Chapter 8
Robin
My heart was doing something weird in my chest. It was like a relentless pitter-patter, a thrumming song. It was so loud I wondered if he could hear it.
“I’d absolutely love to spend Christmas Eve with you, Levi. Are you sure I’m not intruding?”
“Naw. It sounds nice,” he said in a low-key drawl while he made us breakfast.
I knew he was trying to help me feel welcome, and that was sweet of him. I hadn’t known what to expect when I embarked on this crazy mission. Nothing like this.
We settled into a comfortable silence, and I watched him work while the dogs played at our feet.
After a while, I looked up motel listings. There was a Silver Pines Lodge in town. Plus a place called the Whispering Ridge Cabins. Then a few Airbnb listings. I swallowed hard at the prices. I made decent money at my job, but I hadn’t planned to pay for a two-week hotel stay at a fancy lodge.
I closed my phone without booking anything as he finished plating our meals. It was nice to know what the options were. I’d ask Levi which place he suggested later on.
He slid two steaming plates onto the table. Then dropped two slices of bacon on the floor for the dogs.
“You’re not one of those anti-begging people, are you? A dog’s got to make a living somehow.”
My lips quirked up. “Did you just make a joke, Levi?”
He furrowed his brow. “Naw. That was just me being silly.”
For some reason it made me happy knowing he had a funny side in him. The letter I’d read had been from a broken man. Maybe he’d done some mending during the past three years.
“Well, to answer your question, I don’t normally give Cocoa any treats except for one late-night snack before bed. But as long as you remember she’s a tiny Chihuahua and doesn’t need too many calories, I’m okay with you sneaking her a treat. She’s on an adventure, too.”
Levi glanced down at her. “She’s a cute dog. And Comet seems to like her.”
“That’s your dog’s name?”
“Yup.”
“Have you had him for a long time?”
“Naw, he’s a rescue. My sister got him for me last year at Christmas. Said I needed someone to keep me company, even if it was just a dog.”
I looked around while we dug into breakfast. Levi was a fine cook.
“She doesn’t approve of you being out here isolated by yourself? She sounds like a good sister,” I told him in between bites.
He shook his head. “This is exactly where I should be.”
“That’s right. Hiding from the world. You said as much in your letter.”
A flash of discomfort rolled across his face. “I don’t remember exactly what I wrote, but you shouldn’t pay attention to any of it. My niece made me write it.”
“Yeah. Annie. I know.”
He cocked his head. “How do you know about Annie?”
“You wrote about her. And I bet she’s the little girl in that family photo.” I pointed to the picture above his mantel.
Levi looked surprised as hell that I knew so much about his life.
So I told him, “I’m not a stalker, I swear.
I just got intrigued by the letter. You sounded so sad.
I wanted to make you feel better. I know that doesn’t make sense.
We don’t even know each other. But it’s how I felt.
After I read the letter, I looked you up online.
There’s an old Facebook page that you probably haven’t used in a long time, but it’s still got some of your life on it.
I wasn’t sure that was you, of course. And you’ve changed a lot.
But I can see that you’re the same man, just a few years wiser. ”
He studied me as he finished his breakfast.
When he got up to take our plates away, he winced as if it hurt to stand up. Then I noticed a slight limp that hadn’t been there earlier.
I got my butt up and took the plates from him. “You cooked, so I’ll wash.”
He growled out, “I can do it.”
“Of course you can. But I’m the guest. And I want to feel useful.” That’s when I realized that Levi didn’t want to show any signs of weakness. But it wasn’t weakness to survive whatever he’d gone through. It was strength.
He looked away from me as I dipped the plates in soapy water and scrubbed.
His voice was low and deep, as though he were telling me a secret. “I have to take some pain pills… normally after breakfast I lay down for a while until they kick in.”
It made me feel sad to know he was still living with the aftermath of whatever had caused all the damage to his body.
“Yeah, sure,” I said cheerily. “While you do that, maybe I’ll go sightseeing in town. Is there anything you recommend?” I wanted to give the man some privacy.
He winced as he reached for a prescription bottle from one of the kitchen cabinets. I couldn’t help but notice it looked like an entire pharmacy in that cabinet. Or maybe a health food store. He had a lot of bottles of pills.
He popped the pill and swallowed it dry.
Then let out a deep breath. “Depends on what you like to do, Robin. There’s some shopping on the main strip.
You mentioned reading. There’s a bookstore next to the knitting shop called Bookish.
A lot of people get lunch at the Silver Pines Lodge if you want something fancy.
Or the Hungry Rooster if you just want good old Southern home-cooking.
There’s a waterfall that tourists like to look at, although it’s frozen this time of year.
Outdoor skating on a pond. And about a thousand hiking trails. ”
“Maybe I’ll hit up that bookstore.”
His gaze skated across my face. “Yup. I’m not trying to chase you out. You come back as quick as you want. I’ll leave the front door unlocked so you can come right in.”
It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt that Levi wanted me to come back.
I beamed up at him. “I’ll be back. It’s not often that Santa offers to be my tour guide.”
“Santa?” he furrowed his brows.
“When I showed up, you were wearing a Santa hat. What a sight you were, Levi. In your underwear and your Santa hat. For a girl that loves Christmas, it was perfect to drive up on that.”
A warmth flooded his expression, and if I hadn’t known any better, I’d say the man was blushing. “I just grabbed it this morning because I couldn’t find my normal winter hat.”
“Do you have the whole costume to go with it?”
His expression clouded. “Yeah. But I haven’t worn it in a long time.”
Somehow I sensed that was a tricky subject. So, I pivoted fast.
“Well, who needs the rest of it? Just a Santa hat is perfect.”
His lips curved up into a gorgeous smile.