by Jill Sanders
“Hello?”
“Levi?” He practically groaned at hearing Jenny’s voice on the line.
“Yes.” He laid his head in his hand and held in the desire to kick himself for not screening his calls. How the hell had she gotten his number?
“I wanted to call and apologize for the other day. I know you think I pushed Scarlett on purpose, but I didn’t. I was upset. That woman got between us once before all those years ago. I just didn’t want her to do it again.” Jenny’s speech was slurred again.
“There is no us. You’re married,” Levi reminded her.
“No. I mean, yes, I am, but it’s been over for a while now. I’d really like a chance to see you again.”
“I’m seeing Scarlett,” he growled. “And not interested.”
She laughed, a high-pitched cackle. “I know, well, I heard about it at any rate. I think we both know there’s something stronger between us. We felt it all those years ago and again just last week.”
It was then that he realized that she must be extremely drunk again.
He knew that the only way to get through to her was to be direct. So he chose his words carefully to make sure she understood.
“Jenny, there has never been and will never be anything between us.” He hung up.
When the phone rang again immediately, he answered it, ready to block her number if he needed to.
“You think this is over?” the muffled voice hissed in his ear. “I won’t let you ruin everything. I got rid of you once, I’ll do it again.” When the phone chimed that the call had ended, he rolled his eyes at Jenny’s tactics. Just as long as her anger was aimed at him and not Scarlett.
The woman was deranged.
Standing up, he strolled back to the main building and meet Zoey and Scarlett in the lobby. They were talking with Julie, one of the main employees, who worked at the front desk.
“Hey,” Scarlett said when he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
“Hey. Got a sec?”
“Sure.” She frowned. “Thanks, Julie, I’ll let them know.” She waved as they stepped away. Instead of heading up the stairs towards the apartment and their room on the third floor, he took her hand and pulled her towards the back door, needing some fresh air again.
“What’s up?” she asked once they were outside.
“My dad called,” he said, dropping her hand to run his fingers through his hair.
“What?” She watched him.
“And Jenny called right after I hung up with him. Not sure how they both got my number, but I’m thinking I need to change it.”
“Seriously?” She blinked a few times. “How the hell did they get your number?”
“I guess my home number is in the phone directory, but my cell...” He shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“Double whammy,” she said softly as she strolled towards the back stairs and sat down. He moved over and sat next to her.
“Yeah. After I told Jenny I wasn’t interested…” She glanced over at him quickly. “Long story, she thinks we have a… connection.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I discouraged her and hung up. Then she called back and…” He shrugged, unsure exactly what to call it. “She threatened me, I guess.”
“What did she say?” she asked, concerned.
“That she wouldn’t let me ruin everything.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “She’s crazy and not the one I’m worried about currently. I’m meeting my dad tomorrow for lunch.” He felt his gut twist at the thought of what he would say to the man.
“You are?” She glanced up at him. “Want me to—”
“No.” He shook his head. “I need to do this alone.”
“If you are sure.” She bit her bottom lip and the slight unconscious move had his mind moving away from his father and his problems to kissing her again.
“I am.” He smiled. “Now, help me get my mind off things. How was your ride?” He brushed a strand of her hair that had come loose from her long braid.
“Fine.” She smiled and cupped his face. “I… have thought about things.”
“And?” His heart skipped.
She paused a moment. “I think we should officially move in together.”
He laughed immediately and hugged her. “Okay.” He enjoyed the soft scent of her mixed with horse. He couldn’t explain it, but it turned him on even more knowing she loved being outdoors so much.
“I know my room is small, but—”
“It doesn’t matter. Most of my things are already here.” He bent down and kissed her.
“They are?” she asked after he pulled back.
“The ones that matter,” he said softly. He didn’t want to think about anything besides her anymore. He was exhausted and still wanted to be able to make love to her that night. “I’m tired.” He smiled at her. “What do you say we head up.”
She jumped up and pulled him to his feet as he laughed. She was still so full of energy, something that always amazed him at the end of the day.
There was nothing better than holding Scarlett in his arms as they fell asleep after using up the rest of his energy to make love to her. When his mind continued to return to the call with his father, he focused on her breathing and the feel of her next to him and drifted off.
The following morning, he had to rush around the grounds to find someone to fill in for him for lunch. He had a hike and a zip-line tour scheduled that he was supposed to help out with. In the end, he got Dean to cover for him.
He felt nervous as he drove into town and parked in front of the Sunset Café to meet his father.
When Levi walked inside, the man wasn’t there yet. Choosing an empty booth near the front, he sat and waited. He ordered an iced tea and tried to calm his nerves as he watched the door.
The man walked in ten minutes later dressed in a very expensive grey suit. Instantly, every eye turned towards the door, then back at him as they grew large with curiosity.
Levi hadn’t thought about everyone knowing him in town and the fact that seeing his double walk in would cause awareness to spread like wildfire through the town.
Holding in a groan, he waved the man over.
“Hi,” his father said and sat down.
“Hi,” Levi said and waited for the man to make the first move.
“This place hasn’t changed.” He looked around. Then he frowned. “I think we’ve drawn some attention.”
“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t think about that when I suggested meeting here.”
The waitress, Brenda, a girl he’d gone to school with, walked over and smiled down at him.
“Levi, you didn’t tell me that you’d found your father.” Brenda smiled at his father.
“I just found out myself,” Levi said dryly.
“Oh, well, how… exciting,” Brenda said softly. “What can I get you?” She turned to his father with the same smile.
“I’ll have the same, some tea.” He nodded to Levi’s glass.
When Brenda left to go get their drinks, Levi asked, “Why did you want to meet with me? I think you made your thoughts about me perfectly clear the other night.”
Michael sighed and leaned back in the booth. “I was in shock.” He shook his head. “I honestly didn’t know about you until you were standing in front of me.” He leaned closer. “My wife and I argued over it. Over her not telling me… earlier.”
Levi watched sadness fill the man’s eyes, and he knew he was sincere, since he was practically staring at his own face.
“How did you not know? Your wife was my mother’s best friend.”
Michael shrugged. “We never talked about Mary.”
Something nagged at Levi. He thought whether he and Scarlett would keep secrets from one another like that. Could he go so long while withholding something so important?
He remembered that for the past two years, Scarlett had kept the reason behind her hurt from him. But that was different. Wasn’t it? She’d opened up to him now. T
here was no doubt she’d been truthful about the entire situation with him once she’d finally told him what had happened.
“Why meet with me?” Levi asked.
Michael took a deep breath, his eyes running over Levi’s face. “I have a son,” he said, a slight smile turning his lips up. “Do you know how long I’ve dreamed…” He shook his head as he choked on his words. “A long time.”
“I read your interviews,” Levi broke in. “I know you don’t have any other children. I know what you do. What your family does,” he corrected.
Michael nodded, then waited until Brenda set his tea down.
“What can I get you for lunch?” she asked them both.
“Burger, you know how I like it,” Levi said without taking his eyes from his father.
“I’ll have the same,” Michael said with a nod.
When Brenda left them, his father turned back to him.
“So, you know all about me. If you’d let me, I’d like to get the chance to know all about you,” the man said nervously. Levi suddenly understood that he had the upper hand with the man.
He wasn’t the one wanting something from their relationship. He’d had the benefit of knowing the man was out there, somewhere, for years. But his father had only known Levi existed for a few days now.
Levi relaxed slightly and decided that opening up a little to the man wouldn’t hurt. And for the rest of the time they sat at the diner, Levi filled the man in on his somewhat boring life, making a point to explain how much his grandmother had done and how much she meant to him.
How she had sacrificed so much to raise Levi after his mother’s death.
When they finished eating, Levi tried to pay for his own food, but Michael had insisted, and Levi didn’t feel like arguing. Instead, he’d added a few extra bills to the table for Brenda and followed the man outside. “If possible,” Michael said when they stood in the parking lot, “I’d like to see you again.”
Levi nodded. He’d known it was coming. After all, the man had been glued to every word Levi had said. He’d even asked him more questions than Levi had come up with for him.
“You know where to find me.” Levi shook the man’s hand and, when he turned to go, he saw his grandmother standing on the sidewalk a few feet away from him with her book club group.
“Levi?” She recovered from the shock and smiled at him and then moved closer. “I didn’t know you were meeting… here… today.”
Shit, he thought. He hadn’t called her and told her about the meeting with his father. What had he been thinking?
“Michael Stiles, this is my grandmother, Mary Lynn Grant. Gran, this is… my father.” He stood there as his grandmother moved forward. Instead of shaking the man’s hand, she wrapped her arms around him.
“You don’t know how long Levi has been looking for you. I know I can speak for him when I say that he is excited to finally meet you.” She looked between them and nodded. “I can see that your lunch went well.” She reached up and touched his face, a move he’d grown up with his entire life.
Michael nodded and glanced towards him. “I… Whatever you may have heard, I had no idea Levi existed until the other night.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I behaved badly, but I’m going to make things right between me and my son. I can’t thank you enough for stepping up and taking Levi into your life. He’s told me all about the sacrifices that you’ve made in order to raise him.”
“It wasn’t a sacrifice,” his gran said easily. “He’s family. He’s mine.” She reached over and took his hand. “I’d do anything for him.” Her eyes moved to his father’s as her smile slipped slightly. “And if anyone set out to hurt him, I’d do everything in my power to stop them and to protect him.”
Levi felt his love for his gran spread even more.
“I understand,” Michael said smoothly, taking the threat easily. He turned to Levi. “Thank you for meeting me today. As I mentioned, I’d like to meet again. Soon. I’ll call you.” He turned to go, then stopped. “If you want…” He pulled out a business card from his pocket and then took out a pen and wrote something on the back. “My private number. Call me if you want or need anything… to talk or whatever.” He smiled and then Levi stood still as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. “Thanks,” he said again softly next to Levi’s ear. “You don’t know how much this meant to me.” He turned around and walked across the parking lot and climbed behind the wheel of a shiny silver BMW.
“That was… interesting,” his gran said when they were alone. “Are you okay?” She turned to him.
“Yes,” he said automatically. “You?”
“Yes.” She chuckled. “I didn’t believe you when you said he could be your twin.” She touched his face again. “If I’d run into that man alone, I’d have known instantly that he was your father. I might even have assumed it was you.”
“Yeah, that’s what happened with Scarlett.” He chuckled. “I think the news is out.” He motioned towards the diner. “The entire town will be talking about it now.”
“Good.” She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “Wonderful news should spread as fast as possible.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Scarlett waited for Levi in the parking lot. When she spotted his Jeep, she waved and moved over to the parking spot he took.
“So?” she asked as he stepped out and wrapped his arms around her. “How did it go?”
“Good.” He kissed her. “Gran even got a chance to meet him.” He groaned slightly. “I should have called her and told her that I was meeting him.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “We should have let her know. But how did it go?” she asked again, needing more details.
“I believe him when he says he didn’t know about me. He wanted to know everything about me.”
“Did you tell him?”
“I did.” He took her hand as they started walking towards the bar area, where she knew he was supposed to help Britt out for the afternoon rush.
She was supposed to be there, helping out with another water volleyball game before dinner. Which meant she could hang out with him a little longer.
“And?” she asked again.
He smiled over at her. “He seems pretty cool.”
She stopped him and waited until he looked down at her. “Are you okay?”
“I am.” He smiled down at her. “Really. It was actually pretty good.”
“If you’re sure.” She tried to assess his emotions and realized he was lighthearted and totally back to himself.
“I am.” He rubbed her arms and then kissed her.
“I’m happy for you,” she said as they started walking again. She held his hand as they went down the pathway towards the larger pool area.
“Scarlett.” Ruth, one of the other counselors, rushed down the pathway towards them. “Elle said she needed you to make sure Eli showed up today.” Ruth smiled at Levi. “Hey.” She waved to him before jogging off again.
“Hey.” He laughed. “That was like a hit and run.”
“Ugh.” Scarlett sighed. “I love my job, but I hate being a boss.”
He chuckled and pulled her into his arms. “But you’re so good at it.”
“I think that’s why Elle sends me to fire people. Eli has been late for work all week long.” She rolled her eyes. “No doubt she sent Ruth to tell me instead of calling me on the walkie talkie so I couldn’t argue with her.” She motioned to the small device hanging on her hip.
He chuckled and kissed her. “Go, be a boss. I don’t want to be late for my shift either.” He motioned towards the bar area.
“Later,” she said and kissed him. She rushed across the grounds and stopped a few feet from the beach. Eli was talking with an older man, showing him how to put on the snorkeling gear.
Relaxing slightly, she slowly walked towards the little hut.
“Afternoon,” she said easily when the guest left.
“Hey,” Eli said with a shrug. “Checking up on me
?”
She smiled easily. “Just passing by.”
“I’m here.” He tossed down a scuba mask in frustration.
“And I’m thankful you are. Otherwise I was going to have to cancel my own schedule to fill in for you.” She moved closer and leaned on the counter to watch him. “Are you doing okay?” she asked, seeing the young man struggling with his attitude.
He turned and was about to say something when she noticed the worry in his eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked him, her tone changing to concern instead of annoyance. “Is everything okay at home?”
He deflated instantly. His eyes moved around, landing anywhere but on her. “My mom’s sick.”
Scarlett quickly scanned her memory and remembered that Eli lived alone with his mother.
“Is it serious?” she asked.
“They say it’s stage four.” He almost cried.
“Oh my god.” She moved around the counter and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything we can do to help out?”
She hadn’t expected the boy to burst into tears and wrap his arms around her as he told her all about watching his mother’s health deteriorate. She held onto the teenager and, when he was done crying, called for backup.
“Hi, Dylan,” she said when he showed up less than five minutes later. “Thanks for filling in for Eli.”
“Sure thing.” Dylan smiled at the kid. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah.” The boy wiped his nose on his arm and looked embarrassed that he’d cried.
“Eli, one thing that’s really great about this job is it comes with perks. Such as working with five women bosses who care more about our employees than most. Go home, be with your mom when you need to. Your job is going to be here. Your pay is going to stay the same no matter what during this hard time.” She touched his arm. “Don’t worry. We’re going to do everything we can to help you through this. Okay?”
The kid looked between her and Dylan, then nodded. “Thanks Miss…”
“Oh god, don’t call me that. Scarlett.” She pointed to her chest. “You should know that by now.” She hugged him. “Keep us posted on your mother’s health.”
“Okay,” he said and wiped his eyes. “She’s at the hospital in Pensacola. Which is why I’ve been late the last couple days.”
