The Apple Tree (4 page)

Dressed, she walked across the hall to find her mom still sleeping amongst a pile of tangled sheets. As soon as she stepped in the room, the sickly, sweet and sour smell of stale wine assaulted her, turning her stomach. She held her breath and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“
Mom, get up. I have to go to work.” She shook her shoulder.

Her mother groaned and opened one eye. “What time is it?”

“
It’s almost eleven.”

“
Ugh, okay… I’ll get up.” She didn’t move.

“
I’m going downstairs to get Owen a snack and then I have to leave. You need to be up in ten minutes.”

“
Uh huh.”

Bianca rubbed her forehead, stood, and left the room.

Downstairs, she sliced an apple and put the pieces into a little plastic bowl with some animal crackers. She stole a bite of the fruit and frowned, not as sweet as the apple she’s tasted in the orchard.

A retching sound came from the bathroom upstairs, but she tried to ignore it. At least her mom was out of bed.

Owen sat on her shoe with his arms and legs wrapped around her calf like a fire pole. She stumbled to the dining room table, swinging him along. He giggled with joy at the ride. After pulling him off her leg and plopping him down at the table, their mother made it downstairs and collapsed onto the futon. Hopefully they would be okay today. It always made her a little nervous to leave Owen with their mom when she wasn’t feeling well.

After kissing Owen goodbye and waving to her mother, she walked out to the porch to unlock her bike. She didn’t own a car. The rent took most of her money. Maybe if her blog took off… someday.

Papa’s Pizza Parlor was only a few blocks away, a brick building with maroon trim and matching metal roof. Large square windows ran along the entire front. On the right side, a colorful indoor playground attracted families to the parlor.

As she slipped her card into the punch clock, Jeremy, the new dough roller, greeted her with a friendly smile.

“
Bianca! Hey, I’ve got a funny one for you. How do you fix a broken pizza?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
With tomato paste!” He gave her a light punch on the shoulder.

She rolled her eyes. “Funny.”

Kate, another coworker, walked into the back, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her. She grabbed her timecard. “Hey guys!” She smiled at them both but lingered on Jeremy.

“
Kate, have you heard this one? What does an aardvark like on his pizza?”

She shrugged. “What?”

“
Ant-chovies!” He slapped his thigh, laughing.

Kate giggled.

“
Oh, my gosh, where do you come up with these?” Bianca asked.

“
What? Do you think they’re too cheesy?” He grinned and placed a hand on Kate’s shoulder.

“
Hilarious,” Bianca said. It was amusing, but not laugh out loud humorous.

Kate smiled. “I think it’s funny.”

Faustino, the manager, came over and reminded them all to get to work. Jeremy trudged back to the dough room. Kate and Bianca walked into the front kitchen and started preparing a large delivery order. They spent the next couple of hours alternating between working and gossiping. Kate was one of those women who knew everything about everyone and loved to share.

Halfway through her shift, Bianca stood at the prep counter, covering a large pizza with Canadian bacon. She glanced up at the window when a blue pickup truck pulled into the parking lot and stopped in a space near the back. The man from the orchard hopped out of the cab.

She dropped the bacon on the counter and her eyes grew wide. A deep breath calmed her before continuing to place the meat around the pizza. It didn’t matter if it was that guy. It was just a little weird, seeing him again so soon.

He stopped at the front door, holding it open for a woman pushing a stroller. Once inside, he stepped under the hanging wooden sign that read ‘Order Here’ and leaned his elbow casually against the counter, looking straight at her.

“
Can you help that guy? I’ve got to pull these pizzas out before they burn.” Kate flung the metal oven door open.

Bianca approached the counter, unsure whether to mention the orchard or act like she didn’t know him. Maybe he didn’t recognize her? “Hi, what can I get you?” she asked.

“
Oh, hey, you’re the girl… from yesterday.” He pointed toward her, then dropped his hand and bit his lip. “I’m sorry I was rude last time we met. You caught me off guard and… I had a headache. I’m Levi.” He extended his hand and she took it. His grip was firm as he shook her hand and smiled.

“
Bianca.” She liked the way his navy t-shirt made his eyes appear almost blue instead of gray.

Releasing her hand, he glanced down at the menu. “I think I’ll have a small pepperoni and green pepper.”

“
Sure.” She punched buttons on the cash register. What was with the one-eighty? He seemed almost nice, but the day before, he’d been downright rude. Would a headache really cause such a drastic change in behavior?

“
So, do you often go trampling through the woods at twilight?” he asked.

She looked up, studying his smile as she tried to make sense of him. Was he mocking her? “No, I was following a deer. I wanted a picture of it, but I got lost.”

“
Mhmm.” He nodded and handed her the cash for his order.

“
Thank you.”

He took his time putting his wallet in his back pocket. It seemed like he wanted to say something else. Instead, he walked to a table next to the unlit fireplace.

She began spreading sauce on his order when Kate came over.

“
He’s cute. Do you know him?”

Bianca paused, debating how much to tell her. Kate was a gossip after all, and she didn’t want to start any strange rumors. “I only met him last night. I was lost. He gave me directions.”

“
He’s really buff. He must do some kind of manual labor. Maybe he’s a logger?”

“
I don’t know.” He was buff. The fabric of his shirt barely covered the expanse of his biceps.

“
Well, go over there and talk to him again. Find out. He likes you. I could see it in his eyes.”

She laughed. “You think? He is kind of gorgeous.” He had such square shoulders and a hard jawline. But, he’d also been really weird the night before.

“
Talk to him. Or I will.” Kate smiled and gave her a playful shove.

Bianca huffed, but couldn’t keep the grin from her face. She knew Kate was only joking, her friend would never go after a guy she was interested in, but was she interested?

When Levi’s pizza was ready, Bianca carried it out to him. He sat hunched over the brown formica table. In his palms, he held a book, the title obscured by his fingers. As she approached, he straightened his back and grinned.

“
So, how are you?” He fiddled with the corner of his book. “I mean, you seemed a little shaken last night, being lost and all. How are you feeling now?”

“
I’m fine.” She wiped her hands on her apron. “You have a lovely little cabin, by the way.”

“
Thank you. I built it myself.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Wow, that’s impressive. I mean like, really impressive.” She studied him, trying again to decipher his age. He couldn’t be more than twenty-five. Other guys her age usually wasted their time playing video games. He’d built a house?

“
It’s not that big of a deal.” His cheeks reddened as he looked down and gave the pizza pan a gentle spin.

Faustino walked over. “When you’re finished, go ahead and take a break.”

Bianca glanced at her manager and nodded. Strange timing for a break. Did Kate encourage him?

Levi raised his eyebrow. “Would you like to sit with me? I could use the company. My book’s boring anyway.” He tossed it aside.

She shifted her weight. The guy was a little strange, but there was also something intriguing about him. “Yeah, sure. Just let me grab a salad.”

When she returned with her food, she sat across from him. Pushing the lettuce around, she searched for something to say.

“
No pizza?” He nodded toward her plate.

“
I eat it sometimes. I like the barbecue chicken pizza here.”

He scrunched his nose. “Barbecue pizza? That sounds awful.”

“
Have you tried it?” She took a bite of her salad.

“
No, and I don’t plan to. I’m happy with my pepperoni and green pepper.”

“
I’ll give you a dollar if you try it. I think we have some on the buffet right now.” She stood. “I’ll get a slice.”

Before he could stop her, she went to the buffet and returned, setting the plate in front of him. “Try it.”

He stared at the pizza covered in cheese, chicken and barbecue sauce. “Fine,” he grumbled and took a bite.

The sweet smoky flavor drifted across the table, making her mouth water and she briefly considered getting a piece for herself.

“
Okay, it’s not awful.” He took another bite.

A smile spread across her face. She dug through her pocket to find the dollar she’d been given as a tip earlier and held it out to him.

“
No.” His hand waved. “Keep your money.”

She put the dollar back in her pocket and pointed to his book. “What were you reading?”

“
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
.” He held it up for her to see.

“
Isn’t that a kid’s book?” She speared a cucumber with her fork.

“
We’re all kids at heart. Besides, I like the tin man.”

She laughed. “Because you wish you had a heart?”

“
Wow, I must have been really rude last night.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin. “No, I like his back story. He’s frozen in tin forever by an evil witch so that he won’t be able to marry the woman he loves. I think he’s interesting. What do you like to read?”

Her gaze darted around the parlor at the other customers while she considered the question. A young girl sat in the far corner, hunched over a paperback and it brought back memories of herself as a child, reading her favorite book. “Well, as long as we’re going with the theme of children’s classics, I’d pick
The Little House on the Prairie.
”

He nodded. “And why do you like it?”

“
I guess, because of their determination and hard work. The Ingalls worked harder than anyone I know in real life. That must’ve been what it was like back then. Sometimes, I think we’re all going soft.”
Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she took a bite of her salad.

He pinched the hair on his arm between his fingers. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Kate cleared dishes
at a nearby table. Her eyes darted toward them as she stacked each plate with care. Could her eavesdropping be any more obvious?

“
So, are you a student?” Bianca asked, ignoring her friend. Corvallis was home to Oregon State University.

“
No, not currently. I manage some properties and work on my homestead. What about you?”

She stared at him. “How old are you?”

He chuckled. “Twenty-four. Why?”

“
You’re the most hard-working, responsible twenty-four year old I’ve ever met. You built your own house and you manage properties. Do you own the properties?”

“
Yes… I’m like the Ingalls, I guess.” He smiled.

Bianca grinned along with him as her mind spun with everything he’d said. Do they still make guys like that? Responsible guys who don’t spend all their time goofing off? Apparently, she’d found one.

Kate walked by with a tray of glassware. Turning to give Levi a huge grin, her foot caught on a table leg. The tray flew through the air and landed with a crash, sending broken glass scattering across the carpet.

Everyone in the parlor turned and stared. A woman in sweatpants rolled her eyes and whispered something to the man next to her.

Bianca couldn’t help but laugh as she knelt to help clean up the mess.

“
Let me help you with that.” Levi started picking up shards of glass, placing them back on the tray.

“
Oh no, please don’t. I’ll do it.” Kate’s face turned pink. “I’ll get a broom.” She hurried off toward the utility closet.

Clink, clink, clink
. The glass sounded musical as Bianca dropped the pieces onto the tray.

“
Ack, dammit!”

She glanced up to Levi. A crimson line ran across his index finger. He grabbed a napkin from one of the table dispensers and pressed it to his hand.