Page 71 of This Baby Business
That was a lie. I wanted him, oh, how I wanted him. But that wasn’t enough.
“She’s asleep,” Irene said from behind them, startling me. “Such a sweetheart. I just wish her grandfather wasn’t such an idiot. He could be here with me now. Instead he’s probably still sulking. Watching TV and sulking.”
A few minutes later, Irene had gathered her purse and jacket and Levi had walked her to her car. I could go home. I’d been free to go as soon as the rented sedan drove off. So why were my feet rooted to this spot by Levi’s window?
I moved to the door and watched Levi’s hot body, broad shoulders looking tight, as he stood like a statue observing the car drive away. He turned to me, catching my gaze. The porchlight illuminated him, causing his blond hair to appear even lighter. His eyes bluer. He stepped inside, his gaze never leaving mine. Once inside his eyes grew dark and filled with a longing and desire that matched my own.
I might be leaving Fortune, but I wasn’t leaving tonight. Tonight stretched out before me with plenty of possibilities. And I didn’t want to be alone.
He grinned as if I’d said my thought out loud. Then my phone buzzed.
My brother was calling.
CHAPTER28
Carly
“Ineed to take this.”
If I thought I’d have some privacy, I was absolutely wrong about that. Because Levi stood no more than a foot away from me and didn’t move. Strangely, my body didn’t want him to, even if my brain said he should let me take this call. Alone.
Because Kirk didn’t call unless there was a problem.
“Hi,” I said, staring at Levi’s lips. “Is everything okay?”
“Not so much,” Kirk said. “Dad might need another surgery.”
I sucked in a breath and turned my back to Levi. “What’s wrong? What do the doctors say?”
“Same as usual. It’s not healing and his lack of participation in physical therapy hasn’t helped. Taking him to the specialist again next week, and we’ll take it from there.”
“Keep me in the loop. I want to hear everything the doctor has to say. And if he needs another surgery, he’ll get it.”
Kirk sighed, and I could hear the tension in his voice stretching across the miles. “Carly, this time I’m going to need more help. I can’t swing the deductibles alone this time. Sharon and I—”
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll help, you know I will. Anything you need.”
“I need you to sell the company.” He cleared his throat. “How’s that going, by the way?”
I closed my eyes and made a meal out of my fingernail. “It’s…going. We’re getting there. I have a couple of possibilities lined up.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to…it’s just well, you knowDad.”
“He’s having another bad day?”
“He has too many of those. I’d have you talk to him, because that always seems to cheer him up. But he went to bed early complaining that the whole world was going to hell.”
“I need to get him out here. Maybe I can be the one to—”
“He’s better off here for now. We said we’d revisit when we saw some improvement.”
Kirk was right but that didn’t mean I thought their dad could make it through another Maine winter. And we were already in October. This year had gotten away from me.
“But the cold weather.” Just the thought of my dad out in Maine, missing his wife and hurting both physically and emotionally—it was enough to choke my words off.
“We’ll manage. You just worry about selling the company. And of course, you realize we’re at the point where we need to take an offer.Anyoffer.”
I sighed. “I know.”
