Page 73 of Hopeless Romantic
“That’s why I got you a new timer, remember?” Her voice was soft as she wiped the timer on her jeans, then gently placed it in her dad’s hands. She twisted the bug’s head, and a soothing acoustic guitar began playing.
“Here Comes the Sun.” Jeffery closed his eyes and smiled. “I used to play this for you when you were little and didn’t want to go to sleep.”
“I remember.” She went to place the timer on the counter, but Jeffery wouldn’t let go.
“I don’t like things cluttering the counter.” As if a five-inch timer was the issue with that kitchen. “And Beatles or not, I don’t like timers. They break my concentration.”
Instead of telling him, “Too fucking bad,” Beckett stood back, leaving the entry to the kitchen unblocked. “Why don’t you place it where you want. We’ll only bring it out when I’m gone, and you need to use the oven.”
“I guess that can work,” he said, even while making it clear he didn’t like her solution. Not one bit.
He took his time considering all the different options, wrinkling his nose when he saw a splatter on the wall or the slice of pepperoni clinging to the vent. Finally, he chose the drawer farthest from the range, dropped the timer in, then closed it with his elbow.
“Good choice.”
“I’ll try to remember to use it so I won’t burn the pizza,” Jeffery said, his gaze just to the right of meeting hers. “I was going to clean the mess up before you got home. But it’s hard when you’re not here and things go wrong.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Completely oblivious to how he’d just made his daughter feel, Jeffery went on. “You’re so much better at this kind of thing than I am.”
“Nothing a sponge and soap can’t fix,” she said, and that’s when Levi finally understood.
Why she kept her phone close, always checked in with home, and avoided long-term commitments. How a hard, scrappy worker had managed to lose so many jobs around town. And why she let clients walk over her.
Her relationship with her father reminded him of Emmitt’s problems growing up. His father, Les, was ten years sober, but Levi didn’t think attending meetings and finding a sponsor would help this family.
At some point, the Hayeses had undergone a major role reversal. With no mother figure in the picture, a father who had trouble parenting, and a brother to raise, Beckett wouldn’t have hesitated to step up. It couldn’t be comfortable or natural for her, being her brother’s parent, her dad’s keeper, and the sole responsible party in the house. All at the expense of her own happiness.
* * *
Beckett swept her hair into a ponytail and surveyed the damage. The kitchen alone would take her hours to clean.
Doing it with her dad’s help? She might as well burn down the house and start over.
So when her dad reached for the broom, she intercepted. “Why don’t you let me do this, so you can finish up whatever you were working on in the studio. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
“If you’re sure,” Jeffery asked, but he already had one foot out the door.
Groaning, she slipped off her boots, irritated over how her night was going to end. It had been so amazing up to now; she was determined not to let a little burned pizza ruin her mood. Bowling with friends, a romantic tailgate picnic, followed by an even more romantic make-out session with a man who thought her beautiful.
“You need to match your socks more often, Jasmine Beckett Hayes,” she said to herself.
“Jasmine, huh?” asked an unexpected male voice.
“Oh my God!” she gasped, spinning around while holding the broom like a javelin.
Levi stood at the entry, boots off, arms crossed, a shoulder resting against the door, looking big and badass. “That’s a princess name if I ever heard one.”
“You’re still here?” She blinked. “Why are you still here?”
“And you go by your middle name.”
She ran through every scenario that might end with him being in her house and came up blank. He’d walked her to the door, helped her inside, and then—ohmigod.The broom slipped from her fingers.
“I left you waiting on the porch.” She cringed. “Again. Damn, I’m not so good with this whole man-in-waiting thing you’ve got going on.”
“You were met with a lot when the door opened.” He lowered his voice. “Are you okay?”
