Chapter Six
The phone chirped and buzzed incessantly as Levi stared up at the wooden beams that made up the ceiling of his temporary bedroom. The third floor of Mary Alice’s boarding house was drafty, but in the May heat there was a welcome breeze flowing through the room.
He’d barely left the room in the last twenty-four hours. Once to eat and once to unclog a toilet for the old woman who was letting him stay in her house. Other than that, he’d mostly stared at the ceiling and dozed off from time to time.
The phone buzzed again and he sighed heavily. He knew what he’d done was wrong. He should have told them what was going on in his head, even though he wasn’t exactly sure what that was. Just leaving without a word was a dirty thing to do, but at the time he hadn’t thought he had any other choice. It was that or get on a bus for LA to start the whole thing over again.
He was sick of it, though he still hadn’t found the right words to describe the feeling. There was a time he’d been so good with words, they’d always come so easily before, but in the last year it had gotten hard.
No, he thought to himself. It had been longer than a year. So much longer. Where does the time go?
A specific ring tone, an old Elvis song, came to life on his phone and he knew it was Dean calling. Only Dean got that ringtone and for the first time since he’d fled Vegas, Levi thought about answering the call. Out of everyone he’d hurt by just leaving, it was Dean he felt the worst about. His oldest friend trusted him, and he’d shattered that in one stupid, selfish move.
His fingers searched for the phone, but just as they brushed against it, he stopped himself. He was ashamed of what he’d done, but that wasn’t why he stopped. It was something else that stopped him from answering Dean’s call.
It had been just a flash, but there was no denying it was there. The thought of Kassidy came and went from his mind like a lightning bolt, but it was enough to stop him from answering the call.
Instantly, his thoughts of regret went from leaving his band behind to neglecting to swing by her family’s bakery for breakfast that morning. When he’d first suggested it, it had only been to be nice, but as he thought on it, he realised he really did want to do it. And that was exactly why he had decided to stay in his little rented room and stare at the ceiling.
But now he realised how stupid that had been. Stupid and cruel. It was clear she wanted to see more of him. Being around groupies long enough had made him recognise that look easily, but she wasn’t the kind of girl who was just trying to come back to his tour bus. She was sweet and honest, which was exactly why he thought he should stay away from her.
Despite the voice telling him to leave her alone, Levi couldn’t help himself. He waited for Dean to give up and the ringing of his phone to end before he picked it back up, cleared the mass of unread notifications, and then Googled her little family bakery.
They didn’t have their own website, something Levi instantly thought he should suggest they invest in, but at least their number was listed online.
It used to be so easy for Levi to call a woman up, or ask her to come backstage with him, or onto the tour bus, but for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he hesitated. Dialing her number unnerved him in a way he hadn’t been familiar with since high school, but he swallowed his nerves and began to dial.
Kassidy had just finished packing up a box of cupcakes for Mrs. Gleeson, the Sunday school teacher in town, when the phone began to ring. The cupcakes were the biggest sale of the day and she let herself breathe a small sigh of relief once the transaction was completed. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone saw the total and realised they could save a few bucks by buying their treats at the ShopMart up the street instead.
But Mrs. Gleeson was a loyal customer who made it clear she was boycotting the giant supercenter. Not many people in town followed her lead, but every little bit did help. Even though some of the other business owners who were struggling themselves needed to be willing to learn from her example, at least some people were willing to shop local. The Olsens had always been fans of her personal policy, and were sure to only shop locally as well.
“Bye Mrs. Gleeson,” Kassidy called after her. “See you Sunday.”
Once her last customer of the day was out the door, Kassidy grabbed the phone. She was expecting it to be for her mother, probably someone asking about wedding cakes, but the moment she heard the silky voice on the other line she realised that the call was for her.
“Is this Kassidy?” Levi asked her and her face flushed red. She said a silent thank you that he could only hear her voice and not see her face.
“It is,” she said, careful to choose her words wisely. Her mother might have been in the back, but the walls were thin and she would hear everything Kassidy said.
Still, she smiled when Levi made it clear it was him. “It’s Levi, from, well, yesterday. I was wondering if you wanted to maybe do something tonight. As a thank you for all your help yesterday. I’m going a bit stir crazy, so if you know anything we could do, I’m sure I’d be down for it.”
Kassidy thought on it. Not on saying yes or no. She already knew that she was definitely going to say yes. It was a matter of where to go. Being seen by anyone would land her in hot water, and she knew without it being said that he wanted to avoid people as well.
“How about some ice cream?” she asked, thinking of the old shop a few blocks away. “I can meet you at Mary Alice’s.”
“Sounds good, Kassidy,” he told her, and she savored the way he said her name. It was just a name, but the way he said it was music in her ears.
She barely hung up the old rotary phone that her parents refused to upgrade when her mother popped out of the back. “Who was that?” she asked.
“Oh,” Kassidy mumbled, realising she’d have to lie to her mother. “It was Paul.”
A look of relief washed over her mother’s face before she said, “Oh, good. And what was he after?”
“Just seeing if I wanted to do something tonight,” Kassidy told her mother. “I thought maybe we could go get some ice cream seeing as it’s been so warm lately.”
“That’s a lovely idea,” her mother agreed. “It’s almost closing time anyway, so why not go get ready now.”
“Thanks,” Kassidy said with a too-forced smile. She hated lying, especially to her parents, but it was a necessary evil. It would take a lot more than listening to some of Levi’s older music to convince them he wasn’t all bad.
The May weather had been unseasonably warm the last few days, and after a quick shower and blow dry to her long hair, Kassidy pulled out a soft yellow sundress and sandals. Just to be safe, she grabbed a light sweater to wear over her shoulders in case the temperature dropped.
With a quick good-bye to her parents, Kassidy made her way down Main Street in the direction of Paul’s house. He was back with his parents for the summer and they owned one of the larger houses on Oak Avenue, but that wasn’t her destination. She just needed to make sure her parents thought it was.
This is so silly, she told herself as she walked. You’re twenty-one years old.
It did make her feel like a child again to go sneaking out against her parents’ wishes. Gillian had a habit of convincing her and Addison to do so when they were kids, but Kassidy really thought she had grown past that.
Once she hit the first major intersection in town, she turned right instead of left and made for Poplar. Levi was expecting her and she had no intentions of making him wait.
Levi was waiting for her on the wrap around porch of Mary Alice’s old Victorian and a blast of butterflies and nerves swelled up within her as she made her way up the walk. Actually meeting him with the intention of doing something together was more stressful than she could have imagined, but she refused to let it slow her down and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before she said, “Hello.”
“Hey,” Levi said as he stood up to greet her. That touch of smile was missing from his face, but he didn’t
look unhappy to see her. “So... ice cream?”
“Sure,” Kassidy agreed, though as the sun set behind the trees the temperature in the shadows was lower than she had anticipated. The breeze was cool on her bare legs, but she didn’t mind. All she cared about was walking side-by-side with Levi as they made their way to the ice cream shop.
There was nothing but awkward silence as they walked together and Kassidy knew her nerves were to blame. Everything she thought to say to him sounded immature and childish. He’d travelled the world and was famous, she doubted he would find any interest in the goings on of some small town girl’s life.
And yet he had been the one to call her. She couldn’t let herself forget that and she smiled to herself as they strolled through the small parking lot of the ice cream shop.
“Looks like we have the place to ourselves,” he said as he held the door open for her.
Kassidy nodded and said, “Yeah. It’s a little early in the summer season for ice cream, I guess.”
One girl was working the counter alone and her eyes went wide when she saw Levi, but she didn’t say anything. Kassidy wasn’t sure if it was politeness or nerves that kept the girl silent, but either way she was thankful for it.
“My treat,” Levi whispered in her ear. “Any flavor you want.”
Kassidy couldn’t hide the shiver that coursed through her and she fought to focus on the menu. The shop had over twenty flavors of homemade ice cream, and each one was delicious. Choosing was hard, and having Levi watching over her shoulder only made it harder.
“Cotton candy,” she decided on. Not the most mature choice, she realised once she said it out loud, but the blue flavor was her favorite. It used to be called Smurf when she was a kid, but someone had complained to someone else and the name became Cotton Candy instead. It still tasted the same, and that’s what really mattered to her.
“I’ll try Tiger Stripe,” Levi said.
“Oh, I love that one,” Kassidy told him. “Chocolate and orange.”
“I was hoping that’s what it was,” he told her and this time he smiled. He didn’t do it often, even in the pictures she found of him online he was rarely smiling, but it warmed her heart to see him smile for her.
It had cooled off outside too much to eat their cool treats on the patio, but the girl behind the counter left them alone while they were inside and Kassidy led the way to one of the tables by the window.
“This place is nice,” Levi said as they sat down. “Shame more people aren’t here, though I can’t say I’m upset about that.”
“It is,” Kassidy agreed. “Not that I don’t like having the place to myself.”
She hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud, but thankfully Levi smiled again at her admission. She just hoped he didn’t say something that would make her too embarrassed.
“Is most of town like this?” he asked her instead. “I mean, the mechanic’s, this place.” Thankfully he didn’t mention her family’s bakery when talking about businesses that were floundering. It was too painful to think about.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Kassidy told him between licks of her blue ice cream. “It didn’t used to be like this. About a year, maybe a year and a half ago, the ShopMart opened up the street and it kind of hurt everyone. Most people in town commute to one of the factories about thirty or so miles away, some have their own businesses, there are a lot of farmers outside of town, and now the rest work at the big box store.”
“I guess being right off the highway is why they put that store there,” Levi noted.
“Pretty much,” Kassidy agreed. “People around here love it, they love the deals, but those of us with our own shops can’t compete. The products are cheap and the food isn’t great, but people would rather pay five bucks less than get something that’s a bit better quality. At least that’s how it’s turned out.”
She wasn’t done there. Normally Kassidy shied away from the topic of ShopMart and how it was hurting her family’s store – what would one day be her store, but suddenly she couldn’t stop herself from speaking.
“It just, it really sucks, you know? We make our products fresh every single day with local ingredients, but that stupid store has dried up our business. We can’t afford to charge what they do and keep the lights on at the same time, but we can’t afford to charge more, either.”
“So what will you do?” Levi asked, and that was when she realised he looked genuinely interested.
“I’m honestly not sure,” she sighed in response. “My parents always said the store would be mine when they turned sixty-five, but I don’t know if it’ll survive that long. It’s only a few years away.”
Levi’s eyebrow rose at that. “Really?” he asked.
“What?” Kassidy asked him, unsure what he was asking about.
“Nothing, I just, no,” he trailed off. “I don’t want to sound like a jerk.”
“Come on,” Kassidy pressed him. “Tell me.”
“Fine,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up. “You just said their sixty-fifth birthday isn’t far off. You can’t be older than what, twenty-four?”
Kassidy blushed hard at that. “I’m only twenty-one,” she told him.
“Oh man,” Levi groaned as he ran a hand through his thick dark hair. “I didn’t think you were so much younger than me.”
“Is that a problem?” she asked, really hoping that it wasn’t. “How old are you?”
“I just turned twenty-seven,” he said. “It’s not like I’m in my thirties or anything. But your parents, did they...?”
“Have me when they were in their forties?” Kassidy finished for him. “Yes, well, my dad is a few years older than my mom. Apparently I was some kind of miracle baby my mom had just before she turned forty. They wanted a whole bunch of kids, but they just got me.”
“Well, I’d say they did pretty well,” Levi told her, and her cheeks went hot.
“Stop,” she found herself laughing. “But really, the bakery is my dream, I just hope we can hold on to it. I know my parents are keeping a lot of stuff from me, which sucks. I’m an adult, but they treat me like a kid most of the time. I think it’s a symptom of being an only child.”
“That’s not always a bad thing,” Levi reminded her. “And it’s your dream, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“That’s nice, coming from someone like you,” she said, but when he cocked his head slightly, she went on to explain, “You’re already living your dream. Being a musician, travelling the world, singing for sold out arenas with your band. It must be totally amazing.”
She had expected him to give one of those knowing smiles and explain about how wonderful rock star life was, but instead he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
With a heavy sigh he admitted, “It’s not all perfect and fun.”
“What do you mean?” she asked as she used her finger to wipe up a trail of blue ice cream that was making its way down her cone.
“I mean I don’t think it’s my dream,” he said frankly. “At least, it isn’t anymore. It used to be, though. My whole life was about getting that big break and when we did, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. It was everything that I wanted. So much so that it blinded me to the realities of being with a major label.”
“Like what?” she asked, though she was afraid of the answer.
“Like the fact that the record label gets creative control of our songs,” he said with a sigh. “That they push us to make songs about things I don’t like or care about, that it’s all about album sales and selling out venues rather than the quality of the music. I hated our last album and every time I sing those songs, it kills me inside. It wasn’t what I wanted, but they have a contract and there isn’t much I can do about it.”
A sudden wash of realisation flashed over his face and Kassidy knew he hadn’t meant to share all that with her. Not now, possibly not ever.
“It’s okay,” she told him as she placed her hand on his. It was only for comfort, not to push him
to spill more, but that was what he did.
“Honestly, we aren’t on a hiatus, or having technical issues,” he told her, his ice cream cone melting fast in his hand. “After our last show in Vegas, I just took off. I would have kept right on going if I hadn’t almost rode you down in the street.”
“Sorry,” Kassidy said again, flinching at his words.
“No, don’t be,” he insisted. “I’m glad I did. This town isn’t that unlike the one I grew up in. Maybe it’s time I get back to my roots and find the things that inspire me once more. I know it was stupid to take off, and I let a lot of people down, but maybe I can start to find it in me to write again, and start playing the songs that mean something to me again.”
“I can understand that,” she assured him, but what she didn’t say was how happy that made her. Not only was he talking about making the kind of music she had loved so much, but he might have it in his mind to stay in town a little longer than he was originally thinking. Both of those things made her happier than she’d thought possible, and it was a struggle not to reveal that to him. He’d opened up to her, and now wasn’t the time for her to bask in her own selfish happiness.
“Thank you for letting me vent,” he told her as he squeezed her hand in his own. “I don’t often get to do that with anyone who just lets me talk. Normally I have people either just being yes men to shut me up, or the record label telling me to behave. It’s a nice reprieve to just spill my guts.”
“Anytime,” she assured him before they turned their attention back to their ice cream. During their conversation, both of their cones had started to melt and there were streams of sticky cream on Kassidy’s hand, but she didn’t notice them at all. All that mattered was spending time with Levi, listening to him, and getting to know the real him.
They finished their cones in silence, but not in the kind of quiet that had plagued them on their way to the ice cream parlor. It was a comfortable silence that friends could share together without effort or the need to say a word. They had both found a person to open up to, and Kassidy never wanted to lose that.
Melodies of the Heart: A Pinewood Grove Sweet Romance Page 4
