“Why don’t we do a get-together at the lodge this weekend. You wanted to cook for everyone. Your dad should be okay to travel by then. It’s a short ride. You could see the place, feed us, and maybe your dad could give us some advice on a few outbuildings Jillian was thinking of.” Beckett polished off the last of his sandwich as a larger party filed through the door and took up the booths on the other side of the diner.
Levi could take care of anything the lodge needed. If the job wasn’t started yet, he could help his dad without messing up any existing projects. “Yeah. That’s great. I’ll talk to my parents. Itold Jilly about it,” he said, hoping his tone didn’t give off any “I’m still crushing on your sister after all these years” vibes.
“Great. She’ll be in, and my parents, too. And Ollie.”
“I met her,” Levi said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.
“Ollie? When?”
“Uh, today.” After being the idiot who fell over the cooler. He glanced at his phone and stood up. “I should go. Presley, it was great to meet you. Becks, I’m glad to be home, man. I’ll figure out a menu and text you. You’ll clear it with Gray?”
“For sure. You sure you’re okay cooking for all those people?”
Levi smiled. “More than okay. I’m going to try out my food truck ideas on you guys.”
“Better not be waffles,” Pete hollered.
Levi paid, lifted his hand, and said he’d see the chef tomorrow.
As he walked out of Pete’s into the sunshine and fresh air, his heart felt a hell of a lot lighter than it had earlier today.
Eight
Levi stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the two-story building behind Pete’s, in the alleyway that separated the businesses from another street. Technically, it was a garage, though not even a Mini Cooper or Jilly’s Volkswagen would fit inside. It was narrow like the other few garages with apartments over the top. Not every shop had one. Pete had been in the middle of plating orders when Levi showed, on time, and said he’d meet him out back.
The breeze lifted some random debris along the concrete. Dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants, he wasn’t cold, but he was tired and wouldn’t have minded a few extra hours of sleep.
Pete came out the back door of the restaurant. “Sorry. It got busy at the time it usually dies down. Jilly should be here any minute.”
Like his heart recognized her name, it surged in Levi’s chest. “Jilly? What’s going on?”
Pete gestured to the garage. “She was going to go through some of this stuff when she had time. Her and Gwennie insist it shouldn’t just be tossed in a dumpster, but when do I have time to clear this place out?”
He grumbled the words, and Levi was trying to follow along.What did Pete’s wife and Jill have to do with this? Why was he here?
Pete pulled a set of keys from his apron pocket and pointed to the side of the building. “You wanna clean it out, it’ll help Jill, get Gwen off my ass to get it done, and you can rent the space. It’s a bachelor pad and you’ll need to clean it up, but there’s enough room for you. I won’t gouge you on rent and I’ll give you a deal on the first few months for cleaning it out.”
Levi’s head was already spinning, trying to process everything the chef, who usually strung six words together max, was saying when Jillian hurried down the alley dressed in leggings and a dark green sweater that read:GET LOST. As usual, the sight of her made him smile. His gaze swept over her from her high, thick ponytail to her pretty pink running shoes.
“Here I am. Hi, Levi.” She leaned into Pete for a side hug like the man wasn’t a burly bear of a human.
Pete kissed the top of her head and, though it meant absolutely nothing, Levi felt the prickle of jealousy. Even if nothing happened romantically, he wanted a familiarity with her that allowed him to be in her space. He couldn’t get over how much he enjoyed being in her orbit. Even when he hadn’t had nearly enough coffee.
Pete stepped back. “Jilly helps out some with the Smile museum and historical society with Gwen. If you guys can sort what needs to go to the museum and take it over there, I’ll take care of the rest. Just get it all piled up out here. If there’s anything even worth keeping. Who knows? Maybe it’s all junk.” He tugged at his beard. “I should have tossed it all but I couldn’t make myself do it.”
Jillian lifted her brows, looking at Levi, and gave a small shrug. He’d gone years without seeing her or thinking about her, and now she infiltrated his thoughts and brightened his day. Seeing her might actually be better than a shot of caffeine.
Pete led the way up a narrow set of stairs along the side of the building. Jilly followed but glanced back at Levi. Fortunately, he wasn’t staring at her ass in those pants, so he could smile without embarrassment.
“You want off of the houseboat this bad?”
“How bad can it be?” His heart twitched when she smirked at him. She knew something he didn’t.
Pete had the door unlocked and opened when they reached the landing. Hopefully the ceiling only looked so low because the space inside was beyond full. Boxes, oldPETE’Ssigns, vintage-looking posters—framed and unframed—vinyl benches and stools, a jukebox, a couple of street signs, and random chairs were visible from the door. When he stepped in, his arm bumped an antique popcorn maker. Levi could almost smell the butter.
His jaw dropped to his chin. Holy. Shit. He continued to look around. If he tried hard, he could visualize the space without decades’ worth of random items being piled on top of each other. Somewhere beyond some weathered paneling was the top of a fridge, so that was likely the kitchenette.
“There’s a bathroom off the back there. You can’t see it because I turned that couch upright to save space.”
