Chapter 4
Levi
Istand at the coffee shop front window and watch Tab maneuver the sidewalks of Nashville. I’m poised to follow, only a step away from the front door if she leaves my sight. My heart pumps the same thought through my body on an endless reel: I need to know where she lives.
If Micah won’t give me the information, I’ll find out myself.
It’s been a month since the fire, but the connection was still there, electric and unyielding. The phrase drawn to her would be an understatement. Ever since that night, a persistent need to know her, help her, be with her has rolled against me like the never-ending surge of ocean waves.
On the crosswalk, she dodges people like she’s trying not to be noticed, moving this way and that, avoiding any contact whatsoever. As if attention would cost her something.
That alone would usually make her invisible to me. Women I know dress like their only objective is to be seen. Who wear their confidence loud and tight and lowcut.
Tabitha Riley wears the exact opposite—and somehow I’m all the more attentive.
I track the way her shoulder dips when her steps slow. The way she pauses, just barely, before entering the building across the street, almost like she had to brace herself.
Even though I know the building, I move closer to the glass to read the name on the canopy: Wingate Building.
Interesting. Micah failed to mention he put the girls up so close to headquarters. It’s like she’s been sitting under my nose all this time. I could punch him in the nuts for this.
I watch the front doors long after she’s disappeared through them. The universe had to have set this up. After all this time, all the texts sent, all the questions asked, and she just happens to be in the café I walk into? Fucking kismet.
Goddamn, there’s something about Tabitha Riley.
Still here after all she went through, spitting fire. She wears her attitude like a cloak draped over her body. Not a shield, but an accessory.
She’s beautiful.
Gone was the vulnerability from the night of the fire.
Cleaned of ashes and smoke, she practically glowed, a halo of light surrounding her.
Underneath, though, I sensed something different.
A bitterness. An uncertainty that wasn’t there before, proven by the little movements here and there.
Pulling her sleeves down. Making sure her hair was over her shoulder.
The way she tried to disappear into the crowd.
I know almost nothing about her injuries other than what Micah has said. She was burned on one side of her body where the fire got too close. Too near such a precious form. I can only imagine—.
I squeeze my eyes shut, anger dousing my body. My brain tries to conjure up images of what she would’ve went through, but at the same time, I wipe them away. Why Tab?
My hands clench at my sides. Micah should’ve told me—us—what was going on with her.
Raeann is part of the family now, and Tab is her family.
Instead, he’s hidden her away. On bed rest like it’s the 1800s.
Just judging by the time I spent with her, the last thing she needs is to be secluded.
She needs to be out there, living boldly.
I mean…she survived. Fuck. She deserves a celebration. Hiding is not the answer.
“Excuse me?” I don’t look right away, and the man has to repeat himself, then add, “Can I get through?”
It’s then that I realize I’m standing at the front door, staring between the curved decals that represent steam from a coffee cup.
I step out of the way, and the guy does a double take. “Yo. Levi Soucy. Great game the other day. That catch in the third right on the sidelines… Amazing.”
“Thanks, man,” I say, shaking his hand on autopilot. I’m always cordial when talking to fans while at the same time attempting to keep the interaction to a minimum. I learned early on that if you gave people an inch, they’d take the whole damn day.
Not Tab, though. Before the fire, all of my interactions with her were normal. As if I was just some guy. Maybe it’s because she was used to having Micah around, but it was refreshing to not have to wade through looks of stardom.
I give the guy a smile, looking away so he knows the conversation is over, but I spot the emblem on his shirt. The plan of all plans solidifies in my mind. If this was a football play, we’d be going straight to the championship. “You work for that cell company?”
“Sales,” he confirms. “If you ever need anything, I’ll hook you up. We’re down the street.”
I pat his shoulder, beaming. “Dude, you could not have come at a better time. You have no idea. Are you heading back there now?”
“Yeah, I just stepped out for coffee.” He holds up his to-go cup.
“I’ll walk with you.”
The street is busy. Pedestrians, cars, but I’ve never minded the hustle and bustle.
Some of the older guys on the team prefer to live outside the city limits, with their big houses and families, but I love living in the center of it.
Being able to pop down to the store like this and grab what I need.
“Alright, what’re you looking for?” the guy asks when he opens the door to the shop.
There are a couple more workers behind the desk and a few customers browsing phones.
The store is on the small side with pedestals showcasing the newest phones and other tech accessories cropping up across the showroom floor like strategically placed defense players on the field.
Each pedestal is showcased from a spotlight above. I stop near one, watching the vibrant colors on the screen as the phone goes through a demo, but the images morph into Tab on her bed, texting me with a huge smile on her face.
“I want the works,” I tell him, turning to face him again. “See, I’m trying to impress this girl, so I want the absolute best phone you have in this place, plus all the accessories that go with it…and I want the line added to my plan.”
It’s a last-minute decision, but it just feels right. I’m not going to give her a gift and then make her pay for it, but better than that, adding her to my plan is a step in the direction I want to take with her. On the same phone plan signals togetherness, a relationship, even family.
I’m so fucking giddy.
“You want to keep her number?”
I open my mouth to say yes, but that has some potential problems. One, I don’t have her original phone number to give to this guy, and two, if she has her old number back, she’ll be available to everyone. Literally everyone. All her friends, family, social media.
I want her all to myself.
Mine.
The thought surprises me, but instead of feeling bad about it, I smirk. “New number.”
“You got it.”
This is going to be so good. From this point forward, I’ll have direct communication with her. No Micah to interfere. Just her and me, getting to know each other. Secret texts, inside jokes, she’ll be so far in my orbit before she even realizes she’s there.
Within half an hour, I’m walking out of the shop with a bag full of tech. As if the universe planned it just for us, I spot a flower shop next door. I’m being pulled by divine forces. There is no other explanation because everything is working out perfectly.
Inside, I’m bombarded by the aroma of florals. Each scent layered on top of one another makes for an intoxicating mix. The new phone is one thing, but it’s sort of sterile by itself. The flowers will make it extra. Romantic, sweet, the kind of gesture Tab deserves.
The fifty-something-year-old woman at the counter greets me with a warm smile. “How can I help you?”
Peering around, I spot flowers in every color of the rainbow. The only flower I can recognize instantly are roses. But that’s so basic. Everyone gives their significant other roses. I want mine to stand out.
I lean against the counter, giving the woman my best smile. “I have a problem. I’m really into this girl, and I want to show her how special I think she is.”
Her eyes shine. “Well, I can help with that.”
I lift the bag of tech and place it on the flat surface in front of me. “I just bought these for her, which she needs, but alone they just seem like maybe they’re not the right message I want to send.”
The woman’s eyebrow raises as she picks through the bag. “She must be a very special girl.”
“You have no idea.”
“Well, I know just what to do.” She gives me a red-lipped smile before turning and maneuvering to a table in the back a little ways away. “We’ll do a gift basket. I can situate the phone and the other gadgets amongst more romantic things. Flowers, maybe some chocolate covered strawberries?”
I grin. Tab’s not going to know what hit her. “Yes, all of that.”
“Do you know her favorite flower?”
My shoulders deflate. “I don’t.”
The woman nods. “Relationship 101. Find out her favorite flower and don’t forget it. You never know what a simple gesture will do.”
I take out my phone and go to my Notes app and write that down. “Excellent advice.”
After labeling the page “Wooing Tab,” I close it and put my phone away, watching the woman work. She flits around, grabbing flowers from different refrigerators, then a box of chocolate covered strawberries from another. “How much do you want to spend?” she asks.
“Money isn’t a worry. Just make it beautiful.”
She puts the one box of chocolate covered strawberries back and grabs a bigger one. I already like this woman. She gets it.
Micah’s going to kill me for this. But maybe Tab and I could keep it on the down low. The idea of her texting me under the blankets makes me smile. Hiding the phone under her pillow when people walk in. Like I’m her dirty little secret.
My mind goes other places. Clandestine meetings. Confidential hookups. It would have to be, anyway. I signed a contract that I wouldn’t date other girls during the taping of the TV show, but that’s almost over, thankfully.
I push those depressing thoughts away and think of Tab again while I watch the woman from the flower shop perform magic with her hands. Soon, my phone gift is arranged into a beautiful fantasy of flowers, chocolates, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.
So much better than just dropping off a shopping bag. “It’s beautiful.”
“Almost,” she says, sticking a couple more flowers in. “There.”
“It’s better than I imagined.”
The woman gives me a grin, and I can tell she’s pleased with herself. “See one of those cards on the desk right there? You better think of what you want to say…”
I peer at the counter and spy the little blank card that always accompanies flowers, the shop’s logo in the upper right corner.
A tiny envelope is next to it. I take a deep breath.
There are a hundred things I could write, but simpler is better for now.
Something warm, but not something that’s going to send her running if I come on too strong.
For us, I write, using my best penmanship.
It’s the thought I want to convey right now.
Like there is an us. A partnership. A relationship.
Then I sign my name. I have to stop myself from using my autograph signature that always comes out automatically.
This isn’t like that at all. Tab isn’t a faceless fan.
She’s…special. Below my name, I add a heart, which I think gives it a nice touch.
“All set?” the woman asks, walking toward the counter. I nod, and she whisks away my card and envelope and arranges it within the basket. I swear it looks like a fairy came out of an enchanted forest with a basket full of an expensive phone and accessories.
“It’s perfect,” I tell the woman, handing her my bank card.
“Thank you, Mr. Soucy.”
I start a little, thinking she’s recognized me, but then I realize it’s just because she has my card.
“Do you want to deliver it yourself? Or do you want us to?”
I mull over the question, finally deciding on them.
The guy at the store already programmed my number as the only contact in the phone.
It’s fully charged and ready to go. Now all I have to do now is head home and wait for her call.
Or message. An excited thank you. “I want to give her the full surprise experience, so can you deliver it?”
“Of course.” She takes out another slip of paper. “Can you write down her address here?”
“It’s going across the street to Wingate. Penthouse.”
I’m not certain at that last part, but I have to believe Micah wouldn’t do anything less for Raeann, and by extension, Tab. He’s obsessive. We all saw it. Pursuing her like she was his sole focus.
I admired it, honestly. Was even a little jealous that he cared for someone enough to know implicitly what he wanted. There was no doubt hanging over his head. He was convinced from moment one.
Honestly, it’s how I’ve been feeling since the night of the fire. Seeing her at the café today only solidified it for me.
These thoughts race through my brain as I walk to my own apartment.
The housekeeper came today, so everything is sterile, clean.
It hardly looks like I live here. Or anyone for that matter.
Simple, sparse modern furniture sits throughout the space.
A state-of-the-art voice-controlled sound system is my pride and joy.
Striding to the fridge, the only thing in it is ketchup packets and a bottle of water.
I grab the bottle of water and take a swig, then lie on the couch and stare up at the ceiling.
A listlessness spreads through me. The quiet, the cleanliness, it all seems kind of wrong now.
Before, I was okay being by myself. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted.
But I can’t help but to think that Tab would liven up this place.
She’d put her stamp on the place to make it feel like a home. Her laugh would make it feel warmer in here. Cozy. That sass of hers bringing energy to it. Right now, this place is just walls and furniture, but it could be so much more.
Mind buzzing with ideas of how to insert my way into Tab’s life, I somehow doze off and awake to my phone pinging. I scramble to answer it to find the wrong person contacting me. It’s Kris asking me when my date is with the other woman, Andrea. I sigh.
It’s supposed to be tonight…
Another suit, another fancy restaurant where they charge you twice the price for a wedge of food and you’re supposed to be grateful.
I ignore her text. Right now, this is time to myself, for myself. And the only woman I want to hear from is Tabitha Riley.