“Oh, I highly recommend that. Mine worked out perfectly,”Presley said, leaning over the box to kiss Beckett. They shared a sweet smile; Levi needed to ask about that story later.
For now, he was confused as to why Shane being away impacted Jilly’s plans, and who the hell Shane was.
Jilly frowned, tapping her chin with her finger. “If they come midweek to the weekend next week, maybe we could do premade foods? It’s only a trial run.”
“Could work with Mrs. Angelo. She’d be able to do breakfast and lunch easily. Maybe some Costco lasagnas or something for dinners? It’s what? Less than ten people for two days?” Beckett pulled at the cheese on his slice to detach it from the rest, then handed Ollie a napkin.
“Sorry, can I jump in and ask who Shane is?” It couldn’t be someone Jilly was interested in. Someone who was interested in her?
Everyone looked his way, intensifying his out-of-the-loop feelings.
“Shane’s the lodge chef. He made plans because he knows the summer is packed. He’s cut back his hours because his husband retired last year—you know Louis, Mo’s brother. He taught us PE. We’ve worked around it for the new schedule with some help from Mrs. Angelo. You remember her? Actually, you probably remember her niece, Katara. Didn’t you date for a couple weeks one summer?” Grayson’s smile broadened as he shared all that information.
Okay. No reason for his face to heat. He’d been sixteen, but he didn’t miss the way Jillian’s brows arched or her lips twitched.Redirect.
“Barely. Okay, so, you need a chef.” He pursed his lips, put his hands on his hips. “If only there was someone you guys knew who not only is a kick-as—butt chef—”
“Uncle Becks says ‘ass’ all the time. It’s okay,” Ollie said.
Beckett threw a napkin at his niece, making her giggle, while Jillian reminded her, quietly, to watch her words.
“As I was saying, too bad you don’t know a chef who has time on his hands who could help out.”
Jillian turned her body toward him. She felt too far away. When she was in the same room, he wanted some part of his body, any part, to be touching hers. A pinkie finger, his hand, his thigh. His mouth.
Grayson moved around his sister and grabbed a slice of pizza. Levi did the same, pretending that nerves weren’t percolating in his stomach. He could do this. He could help out, spend some time with Jilly, and maybe feel useful while he got things figured out and settled. It was the time-with-Jillian thing that was making bubbles of excitement pop inside of him.
Grayson passed Jilly a piece of pizza. Being with all of them reminded Levi how close they were. He wanted Jillian. More than he’d anticipated. But he needed to move slow. Now that he was home, there was no way he’d risk his friendships with any of them. These people made him feelhome.
“He’s cooking for us at the lodge this weekend. We can make sure he knows what he’s doing,” Beckett teased, starting in on his second piece.
“Can I help?” Ollie said around a bite of food. “Chef Shane lets me help. I’m a really good sous-chef.”
Levi laughed, locking eyes with the kid and nodding even though he didn’t have Jillian’s “yes” yet.
“You’re in the middle of all of this, Levi,” Jilly said, gesturing with her arms and losing a piece of pepperoni from her slice.
Gray reached down and grabbed it, then walked it over to the garbage. “What’s wrong with that, Jill? That would be awesome,Levi. If you’re sure you have time. Aren’t you helping out your dad?”
Levi shrugged, still irked at his dad’s refusal to let him pitch in. “Maybe. But not much even if he lets me. I can cook for you guys. It sounds cool. I’ll come with you tomorrow and check out the kitchen setup.”
Grayson and Jilly shared a look and Levi wondered if her brother picked up on the subtle hum of nerves shimmering around her. She wanted this but was thinking about being alone with Levi. Grayson was looking at it like an answer to a problem.
“Problem solved,” Levi said, catching Jilly’s gaze with a smile.
Gray squeezed her shoulder and looked at Levi. “Make a list of what items you need once you talk to Jilly about the menu, and I’ll grab everything.”
A smile hovered on his lips as Jillian stared at him, silent messages passing between them. He liked the restlessness inside of him; the anticipation of what could come. Both with cooking and with the lodge.
He’d been home almost a week and finally felt useful to people who mattered to him. Not the ones he planned, but he was okay with that. It’d been a hell of a day. A new apartment, reuniting with friends, pizza, and beer. He’d hoped to end it knowing exactly how it felt to kiss Jillian Keller, but he could wait on that. For the first time in a long time, neither of them were going anywhere.
He was up early the next morning in hopes that the idea he had would put Jillian at ease. There was the old adage that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Levi was flipping that narrative and hoping if he wowed her with a delicious lunch—maybe they could even picnic by the water—Jillian’s guard would dropa bit further. He kept telling himself that it wasn’t a race. But when Levi was sure about something, he dove in, headfirst and determined.
Levi stirred the barbecue sauce once more before bringing a taste to his lips.
“Mmm. Perfect,” he said, tossing the spoon in the sink of his parents’ kitchen.
His dad walked into the room as he was coating the chicken he’d baked with the sauce. He slipped it into the oven to caramelize it. His old man was moving slow and, surprisingly, hadn’t been pushing himself too hard. Levi had a feeling his mother was behind that.
