Finding Her Strength (Sonoma #3)

4. Levi

4

LEVI

“ W hat’s your poison tonight, Levi?” Cheryl asks from the other side of the bar. She’s got her silver-streaked blonde hair clipped back instead of in her normal ponytail. She’s been the bartender at Donna’s since before I can remember.

“Three of whatever’s on tap.” I smile.

She winks at me before turning to pour my drinks. When Cheryl slides the glasses across the bar, I head back to the table the guys scored. Finding a place to sit on a Friday night is always a gamble since this is the only place in town to grab a drink.

“There’s no way!” Max shouts as I sit down, passing out beer to everyone but Cooper, who is on call tonight.

“I’m telling you, it’s the truth.” Todd grins at him.

“What are we talking about?” I ask, trying to catch up.

Cooper leans toward me. “Todd and Max are fighting over whether it’s legal to spit on the ground.”

“How the hell did they get on to that topic?”

“I found an old copy of Sonoma’s founding laws the other day.” Cooper is the police chief of Sonoma, and Todd is the deputy chief. They usually have some hilarious stories, but this is a new one, even for them.

“You’re actually saying you could arrest me because I spit on the sidewalk before we walked into the bar?”

“Look it up! It’s an actual law in the town’s bylaws.”

“He’s right, Max. Not that we’d ever enforce it. I think it was originally created so men would spit tobacco in those pot things instead of anywhere they pleased,” Cooper adds.

Max shakes his head. “So fucking weird. Now I’m not going to be able to spit if I need to.”

“Is that something you have a problem with? Do you have a medical condition we need to know about?” I tease.

“No, asshole, but when I want to while I’m running or something, I’ll be thinking about breaking the law. Then what will I do?”

“Swallow it?” Todd suggests.

“That’s what she said.” I’m barely able to get the words out before we all descend into hysterics.

Max attempts to sulk, but the grin he’s fighting gives him away.

“Where’s Tucker tonight?” Todd asks. He and Max could be brothers with their dark hair and dark eyes. If you didn’t know them, they’d seem intimidating. Todd’s personality actually matches his looks while Max’s does not.

“He’s got Noah this weekend, so he wanted to stay home to hang with him and Natalie,” I respond. Natalie and Tucker are in the process of adopting Noah. Tucker—who’s a firefighter—saved his life when the group home Noah lived in burned down. They’ve submitted all the necessary paperwork to officially adopt him. Now they have to wait on the state to approve their application.

“Speaking of adoption, Meg and I have been approved for the foster to adopt program,” Todd says.

“For real?”

“No kidding? ”

“Awesome, man!” we say in unison. I know they’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to come their way, and when Natalie and Tucker started the adoption process, Meg and Todd decided they wanted to do the same thing.

Todd grins at us, happiness shining through brighter than I’ve ever seen before.

“What does that mean for placements or who you can adopt?” I ask.

“Well, we’re on a list for when the state needs a home for a kid. If their case is open for adoption, we can apply to adopt while we’re fostering them.”

“You guys will be perfect foster parents,” Cooper says.

“We finally finished all the required courses and home inspections, and now we have to wait for the state to call us.”

“Good for you, man. This is great.” I’m truly happy for them. I know they’ve wanted kids for a long time, but Megan isn’t able to have them biologically. I can’t imagine a more perfect couple for children who need a good home.

“I’m going to grab another beer. Anyone else need another?” I ask.

When they all shake their heads no, I head to the bar, motioning at Cheryl for a refill. She nods in response while filling a different order.

“Hey, Levi.”

I turn toward the voice to find Stephanie Arnold standing next to me. I took her on a couple of dates years ago, but nothing came out of it.

The straw of her drink is resting against her smiling mouth. I think the pose is supposed to come off as seductive, but I’ve always found it a little weird.

“Oh, hey, Steph. How’s it going?” With her blonde hair, blue eyes, and long face, she’s naturally pretty. Unfortunately, she ruins it with the amount of makeup she cakes on.

“Pretty great. How are you? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you out. ”

“Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy recently with work.” Cheryl passes my beer across the bar, and I take a welcome drink. “I’m here with the guys, so I’m going to head back over there. It was good to see you.”

“You, too! Call me sometime.” Stephanie grins, and I nod my head before walking back to the table.

When I sit down, the guys are looking at me like there’s something on my face.

“What?” I ask, running my hand over my mouth in case I have a beer ‘stache.

“We’re surprised you came back over here,” Cooper says.

“Why? We’re having a guys’ night.”

“That’s never stopped you from taking a girl home before,” Max points out.

I shrug my shoulders, playing off their words, even though they’re true. “Not really feeling it tonight.”

“Are you sick?” Todd asks with genuine concern.

“Guys, I’m fine. Just because I’m not going home with the first woman who flirts with me doesn’t mean I’m losing my mind. You act like I’m some man-whore who will go home with anyone.”

“Well… it’s sort of true, man. Although, now that I think about it, you haven’t been... out on the town in a while.” I know Cooper’s words aren’t meant to be harsh, but for some reason, they’re sort of grating on my nerves.

I’m not sure why it’s making me mad. What he’s saying is true. I loved going out, flirting with women, maybe taking them home, or getting their number to go out another time. Things have started to change for me, though. I’m not looking for a quick release only to move on to the next one a few days later.

But I have yet to find someone who wants more from me than that.