Levi
Eight
Knowing I missed the morning ride with the guys, I opted to drive straight from the apartment complex to the jobsite.
Throwing the truck in park, I grab my spare vest and hard hat out of the backseat and climb out, donning both and making my way over to the group of guys directing Isaac on the backhoe.
I know as soon as he spots me, he’ll be foaming at the mouth to chew my ass out for my tardiness.
Okay, so “a little late for work” might have been an understatement, but Oakley didn’t need to know that our little excursion made me well over an hour late.
Yeah, I’m going to get an earful from Isaac—and most likely Harold as well—but I can’t bring myself to care. Every extra minute I got to spend with Oakley this morning makes it worth it.
“Look who finally showed up!” Justin notices me first, and his exclamation has all the guys turning their heads to watch my walk of shame. “Have a nice night, Sleeping Beauty?”
I shove his shoulder playfully. “Just helping out a new neighbor.”
Justin’s brows quirk up in question, his eyes widening a fraction in surprise when his brain catches up and he catches my meaning. I shouldn’t feel as smug as I do, but the prideful beast inside my chest urging me to stake my claim on Oakley preens itself at his reaction.
“No shit?”
Bewilderment drips from his words, and the guys chuckle as I watch them try to figure out what we’re talking about. The guys are nice, but most of them don’t have two brain cells to rub together, so I don’t worry about trying to clue them in.
I’m sure they’ve already heard enough from Justin to know what’s going on. Or at least, what he thinks is going on. I smirk as I make a show of dragging my fingers across my lips in a “my lips are sealed” motion, locking and throwing the imaginary key over my shoulder.
“Man…” Justin sighs, blowing out a breath and putting his hands on his hips as he looks me over. “You sure do work fast.”
“Funny, I heard your ex say the same thing about you,” I deadpan as I narrowly dodge the punch he throws at my ribs, chuckling at the frustrated sound he lets out as the wind from his missed punch ruffles my ragged hair.
“Levi!” Isaac barks from the backhoe and levels me with a glare that rivals my momma’s.
The laugh dies on my lips as the rest of the guys burst out in a fit of laughter that would put any high school girl group to shame. I shrug and make my way over to Isaac, who climbs down from his spot and stands in front of me with his arms crossed.
Might as well get this over with.
“Levi just got called to the principal’s office!” one of the guys shouts from behind me, and more snickers follow. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. High school girls indeed.
“Get your asses back to work before the rest of you end up in the principal’s office too.” Isaac barks, and from the shuffle of movement behind me, I know the guys are scurrying to make themselves look busy.
Isaac is a tough but fair foreman, and we all respect him for it, even though we know the facade fades away as soon as the hard hat comes off. Isaac has joined us on more than one occasion at the bar, and all of us at one point or another have seen him completely trashed a time or two.
“Want to explain to me why you’re over an hour late this morning?”
“Not really.”
“Levi…” Isaac warns, his tone suggesting he has neither the time nor the patience to deal with my lip this morning. The baby must have kept him up all night again.
I blow out a breath. “Sorry, boss. I was helping out a neighbor. Her car ran out of gas on the side of the road last night, so I was bringing her back this morning.”
“Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?”
“Calling what?” I play dumb, knowing exactly what he’s insinuating, but not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
“Knockin’ boots. Rollin’ in the hay. Shakin’ sheets.”
I plaster a shocked look on my face and throw a hand over my heart in mock offense. “My God, Isaac, you’re worse than Justin!”
He rolls his eyes and shoves my shoulder. I chuckle and stumble backwards, already turning on my heel to head back to the rest of the guys who are trying, and failing, to look like they’re working rather than eavesdropping on our conversation.
“Get your ass to work. And don’t let me catch you trying to sneak in late again!”
The day goes by quickly, and I lose myself in the monotonous rhythm of manual labor. It’s one of the reasons why I love what I do so much. Not only is it physically challenging, but the work leaves my mind free to wander while keeping my hands busy at the same time.
There hasn’t been a single instance today where Oakley hasn’t consumed my thoughts. Does she need help moving her things into her new apartment?
Dammit, I should have given her my number.
I wanted to, had opened and closed my mouth more times than I’d like to count, but it never seemed to be the right time. She was consumed with the scenery around her, and I wasn’t going to be the one to break the wonder in her eyes and draw her away.
Watching her drink in her surroundings, the sun shining through the windshield and making her skin glow with something akin to ethereal beauty, was captivating. I’ve replayed the image in my mind so many times today that it’s got to be burned into my retinas.
Good.
By the time Isaac blows the whistle to signal the end of the day, my shirt is soaked through with sweat, and I’m ready to get the hell home and shower.
Dirt sprays from beneath the squeal of tires as the first group of guys take off down the road.
Looks like I’m driving the rest of us back.
Justin and Brandon sidle up beside me on the way to the truck, and I give them both a quizzical look.
“What do you two want?’
“We’re so glad you asked,” Brandon says, mock relief in his voice.
“You’re coming to the bar with us tonight,” Justin declares, the firm line of his mouth and his no-nonsense tone making it clear he’s not about to take no for an answer.
“I’m not really feeling it tonight, guys.” They don’t need to know that I made up my mind to go over to the apartments after work to see if Oakley is settling in alright.
“That girl really did a number on you, bud.” Justin snorts, like he already has the whole thing figured out.
“That girl has a name.”
“Which is…?” Brandon prompts, and I grind my teeth together, not wanting to examine too closely why such a simple question makes me feel like someone set fire to a raw nerve. It’s just a damn name.
“Oakley.” I bite out my response, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before the whole town knows the name, age, birthplace, and social security number of our newest arrival.
It’s one of the drawbacks of living in a small town.
It’s impossible to blend in when everyone makes it their mission to know everything about you, even the things you’d rather keep hidden.
The townsfolk around here are decent, honest people, but they’re like a dog with a bone when they catch a whiff of a newcomer.
“So what’s your deal with her anyway?” Justin asks as we climb into the truck.
“There’s no deal. I gave her directions, then found her on the side of the road when her car ran out of gas. I gave her a ride into town.”
“And you just happened to find her stranded on the side of the road?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?” I adopt a bored tone, but I’m getting annoyed, the constant line of questioning grating on my nerves like sandpaper.
Justin pushes me a little further still. “You told her to take a right at the stoplight when you gave her directions, right?”
I give a single nod of my head as I pull the seatbelt across my chest and click it into place a little more forcefully than necessary.
“Wait, then how did you find her on the side of the road? You take a left to get to your house.” Brandon’s a nice guy, but sometimes his own stupidity gets the better of him.
I glance into the rearview mirror in time to watch Justin jab Brandon in the ribs with his elbow.
He lets out a low grunt, and mutters, “What? It is.”
“That’s the point, dipshit. Our buddy Levi here went looking for her.”
“Who went looking for who?” Isaac asks, catching the end of Justin’s sentence as he climbs into the passenger seat.
We take off down the road a moment later, and I glare out the windshield at the blur of green that passes as I maneuver us back to the shop.
“I think Levi’s got a girlfriend,” Brandon supplies.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I grumble, pinching the bridge of my nose and sucking in a breath through my teeth.
“I thought you just slept with her, but no shit, she’s your girl? That’s awesome, man. I’m happy for ya.”
A twinge of guilt at my irritation rattles through me. Isaac’s words tell me that he really does want the best for me and is happy for me.
Not that there is anything to be happy for. Oakley isn’t my girlfriend, and I definitely did not sleep with her.
But you want to.
I don’t know what’s more infuriating. The three buffoons sitting with me in the truck and gossiping like schoolgirls at recess, or my hardening cock at the thought of Oakley like that.
“I didn’t sleep with her,” I mumble. The words are bitter on my tongue, and I swallow the taste around the lump in my throat.
“Sorry, what was that?” Justin asks loudly from the backseat, and the glint in his eyes tells me he knows he’s playing with fire and doesn’t care if he gets burned.
He’s lucky I have more restraint as an adult than I did as a kid because even now, I’m about ready to turn around and smack that mischievous smile off his face.
“I didn’t sleep with her. And she’s not my girlfriend. I gave her a ride into town and then a ride back to her car this morning. That’s it. There’s nothing else to tell.”
“I’ll bet you gave her a ride, alright,” Brandon snickers, and I fucking lose it.
“Shut your damn mouth, and don’t talk about her like that. You know damn well if your mom heard you talking like that, she’d beat your ass black and blue.”