He truly thought that if he came to the lodge in the afternoon, he wouldn’t get in Jillian’s space; that she’d be gone for the day. But as he pulled his dad’s boat to a stop, parking next to a boat that readBRIGHT BUILDS, he saw two things: his dad supervising two of his employees, offering suggestions as they worked at the far end of the dock, which was getting widened and strengthened. The second thing was Ollie flying toward him down the green expanse of grass in front of the lodge. His heart spasmed as he stepped off the dock and braced for the impact of her arms going around his waist.
He’d missed her. How the hell had this little girl and her mother wrapped themselves around Levi’s heart to the point that it beat steadier when one of them was around?
“Oof. Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?”
He crouched down to be on her level, both of the bracelets he’d purchased digging into him through his pocket.
Ollie put her hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry my mom broke up with you but we’re still friends and I can still cook with you, right?”
Jesus. The sides of his heart squeezed so tight it felt like they met in the middle. “We’ll always be friends, Ollie. You matter tome a lot. And you’re the best sous-chef I’ve ever had.” She beamed at him and he had to ask. “Is your mom here?”
Ollie shook her head. “No. She’s working on the presentation for Mr. Pete and Ms. Gwen.”
His knees were cramping in this position but he didn’t want to stand up yet. “Is she doing okay?”
Ollie’s hands came to his cheeks and she pressed them together as she stared at him like she was trying to figure him out. He would have laughed at the strangeness of it if his heart wasn’t fucking strangling him.
“She’s sad. My gramma and grampa are moving and she’s really sad about that. Plus, I’m not talking to her and I think that makes her sad too.”
No.He went with his gut and scooped Ollie up so he could stand but still maintain eye contact. “Ollie. Your mom needs you. You shouldn’t stop talking to her.”
It both surprised him and healed a little piece of him when Jillian’s daughter rested her head on his shoulder, her arms coming around him. “I know. But I’m mad at her.”
“I know, sweet pea, but she loves you, and she needs all the people who love her to take care of her right now while she’s sad.” He started walking toward the lodge, seeing Gray come out the front door.
Ollie lifted her head. “Aren’t you sad?”
“I am. I love your mom. But I also don’t want to upset her more.” He lifted his chin toward Gray. “Hey, man.”
“Hey.” Grayson stared at the two of them.
“You could win her back,” Ollie said.
“Ollie,” Gray said with a mild warning in his tone.
Ollie jumped in Levi’s arms excitedly. “What? It’s what Uncle Beck did with Aunt Presley.”
Levi couldn’t help but laugh at the kid’s enthusiasm. He set her down, charmed even more when she immediately took his hand. “I helped Uncle Beck do Instagram live. I can help you.”
“Ollie, this is between your mom and Levi.”
Ollie shook her head adamantly. “When Aunt Presley left, you said Uncle Beck was a damn fool, because she was part of our family. Levi’s part of our family, too.”
Gray ran a hand through his neatly styled hair. “I really wish you’d stop repeating all of my words.”
Levi laughed. “If there were something I could do, I would, Ollie. Your mom needs to figure out what she wants.”
Grayson sighed. “She’s miserable, man. Ollie might be right. Maybe we can figure out a way to get her to get her head out of her a—stop being stubborn.”
Ollie giggled. “Grampa says I’m stubborn just like Mom.”
“He’s not wrong,” Grayson said.
Thoughts and ideas flitted through Levi’s brain. “Is she going to keep avoiding me?” He looked up at his friend while Ollie, apparently done with the conversation, ran over to the side of the house.
Gray nodded. “Probably. If I know Jilly, she feels embarrassed by what happened, on top of every other emotion she’s struggling with. She likes to take care of others. She’s not so great with others trying to do the same for her.”
Ollie came running back to them with a clutch of colorful blooms in her hand. “You could give her flowers. And she wants a pearla.” She held out the flowers.
