But Don and Missy? Levi figured he was over-protective of his feisty housekeeper, but he knew her sharp tongue and tough attitude masked what had probably been several years of abuse. Levi shrugged as he pulled out of the yard, waving to Hersch who gave him no acknowledgement at all from his perch on the seat of the ATV. Missy was a grown woman and he was not going to second-guess her. Don had always been a stand-up guy so he had no real reason to doubt him. Besides, he laughed to himself, what was he going to do? Have a fatherly man-to-man with Don and ask him his intentions?
He arrived at the surgical center and his mind was immediately focused on the several surgeries scheduled for the day. For most of the morning, Levi and Renee moved effortlessly from X-rays and MRIs to pre-op to the scrub room to his operating room to recovery and back again. He spent a few minutes mid-afternoon eyeing the mural and trying to decide where Don could put in the new ATV. I wonder if I should wait until I buy another one for the girls and have him paint both at the same time? He had to laugh. The bright orange vehicle would fit into the landscape that stretched across two walls but he wasn’t sure he wanted a splash of bright pink catching his eye while he was operating. Maybe I’ll give them the orange one and just get a plain black ATV for me. And Ella. He shook his head as the realization hit him. He was falling in love with her. He must be if he was contemplating getting a toy to share with her.
Levi didn’t have time to get comfortable with the notion because Renee was pushing through the OR doors, reminding him he needed to get over to recovery to sign the last patients out. I’ll think about it later.
****
Ella’s mind was totally focused on her novel, as she immersed herself in writing about the on-going investigation into Barb’s attack. Joe and the team were closing in on the Russian Mafia gang that had put out a hit on Barb. An unlikely informant, some good detective work, and a stakeout by Joe’s squad had virtually eliminated the gang. Except for the Big Boss. Joe was sitting in Barb’s private hospital room, strategizing and listening to her bellyache about still being stuck in the hospital when she wanted to be out on the streets with her team. Ella even had Barb using Ella’s own I’m not an invalid line to Joe. Tension was building between them and before the morning was over, Ella had written her beloved characters’ first love scene. While they had not been able to consummate their long-simmering desire in the hospital bed, Barb and Joe had engaged in some pretty hot kissing and caressing.
Ella couldn’t wait to tell Levi. It had come to that so quickly. He was on her mind when she woke up and right before she fell asleep. Her dreams were of Levi and frequently during the day, she thought of him. It had been a long time since she had dreamed about a man. If she was brutally honest with herself, she had truly never been as quickly attracted or so deeply attuned to anyone.
The ringing of the doorbell and the sound of Perky’s voice pulled her out of her reverie.
“Miss Ella? Are you in here?”
“Yes, I’m at my desk, Perky,”
The housekeeper, who had become a friend, poked her head around the corner of the alcove where Ella was writing.
“Guess what I have.”
“Perky, I have no idea but I wish it was a stack of the chef’s fried chicken and waffles.”
“Well, I can always order that for you but I think this is way better.”
With that, Perky stepped into the room, holding a huge bouquet of white roses. “The front desk called over to Housekeeping to have me stop by and pick these up for you. They just arrived. There must be three dozen roses in here and look at the vase they came in! Looks like Waterford crystal to me!”
Ella rose to bury her face in the fragrant bouquet Perky had set down on the table. Sweet perfume filled the room. She searched for a card in the flowers but Perky was pulling a small ivory square from her pocket. With a huge grin, she handed it to Ella.
“Thinking of you. If I do the cooking, can I come for dinner tonight?” The card was signed Levi.
“I think you may have an admirer, Miss Ella. Shall I leave the flowers here or put them on the dining table so you can enjoy them during dinner tonight? Or maybe you’d like them in the bedroom…” The maid broke into a deep chuckle.
Before Ella could respond, a message pinged on her cell phone. “Dinner at seven? Your place? Okay? Xo Levi.” Laughing, she typed in “yes,” then agreed with Perky that the flowers looked best right where she had placed them.
While Perky cleaned, Ella put the finishing touches on the criminal investigation part of her book. By the time Perky left late in the afternoon, Ella had written about the arrest of the master criminal behind Barb’s assault and her release from the hospital. Showering and changing before Levi arrived gave her plenty of time to think through the ultimate love scene she wanted to create for Joe and Barb. Coming down the hall from her bedroom, she could smell the roses. “Oh, yeah,” she stopped to breathe in their aroma one more time, “Joe definitely has to bring Barb flowers when he visits her apartment for the first time!”
Passing a mirror in the hall on her way to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine, her reflection caused Ella to pause. Gone was the pale, thin face she had been wearing when she got to Florida. Her cheeks had plumped a bit and taken on a rosy glow. Her face and neck and most of the rest of her was a light tan color now from her walks on the beach and frequent swims in her pool. Short, pale blonde hair and less dramatic make-up would keep any but her diehard fans and the nosiest reporters from identifying her as E. L. Levin.
Enjoying anonymity for the first time in a decade, Ella decided she would not let her hair grow out and would continue the minimal make-up she wore now. She would even eschew the diamond studs she’d purchased when Hollywood optioned her first three books in favor of dangly, beachy earrings. And she was enjoying the bright colors she had begun wearing. Just an aqua scarf the other night with Levi, but tonight she was wearing a flowing tropical print top over a lacy white camisole and slim white leggings.
Levi liked the look too. Through the dinner he brought from the Twisted Pelican, he complimented her repeatedly. And he gave substance to the compliments when he dragged her away from the dining table to make sweet love to her on the enormous sofa. Pulling her clothes off, kissing every surface he revealed, he had her moaning and begging within minutes. She unzipped his pants and grasped his hard, throbbing flesh in her hands before he could even get out of his shirt. Snatching the condom that fell out of his pants pocket, she quickly sheathed him. Ella rose above him, burying his erection in her wet heat and bringing them to completion before she collapsed gasping onto him. Levi wrapped his strong arms around her and held her there, whispering promises about taking it slow the next time.
She did not call him out as a liar when they barely made it to her bedroom before he took her again.
****
The only reason they were able to pull apart from each other the next morning was an unfinished chapter calling to Ella and Levi’s promised incentive that he would show her around his home if she finished by noon. Hersch was waiting—pouting, really—when Levi returned to the house on the beach. After a long game of chase-the-tennis ball and a quick shower, Levi ambled into the kitchen in his weekend outfit of faded jeans and gray T-shirt to find Missy rolling out pie crust on the marble countertop.
Zeroing in on the freshly brewed coffee, Levi filled his weekend-at-home mug. Leaning against the counter, he inhaled the coffee fumes before taking a long, needy gulp.
Missy glanced over at him and whistled, “You look like an advertisement for I got some last night.”
Taking in her flushed cheeks and loosely piled hair, he good naturedly retorted, “So do you.”
She snorted. And wagged a flour-covered finger at him. “Not last night. Someone had to paint a damn neon orange vehicle on someone’s OR wall so the paint would be dry and the smell gone before Monday morning’s surgeries.” She paused to lift the crust into the waiting pie plate. “I told him to charge you time-and-a-half for w
orking on a weekend.”
Laughing, Levi took his cup into the family room to flop in front of the television. “What are you making?”
“I found a whole bag of really fresh Key limes at the market so I am making us some key lime pie. Anything special you want for dinner tonight to go with it?”
“Your key lime pie for dessert would make even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a special dinner. But maybe you could do something better than PB & J since Ella is probably coming over later.”
“What? For the very first time one of your lady friends is coming here and you just drop it on me like that? Men! What do you think I am—a magician? Freaking Julia Child or something? I need to plan for a special dinner like that!” Missy slammed the dirty dishes into the sink.
“Well, actually, she’ll be here long around noon but I’m hoping to convince her to stay for dinner.” Levi grinned. “And breakfast.”
“You’re an idiot. Does she eat meat? Or is she a vegan or something? Or Kosher?”
“I’ve seen her eat beef, chicken and shellfish, so she’s not vegan and she doesn’t keep Kosher. You can just make tuna salad for lunch and any of your stuff will be good for dinner. I think I can manage scrambled eggs for breakfast tomorrow.”
Missy shoved the piecrust in the oven to bake and went over to stand in front of the huge refrigerator with all the doors open, perusing the contents. “I should just make you crappy tuna salad and see if she stays for dinner after that, to teach you a lesson.”
Levi came back into the kitchen and stood next to her, staring into the fridge. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He bumped her hip with his. “But, really, Ella is not fancy like that. She’s nice and pretty laid-back so I figured any of your regular cooking would be fine. What’ve we got in here, anyway? Looks like you cleaned out the supermarket. Wait. Is that pastrami? She loves pastrami!”
“Levi, you can’t just throw sandwiches at a lady you are entertaining for the first time!” She hip-checked him right back. “But, really, she likes pastrami? I could make my special potato salad and cole slaw and there’s some fresh rye bread in the breadbox. I might even have time to make some chocolate chip cookies.”
“She loves M&Ms. Do we have any? You could put them in the cookies, right?”
Missy was laughing by the time she took the piecrust out of the oven, with potatoes already boiling on the stove. They had agreed to grilled shrimp, rice and spinach salad with citrus and avocadoes for dinner. Levi, she warned, was on his own for breakfast—though she promised to try to make a cinnamon coffee cake.
It wasn’t long before Hersch’s frantic barking announced Ella’s arrival. Levi ambled out onto the porch to find Ella flinging a Frisbee into the breeze to the sound of delighted yips from Hersch. The excited dog tore across the drive and through the flower border to chase after the flying disc.
“Hey, good arm, blondie! You must have a terrific surgeon.” Levi wrapped his arms around her, planting a noisy kiss on her cheek.
Ella’s laughter, low and musical, caught his heart. She hugged him back. “Yeah, he’s a real rock star.”
He held her at arm’s length, admiring her firm breasts under the bright pink shirt and her long legs encased, like his own, in soft faded denim. Bright pink toes peeked from the open front of her espadrilles and pink, turquoise, and dark blue gems hung sparkling from silver hoops in her perfect ears. She looked fresh and beachy and healthy. And happy. He hugged her again. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I could not resist an invitation to meet the famous Hersch or to sample some of Missy’s equally famous cooking.” Seeing his surprised look, she explained, “I swung back into the mini-mart before I came to get a treat for your dog. Charity was full of questions so I told her where I was going for lunch. That woman knows so much about your life, she could be president of the Dr. Hottie Rock Star Fan Club!” Ella turned back to her car. “I was going to get some flowers and some wine, but Charity assured me you would prefer some Rip Tide beer and Missy loves these praline thingies she had by the cash register, so I went with her advice.” She put a six-pack of cold brew in his hands before she reached in for her purse and produced a gaily-wrapped candy box.
Hersch came trotting back into the yard, nosed Ella’s hand as if he wanted her to follow him, and proceeded up the stairs to flop in his favorite spot on the porch—the Frisbee still in his mouth. Arm-in-arm, Levi and Ella climbed the steps and went into the sprawling house.
Missy was still in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the lunch buffet spread out on the kitchen island. When she spied Ella, she wiped her hands on the towel hanging from her waistband and reached out to shake her hand.
“Hi, I’m Missy. It’s nice to meet you, Ella.” But, she held Ella’s hand for a few seconds longer than necessary, searching her face. Apparently satisfied by what she saw there, she continued, “I’ve got lunch already for you and Doc here and I set the table out on the patio if you want to take advantage of the nice weather.”
“Missy, I’ve heard so much about you! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Ella handed the candy box to Missy, who seemed a bit taken aback by Ella’s revelation and her gift.
Levi spoke up. “Charity’s been giving her an earful about you, me, and Hersch.” He reached over to grab an olive off a platter of goodies Missy had set out.
“That woman is more than a little crazy, in my humble opinion. But she does love Hersch. And I think she’s got a crush on Doc.” They all laughed together at the vagaries of the town gossip before Missy headed down the back hall. Levi and Ella filled their plates and opted for dining on the patio, Hersch underfoot waiting for a crumb to drop.
Ella was more talkative than she’d ever been with him, regaling Levi with the juicy details about her encounter with Charity.
“She should be a detective. She keeps peppering me with questions.” Ella related between bites of the pastrami sandwich.
“What kind of questions?” Levi wondered if the older woman was still trying to figure out where she had seen Ella’s picture before.
“Well, she asks about you a lot. Like are we seeing each other and if we knew each other in New York. Like a lot of people, I think she believes the whole state is the City and a little bit of land just north of there. She wanted to know where I grew up, went to school…pretty much my whole life. She even wanted to know if I was married.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I told her I was not married. And I’m not.” Ever the attorney, she continued, “She didn’t ask if I was ever married. I felt no need to share the details of my divorce with her. It would have been all over the island by sundown. I can’t believe she thought I was some married hussy having an extra-marital fling with her handsome doctor.”
“So, do you think she was satisfied enough with your answers that she’ll stop pestering you about where she might have known you from before?”
Ella gave him an odd look.
Levi schooled his face into an innocent questioning look while he took a long pull of his beer. He deftly changed the subject. “This is my favorite beer for sure. Do you like it?”
“I’m not much of a beer drinker but I do like the taste. It goes perfectly with the pastrami on rye and this amazing potato salad. Missy really is talented. If she cooked for me, I’d weigh a ton.”
“No, you’d run it off on the beach, with Hersch nipping at your heels. When I can’t work out at the gym, running with that crazy dog on the sand and throwing tennis balls helps me burn off the calories.” He patted his hard, flat stomach and sighed. “Maybe we should take a walk before we tackle those M&M cookies Missy left on the counter.”
Ella pushed back from the table and stretched. Her shirt rose above the waistband of her jeans, exposing a narrow expanse of her pale torso. Levi leaned over and planted a quick kiss just to the right of her navel. Ella sighed and leaned over to kiss his bowed head. “Or we could take our exercise inside, Doc. Where’s Missy?”
“She probably brought lunch into town to Don, the artist who is working on my OR mural. I think they’re an item.” Levi stood and cleared the plates. “Remind me to ask Charity the next time I see her. She’ll have the scoop.” He smiled sweetly at Ella. “Let’s take that walk and tire Hersch out a bit. Otherwise, he’ll make us so crazy we won’t be able to accomplish anything inside later.”
They were finished cleaning up in minutes and headed down the long path to Levi’s dock and the trail to the beach. Hersch ran ahead then looped back, as if reassuring himself he had two humans to toss his tennis ball endlessly. Holding hands and chatting about Levi’s plans for the rest of the property, they passed a pleasant hour on the sandy shore. Ella was so impressed by all the work Levi had done himself on his land, he found himself sharing his love of the island and his dreams for his home. She seemed impressed with his vision, asking many questions and even venturing a few suggestions of her own. He basked in the attention, feeling his heart swell, wondering if he had finally met his soulmate.
Returning to the house, they rinsed their sandy feet at the outdoor shower on the edge of the patio. Running her hands through her windswept hair, Ella remarked that short hair was definitely a plus on a windy beach.
“Do think you might ever grow your hair long ag…?” Levi broke off, catching himself before he said again. Ella looked at him sharply.
“No. I think short hair is perfectly suited for Florida.” Neither spoke for a long moment. Ella broke the silence by asking where she might freshen up. Levi pointed her to the patio door that led to his bedroom and private bath. “It’s the closest, but there’s a powder room off the main hall, too.”
Shoulder to Lean On Page 9
