Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
ANDY
“Good. Let’s go then,” I said, draining the last of my water before sliding off the bar stool. The room was feeling a bit hot. Or maybe it was Levi’s reactions that were making me feel a bit stuffy.
It was clear by his action that he wasn’t flirted with often. Which was a shocker, honestly, since he was, by any and all definitions, hot .
Though, what I wasn’t expecting, was thinking he was cute too. The way his eyes went all wide and shining was too adorable and had me feeling way too tight .
I needed some fresh air.
“Where are we going?” Levi asked. His brows knitted together in confusion.
“Home. I think that’s enough for tonight,” I said, then used his elbow to guide him out to grab our jackets and leave the pub. I didn’t let him go until the blast of cold night air brought some clarity to my now foggy mind.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. Why would you think that? ”
“I don’t know.” Levi shrugged. “You just seem different suddenly.”
I felt different.
I shouldn’t be feeling all confused by a man, one who was basically my boss to boot. I definitely shouldn’t be imagining licking those damn dimples whenever he smiled all innocently at me. Or the way he pursed his lips when he wanted to argue back, making his already pouty lips look even more pouty, more suckable .
Yeah, those were things we weren’t thinking about anymore.
“No, you didn’t. It’s getting late, and I think we’ve accomplished what we set out to do tonight,” I said, tucking my hands into my pocket.
“We did?”
His confused expression had me laughing, which only made him frown. I swung an arm around him and pulled him toward the parking lot in the back.
“Yeah. We learned that you, my friend, need a whole refresh on this whole dating business. So that’s where we’ll start. With a date.”
He looked conflicted, almost as if he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not.
Well, me neither buddy.
I didn’t come here to give dating lessons to my new boss. I had more important matters to focus on, but Levi was so earnest in his efforts to find a boyfriend, making it almost impossible to leave him to his own devices.
It wasn’t until we settled in the car that Levi spoke. “Thanks. For agreeing to help me, I mean,” he said, his voice soft and almost vulnerable .
And that I didn’t do.
So I ruffled his hair, purely to break the moment. It definitely wasn’t because I liked the way his soft hair tickled my hand. Definitely not.
“I figured since I already helped you twice, I should keep that trend going.”
He frowned. “I thought we weren’t going to bring up that first night again.”
I chuckled and ruffled his hair again. Levi smiled too, only wide enough for one of his dimples to peek through. At least that meant he wasn’t actually pissed about me bringing up our first encounter.
Looking away, I watched the dark shadows outside the window the entire drive home. That was better than wondering just how deep I could stick my tongue into his dimple.
Was having a dimple fetish a thing? Because, damn , I never knew they were so sexy.
We said our goodnights when we got back to his place. Levi lived in a small, two-bedroom cabin that was about a ten-minute walk from the B just stayed there with his hand moving in a slow, rhythmical beat that guided my heartbeat.
“Yeah,” I replied, surprising myself by how true the answer was. I was able to believe that I’d be okay.
I sank deeper into the couch, relaxing again under his touch. I didn’t move my arm, and it didn’t seem like he’d planned to stop his soft actions either.
“So, you’re obviously wrong about the movie. It’s definitely a Christmas film,” I said, continuing our earlier conversation.
Levi was silent for a second, and I was worried he’d push for answers. Thankfully, he dropped it.
“Are we watching the same thing? Just look at it. There are skeletons and zombies, hell, their dog is a freaking ghost.”
Grinning, he snatched the bowl of popcorn from the coffee table and settled it in the space between us to share. He grabbed a handful and shoved it into his mouth before eyeing me and nudging the bowl as if telling me to join him.
I laughed and took his hint, making myself completely comfortable. “The word Christmas is in the title. It’s obviously a Christmas film,” I insisted, which led to us arguing about which one of us was right as we watched the movie .
By the end of it, neither of us had conceded their point, but I felt light and happy. I had fun spending time with him.
As the credits rolled, Levi turned to me. “That was totally a Halloween movie,” he said cheekily.
I rolled my eyes and threw the last piece of popcorn at him, but the man had fast reflexes and caught the popcorn in his mouth. “Yum,” he exclaimed. My gaze moved to his mouth as I watched him chew. The action pushed his Cupid’s bow deeper, drawing me in until I was full-on staring at his lips.
It wasn’t until the TV went silent that I grew conscious of the fact that I really should not be staring at another guy’s lips.
“So…” I cleared my throat and forced my gaze away. “I haven’t forgotten about helping you with your dating life.”
“Yeah…” Levi’s shoulders went stiff. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You really don’t have to help me. I’m sure you have other stuff you need to do.”
I did. I had a whole list of things I’d planned during my six-month stay here. Sure, the B&B had been slow recently, but I knew business would pick up when all the winter tourists came running to town.
Henry informed me that we were completely booked out starting next month, and I wanted to have the menu perfected by then.
I’d also talked to Peter about opening the restaurant to the general public, and he was receptive to the idea. But that meant there would be even more on my plate with all the planning, logistics, and marketing to get that plan up and running.
Julie was happy to have more hours, but if we were to be full service to the public, we’d need more than just one waitress. And I needed to give Peter a solid plan showing thisendeavor would work to give him a reason to add another person to the staff .
So I already had my hands full. He was giving me an out, and if I were a smarter person, I would take it.
Well, I never claimed to be smart.