25. Alexis
Alexis was confused. Levi’s reaction to her being a lawyer had completely thrown her. Was he upset? But then he’d kissed her—in front of Elias, even—and promised they’d talk again tonight.
It was all very weird.
And even though Levi had just finished telling her he didn’t want Elias knowing she was his blind date, she’d ended up having to tell him after that kiss. Thankfully, Elias had been distracted by the fact they’d met as kids to really care about teasing her.
That was another thing. How was it possible Levi was the one who’d given her that teddy bear? She’d kept it in her room at her dad’s house even up until she’d moved out. Now she wondered if Jack had thrown all her stuff away. She really hoped not.
And how had Elias put two and two together? What were the odds of there being more than one lawyer in the area who had a daughter whose mother had left when she was younger? She supposed Elias could have looked up a photo of Jack to confirm, but still. That was quite a leap.
And yet, it was the truth.
Alexis somehow knew it, even without checking.
Maybe that’s what explained the strange connection she had with Levi. It was a combination of fire and excitement, yet also a trusted familiarity.
What did this all mean for their future?
She could barely concentrate the entire day, and Elias mostly left her alone, even though it was probably their last time together.
When Levi came home at 6pm, Alexis was immediately on alert for clues of his emotional state. He wasn’t giving anything away.
‘Elias, do you mind going to your room for a while?’ he asked.
Elias huffed. ‘Fine. I’ve been stuck here all day with just this beautiful woman for company, but okay. I’ll leave you to it.’
He dramatically stalked off to his room, leaving Levi and Alexis alone.
Alexis chuckled and stood there nervously, waiting for him to speak.
‘Sorry about this morning,’ he said.
‘Were you upset about my past?’ she asked timidly.
‘No! Of course not. The opposite, actually. I can’t believe you have legal training but you’re working as a house-sitter.’
‘It’s… complicated.’
‘You don’t have to tell me anything right now, but I’m here anytime you want to discuss it. In the meantime, are you hungry? I’ll make us something before you have to go upstairs for Evelyn’s call.’
‘Uh, sure. Can you cook?’
He smiled. ‘What kind of a question is that?’
‘A perfectly reasonable one, I would have thought. Especially for someone who lives in a place like this. You have a cleaner. Why not a personal chef too?’
‘Because I am more than capable of cooking on my own, thank you very much. And I enjoy it too.’
He opened the fridge and got out some onions, celery, and carrots.
Alexis sat on a stool behind the kitchen counter and watched him expertly chop the vegetables before dropping them in a pot with some butter.
‘You do know what you’re doing.’
‘I told you I did. I’m going to make chicken noodle soup.’
‘Isn’t that traditionally cooked when you’re unwell?’
‘I guess. But I’ve always found it comforting.’
He went to the fridge and took out a bottle of sparkling wine. ‘You want some?’
‘Yes, please.’
This was all very cosy. She’d cooked breakfast this morning, and now he was making dinner. It was like something out of a movie. Levi’s hair flopped over his forehead as he cooked, and the loosened tie at his neck gave him a sexy, casual vibe. She got a little carried away imagining this as their daily reality from here on.
What would Levi be like as a husband?
She almost laughed out loud. She’d only kissed the guy for the first time the night before, and now she was thinking about him as marriage material? She had to get a grip.
‘Did you send the photo to your mum?’ she asked.
‘I changed my mind. You were right about it being a little too much information. I texted her and told her I’d take you to meet her sometime soon—although I will delay that as long as possible.’
‘Oh. Okay.’
She supposed that meant he wasn’t upset about her being a lawyer.
As if he could read her mind, he smiled. ‘She’s going to love that you have a legal background. Even if you don’t currently use it. By the way, why aren’t you using it?’
Alexis wondered if she should be worried his mother wouldn’t approve of her with her current job. Shouldn’t approval come down to the person and not their profession?
‘Do you feel differently about me now knowing my background?’
‘Sort of. I mean, I know you’re intelligent, so I wondered what you were doing watering my plants and looking after Evelyn’s cat. But if you’re taking a break, that’s fine. I can understand if you were burnt out…’
‘I wasn’t burnt out.’
She didn’t know why that statement came out so forcefully.
‘O-kay…’
‘Sorry. No, I wasn’t burnt out. I had a falling out with my father, and I left the family business.’
‘Oh.’
‘I became a bit disillusioned with the law, so I’m taking time to consider my next move.’
‘Did you have a particularly difficult case or something?’
‘You could say that.’
Part of her wanted to tell him about her anguish at getting an almost-certainly guilty client off the hook for murder, but she was still too disturbed by it. And there was also the matter of client confidentiality. She wouldn’t be able to go into any detail that wasn’t already public knowledge.
‘Do you think you’ll ever go back?’
‘I don’t know yet.’
‘I’ll support you, whatever you choose to do. But I do think it’s a waste not to use your skills. I’m sure there are many avenues that allow you to practice law in a way that is in alignment with your values.’
‘Yeah, I know. It just hasn’t been that long, and I’m still trying to figure everything out.’
Levi poured some stock into the pot and submerged four chicken thighs into the soup.
‘So, I know we got off to a strange start, and I was behaving like a schoolboy who pulled a girl’s pigtails because he liked her, but I promise to no longer do that. Even though it’s no excuse, I was going through my own drama at work and with my family, and every time I saw you, I wasn’t in my right state of mind.’ He put a lid on the pot and came over to her side of the counter. ‘I really like you, Alexis, and I want to get to know you better. Will you go out with me?’
Alexis burst into a fit of giggles. ‘Aw, you’re so cute, making it all official. Yes, I’ll go out with you. Should we update our relationship statuses on social media?’
He gently poked her in the ribs. ‘Hey, I was just trying to be transparent for once. And genuine.’
He looked into her eyes, and her heart fluttered.
‘I’m starting to see that,’ she whispered.
He kissed her softly on the forehead and then backed away to finish making dinner.
‘I’m not sure I made enough food for Elias,’ he observed.
Alexis pressed a hand to her mouth. ‘I completely forgot he was still in the apartment. I don’t mind having a smaller serving if he’s hungry. Let me go ask him.’
She walked over to the spare room and knocked on the door.
‘Enter.’
She opened the door a few inches. ‘Would you like some chicken noodle soup?’
‘Did you make it?’
‘No.’
‘Then no thank you. I’ll just order in pizza. Let me know when you’re done being all lovey-dovey, and I’ll come back out.’
‘You don’t have to avoid us.’
‘Yes, I do. Besides, I have an important email to write.’ He pointed to the laptop beside him on his bed.
Alexis hadn’t expected Elias to possess any sense of tact, but he had proved her wrong. She smiled appreciatively. ‘Okay. I’ll leave you to it.’
She closed the door again and returned to the kitchen. She picked up the wineglasses and carried them to the dining table. Levi brought over the soup.
He nodded at her bowl. ‘Tell me what you think.’
She picked up a spoon and scooped some of the noodles and chicken into her mouth.
‘Oh my God.’
‘Is that a good oh my God?’ he asked anxiously.
‘Definitely a good one.’ She grinned at him, and he seemed to visibly relax.
He tasted his own soup and nodded, satisfied. ‘I can’t believe my brother figured out we’d met before.’
‘I know. Do you remember?’
‘Not exactly. I mean, I do now. I hadn’t thought about it for a long time, though. I was only eight at the time.’
‘I still have that bear, you know.’
His face lit up. ‘Seriously?’
‘It’s at my dad’s house, but yeah. Unless he set all my belongings on fire once I left, it should be around somewhere.’
‘I’m sure your falling out wasn’t bad enough for that to happen.’
‘Oh, you’d be surprised.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t exactly have a normal relationship with my parents either, so I can sort of relate.’
‘I often wonder how things would have turned out if my mum hadn’t left.’
‘You haven’t seen her since you were five?’
‘Nope.’
‘I know I’ve asked if you’ve tried to look for her and you said no, but if you ever change your mind, I’ll help you.’
‘Thank you.’
Alexis wasn’t sure whether she wanted to. But now that she had Levi by her side, she felt like it might be easier to face the unknown.
She had never been the type of person to rely on others because they always let you down, but she wondered if she could rely on Levi.
The thought made her happy.
She had a feeling she could.