Chapter 5
Levi
All the ranch hands and Billy and Nash are standing around, looking like they’re planning out a strategy or something.
They don’t even notice me until after I’ve unloaded Billy’s things and I’m bringing the huge ass box out from the back of the cab of my truck.
It’s a specialty box with the store’s logo in a fancy cursive font across the front and back. “A gift for your beloved?” Nash tries.
“No. For the resort.” I go for casual, like I make two thousand dollar purchases regularly.
That gets Billy's attention right quick. "For the resort? What is that, a picture?"
I'm facetious. "No, it's a wheelbarrow."
Billy and Nash follow me to my room, where I open the box and set the gorgeous work of art down on the bed. "Jesus Christ, that just takes my breath away, that does." I murmur to myself.
"Since when are you into shit like that?" Nash comments.
"Normally I'm not. But this is extraordinary."
Billy is studying it. "Where did you get it?"
"In that photography store in town."
"The one next to Buddy's store?" Nash checks.
I clear my throat. "That's the one."
"What made you stop there?" Billy asks. "I sent you to the hardware store. That's way on the other side."
I frown. "I saw Buddy at the marina last night. He told me to stop by and check the place out, so I did. I do not regret it."
The receipt is tucked in the corner of the frame, and it falls off, as it uncurls.
Nash is too quick and he grabs it before I do.
He looks at me with bulging eyes. "Jesus Christ, Levi.
When the fuck did you come up with this kind of money?
What, did you rob the bank while you were out running errands? "
Snatching the receipt out of his hand, I feel my jaws clench. "Just like you, I've got money tucked away, Nash. Remember that I'm in school, and I paid for that all on my own."
"Which is exactly why you shouldn't have two grand in cold hard cash just sitting in the bank. What's going on with you?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I do happen to have money, and what I do with it is up to me."
Billy interjects gently. "It's none of my business, either Levi. But why on earth would you spend that kind of money on a picture?"
"Well, isn't it beautiful?"
"Sure, it is. But that's a king's ransom for a kid that's paying his own way for schooling." Billy points out. "Surely you can find many other things to pay for with that. I mean, you're going to be an architect, and I'm sure that you've got all kinds of schooling left to pay for."
I look at them like they've both just grown a second head.
"For your information, I happen to have enough money saved up to buy a fucking house if I wanted to.
I haven't spent a dime, other than to pay for daddy's expenses, since I started working.
" I point at my brother. "And you know as well as I do that we've both been working since we could fucking crawl on account of mama and daddy being so goddamn irresponsible.
I figured it was high time that I spent money on something I wanted to and goddammit, I wanted to buy that picture. "
Nash stands there, looking at the picture blankly. "Wait a minute. That's the store where that pretty blonde works, isn't it."
I look at Billy. He's fighting a smile.
"So what if it is." I argue meekly.
Nash turns to look at me. "I'm sure it wasn't Buddy's good looks and puppy dog eyes that compelled you to buy that picture of a bunch of fucking trees for two grand."
"She didn't give me puppy dog eyes, for your information." I argue, but it sounds like I'm saying that it's blue not dark blue. "I saw her actually taking that photograph in the woods here."
"Here?" Billy's finger points to the floor. "Like, at my ranch?"
I nod. "Yeah. I, um, found her as she was taking it. Scared the living daylights out of her. But if you look at that picture, and see how perfect it is, I don't know, I just had to have it."
"Well, you're smart to keep it here." Nash points out, but his eyes are dancing. "Because if Shelly gets wind of this, especially when y'all have a baby on the way, she'll tear you to shreds."
"You can say that again." Billy teases.
"You two aren't going to say anything, are you?"
"What, that y'all have a crush on a pretty blonde photographer, or that y'all spent two thousand dollars on a life size picture of fucking trees?" Nash can barely get out.
Billy's chest is vibrating a little and I want to punch him. In fact, I want to punch both of them, and I'm considering taking the goddamn picture and hiding it in my room at home, before anyone else sees it. "Look, I don't have a crush on her. I swear."
"Sure, Levi." Nash says unconvincingly. "Because you just go around buying art like that all the time, man."
Billy takes it down a notch. "Levi, we're not judging you.
Hey, it is a nice picture, and if you want to, y'all can hang it in here all you like.
Nobody's going to say a word. But be careful, my boy.
That girlfriend of yours has a silver tongue, and if she finds out about this, your brother's right.
She's going to eat you for lunch. Any woman would.
You think about it, okay. She's pregnant with your child—"
Nash interjects. "Presumably."
Billy nods. "Whether or not she's expecting, Levi, a woman would want you to spend that sort of money on her, not on an extravagance like that. But especially when you and she are expecting a child together."
He has a point. "Fine. But I don't have a crush on her."
"Whatever you say, Levi." Nash chuckles, unconvinced. "Just make sure that Shelly doesn't find out about it if you like your balls where they are."
I see her walking down the hallway, carrying her laptop in her arms, and I feel ashamed. "Shelly, hey."
"Levi, I'm late for class." She says to me, her voice with an edge to it.
"Listen, I'm sorry about leaving the other night without saying anything."
There's a bank of chairs attached to tables, restaurant style, off to the side. I offer for us to sit. "Have you got like two minutes to talk?"
"Fine. My professor is always two minutes late, anyway. It's not like I'll be missed."
Sliding a swivel chair around to face her, I gesture for her to sit.
"I'm sorry. I was just a little bit caught off guard when you announced the news in front of my brother and his fiancé.
" I add, not taking the slight bite out of my tone.
It was completely unfair that she did that, and I'm not giving her leeway on that.
"Well, it just came out, Levi. It's the hormones."
"I get that now. But I had to do some damage control, and now I'm practically the laughingstock. My brother and Billy don't even believe that you're pregnant."
I watch her face for a reaction. Part of me wants desperately to believe that she's lying about the pregnancy, but the other half is fighting with that half, since that would mean that my first girlfriend is one foot out the door.
She stares at her fingertips, not at me.
"Levi, this isn't easy for me, either. I mean, I never expected this to happen.
I'm in school and having a baby is the last thing I want to do. "
"So, don't do it, Shelly. We don't have to have this kid if it means fucking up both of our lives."
She sits there in silence.
I hear someone shout at me from above the mezzanine area. "Hey, Levi!" I look around and I can't see anyone, so I stand up, and that's when I see, in the area above our heads, a buddy of mine from my architecture class. "I tried calling you, man!" Dave shouts.
I pull my phone out of my pocket, and the goddamn receipt from the picture floats to the floor, but it lands closer to Shelly, and she picks it up.
"Shit." I mutter to myself as she looks at it.
I'm half pissed off that she doesn't just give it back to me, instead of taking a look first. I shout back up at Dave.
"My phone's dead. I'll see you in class. "
He nods and I look at Shelly, taking the receipt back from her. "I bought it for the ranch."
"Using Billy's money?" She asks, lifting a brow.
"Well, no." I confess. "I bought it for myself, but it's staying at the ranch."
She blinks but says nothing. Her face is unreadable.
I level with her. "Shelly, you've got nothing to worry about, as far as money is concerned, okay. If we decide to have this baby, we will manage."
"Fine." She says, rising. "I really need to get to class, and so do you."
"Yeah. I'll see you later."
I go to give her a kiss, but she walks away before I can.
I still don't know how to read her. There is so much about her that I don't know and that she keeps secret.
But instead of sitting here, being completely oblivious, I decide to follow her to class, from steps behind.
At least I could know what program my girlfriend is taking for chrissake.
To be fair, I've never asked her, but I've never seen a textbook on her, so it's hard to tell.
A lot of textbooks are electronic, like in my program.
It's not as transparent as one would think.
And the only classes she's ever referenced have been general education ones, which we all take, so instead of guessing, I follow her.