Autumn Bliss (8 page)

Why was he so serious all the time?

What happened to put that panic in his eyes earlier?

The last one made her heart skip a beat, but before she could come up with a neutral question to override the ones begging to be voiced, he asked, “What about you?”

“How old am I? Twenty-seven.”

“Did you grow up in Pulaski?”

“Yep. It’s just me and Shane here now, though. My mom died of lung cancer the year I graduated high school. My dad got remarried shortly after and moved to North Dakota.”

He grimaced. “Sorry. Sounds like a lot to deal with all at once.”

“Yes and no. Losing my mom, yeah, that was hard—though she’s definitely better off now. And I’m happy for my dad—he found a great woman in Cynthia. Someone who appreciates him for who he is, no matter what.” His accessing gaze made her rush on. “It would be nice if they lived closer, but they were both ready for a change, and his company provided the perfect opportunity for them make a fresh start.”

He nodded as if he completely understood the allure of fresh starts. “At least your brother’s still here.”

She gave a short laugh. “Yeah, but Shane’s a lifer. I, on the other hand, can’t seem to get away.”

A frown creased his forehead as his gaze met hers. “You want to leave?”

She shrugged with one shoulder and his eyebrows rose.

“What?” she asked.

His turn to shrug as he swallowed a bite. “I’m surprised, that’s all. You certainly don’t come across as unhappy.”

“I’m not.”

She thought about it for a second and realized the denial was absolutely true. She enjoyed working at the coffee shop now, and loved the challenge of organizing the festival, not to mention she liked her co-workers so far. She had good friends here in town, and while her dad had moved away, it was still great to at least see Shane as much as she did.

So, why was she so hell bent on getting out of town?

“It killed all my hopes and dreams, and gave me nothing in return,”
her mother’s resentful voice echoed from the dark depths of her mind.

The moment her chest began to tighten at that last bit, she tossed her crumpled napkin onto her empty plate and stood to carry the dirty dishes to the sink. Then she turned and leaned back against the counter, watching as Levi washed down the rest of his food with a long swallow of milk.

Feeling the need to justify her earlier words, she said, “I’m not unhappy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want more in my life.”

“More what?”

She frowned when a reply didn’t immediately come to mind. He’d flipped the inquisition back on her, leaving her to do most of the talking. But she didn’t want to question her reasons for wanting to leave.

“I don’t know exactly, but more than what this small town has to offer, that’s for sure. You’ve been around the world in the military, right? I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” His chair scraped across the floor boards as he rose and gathered his own dishes. “But then again, sometimes when you jump that fence, the grass that looked greener on the other side is all burnt to hell.”

Chapter 8

The words were low and rough, full of raw emotion that seemed to surprise even him. Before Mallory could respond, headlights flashed through the living room windows as a vehicle parked outside next to Levi’s truck.

Relief flashed across his features before he glanced out the window. “Looks like your brother. I’m going to get back to work. Thanks for dinner.”

He avoided her gaze when she passed him on her way to get the door. She paused to watch his retreating back for a moment, then turned to answer Shane’s knock. Her brother was still dressed in his uniform.

“Hey, what’s up?”

He drew back in confusion, then cast a look toward the driveway. “You
are
here.”

“Clearly. Save the heat—get in here.”

“Where’s your car?” he asked as she shut the door behind him.

She gave a wry smile and was about to explain when he sucked in a deep breath.

“Oh, man, is that Grandma’s meatloaf?”

“Yeah. You want some?”

“Well, duh.” He grinned, but it faded as his gaze shifted from the vacant table, to the empty living room, and then darted toward the bedrooms. Leaning close, he whispered, “Wait, I’m not interrupting something, am I?”

She would’ve loved to take advantage of Levi’s unexpected conversation opening—but in all honesty, she still probably wouldn’t have gotten very far. The shutters had slammed closed pretty quick after he’d realized what he’d said.

“Levi’s installing the shower in my bathroom,” she advised as she went to go grab a clean plate and fork. “As for my car, it’s up by the lodge. Wouldn’t start again after work.”

He made a face as she returned to hand him the dishes, then he sat down to fill the plate to near overflowing. “Maybe you’re better off getting a new one. You’re saving money on rent here, right?”

“Yes, but a new car is not in the cards right now.”

“I hate to break it to ya, sis, but your grand exit won’t get you nowhere without a vehicle that runs.”

“Well, duh,” she parroted with a roll of her eyes before getting him a glass of milk.

Shane laughed, took a bite, then sat back with a moan of ecstasy. “God, this is as good as I remember.” He eyed the remainder of the loaf on the serving platter. “What are you doing with the leftovers?”

“Having it for dinner tomorrow, so back off.”

This time her brother’s laugh was muffled by a mouthful of food. Just to be safe, she carried the platter and mashed potatoes to the kitchen to put everything away. Then she felt bad, and as the sounds of Levi working in the bathroom reached her, she divided the food into two plastic containers. One for her brother, one for Levi. She could always make another next week.

“So, what brings you out here tonight?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I thought you’d want to know your former bosses were arrested late this afternoon.”

She whirled to face him. “Seriously? Both Ron
and
Claire?”

He nodded as he chewed.

“Wow.”

“They’ll be arraigned tomorrow to set bail. Not sure if they’ll enter a plea then or at a separate hearing in a couple days.”

She secured the lids on the containers and put one in the fridge, then carried the other over to set next to Shane’s plate. As she took a seat kitty corner, he gave a subdued grin. “Thanks.”

“Yeah. You’re lucky I love you.” Her answering smirk faded as she braced her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. “It’s bad if they were actually arrested, isn’t it?”

“It’s not looking good,” he agreed. “The Chief and the DA made sure they had enough for a strong case on this one.”

“I know the investigation’s been going on for a month, but I still find it hard to believe. I swear, I had no clue something like that was going on.”

Shane reached over and pulled her arm down so he could cover her hand with his. “Mal, I believe you, remember? Good news is, once the trial is over, you’ll be free to go wherever you want without being worried about it looking suspicious.”

She pulled away and sat back with a sigh. “If I can ever afford it.”

“I told you, I’d lend you the money. So would Dad if you asked.”

“I know, and thank you, but I’m going to see what I can save again this winter. If I don’t have to get a new car, I should be good by spring.”

The urge to look toward the clinking noises coming from down the hall was hard to resist. But she’d refused the offer of money weeks before meeting Levi, so it wasn’t like she was making her decision based on the past couple weeks.

“In the meantime, any chance you can help me with my car tomorrow?” she asked as she rose and grabbed her bag from the couch.

“Sorry, but I’m scheduled to ride along on a prisoner transport to Madison. I won’t be back until Thursday.”

“That’s fine. I’ll figure something out.”

He watched her set up her laptop at the table. “I could call Reid, if you want. He’d probably come out and take a look at it. Or Keller—he’s working at a shop in Green Bay these days.”

“That’s okay, I’ll check with Mark first. If I can at least get it running, I can take it back to the garage. I shouldn’t have issues only a week after they fixed it.”

“Good point. Remind them who your brother is,” he joked as he stood to take his dishes to the kitchen sink.

“You sound like the mafia or something.”

He laughed, then headed toward the bathroom. As he disappeared inside, she forced her butt to remain in the chair even as she heard Levi’s voice respond to her brother’s offer of help. When he didn’t come out again right away, she couldn’t help but head to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Standing near the island counter that jutted out between the kitchen and the dining table, she listened to the two men talk. Nothing but technical stuff about the plumbing. Levi had been right—nothing exciting about that unless she was watching him.

Deciding her time was better spent getting her own work done, she returned to the table and opened the spreadsheet she’d been working on at the lodge.

A half-hour later, Shane said his goodbyes and went home with his coveted leftovers. After closing the door behind him, she sat back down and stared at the document she’d read three times in the past ten minutes.

Not only was she distracted by the news about the Bertrands being arrested, but she was dead tired after the past couple days, and a headache was beginning to form at her temples. With the way her eyes were beginning to cross, she wouldn’t make it another hour, much less until midnight.

She’d give anything for a nap. Or to plain old go to bed right now. Instead, she pushed up from the table and rounded the counter to make a pot of coffee. She pulled up short as Levi stepped out of the bathroom with his tool box in one hand and a bucket in the other.

“All done?” She eyed the pipe pieces sticking out of the top of the bucket.

“Mostly. I have to pick up one part tomorrow, but you can use it.”

“Great. Thanks.”

When he started for the door, she took a breath to tell him she had leftovers for him to take. But what if he didn’t even want them? She’d feel like an idiot. Keeping her mouth shut, she continued to the coffee maker. After she had one scoop in the filter, she realized he’d set his things down and stood by the island counter.

“Are you working on the fundraiser tonight?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Anything I can help with?”

She glanced back over her shoulder in surprise as she ran water in the carafe. “It’s mostly paperwork and organization stuff right now, so not really.”

“Mark said I’m at your disposal, so don’t be afraid to use me.”

She about choked as she turned back to the sink. Biting back a grin, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll have plenty for you to do in about a week. Plus, Eric’s coming tomorrow to start building the booths, right?”

“Yes, but if there’s anything else I can do, let me know.”

“Thanks, I will.” She flipped the switch to start the brew cycle. A yawn had her reaching up to cover her mouth as she faced him.

“You should take a break tonight,” he suggested. “You look like you need sleep, not coffee.”

“Sleep won’t get the vendor applications completed, or the volunteer letters written, or—” She had to pause for another yawn. Darn it. There was a whole list of things to be done.

“They’ll all be there in the morning,” he reasoned. “And I’ll bet you’d finish them twice as fast after a decent night of rest.”

He made good points, and the throbbing in her head underscored his sensible advice. Then her gaze snagged on the clock and she reached to drag her purse across the counter to dig out a bottle of ibuprofen.

“It’s only eight o’clock. I can’t waste the whole evening.”

He watched as she swallowed a couple of the pain capsules, then studied her for a long enough moment that she became aware of an increased level of energy in her body. Hmm. If he stayed long enough, maybe she wouldn’t need the caffeine at all.

“We could watch TV,” he suggested.

“What?” She stared at him, sure she’d imagined his offer to stay and spend time with her.

“TV,” he repeated. “What’s good on Tuesday nights?”

“I-I have no clue.”

“Me neither.” He jerked his head toward her couch. “How about we find out?”

Her pulse skipped, then maintained a pace that had her wide awake. Once again, the lure of him was no match for any little smidgeon of rational thinking she had left in her.

“Um…okay.” She started around the island, then paused and went back to open the cupboard where she kept her mugs and glasses. “You want something to drink? I don’t have any beer or liquor, but I’ve got wine. Or coffee?”

“I’m good.”

She pulled down her favorite mug. “I could make some popcorn, or I have some chips.”

“I’m still full from dinner.”

“You’re sure?”

“Mallory, just come sit and relax.”

Yeah, relax.

She took a calming breath as she filled her mug, then added some cream and sugar. He’d sounded like he was ready to smile, but his expression was as serious as ever when she joined him on the couch.

He had the remote in hand and flipped through the channels. “Let me know when to stop.”

Cradling her mug in her hands, she watched the shows switch from one to the next. Comedy, drama, reality show, reality show, comedy again, crime drama. She didn’t recognize any of them, and it was hard to concentrate with him just a few feet away, his large body taking up all kinds of space on her little couch. Nervous flutters of anticipation tickled the inside of her tummy.

Without cable, it didn’t take too long to get through the list and he was back at the first channel again. As he started a second, slower round, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Took a moment to just breathe. Her senses registered the warmth in the room, the sound of the TV, the faint, oh-so-tantalizing scent of him next to her.

She heard him shift on the couch and couldn’t help but imagine him leaning over to press his mouth to hers.