by Mia Carson
“A misunderstanding, huh?”
Will nodded. “It’s under control now.”
Randall looked at Dolly, standing behind the counter. “Dolly?”
“Nothing’s broken. Just get them out of here,” she replied.
“You heard her, boys. Out you go,” he said, jerking a thumb at the door. “Don’t make me have to make this official.”
“Fine,” Steve sneered. “It’s a good thing the cops showed up before I kicked your ass, McCormick. Keep your whore. I’m done fucking her—”
Levi lunged at Steve, knocking him back into the booth and going in after him before Will and Randall pulled him off. I wanted to cry as Randall snapped the cuffs on Levi. My sole consolation was Steve was in a pair of cuffs as well.
“I’m going to give them a little time to cool off and think about what they’ve done,” Randall said as he handed Steve and Levi off to a couple of other officers. “You can come get Levi in a couple of hours.”
“Thanks, Hank,” Will replied, giving me a hard stare.
“Tell me what went down.”
Officer Randall spent twenty minutes talking to everyone, starting with me and Will. When he was finished with me, I went to Dolly. “I’m sorry. I need to go.”
She nodded. “Clean that mess up, and you can go check on him. When you see Levi, you tell him to steer clear of here for a while.” She softened, a smile playing at her lips. “I know why he did it, and I even admire him for it in some ways, but I can’t have him starting fights in here.”
“Yes ma’am,” I said. I started cleaning up the mess, thankful I still had a job.
Mackenzie stepped in to help. “That was really something,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” I replied, keeping my voice down.
“I heard what Steve said. That was disgusting. I wonder where he was planning to get a big sausage?”
I couldn’t help but snicker. “I take it not from him?”
“Don’t you know?”
I sighed. “No. I keep telling people, I was drugged. I don’t remember any of it.”
Mackenzie shook her head. “He’s about average. He’s sure not packing like Levi. The bigger problem is he doesn’t know how to use it.”
I frosted over with Mackenzie’s comment. How did she know how big Levi was? Had he taken her up on her offer? “You have first-hand knowledge?” I asked, forcing my voice to be pleasant.
“With Steve, yeah. But come on, you haven’t noticed the package in Levi’s pants?”
I relaxed slightly. Levi was the largest man I’d ever been with. Not porn star huge, but bigger than most. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“Steve got what he deserved.”
“Yeah.”
“He needed someone to take him down a notch or two. I’m glad to see Levi do it. I thought he was going to kill him when he called you a whore. I hope my boyfriend would stand up for me like that… if I had a boyfriend,” she said, rather wistfully, I thought.
“Maybe, but now Levi’s in jail.” We finished up.
“Pfft,” Mackenzie said with a dismissive wave. “You heard Hank. He’s just giving them time to cool off.”
I nodded as I clocked out. “Yeah, I hope. Thanks for the help.”
She nodded and smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile. She looked almost envious. It had been a long time since I felt like anyone envied me. I hurried to my car and drove straight to the police station. “May I help you?” the woman behind the glass at the desk asked.
“I’d like to see someone, please.”
“Regarding?”
“Levi McCormick and Steve Calhoun.”
“I’ll see if Chief Wilkoski is available.”
A moment later, Police Chief Peter Wilkoski appeared. He wasn’t in uniform, so he’d probably been called when the sons of two prominent families had mixed it up public. Wilkoski was a grizzled man in his sixties who’d served on the Hamlinton police force for longer than I’d been alive.
“How can I help you, Mary Ella? Come on back,” Wilkoski said, holding a door open for me. He led me to his office and gestured to a chair.
“I want to know what’s going to happen to Levi.”
“Want to tell me what happened?” I told it to him straight without sugar-coating anything. “Well, while everyone knows Steve could use a good ass-whipping, the law is the law, Ella. Steve wants to file assault and battery charges, and I think it’s pretty cut and dried Levi’s guilty.”
My heart sank. “What about Steve? Can I file, I don’t know, sexual harassment charges against him or something?”
Chief Wilkoski looked at me for a moment. “You can have him charged with battery, but are you sure you want to do that considering your history with him?”
“No, but Steve brought this on himself. Levi was just protecting me.”
Wilkoski sucked on his teeth a moment. “How about this? If I can talk Steve out of filing charges against McCormick, will you agree not to press charges against Calhoun? I don’t see any reason to make this any uglier than it already is. I don’t want Levi, or Steve for that matter, to have this on their record.”
“Done,” I said, leaping at the opportunity.
“Give me a minute.” I sat in the chief’s office and fretted for five minutes before he returned. “Levi is free to go, and no charges will be filed.”
“What about Steve?”
“He’s free to go, too, as soon as someone comes to get him.”
“Thank you, Chief Wilkoski, thank you so much! I owe you big!”
“Keep those two apart, Mary Ella, for Levi’s sake.”
“I’ll try, Chief. Thank you.”
I waited a moment before Levi appeared. He was a mess, but he’d never looked better to me. He visibly relaxed and smiled when he saw me. “Jesus, I’m glad it’s you. When they said I could go and my ride was waiting, I thought it was Dad. I’m not looking forward to facing him.”
“Let’s get out of here so I can take you home,” I said, taking his hand and dragging him out of the station. As I drove I told him what had happened with Chief Wilkoski.
“Thanks for bailing me out of that.”
“I appreciate what you did, but next time I don’t think I’ll be able to fix it for you.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry for dragging you into this again, but when he kept putting his hands on you, I couldn’t stand it.”
“Just…I don’t know, let it go, I guess.”
He said nothing, but I saw the firm set of his jaw and the slight shake of his head. Shit. He wasn’t going to back away from this. Despite everything, it pleased the hell out of me. It felt so good to have someone willing to fight for me. I pulled to a stop in front of his house but made no move to get out of the car.
He opened his door and paused when I didn’t do the same. “Aren’t you coming in?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, especially now.”
“Nonsense. You just sprung me from jail.”
“Levi, no. Please don’t make me come in.”
“Ella…once again, you didn’t do anything wrong. What happened is all on Steve…well, Steve and me.” I shook my head, desperately wanting to avoid facing his parents. “You can’t hide from my parents forever.”
“Maybe not, but not now. I can’t.”
“You can. I’ll be right there. It’s time you showed them you have nothing to be ashamed of. I know it’s hard. Believe me, I know how hard this is.”
I remembered him coming to my house and facing my parents, how fearful he’d looked. I thought he was being overly dramatic, but now that the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t know how he’d summoned the courage to do it.
Hands shaking, I switched off my car and stepped out. As I rounded the front of my car, he took my hand and led me inside. Judy met us at the door.
“Ella? What are you doing here?” Judy’s voice was coolly pleasant. She was using the same tone Mom used when she was holding her tongue and being agreeable for appearances.
I thought I was going to die and wanted to flee back to my car, but as weak as my legs felt, I wasn’t sure I could make it.
“She got me out of jail. Would you rather I still be there?”
“No, of course not. We’d have come to get you when they released you, but you brought this all on yourself,” Judy said as she glared at me.
“Yeah, I know, but what if it was Rebecca or Kamron being groped like that? Would you have wanted me to just sit there?”
“That’s different.”
“Why? Because Steve hasn’t raped them?”
Judy looked like she’d been slapped, but she quickly recovered. “I can see there’s no talking to you right now.”
Levi nodded. “Yeah, I can see that too. Come on,” he said, tugging my hand.
He pulled me to his bedroom. The last time I was in this room we’d made sweet, tender love, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. He began roughly stripping out of his shirt as he walked into his bathroom. I sat on the bed, staring at my feet, afraid to move, afraid Judy or Will would come in and confront me as he bathed, listening to the water running in the adjacent room. No matter what I did, it always seemed to bite me in the ass.
The water stopped, and a moment later he appeared wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. My mouth instantly went dry. When I’d first seen him after he’d returned from the Air Force, I could tell he’d put on some weight. His arms were better developed and he’d filled out his shirt better, but I could tell every ounce of weight he added must have gone to muscle. He’d always been good looking, but now he looked like an athlete, every muscle and sinew perfectly toned and proportioned.
“Forgot to get some clothes,” he muttered as he opened his closet and pulled out a shirt and pants before retrieving underwear and socks from a drawer.
He acted like me seeing a perfect male specimen was just another everyday event for me. How could he not know I was dying to feel his body against mine? I’d hoped he’d dress in front of me, but he returned to the bathroom and stepped out again a moment later dressed. He pulled a small duffle from the top of his closet and stuffed in a few changes of clothes.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Getting away for a couple of days.”
“Where?” I asked, working to keep the sound of panic out of my voice.
He looked at me, perhaps detecting my fear that he was leaving. “Just to the Hamlinton Inn. Things are too tense here. I’m snapping at my mother, and you can bet Dad and I are going to have words if I stay. We need a little space.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to become between you and your family.”
“What did I tell you? You’ve done nothing wrong. It’ll be okay. We just need a little breathing room, that’s all.” He finished stuffing items into the bag and zipped it. “Let’s go,” he said, holding his hand out.
I took his hand and meekly followed him out. “Where are you going?” Judy asked as we appeared, staring at the bag. She’d been waiting on us. Will stepped up behind his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders. They both looked angry, hurt, and terrified.
“I’m going to spend a couple of nights in town,” he said, his hand never leaving mine.
Their eyes flicked to me and back to him. “Are you going to come back?” Judy asked, a slight tremble in her voice.
“I think we could use a little distance at the moment.” He softened, released my hand, and went to his mother to kiss her on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you in a few days.” He returned to me and took my hand again. “I’m still willing to help with the contract work, if you want it,” he said, talking to his dad.
“Of course. You’re our son. Nothing will change that, and you don’t have to do this.”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
I thought Judy was going to cry as she pursed her lips. “You know you always have a home here,” she said, her voice thick and full of emotion.
He nodded. “I know.”
“Where will you stay?” she asked.
“The Hamlinton Inn. It’s just for a few days.” He looked at his father. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, if it’s dry enough.”
Will nodded. “Okay, son. We love you.”
“I love you too,” he said. We stood in an awkward silence for a moment before he nodded in parting, opened the door, and pulled me outside.
Levi
The moment the door closed, I sagged.
“Are you okay?” Ella asked, her concern clear in her voice. “I’m sorry, Levi. I’ve ruined everything. You should just forget about me and—”
“Don’t!” I snapped. “Don’t tell me how I should feel or how I should treat you. I get enough of that from them,” I said with a jerk of my head toward the door.
“But your family!”
“We’ll get past this or we won’t, but I’m not going to let them run my life. I’m going to date who I want to date, be with who I want to be with. If they don’t like it, they have a choice to make. They can either accept me as who I am, and accept whoever I make part of my life, or we can go our separate ways.” I hurried to my truck, opened the door, and tossed the duffle into the seat. “I need to go. The longer I stand here, the worse it is.”
“Wait. Come to the house first. Mom and Dad will want to see you. Stay and have dinner with us. Please don’t go away mad.”
“I’m not mad. Well, not mad at you.”
“Upset then. Just have dinner with us before you go. I’m worried about you.”
I watched her a moment. The hope and concern on her face convinced me. “You’re sure your mom won’t mind? They’re not expecting me.”
“I’ll call them on the way. She won’t care.”
I blew out a long breath, trying to regain some balance. “Okay. Thanks.” I smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood. “I am a little hungry. I didn’t finish my lunch.”
She seemed to relax a bit. “I’ll see you there,” she said and hurried to her car.
I glanced at the house. Mom and Dad were standing in the living room, watching me through the window. I was too far away to make out their expressions, but I gave them a solemn wave in parting. They returned the wave before I walked around the front of my truck and sat down behind the wheel.
As I followed Ella, the weight of my actions began to press in on me. As I sat alone in the eight by twelve concrete room at the police station, I had time to reflect on my actions. I’d nearly started a brawl in Dolly’s. I should feel guilty, did for creating a scene, but I didn’t regret for a moment the fact I’d called Steve out for his actions. He wanted to get a rise out of me? Well, he’d gotten one.
But putting Mom and Dad on notice, that was a big step. I’d have preferred to steadily win them over to Ella, gradually reminding them how much they’d once adored her. Unfortunately, I could tell from talking to Mom when we arrived, their minds were made up. Mom, at least, saw what happened today as Ella’s fault. So long as they insisted on blaming Ella for the ill-advised actions of others, including those of myself, there would be no changing their minds.
If I’d stayed, I’d eventually say something I’d later regret. I’d seen the look on Mom’s face when I threw the rape at her, and that was mild compared some of the things I felt like saying. I’d hurt Mom’s feelings, and maybe Dad’s too, by walking out, but right now our house was a powder keg and Ella was the match.
I pulled to a stop behind her car and stepped out of the truck. I wasn’t sure this was a good idea. My relationship with the Johnsons had improved immensely, but that was before I tried to start a fight in Dolly’s. I took Ella’s arm and pulled her to a stop before she opened the door.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
She smiled and opened the door. “Come in and see for yourself. Mom? Dad? Levi’s here!”
Abby was the first to arrive, running down the hall to Ella, but Helen and Ken weren’t far behind. As Ella swept Abby up in her arms, Helen pulled me into hers and
gave me a long hug.
“Thank you, Levi,” she said softly.
She stepped back and drew a finger under her eyes as if wiping away tears. Before I could recover from that enthusiastic and unexpected greeting, Ken had my hand in his, his free hand on my shoulder, as he gave my hand a firm shake.
“Yes, thank you. I’m glad you’re not in trouble with the law, but if something like this happens again, you call me. I’ll have you bailed out before your chair gets warm.”
I glanced at Ella as she whispered in Abby’s ear. As Ken released my hand, Abby reached for me. I took her.
“Thank you for helping my mommy,” Abby said and kissed me on the cheek.
That hit me hard, hard enough that I felt my own eyes tear up. “You’re welcome, Abby. I’ll always be there to help your mommy.”
“Come in, come in,” Helen said, motioning me deeper into the house. “I haven’t started dinner, but make yourself at home. You still remember where everything is, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That reminds me,” Ella began, motioning me to the dinner table that shared space with the kitchen. While Helen moved about in the kitchen, the rest of us sat down at the table so we could all be together. “You need to avoid Dolly’s for a little while.”
I winced. “I’m really sorry that—”
“Oh, you hush,” Ella said. “She actually kind of supported what you did, but she doesn’t want people to think they can start breaking the dishes and get away with it.”
“I can understand that.”
“Don’t you mind that none,” Helen said as she hurried around in the kitchen. “You come here and I’ll feed you.” She became more serious. “Ella told me you had a falling out with Will and Judy. Is there anything Ken or I can do?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you, Mrs. Johnson. I’m sure we’ll work it out.”
“Well, until you do, you have a home here,” Ken said, and Helen nodded.
“Thank you, but I’ll be okay. It’s only for a couple of days.”
“Would you consider staying with us?” Helen offered. “We’ve got the room.”
I smiled at the offer. So many good memories were flooding back. Ken and Helen had been like a second set of parents once. They were working hard to make me feel that way again.
