“I was going to bring muffins, but no one makes them as good as you so I thought a plant would be better.” She set it down on the counter and looked around. “I should have brought two or three.”
He pulled her into a side hug, kissed the top of her head. “It’s temporary, Mom. Perfect for what I need for right now. The plant is great. Thank you.”
She made the coffee while he used the microwave to warm up some muffins he’d made a couple of days ago. When they had everything, they moved over to the couch. He was toying with the idea of getting a small table and a few chairs in case Jilly and Ollie wanted to come for dinner soon.
As they sat, he looked around himself. “I should grab a bit more furniture, even if it’s only temporary.”
His mom set her plate on her lap, holding her coffee mug with both hands. “We have a small dining set and a couple of coffee tables and end tables in our storage unit, if you’d like them.”
“That’d be great.”
“So,” she said, holding her plate with one hand while she set her coffee on the floor. She sat back up. “You and Jilly?”
“Did someone write it on the chalkboard?”
She laughed, broke off a piece of her muffin. “No. Her mom asked me if I wanted to help out with the exhibit they’re creating for the Founder’s Day Festival to honor Gwen and Pete. I went by the museum yesterday and couldn’t believe all of the old items he’d kept. Actual booths from thirty years ago.”
Levi took a generous sip of his own coffee, silently thanking caffeine for all of its wonders. “Some of it is probably worth a lot but all of it is pretty incredible. You could actually re-create the different eras at Pete’s just with what he threw away.”
“That’s sort of what they’re doing. Anyway, Edie and I were talking and she said it was nice to have you hanging around. A little different from when you used to go over just to see Beckett.” Her tone was teasing.
Levi grinned. That was true for the most part, until the year before he left when that crush on Jilly felt like it doubled every time he saw her. He’d spent a lot of time at the Kellers’ home. Maybe more than his own. Sort of like now. The thought wiped the smile from his face.
“How’s Dad? It’s been a couple of weeks since the surgery. How’s he feeling?”
His mom broke off another piece of muffin, staring at her plate. She didn’t eat it, though. When she looked up, her gaze wassad. “He was wrong for how he treated you, Levi. I can’t change him. When you love someone, you accept all of them, even the parts of them that wear on your nerves sometimes. I love your dad and I understand him. I get where he’s coming from because I missed you like crazy when you were away, too. I don’t agree with how he’s handled any of it, particularly since you came home.”
Levi set his coffee and his plate on the floor, turned his body to give his mom his full attention. “I appreciate that, Mom. I don’t want things to be like this.”
“Then I’m asking you to reach out. To try even though he should be the one to do it.”
“Come on, Mom. I’m just setting myself up if I reach out again. I’ve tried.”
Her lips firmed and she looked around the room, stared at his TV. When she finally looked at him again, he thought he’d won. That she’d drop it.
“I didn’t think I’d have this again. My family all within walking distance. I’m so happy you’re home. And now you’re dating a wonderful woman with an adorable daughter from a family we’re friends with. I want that, Levi. I want all of it. I want family dinners and holidays and impromptu dinners. I supported your dream and I’m so proud of you. I supported his when he started his business and I’m so proud of him. But it’s my turn. I want my family back. I don’t want to miss out on anything, and one of you has to swallow your pride.”
He hated the catch in her breath, the break in her voice. “Mom, he said I wasn’t good enough for Jillian.”
Anger and sadness merged together in her expression. “That’s a terrible thing for him to have said. Your father isn’t perfect. Not even close. And it’s not okay that he said it. But knowing him like I do, I think he was projecting his own worries that you won’t stay.”
Levi knew that. He’d known it when he said it, but it didn’t make it feel any better. Hoping he wasn’t overstepping, Levi offered a tiny twig—it wasn’t an olive branch yet; he had his own stubborn pride.
“Ollie’s class is camping at the lodge this weekend. One of the stations I was going to help with was building birdhouses. Actually, Ollie and Jilly and I had a great time grabbing all of the materials. I’ll call Dad and ask if he can come out for a few hours and help.”
His mom beamed at him, tears in her gaze. “I love you, Levi.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “More since you got your own way?”
She picked up her coffee again. “Absolutely.”
Twenty-three
For some people, embarking on a two-day overnight trip with eighteen nine-year-olds, their teacher, and six parent volunteers wouldn’t be fun. Jilly wasn’t one of those people. She was ready for bad knock-knock jokes, campfires, and sticky s’mores. In fact, in between ordering supplies for the lodge, helping Lainey log her inventory into the new system she’d installed on her computer, and cataloging Pete’s memorabilia for the museum, Jilly was ready to head to the lodge and enjoy the fun and frivolity that came with third graders. And Levi. She was almost giddy that he’d decided to spend the night since he wanted to be up early cooking for the kids.
Jill glanced over to where he stood chatting with one of the moms, his arms crossed over his chest in a way that emphasized the muscles of his biceps and the light tan he was already sporting from a few days outside.
“You won’t be the only one staring at him all weekend,” Allison Shriever, a happily married mom, said, bumping Jilly’s shoulder.
