Page 45 of Hopeless Romantic
That was what Beckett was afraid of. Last time Gregory found his way into Karen’s garden, she chased him off with a pitchfork. “Can you call him back and tell him I’m on my way?”
Without waiting for an answer, she began collecting all her papers, which were haphazardly spread across the table, and shoved them into her bag. A pile of them fluttered to the floor.
“Dammit.” She dropped to her knees, the tiles chilling her still-damp denim as she attempted to sweep the papers into a pile.
Levi crouched down, balancing on the balls of his feet. In one simple maneuver, he easily organized all the papers into an orderly stack and handed them over.
“You okay?” he asked.
No, she was so far from okay that she felt tears burning at the back of her throat. She cried when she was frustrated. And right then, she was frustrated as hell—at herself. For ignoring her responsibilities and pretending that she could play hooky without consequences. Pretending she was the kind of woman who could flirt with a sexy sailor over adult coffee.
She shoved the papers into her bag and stood. “No. Karen’s made her feelings about Gregory clear.” In a loud and harsh manner, which had Thomas listing all the rules of EMAs. “I am so sorry, but I have to go.”
“Here, let me pay the bill, and I can drive you.” Now he was standing, too.
“No. You enjoy the rest of the cakes. I already know that Annie would love the limoncello one. So if you think Emmitt would agree, then we’ll go with that.”
“At least take some of the cake home.” He was flagging Cecilia as if they were on a sinking ship and she was in a rescue boat in the distance.
“I don’t have time.” Her heart was racing, her palms sweating. If she didn’t get home in time, Thomas would likely call the police.
“Beck.” He took her hand, and she spun around. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No, it’s not. If I don’t get home before Karen goes for her pitchfork, then Thomas will call 911 to report an assault in progress, and I’ll be looking at another fine.” The third this year.
Unless Thomas called his favorite man in blue, Officer Pete Richards, who a few years back had responded to a 911 call Thomas placed after losing his 1993 Derek Jeter rookie card.
With his shiny badge and fully loaded smile, Pete located the card, made a superfan out of Thomas, and charmed Beckett into dinner—which led to a walk on the beach and, eventually, a sprint toward Happily Ever After.
If there were any chinks in his armor, signs that her knight with a shining badge wasn’t up to the task of dealing with her family, Beckett didn’t notice until it was too late. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“Look,” she said. “I know you’re trying to be understanding, but there is no way you can understand this.”
“Then explain it to me so I can help.” He took both of her hands. “I want to help you, Beck.”
She believed him. Just as she believed that any more help from this strong, capable, and oh-so-incredible guy would leave her with more trouble on her doorstep than the police. And she didn’t have the time or the heart for another disappointing attempt at love.
“You can help by stop being so damned nice to me.”
Because when he was nice, she forgot she had to be the tough chick. His intentions were good, but intentions didn’t matter if the end result was disappointment.
Without another word, she headed for the door, texting Thomas to say she was on her way home and not to call the cops. The rain pelted her skin as she hit send and sprinted across the parking lot. By the time she reached her scooter, she was dripping from head to toe, so it didn’t much matter when she straddled the wet seat.
Helmet secured, she cranked the key, but the engine sputtered before turning over. She tried again with no luck.
“Are you shitting me?” She tried one last time and got enough spark to realize she’d left her front light on, and it had drained the battery. “Come on!”
“Someone need a ride?” Levi asked, standing over her, looking like a hero for hire with his leather coat, umbrella, and stack of to-go boxes. “I’ve got a heater that will leave you feeling tumbled dry in no time, and I’ll even let you eat the rest of the cake in the car.”
Never in her life had she been this close to a public display of tears. That it was in front of a guy who gave her tingles only made it worse. But she was stuck between a pecker and a pitchfork, and Levi’s smile was warm enough to melt through every ice wall she was hiding behind.
“Only if you promise not to be nice,” she said quietly. “I can’t handle nice right now.”
“No nice. Got it,” he said, then reached out the umbrella to shelter her from the rain.
Chapter 9
After a series of crazy days, Levi began to see Beckett’s point. Finding quality me-first time was only as easy as his family and schedule allowed. He’d never questioned his decision to take over running the Crow’s Nest after Michelle passed, but if he wanted any kind of personal life, something had to give.
