17. Alexis
Alexis was both mortified and angry.
When that man, Ralph, had pushed the door open, it had banged her sore elbow, causing a wave of agony to wash over her. She had realised too late he was elderly, and then Levi’s protective reaction toward him rather than her had made her double down on her terrible behaviour.
Still. Levi really didn’t have to be so harsh on her, especially in front of someone else.
She had gone to bed and lay staring at the ceiling for way too long. It was only when the sun peeked around the side of the window’s curtains that she realised she’d barely slept all night.
She was going to be a wreck today, but she needed to apologise to Ralph. Preferably without running into Levi.
And then, as if he knew she’d been thinking about him, her phone buzzed with a message.
She looked at the screen and frowned.
Levi:
Can we talk?
She typed back.
Alexis:
What about?
Levi:
Come to my apartment whenever you can. Preferably before eight thirty.
Alexis was tempted to tell him where to stick his invitation, but she knew she wouldn’t. There was something about the guy that made it impossible to stay away.
But she wasn’t going to make a big effort over her appearance or anything. She had some pride.
After changing into a pair of jeans and a loose white button-up shirt, she took the fire stairs down to the sub-penthouse level and knocked on Levi’s door.
Someone else answered. He was attractive—or at least he would have been if his lip wasn’t split, his nose wasn’t swollen, and he wasn’t covered in bruises.
‘Uh, do I have the right apartment?’ Alexis asked, checking the gold numbering beside the door.
The guy beamed. ‘Yes! Come in! You must be Alexis.’
‘And you are?’
‘Elias. Levi’s brother.’
‘Oh! Which one?’
‘The one who despises everyone in the family except my bro here.’
Levi came to the door. ‘You don’t have to share all our family’s dirty laundry.’
‘She’ll find out soon enough,’ Elias pointed out. ‘Are you worried I might scare her away before we lock her into a contract?’
Contract?
Levi avoided looking at Alexis and ushered her inside. ‘Please. Come through.’
Alexis obliged and entered the sub-penthouse. She still wasn’t sure how to feel, but the presence of Levi’s brother made her feel strangely more at ease. Maybe because he had a casual energy about him that relaxed the atmosphere. He may even have been slurring, but Alexis wasn’t completely sure. She supposed he could still be drunk after a big night out. He’d clearly been up to something.
‘Would you like a coffee?’ Levi asked, pointing to what looked like a café-quality machine.
‘Yes, please.’
‘How’s your elbow?’ he asked.
Alexis could tell he was trying to make an effort, but she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.
‘Still not great. I think I injured it further when I was taking the recycling out.’
Levi nodded, finally making eye contact. Alexis could see regret reflected in his expression.
‘I’m sorry I was harsh yesterday. Ralph recently lost his wife, and he’s been a bit vague. I was worried about him.’
Alexis blushed. ‘I’ll apologise to him later. I feel terrible for yelling. I know it’s no excuse, but when the door hit my elbow, I kind of lost it.’
‘Understandable.’
‘Aw, you guys are adorable,’ Elias said, resting his chin on his hands as he propped his elbows up on the kitchen counter. ‘Why don’t you kiss and make up already?’
‘Seriously, Elias?’ Levi said, exasperated.
‘Sorry. You just look so cute together.’
‘Anyway,’ Levi said, pouring coffee grounds into the portafilter and clicking it into place. ‘I was hoping I could ask you for a favour.’
‘What kind of favour?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘As you can see, my brother got into a bit of a situation last night, and he isn’t allowed to be on his own for a few days. Technically, he should still be in the hospital, but since I’m a doctor, he was released into my care.’
‘And you’re telling me this, because?’
‘Because he wants you to babysit me while he goes to the office,’ Elias answered.
‘Um, right. I kind of have to work…’
‘We’ll pay you,’ Elias cut in. ‘Our family’s loaded, you know. In fact, you can probably give up all your other jobs in the meantime. Put them on hold.’
Alexis did a mental inventory of her current commitments. Across the next week, she only had her standing arrangement with Princess Blueberry and a couple of cleaning gigs, but she was reluctant to put them on hold. She was proud of the reputation she’d built up as a reliable person, even in the short time she’d been in business.
‘The next few days are quiet, but I can’t put the jobs I do have on hold.’
‘Fine. I’m sure I won’t die in the couple of hours you have to be out. What do you say? Will you be my carer?’
Alexis looked at Levi, but Levi was looking at Elias with barely concealed irritation. She wondered if it was because he spoke in a flirty way and he was worried Elias would make a move on her. Or was it just that Levi always had to look after him? That was a distinct possibility.
‘Are you happy to pay my going rate?’ she asked.
‘I’m willing to go as high as one hundred dollars per hour,’ Elias replied.
‘How many hours do you require my services for?’
‘My bro here will be covering for our other sibling in the office, so he’ll be out of the apartment a lot over the next week. I’d say ten hours a day for five days, and then we can re-evaluate? We’d obviously subtract the time where you have to attend your other jobs.’
Alexis silently cursed. Her other jobs didn’t pay anywhere near that much. She shouldn’t have said anything until she’d learned all the information, but at least she’d be able to maintain her integrity. And she’d still come out with a nice chunk of money to go toward rebuilding her life. Without accommodation costs, she was barely spending anything. Just food and a few other necessities.
‘Is this all okay with you?’ she asked Levi.
He nodded. ‘You’d be helping me a lot.’
‘Okay. I’ll do it. What time should I start?’
‘Fifteen minutes ago?’
She laughed. ‘Okay, then. So I’ll clock off just after 6pm?’
‘That’s the plan.’
‘Cool. Do I need a briefing before you leave? Any danger signs I should be looking out for?’
The side of Elias’ mouth quirked. ‘Do you mean in a medical sense?’
‘What else would I mean?’
‘Well, I am known to have an overwhelming effect on the ladies. But I’ll leave you alone since my bro clearly already has dibs.’
‘You can’t have dibs over a person,’ Levi said, irritated. ‘But I’d appreciate you treating your carer with respect.’
‘Of course I’ll treat her with respect. I’m not an animal.’
All this talk of respect made Alexis worry it would be in short supply.
‘I’ll call you if I notice anything concerning,’ Alexis said to Levi.
‘Good. I may not be able to answer immediately, but I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.’
They shared a look that made Alexis’ heart flutter again.
What was going on with her lately?
‘You should go or you’re going to be late,’ Elias said.
‘Yes, I should. And remember to behave.’ He quickly finished making Alexis’ coffee and slid it across to her before leaving.
Alexis wondered why he’d asked her to help out. Sure, she currently lived in the same building, but wouldn’t it have made sense to ask someone like Theo to help?
‘Do you know Theo?’ she asked Elias.
‘Ugh. That douche?’
Maybe that was why.
‘What’s wrong with Theo?’
‘It’s too early for that conversation. Drink your coffee while we watch something fun together. Do you like cooking shows? Maybe the one where they bake stuff that looks like real objects?’
Alexis laughed. ‘I’m being paid as your carer. I’ll happily sit and watch a cooking show.’
‘Excellent.’ He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and playfully pulled her to the couch. ‘I already know we’re going to be the best of friends.’
Alexis agreed. While Elias seemed like a bit of a player, he was harmless, and she suspected he didn’t want to do anything to upset his brother.
And right now, neither did Alexis.