Katie's Glimpse (The Glimpse Series)

by Keahey, Robin

  I suddenly felt ashamed for thinking that this kind and honest man was some sort of monster. I knew he wasn’t, but from my experience, you couldn’t be too careful. I jumped up from the bed and threw my arms around his waist. I laid my head on his firm chest and smiled when I felt him place his strong arms around me. “I’m so sorry I asked you that, Levi. I know what kind of man you are, and you are definitely not that kind.”

  “Apology accepted,” he said and gently lifted my face away from his chest and looked down into my eyes. “I would never hurt you.”

  “I know,” I whispered and did know with every fiber of my being that his words were the truth.

  His eyes searched mine and I held my breath, afraid of what he might find in them. Distance, Katie, he’s only your friend! I stepped back from his warm embrace and cleared my throat. “Let me make you some coffee before you go. I feel bad that you had to sleep on my couch.”

  He gave me a small smile. “I really have to go. I need to get home and get cleaned up for work. I’ll see you this afternoon, right?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  He sat down on the couch and began to pull on his boots. I stood close by, watching the way his muscles bunched up as he moved. I was in awe and couldn’t seem to look away. He raised his head and our eyes met. I felt the embarrassment all the way to my toes. Good grief, why don’t I just ask him to flex for me? He chuckled as he reached out for my hand. I gave it to him with the intention of helping him up from the couch. He brought my hand to his mouth instead, and placed a sweet kiss on my knuckles.

  “I’ll see you later, friend,” he said, releasing my hand.

  He stood up, gave me a heart-stopping grin, and was out the door before I could even catch my breath.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I finished with my classes and grabbed a bowl of soup at home for lunch before work. I continued to have cramps, but I’d limited myself to only one pain pill that morning since I had to work. Unfortunately, it had already worn off.

  I arrived at work just before one, and the office was busy. Sydney looked relieved to see me. I knew it was getting harder for her to work full time. “Katie, I’m so glad you’re here, honey,” she said and grabbed her purse to go.

  I laughed and jogged behind the counter. She gave me a quick hug and went out the door. I waited on the remaining customers and tried to keep a smile on my face, but the pain was getting worse. I faked my way through it the best I could.

  Levi came around the corner and caught me crouched down behind the counter. I was trying to get some relief anyway I could, but it wasn’t working. He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why are you hiding?”

  I stood up and smoothed my shirt. “Uh, I’m not hiding,” I replied, giving him a weak smile.

  He studied my face and frowned. “You’re hurting again aren’t you? Did you take some medicine before you left for work?”

  “No, I didn’t. I can’t take that mess and function. I really wanted to work today. Besides, it’s only my second week here. I can’t be calling in sick already.”

  Levi leveled his gaze and huffed out a breath. “Go home, Katie.”

  I glared back at him. I know he didn’t just tell me what to do! I’m not a child who needs to be taken care of or someone he can push...I brought those disturbing thoughts to a halt and attempted to reign in my attitude. He was not Seth; he was my boss and this was his place of business. I almost had my attitude in check too until he picked up my purse and held it out to me. “I’ll call and check on you later.”

  I never had any intentions on leaving. I was just going to be nice about telling him so.

  Maybe it was the pain making me bold. I was normally a passive person, but he was getting under my skin and I had to make it stop. I put my hands on my hips, my glare back in place. “No, I’m staying. I’m fine now.”

  He closed his eyes for a second. I was almost positive he was praying for patience. He set my purse back on the floor and with a sigh, finally said, “Fine, but I’m going to get you some aspirin from my office. I’ll be right back.”

  I moved back to the stool and picked up the lone invoice that needed to be entered into the computer. “Of all the times for there to be no customers and no phone calls,” I muttered to myself.

  Levi returned after a minute with two tablets and a can of soda. I took the pills he handed over and with a drink of soda, washed them down. I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue, showing him that I had swallowed them. “See, all gone,” I said, my words sounding clipped.

  I knew I was being a brat, but the whole situation was getting out of control- for me anyway. Here was this amazing man trying to take care of me, but I couldn’t have that. I had to take care of myself. He had me so confused about what I wanted, and I was afraid I was falling for him. I just wished he would be a jerk, so I could stop my constant thoughts of him. It obviously wasn’t in his nature, so it was up to me to push him away.

  A look of confusion crossed over his face. Pulling my eyes from his, I looked down at the computer screen. After a moment of awkward silence he finally said, “I hope you feel better soon.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, not daring to look up. I heard the sound of his retreating footsteps and felt like a total heel.

  I spent the rest of the afternoon answering the phone and trying not to break down into tears from the pain. I knew I needed to find a doctor soon; this couldn’t be normal, and I couldn’t keep going through this month after month.

  Even though I felt like I might pass out at any minute, I refused to leave work early. I could make it the last thirty minutes of the work day. I stood at the counter griping the edge so hard, my knuckles were white. I looked back at the clock, twenty-eight minutes left. I tried to distract myself by making a trip to the break room to get a drink. I purposely did not look in Levi’s office as I walked past. I got a drink and made my way back to behind the counter. I released the breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. Stay tough, Katie. He’ll move on to someone else when he sees you’re not interested in him. I knew that last part was a lie. I was very interested in him.

  When five o’clock finally came, I could barely keep myself together to get my purse and leave. I went down the hall and knocked on the door frame of Levi’s office. He didn’t answer, so I stuck my head in. He wasn’t in there. Crud. I had really wanted to do more than just tell him goodbye. I had wanted to apologize for my terrible behavior, but just not let on to the real reason for it.

  I turned to leave and ran into a wall of hard muscle. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. I could smell him. That wonderful scent of his cologne mixed with him. I inhaled his scent with a deep breath before I could stop myself. I heard him chuckle, and took a step back before looking up at him. He had a very pleased look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but I blurted out my rehearsed apology before he had a chance to speak, “I was just coming to tell you bye and to thank you for taking care of me last night and again today. I’m sorry I got short with you earlier. It’s just extremely embarrassing to discuss my female issues with my male boss.”

  He smiled sincerely. “It’s okay. I understand, but I’m not just your boss. I’m your friend too, and friends care about each other.”

  I wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t care for me, but I didn’t. I simply replied, “Well, have a good night. I’ll see ya later.”

  He stepped to the side, allowing me room to pass by in the narrow hallway. As I brushed past him, I heard his slow intake of breath. Did he just sniff my hair? I looked up and saw the sly grin on his face. “Smells like strawberries, nice.”

  Shaking my head, I laughed. I guess I deserve that. I waved over my shoulder but didn’t look back. I needed to get home and take some pain medication before I passed out from the pain or possibly the embarrassment of the day.

  When I got home, I took two pain pills and called Mom. I explained to her what was going on, and she said she would call around to get me a doctor’s a
ppointment in Jackson. She told me not to worry about going out of town to see a doctor, since nobody here knew me anyway. That’s usually what I did if I had any female issues. I couldn’t risk seeing a doctor in my hometown. There were too many nosy people there trying to find some gossip, and my story would be a juicy bit for a long time. It disgusted me to even think about people discussing my life and the choices I’d had to make. Mom and I spoke a little longer, and I told her school was going good and that I had gotten a part time job. She seemed concerned when I told her about Levi. I didn’t hide anything from my parents anymore- well almost. I told her that I was keeping my distance, and I just wanted to be his friend no matter what he wanted. She told me to be careful. I asked about Asher, and she said he was doing great, just growing like crazy. She put him on the phone, and I heard him coo. I smiled at the beautiful sounds my sweet baby was making.

  “Hey Ash, how are you, sweetie. It’s Katie. I sure do miss you. I love you so much, baby boy.” I began to cry as she came back on the line.

  “I’m sorry, honey. Maybe that’s not such a good idea.”

  I sniffed. “No, it’s fine, Mom. I’m just tired. I’ll call you again soon. Tell Daddy I love him. I love you too, and give Asher a kiss for me.” We said our goodbyes, and I hung up the phone.

  I barely made it to the couch before I broke down into a sobbing mess. The next thing I knew, my cell phone was ringing.

  “Hello,” I answered groggily.

  “Katie?” I heard Levi ask as I tried to shake the fog from my brain.

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  I must have dozed off again, because I heard him yell my name.

  “I’m here, sorry. I’m fine. I took... Wait, what did I say?”

  I heard him chuckle. “Okay, I’ll let you go. Get some sleep.”

  I yawned and replied, “Okay. I love you too. Give Asher a kiss for me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Thursday rolled around, I was ready to get back to my life. I felt okay. Well, no more pain at least. I’d spent the day before in class and gave my apartment a good cleaning. Levi had sent me a text asking how I felt, and I replied that I was back to normal. His response was a short “That’s good.” and that was the end of the conversation. I didn’t hear from him again. I tried not to think about it or let it bother me, but it did anyway. I had to admit, I enjoyed spending time with him, even though I knew I shouldn’t.

  I opened the door to the office and was pleased to see it wasn’t very busy. Sydney was on the phone and gave me a smile and a wave as I joined her behind the counter. She must have been talking to her husband because she practically glowed. I smiled as I watched her caress her swollen belly, even though the sweet image caused a spark of sadness in my heart. She said goodbye and hung up. She was grinning, and I couldn’t help but ask why.

  “Zach is taking me out on a date tonight. We’re going to that fancy restaurant out by the lake,” she squealed, barely able to contain her excitement. I was about to join in on the merriment until I saw her smile fall and her face fill with what looked like distress. “But now I’ve got to buy a new dress. I’m not sure that I’ll find anything nice enough that comes in tent size.”

  I took her hands in mine and looked into her eyes as I spoke, “I know your husband will think you look beautiful in whatever you wear. I saw the way you looked when you were on the phone with him. It’s obvious how much you love him, and I bet he loves you even more.”

  She smiled and squeezed my hands. “You’re right. Thanks for reminding me,” she replied before releasing me hands and grabbing her purse to leave. As she left the office, her smile back in place, I wondered what it would feel like to still be so in love after five years of marriage. I felt the same old sadness begin to bubble up again and shook my head. I needed to stop daydreaming because I was never going to find out.

  I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned to see Levi leaning against the wall. How long has he been standing there? I hope not long enough to notice me mooning over something I would never have.

  “Hi, Levi. How are you?”

  He smiled tightly. “I’m okay.”

  I noticed a look of uncertainty on his face. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nah, it’s just been a busy day.”

  “Uh, okay,” I replied, smiling weakly.

  He watched me for a second more. “Have a good rest of the day, Katie,” he said, before walking away.

  “You too,” I murmured to myself. Something was bothering him. I didn’t know what it was, but I could tell it concerned me. Crap! Maybe with all my recent drama, he is thinking of firing me. I couldn’t blame him, though. I was a mess most of the time. I decided the best thing for me was to try and do some damage control. I really liked my job and if I was being honest with myself, I really liked him too.

  I didn’t get a chance to plead my case to him during the afternoon because we were swamped. I figured I would just have to catch him before I left. Nervously, I waited on my last customer five minutes before closing time. As soon as he was gone, I grabbed my purse and made my way to Levi’s office, but he wasn’t there. I hustled on to the break room but only saw Todd, one of the field workers.

  I didn’t know him very well since he often kept to himself. I offered him a smile and said, “Hey, Todd. Have you seen Levi lately?”

  He returned my smile with a blush and replied, “He left a little bit ago. He said something came up.”

  I tried to hide the disappointment on my face. “Oh, okay. Well, thanks anyway. Have a good night.” I started to leave when Todd spoke again.

  “Hey, Katie, would you like to go get something to eat with me?”

  Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. Todd was a cute guy, maybe a little short but cute none the less. I thought about it for a second. Maybe getting to know a few people might be a good thing. It couldn’t hurt to get my mind off of Levi for a little while.

  Todd took my hesitation as a no. “That’s okay if you don’t want to.”

  I smiled sweetly at him. “Todd, I would love to go out to eat with you.”

  A broad grin broke out across his face, and I had to fight back the giggle that tried to escape my lips. He looked like he’d just won the lottery or something. “Just let me get cleaned up. I’ll be right back.” The nursery had a locker room of sorts in the back. Anyone could use it, but it was mainly for the field workers; they could get pretty muddy out there.

  I sat down in one of the break room chairs and waited. The longer I sat there, the more I began to second guess my decision to go out with Todd. He seemed nice, but looks could be deceiving, and I’d learned that the hard way. I couldn’t back out now. That wouldn’t be fair to him. The safe thing to do would be for me to call someone and let them know I’d be out with Todd, but who? I thought about Sydney, but then remembered her date. I didn’t want to interrupt her romantic night with her husband. With a groan, I realized there was only one person I could tell who would understand my need to feel safe, my only real friend in this town. I reluctantly found the number and dialed. He answered on the second ring.

  I took a deep breath. “Levi, hey it’s Katie.”

  He hesitated before he spoke, “Hey, Katie.” I fell silent for a second as I tried to gather my courage. “Did you need something?” he asked, filling the awkward silence.

  “Uh, this might seem strange, but I want you-” I stopped, too embarrassed to tell him the rest. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll talk to you later. Sorry I bothered you,” I blurted out.

  “Katie, wait. What do you mean you want me?”

  What?! I played my previous words back and cringed. I had said it like that. “Oh, no. No! I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. What I meant to say was that I want you...to know that I’m going out to dinner with a guy. I got scared after I agreed because I don’t really know him and just wanted someone to know who I was with in case....in case som
ething happened to me,” I said and released a deep breath, suddenly tired of the constant struggle with what was normal for everyone else. I didn’t hear anything from his end and wondered if he hung up. “Levi?” I asked hesitantly.

  He let out a slow breath. “I’m here. Um, no, I’m glad you thought to call me. Who’s the guy?” he asked, his voice sounding tight.

  “Todd, uh, I can’t remember his last name. Dang it! I’m so stupid. I don’t know why I even said yes when he asked. I came in the break room looking for you and he kind of caught me off guard when he asked.”

  I heard him laugh. “Are you talking about Todd King?”

  King! That’s it, now I remember. But why did Levi laugh? Is it so hard for him to believe that someone else might be interested in me?

  “Yes. I’m talking about Todd King and what’s so funny about it?” I didn’t try to disguise the anger in my voice.

  “Hey now, don’t get mad. I wasn’t laughing at you. I just can’t believe he had the guts to ask you out. That boy is painfully shy. You have nothing to worry about.”

  I relaxed a little. “Oh, well that’s good.”

  Levi spoke again, “Why were you looking for me at work?”

  “I’ll tell ya later. I’ve got to go, Todd will be back any minute. Thanks for dealing with my craziness. Bye.” I hung up quickly, not giving Levi a chance to say anything else. I didn’t have the time now to go into why he shouldn’t fire me, and I definitely didn’t want to have that conversation over the phone.

  Todd rounded the corner coming into the break room looking clean and ready to go. I stood up, and wordlessly followed him to his car. As he opened the passenger door for me, he finally spoke, “I want to take you to my favorite place. I hope you like Mexican food, because I love it.”

  I snorted out a small giggle, and he looked at me strangely. I cleared my throat. “Mexican food sounds great.”