Page 72 of This Baby Business
I won’t cry. I won’t cry.
I made promises to call next week with progress and wrapped up the call. I turned to find Levi studying me.
His arms came around me immediately, circling me. “What’s wrong?”
I was that obvious. But I blew out a breath because I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He already knew my company was in trouble. Already knew my father needed help. If I told him any more, he’d only feel sorry for me, and I couldn’t take that right now. “You have your own problems.”
“Which are under control.” Grabbing hold of my hand, he spun me into his arms. “Tell me.”
My palms went up against his warm, hard chest, but no matter how sexy he was, no matter what he ordered me to do, I’d already said enough. “No. And stop giving me orders.”
“Don’t think of it as an order.” He tipped my chin until my eyes were forced to meet his. “Tell me?”
“You can’t help. What’s the point?”
“You know you want to tell me.” He grinned, a slow and easy smile filled with cocky self-assurance. “And you will.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I can help. It’s your dad again, isn’t it? He’s worse.”
“Yes.”
“Hip replacement, right? Titanium?”
“How’d you know?”
“Maybe I know some innovative treatments after hip surgery.”
“He’s got good doctors. I’m sure they’ve tried them all.”
“You don’t know that.”
It was true. I didn’t know much of what treatments they’d tried, and if Levi could help…if there was the slightest chance he could make a difference, I’d be an idiot not to let him try.
“How do you know so much about broken hips?”
“A buddy of mine. He has a titanium hip.”
And I had to guess that I didn’t want to know why, so I didn’t ask.
Levi kept talking. “The recovery was rough.”
“I bet.” But I’d guess he was younger, too. Age made a difference in recovery rates. Even I realized that much.
“Listen, Carly, you don’t have to be this strong person who keeps everything inside. You have friends and people who care about you. Everyone loves you. Why won’t you let them help?”
He had to be talking about himself. Not me. He was the one who kept his emotions in check, who had control of everything in his life. A tight schedule. Always on time.
On the other hand, he’d accepted my help. Or more like he’d been forced into it out of desperation. But I could see he had an army of friends in the community. So strange. It appeared he’d managed to have a greater support in place than I did.
Strong as he appeared to be—and he was strong, by all accounts—Levi did allow some people in.
How far in still managed to be a question mark.
“I don’t keep everything inside.”
“Just with me, then.”
