Page 127 of Between Never and Forever
My brain tries rapidly to put together the puzzle pieces scattered in front of me. Levi in jeans, a t-shirt, and a hardhat holding a clipboard. Dark brown work boots on his feet. A basic, white logo on the breast pocket of his shirt. My eyes fall to it and focus.
East Coast Contracting.
I look back at his face to find him studying me with just as much surprise.
“Your company is East Coast Contracting,” I state slowly. He jerks out a single nod.
“You’re the anonymous donor,” he says, and my nod mirrors his.
So many thoughts swirl through my head and I can’t make sense of any of them, but I feel relieved. Warm. Buzzing, even. Levi has overseen the rebuilding of my old neighborhood. Levi is the one who insisted on not cutting corners—quality materials, quality labor, quality housing. Is Levi my message from the universe?
Before either of us can say anything, I hear a vehicle rumble up behind me and the engine cut off. I watch Levi’s eyes flick over my shoulder and the color drain from his face as he brings his attention back to me. He looks like he wants to speak, but I turn to the vehicle on the curb.
I expect to see paps, but instead, it’s another East Coast Contracting truck, and Brynn hops out of the passenger seat carrying two large fast-food bags. When she sees me, she smiles and I smile back, until a woman comes around the truck with more fast-food bags.
My stomach falls. My heart stops. I can hardly breathe.
“Dad,” Brynn shouts, running up to us. “We brought you and the guys lunch.”
“Thanks, Boss,” I hear Levi say.
“Hey Sav!” Brynn says, but I don’t look at her.
I can’t take my eyes off the woman, and when she sees me, she halts. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t take another step closer. She just stares at me, and my foggy brain grapples for more puzzle pieces.
“Mom?”
My voice is nothing but a rasp, small and lost. I sound fifteen again. My mother opens her mouth but shuts it without saying anything at all.
“Mom? Ms. Sharon is your mom?” Brynn turns to my mother with a familiarity that almost knocks me over. “Why is Sav calling you mom, Ms. Sharon?”
My mom doesn’t answer. She just gives Brynn a small smile, and then looks back at me. She stands still as a statue, and my eyes eat her up. She looks younger than I remember. Her dark hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail, her body finally has some weight and shape to it. Her cheeks aren’t gaunt. Her eyes aren’t sunken in. I zero in on her arms and as if she knows what I’m looking for, she turns her forearms out so I can see the inside of her elbow clearly.
No marks. No visible scars. No sign she’s been using in that way.
Then I notice something else. She’s wearing a shirt just like the one Levi has on. Just like the one Dusty and the rest of Levi’s guys wear at the studio. East Coast Contracting is displayed proudly on her breast pocket. And when it clicks, it’s like I’m being kicked in the side with Terry’s steel-toed boot all over again.
Only this time, it’s not Terry doing the kicking.
I drag my eyes to Levi.
“Does she work for you?” I ask quietly, and he jerks out another single nod. “Since when?”
He swallows before answering, but that’s the only sign that he’s worried about how I’ll react. His eyes stay focused on mine, his face stays stern, his posture stays rigid. No hint of shame or remorse.
“Since after the storm.”
I blink, clearing my eyes of more tears. This feels like a betrayal. This feels like a lie, or a maliciously kept secret.She’s been working for him for two years.
Two. Years.
My mother has been part of Levi’s life. Part of Brynn’s life. And now, more than ever, I feel like an outsider. After everything my mother put me through. After being the reason why I had to run away. After all of it, Levi gave her a job? Welcomed her into his life?
My mother was the enemy. The villain. She’s not supposed to have access to the thing I wanted most but couldn’t have.
“Why?” I ask Levi, but he doesn’t answer. I drop my voice to a whisper. “How could you?”
I turn and walk away, pushing right past my mom and Brynn without a word. I speed walk to the car, but when I reach it, Levi is right there behind me.
