Page 9 of Life After Levi

“Um, maybe eight? I usually take Levinia to the diner for breakfast on my days off,” she states, grinning at me. “I spend so much time between work and school, it’s one way for me to spend some quality time with her that doesn’t involve me cooking.”

I can’t help the chuckle that bursts free. “I imagine if Levi’s parents keep her often for you that Miriam sends food home anyhow.”

“Right? I mean, I can cook, but she’s got me beat by a mile since all of her stuff is from scratch and I’m willing to toss things together that need to be microwaved or come from a box.”

“She has the time available to her so she’s able to do that. I’m sure if you weren’t running around like a chicken with your head cut off, you’d do the same,” I tell her. “Eight is fine, I’ll get out of your hair now and see you in the morning.”

“Damien?” At my glance she continues. “Thank you for bringing these to us. It means more than words can say.”

“You’re welcome. He was my best friend. I miss him every day, that’s for sure.”

Then, I want to kick myself when I see the solemn expression cross her face. She knew him longer, plus had a long-standing relationship with him that gave her a daily reminder. Before I can apologize, she nods. “I totally understand. I mean, y’all were together twenty-four/seven, in extreme circumstances, and I know from the few letters he sent me, that you formed a close bond.”

“We did, but it was more than that. Hell, I’m not making sense I’m sure, but it was like I had known him my entire life. Others in our squadron thought we had, as a matter of fact, because we just instinctively knew what the other was thinking.”

“He had that way about him. I think it’s the mountains,” she teases. “Some folks say there are abilities here in the Appalachians.”

I shake my head, chuckling. “At that, I’m leaving, but I’ll see you two bright and early tomorrow.”

ChapterSix

Emerie

After Damien leaves,I make sure the door is locked and turn off the outside lights before I carefully go through the house and close all the blinds. He thinks I’m kidding about the folklore around here, but I’m not. I don’t leave my blinds open at night, and everything is locked up tighter than a tick once it gets dark. I don’t answer my door if I hear strange noises, and I don’t respond to knocks on my door, both of which have happened since I’ve been out on my own.

“Maybe I should tell him some of the legends we have around here,” I muse.

Once I’m satisfied that Levinia and I are safe for the night, I change into some pajamas then return to the living room with a glass of wine so I can go through the box of things Levi left for me. I might not be old enough to drink yet, but Miriam bought me a bottle of blackberry merlot one day and after trying it, it’s my go-to when I need something a little bit stronger. Giggling, I realize she’s my wine dealer. I grab the remote and find something mindless on for background noise, then lift the flaps, gasping when I see what’s inside.

“Oh, Levi,” I whisper, reaching in to pull out a composition notebook.

When we were kids in school, we’d start a new ‘note’ at the beginning of the school year, then pass the notebook back and forth. Since it looked like what we were using in class, we were never caught. I still have all of them because Levi said I was the keeper of the secrets.

“I still am,” I say out loud as that memory hits me.

There are only two notebooks, likely started when he left for basic training, so I set them aside to read when I’m in bed. Reaching back into the box, I pull out a flat package wrapped in tissue paper that’s kind of squishy. Carefully tearing it open, I start giggling when I see the T-shirt that says ‘My boyfriend’s a Navy SEAL’ on it. Leave it to Levi to find something like that to send to me. Of course, it’s the size I wore before I got pregnant with Levinia, and even though I lost my baby weight, my boobs never went anywhere so it would probably be too tight. Still, it would be cute to create a shadow box with, so I set it aside.

It takes me another thirty minutes to make my way through all the little treasures he left me, and by the time I’m repacking the box, tears are soaking the top of my nightgown. Sighing a little at how emotional I am, I pick up the notebooks, grab my glass to take back to the kitchen, then shut out the living room light, using the one over the stove as a nightlight to guide me through the house. One last check on Levinia to make sure she hasn’t tossed off her blankets like she normally does, and then put her stuffed panda bear back on the bed and I’m heading to mine.

* * *

“Dear Em, today’s the first day of basic training and while I’m stoked as hell, I’m also nervous. What if all the training I did wasn’t good enough?”

“Well, I survived Hell Week and met this guy, Damien, who is fucking awesome, Em. We’re so much alike that the guys who are in our squadron swear we already knew each other!”

“Em, I miss you so damn much. I keep thinking about our future. I know you still have to graduate, but that’s not too far off. I can’t wait until I see you when I come home to take you to your prom.”

I don’t readall of the entries, I honestly can’t since my eyes are swimming with tears and my cheeks are soaked. He dredged up so many memories of us growing up and I know it was because he was homesick and missing all of us, but it’s hard to remember the way it used to be and think about how it should’ve been. Instead, I tuck them into my nightstand drawer, get up and wash my face, then head to bed. Maybe tonight wasn’t the best night to read anything from Levi, especially after the long day at work then on the rig, but I honestly couldn’t resist touching something thathetouched.

* * *

Eight o’clock seesme at the inn picking Damien up before we head toward Maggie Valley. While there are a lot of outdoor activities in the area, they’re not easy to do with a three-year-old, so I opted for things that I knew Levinia wouldn’t get bored doing, while also letting Damien get a feel for the kind of things we do in this neck of the woods.

“Do you want to hit up Possum Creek’s diner again or find something in Maggie Valley?” I ask.

“Diner, Mama!” Levinia exclaims, causing Damien to chuckle.

“Sounds like the princess has spoken,” he teases. “The diner’s fine, Emerie. I’m sure we’ll be eating again today, and we can catch something in Maggie Valley then, okay?”

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