Levi's Blue: A Sexy Southern Romance (6 page)

“Where do you ship from?”

“East coast.  New York, Charleston, New Orleans.”

“That doesn’t sound boring.”

“Oh, it is.  Trust me.  Same old dingy scenery.  Same old office view.  They’re basically interchangeable.”

“Except when you come to an art show.”

“Yes.  The highlight of my week.”

“What brings you to Shreveport then?”

“Business.  Always business.”

“And how long are you staying?”

“Six days.”

“Do you have friends here?”

“I have friends all over. Some from college, some through business. Some I’ve met along the way in between.”

“And your date last night?”

She lowers her chin when she asks, trying to be casual. The gesture is proof the question is not casual
at all.

I grin.

“Our fathers know each other.  We dated for a while in college.  On-again, off-again.”

“Was last night on-again?”

I know what she’s getting at.  I know I should probably lie to ease her mind, but I can’t.  After all that’s happened to her, she deserves better than lies if I can
at all
avoid them.

“It might’ve been had I not met you.”

“And how did she feel about that?”

“She’ll get over it,” I reply noncommittally.  Julianne is nothing if not pragmatic.  She’s cold in
all
her dealings, personal and otherwise. She’s probably already forgotten her spat of jealousy.

“You’re wasting your time, you know.”

My eyes dart up to hers, which are still cast down, away from me. Her voice is low and somehow hollow.

“Wasting my time with what?”

“Me.  I can tell you exactly how this will go.  It’ll be fun and different for a few days, and then you’ll realize that dating a blind girl is work, work you didn’t necessarily sign up for.  And it won’t be me. It’ll be you.  And there won’t be any hard feelings, at least not on
your
part.  And you never meant to hurt me, but it just isn’t working out.”

I’m silent for a few seconds as I digest what she’s saying, where it’s coming from.  She must’ve heard it all before. More than once.

“You’re even more amazing than I originally thought. I didn’t realize you could see the future, or that you knew my mind better than I do.”

She lifts one shoulder and lightly shakes her head.  “I’ve been here before. Several times. You haven’t. I’m just telling you upfront.”

“Then why are you here? If that’s where you think this will go, if that’s the kind of man you think I am, why are you here?”

She raises her face and her sightless eyes to my level again, and smiles a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.  “Because I’m hungry?”

“Are you even going to give me a chance? Give
this
a chance?”

“Not if I’m smart.”

“So, there’s no changing your mind?”

“I didn’t say that. You could very easily change my mind. I just doubt that you will.”

I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.  “How many dates are we talking about here?  What’s the cut-off?”

“You’re only in town for six days.  Does it matter?”

“Answer the question.”

“Four. Max.”

“Four?  Pffff, I’ve got this in the bag.”

“Not four casual lunches. I’m talking four
real
dates, where things start to get complicated.  Four occasions when you realize that you can’t take me to the movies or to an art show or to the ballet.  Four times that you have to rethink your habits and preferences because the woman you’re seeing is blind.  The fourth time is when you’ll really start to notice that I cramp your style.”

“And if I make it past four, will you at least agree to give me a real chance?”

“I told you it would be easy for you to change my mind. It just won’t be easy
for you
.”

“But on these four dates, you’ll hold up your end of the bargain and go along with me?  Be willing to try what I suggest?”

“Depends on what you suggest.  Are you asking me if I’ll have sex with you?”

“No, I’m not talking sex. Unless you insist. I mean, what kind of man would I be to deny you something if you’re
really dead set on it
?”  I wish she could see my grin.

“You really
do
have a big imagination.”

At that, I laugh.

“So, deal?  You go along with all my
nonsexual
suggestions?”

She hesitates, but not too long.  “Deal.”

“Great.  Game on!”

She’s shaking her head again, murmuring, “Another one bites the dust.”

“Four dates and I’m gonna have you singing ‘I Want It All’.” 

“A
Queen fan, are you?”

“Who’s not?”

“Your favorite song isn’t ‘Fat Bottom Girls’, is it?”

An ass reference. I love it.

“Can I plead the fifth?”

She shakes her head again, but at least this time her smile is back.

CHAPTER 7

EVIE

WHEN LEVI found out (during the course of our long, long lunch) that I used to run, he made me promise to meet him outside the building where my Healing Art class is at ten AM, wearing tennis shoes and the shortest shorts I own.  I told him I’d do no such thing, but I think he knew I would (at least the meeting him part), so here I am, standing on the curb outside the Boyd Center, waiting.

“Those aren’t nearly as short as I was hoping they’d be,” comes his deep and familiar voice from behind me.  It sends shivers of delight skittering through me like miniature bolts of lightning. 
Zing, zing, zing.

“The only thing I own that’s shorter than these is a bathing suit.  Did you want me to show my
entire
ass?”

“Is that a trick question?”

I roll my eyes.

“Fine. Those will do.  Probably better, in fact. This way I don’t have to fight off every man in the city.”

“Every man in the city?  Where, exactly, are we going?”

“On a run.”

I become immediately nervous and uncomfortable.  “A run?  Uhhh, did you forget that
I’m blind
?”

“Nope.  Did you forget that you agreed to do what I suggest, as long as it’s not sexual?”

Shit, I
did
agree to that.

“Activities that put my life, my bones, or my front teeth in peril were excluded in Clause 42161-A of our agreement.”

“You’re a very specific liar.”

“I told you I pay attention to details.”

“Then you won’t have any trouble with this.”

“Running? On
actual
ground, not a treadmill?”

“I Googled it. It can be done.”

“Because everything you read on the internet is true, right?”

“Of course,” he answers without missing a beat.  “We’ll go slow.  I promise you will lose neither life nor tooth today.  Trust me.”

It’s not lost on me that he makes no mention of my bones. And possibly breaking some of them.

“Where are you taking me?”

He describes a running trail that he swears is flat and smooth, and snakes along the river.  It begins just a short distance from where we are right now.

Part of me is reluctant, but another part of me is excited by the idea, by the prospect of feeling such an unusual level of freedom.  I’m left feeling more than a little conflicted.  “How did I let you talk me into this?”

“I caught you at a weak moment? I’m too charming to resist?  You wanted to see my world-class legs?  Oh, scratch that one.”

I would
love
to see his world-class legs!

I sigh. “Well, let’s get this over with before I change my mind.”

“The
only
bad part of this outing will be that I can’t run behind you.  That view… It’s a travesty to miss it, but I’m willing to forego it for you.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“God, I hope so.”

I imagine him winking at me.  A gesture like that seems to fit his personality. And this conversation. 

When he offers me his arm to hold as we walk across the street, I have to ask.  “Did you just wink at me?”

He stops walking.  His answer is slow.  Suspicious.  “Maybe. Why?”

“Stop being so paranoid. I didn’t
see
it. It just seemed to fit.”

“Perceptive. I like that in a woman.”

“That and short shorts.”

“
Of course
. I’m not an animal.”

I chuckle, letting him lead me over the pavement in the bright fall sun. It warms my face almost as much as the man at my side is warming my heart.

I direct my attention to the fingers of my left hand that are looped through the bend of his elbow. I can just feel the swell of his bulging bicep above them, and it’s all I can do to keep from running my hand up over it, testing the solid strength of him.

Man, I wish I could see him.

But then again, maybe I don’t.  That might make things worse.

I already know this is going to end badly for me. It always does.  But I can’t seem to help myself. I’m
so
attracted to him. He makes me feel pretty and normal and
worthy
of his attention, something I don’t often feel with men anymore.  It’s a dangerous combination.

But maybe this way, knowing that I can expect four really good dates, it won’t hurt as much when things go sideways.  Because I know they will.  But maybe, just maybe, I can get out of this in one piece.  That alone would probably be a miracle.  I’m playing with fire, and that always ends with getting burned.

I know the moment we leave the concrete and steel behind for something more natural. All my remaining senses are triggered at once.

“We’re in the park,” I deduce, pausing to inhale deeply. 

“How did you know?”

“I can feel it. Smell it.  Hear it.”

“I thought you might just say you knew where we were going.”

I laugh.  “Let’s just go with that then. Either way, we’re at the park.  I’ve always loved parks, maybe even more so now that I can’t see them.”

“Why is that?”

“They’re like beautiful sights, but for my other senses.  That’s how I ‘see’ now. I use every other piece of information I can gather, and I form my own mental images.”

“You probably get more out of this than I do
because
you’re blind.”

“Maybe.”

“Tell me what you see.”

I close my unseeing eyes and turn my face up toward the sky, taking another deep breath.  “It’s at least five degrees cooler here, and the sunlight is dappled, probably through the leaves on the trees.  I can feel patches of its warmth on my skin.  It warms the ground, too.  Fills the air with the smell of damp earth and fresh cut grass.  And I hear the sound of rushing water.  A lot of it, not just a creek. I can tell the river is nearby.”

“Very good.”  His voice tells of how impressed he actually is.

“What color is it today?”

“What?”

“The river.”

“Dirty.”

I laugh.  “It’s called the Red River. I’m sure it always looks dirty. I’ve never actually seen it, but I’ve heard descriptions of it. Read about it.  But tell me what it looks like
today
.”

He pauses, actually putting thought into what he’s seeing, which makes me feel gratified, like
I’m
opening
his
eyes.
I’m
enriching
his
life.

“There’s a big ray of sun shining into it, so it looks a little bit like those big rock formations out in Arizona.  The same color, that dusty red look.”

“Yes,” I whisper, perfectly able to visualize that exact shade.  “I know the color.  And what about the trees?”

“The leaves that are in the shade are a dark, dark green.  Like…fresh basil.”

“And the sky?”

“Between the huge, puffy clouds, it’s a pale blue.”

“How pale?”

“Like glaciers. That nearly translucent blue. You know the color I’m talking about?”

“I do.  Arctic blue. There are no bubbles in the ice crystals that form on the glaciers after it snows, and it makes them look a beautiful light blue. I can imagine it perfectly.  If I had my paints, I could paint it all
right now
.”

“I’d love to see what you’d make of this.”

“Nothing that could come close to the natural beauty, I’m sure.”

“That’s where I think you’re wrong.  We’re surrounded by beauty all the time. We take it for granted.  It takes someone like you to bring it out, make us aware of it.  I think days like today are
more
beautiful because of the way
you
see them.  And when you paint it, then
the rest of us
see it.”

“That might be the most genuine compliment you’ve paid me yet.”

“Everything I’ve said about you is true. You’re remarkable.  Stunning.  Kind.  Entertaining as hell. In possession of a
seriously
incredible ass.  I’ve meant every word I’ve said to you.  Except the part about being easy.  That was wishful thinking on my part.”

His ending remark, after such a thrilling sentiment, catches me off guard and a snort of laughter escapes.

“And you snort.”

“Pardon me.”

“Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more perfect.”

I swallow my pleasure at his words.  “No?  Just wait until you see me run.”

Suddenly, I’m excited to jog in the fresh air, on a real trail, with a man I like at my side.  My fear of falling, of making a fool of myself, of getting hurt, has taken a back seat to the exhilaration of it all.  Right now, I just feel…brave. And
alive. 

“I don’t know if it will work or not, but I figured I could run close at your side. Close enough that you can feel my arm brushing yours to guide you.  That’s what I read anyway.”

“Why are you so determined to do this?”

“Because I want to.”

“But
why
?”

“You had to give up so much because of what happened to you. During my four—
or
more—dates, I’d like to give you a little of that back. I’d like to make giving me a chance worth it.”

My heart.  Sweet Jesus!

You will not cry, Evie! You
will not
cry.

I don’t speak for several seconds, afraid he’ll be able to hear the emotion in my voice.  Actually, I’m not sure I could speak if I tried anyway.  But when I finally do, “Thank you,” is all I manage to eke out. 

I’m glad for the sunglasses that hide the tears I feel welling in my eyes.

“Okay, let’s give this a try and pray that you don’t lose a tooth and make me eat my words.”

“Wait,
what
?” I ask incredulously. “You said—”

He doesn’t let me finish.  And I get no answer. All I hear is laughter as Levi pulls me along beside him into a slow, leisurely jog.

********

I guess it’s nearly an hour later when we slow to a stop. We’re both breathing heavily, and I have beads of sweat on my upper lip, but I can’t remember feeling this good in ages.

“No stamina?” I tease with a grin.  “You should’ve told me you tire quickly.”

“
This
is not where my stamina is. I have
insane
stamina in all the ways that matter.”

Before I can comment, my phone rings.  It’s set up to tell me aloud who’s calling based on the caller ID.  That’s how I know it’s Cherelyn.

I dig the device out of my tight front pocket.

“Evie’s Eyeware Emporium,” I answer pluckily, contentment practically oozing from my pores.

“Good God, what the hell’s the matter with you?”

I half-laugh, half-pant trying to catch my breath.  “I’ve been running.”

“Running?  Why? Who’s chasing you?”

I think of Levi, and I smile.  “Nobody.  I just came out for a run.”

“Out?  You’re not at the gym?”

“Nope. I ran a trail through the park and along the river.”

I can’t help the pride that’s in my voice.  I feel like an acrophobic who just climbed Mount Everest.

Okay, comparing my fear of running with a crippling fear of heights might be a slight exaggeration, but right now, I don’t care. I just feel great.

“Are you alone?”

“No, I’m with Levi.”

“Levi? The guy from class and the show?”

“Yep.”

“Ahhhh. 
That
makes sense.  Well, I’ll be quick then.  Evie,” she says before a long, dramatic pause, “I have news.  About the show.”

My pulse bumps up into an erratic rhythm. I’ve known Cherelyn too long not to recognize bubbles of elation in her voice when I hear them.  “Okay. What is it?”

“You might need to sit down.”

“I’m outside. I can’t.”

“Then have that gorgeous man hold you.”

“Cherelyn,” I warn.  “What is it?”

“I could wait if you want. If you’d rather talk about it later.”

Now she’s just trying to torture me. “Woman! What is it?”

“Well, it’s kind of like…you know when you…and there’s a clown and things get weird and…”

“Jesus, just tell me already!” I shriek excitedly.

“
Lady
sold. The funds cleared this morning.”

I gasp. “What?”

Cherelyn squeals into my ear, and I jerk the phone away, the high pitch of it like a knife to my eardrum.  When she calms, I bring the phone back.