pulled back and looked up at him. “But I’m not like him, Levi. I don’t judge a person by what they do for a living. It doesn’t matter to me. And I would have fallen for you whether you were a bartender, the boss, or the guy who washes the dishes.”

  “I know that,” he admitted, caressing her cheek again. “You’ve got a good heart and you’re an amazing woman, and I’ve missed you so damn much.” He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. “Tell me I didn’t ruin this. Tell me you’ll give me another chance. Tell me we can start over. Tell me…”