by Leia Shaw
“So how do you know our Emmy?” her dad asked from the driver’s seat.
He was wearing a t-shirt that read Podiatrists are always one step ahead. Levi had already nudged her and said he could see where she got her funny shirt fixation from.
Her mom was sitting in the passenger seat, looking as prim as always. She’d probably dressed up just for this event, because who would bother to wear pearls and a blazer while watching the neighbor’s two year old?
“Emmy was nice enough to volunteer to drive me to my girlfriend’s house on her way to a hacker convention,” Levi answered, grinning at Em. “She’s so selfless that way. Right, Emmy?”
“Never call me that.”
He ignored her glare and kept smiling.
Maura turned around in her seat to frown at them. “Then you’re not her boyfriend?”
“No,” Emerson snapped.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were driving through, pumpkin?” her dad said, grinning at them through the rearview mirror. “I would’ve bought a good steak and fired up the grill.”
“I don’t even like steak.”
His smile disappeared in an instant. “Emerson True, we are a God-fearing American family. We eat steak.”
A bunny whacked into the side of her head. With a growl, she snatched it from the kid’s hand. His lip puckered out and his eyes widened into big, sad saucers.
Shit. He was gonna cry. There was nothing worse than a squalling baby in a car. They still had another half an hour to go.
“Here.” She shoved the bunny at him. “Take it back. Just don’t cry.”
The boy grabbed the bunny and went back to bopping it around. She let out a sigh of relief.
“You have such a way with kids, pumpkin,” Levi whispered.
“Shut up.” This was a fucking nightmare.
The rest of the thirty minute drive was spent dodging her mother’s nosy questions and listening to her father, in Dr. Dale Your Friendly Podiatrist mode, grill Levi about his foot arches. No wonder she didn’t visit often.
Her childhood home looked just the same as it had growing up. Old-fashioned wallpaper, covered in pastel flowers decorated the walls. Lacy curtains hung on windows, tacky figurines sat on shelves next to cheap china her mother thought gave her status. The smell of potpourri choked her and brought back a flood of memories – some pleasant, some not. She’d grown up feeling left out, but never abused. She had that much to be grateful for.
Levi followed her through the narrow hallway. She pointed out the bathroom then opened the door to her bedroom.
In contrast to the girliness of the rest of the house, her old bedroom was stark and cold. Why they’d kept it that way was a mystery to Em. Did they expect her to move back one day? The walls were painted a dark gray, but the sun gleaming through the window brightened them. Usually she kept the shades closed so it didn’t create a glare on the computer. It made a cave-like effect that she liked. A work cave suited her just fine.
She went to close the shade but stopped when she realized they were gone. Ugh. Her mother must’ve taken them down. Paige used to call Em a vampire because she’d go around the house shutting curtains all the time.
Levi chuckled. “I’m not surprised your room would look like this.” He fiddled with something on her dresser. “I didn’t expect the cherub figurines though. Some kind of fetish for you?”
“What?” She spun to face him. “Oh my god!” At least a dozen porcelain cherubs playing instruments stood on her dresser, like some kind of chubby angelic choir. She opened her top drawer and pushed them all inside. “They’re so fucking creepy.”
“Maybe she thinks they’ll save your blackened, tattooed soul.”
“Nothing can save that.” She smirked.
“Oh I doubt that.” He stepped in close enough to smell. Memories took hold of her mind – his teasing kisses, gentle fingers gliding over her skin, teeth nipping at her sensitive parts. She bit back a moan.
“You could settle down with a good Catholic boy,” he said. “Surround yourself with porcelain cherubs. Get knocked up and have a billion kids.”
She scowled at him, though she felt more like melting into the floor. Why did he effect her this way? He was still off-limits. Maybe not because he was taken, but because she didn’t want to be someone’s rebound. Once was enough. She didn’t regret last night but they definitely shouldn’t do it again. They’d only get hurt in the long run. And she had the most to lose. Levi would grieve then heal and move on. He’d find a shiny new girlfriend easily and forget Emerson ever existed. But she’d be the one left reeling. To him, she just happened to be available on a long road trip and had the right parts.
But to her…well, she was falling for him.
She forced herself to take a step back. “Come on,” she said, her voice hoarse. “Let’s go talk to my parents and figure out a plan.”
Disappointment flickered across his face then he cleared it and nodded brusquely. “Right. A plan.”
In the living room, her dad paced the floor with the phone to his ear. Her mom had the toddler at the table and, as she fed him yogurt, she sang little songs to encourage him to eat. They were songs Emerson recognized. A smile touched her lips. For all her complaining, she couldn’t deny she’d been loved, at least as a child.
“The car is in the shop,” her dad said, placing the phone on his belt next to his pager. Who knew podiatrists were important enough to need pagers? “He said it’ll be ready to drive tomorrow after three.”
“Crap!” It took a lot not to swear but swearing always made her mother gasp dramatically. “Registration is at nine.”
Dale nodded. “I know. That’s why you’ll take my car. When yours is ready, I’ll bring Levi to pick it up with your mother’s car.”
Her brows shot up. “You’re gonna let me take your car for the weekend?”
“Of course. This computer conference seems important.” He put up a finger and looked down at her. “But you have to promise to eat with us first. You’ll get in late but you can leave tonight.”
She stood frozen in shock, unsure of what to say. Her dad had never seemed supportive of her career path, yet here he was offering his car so she could get to her conference. Maybe he was more supportive than she gave him credit for.
“Or you could wait until tomorrow, after you’ve slept,” Levi suggested, giving her a sidelong glance. He looked hopeful.
“That’s right. You can stay in your room. Levi can take the pull-out in the basement.”
He smiled. “That sounds great, Mr. True. Thank you so much.”
“It’s no trouble. And call me Dale. I’m just happy to help my pumpkin get to her work event.”
With a nudge, Levi snapped her to life. “Um. Thanks, Dad. That sounds good.”
“Okay.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned. “You like steak, Levi?”
Oh god. She rolled her eyes.
“I’m a God-fearing American man, Mr. True. Of course I like steak.”
“Excellent. I’ll run to the store.” He turned then froze and added, as a second thought, “You want anything, pumpkin?”
A time machine. A new road trip buddy who didn’t smell so good. A live cherub to fly her to Chicago.
She sighed. “Steak is fine.”
Chapter 16
Emerson was hibernating in her old bedroom with her computer and Levi was bored out of his mind. Dale had offered to take him to the grocery store to help pick out the perfect cut of beef. He’d turned it down under the pretense of being sick of the car, which was partially true. But really, he’d wanted to have fun with Em.
Sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with a toddler wasn’t what he had in mind. The little boy turned and smiled at him as he clapped to the songs. Levi had to laugh. He messed up the words but he kept beat pretty well. There was promise there.
He got down on the floor next to the little boy then drummed his hands on the coffee table. “Look. You can make music too.”
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br /> The boy toddled over and copied him. Levi started with a simple beat. Left right right. Left right right.
The kid followed along, lagging slightly behind with his chubby hands. He grinned and a bit of drool dribbled out of his mouth.
Gross. Yet cute in a way.
Smiling, Levi found himself singing along to the simple melody. Until he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye.
He turned. Whoops. Emerson was standing in the hallway, peering in and smirking. He stood up and brushed his hands on his jeans.
“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself.”
She chuckled. “Super Levi. Molding young minds everywhere he goes.”
The little boy yelled for his attention then drummed his own beat on the table. Levi clapped for him. “Good job, little guy.” He looked at Emerson. “Future Keith Moon right there.”
“Who?”
“Yup.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“Are you done working?” Please say yes. He felt like an eager puppy that needed attention. He supposed he could go back to Mick Drooler over there and hang out, but Emerson was better company. Sometimes.
“No way.” She shrugged. “We’re stranded here a while and there’s nothing to do so I might as well work.”
He opened his mouth to give her a few ideas then froze when he spotted a flyer on the table. A music festival? He picked it up and studied it, his lips twisting into a slow grin.
“What?” she asked, standing on tip toes to see what he was looking at.
“Where’s Hillpoint Green?”
“A few blocks away.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
He gave her an evil look. She wasn’t going to like this but they were doing it anyway.
She took a step back. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Get your coat.”
“No.”
He laughed, maniacally.
Scowling, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not going anywhere. I have to work.”
“No, you don’t.” He was already walking down the hallway to get his coat off of her bed.
She followed him, spouting off reasons she couldn’t go wherever it was he wanted her to go. He ignored her. In her room, he pulled on his light jacket then gestured to hers sitting on the back of her desk chair.
“Come on,” he said when she refused to move. “Don’t be such a fun squasher.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’m not a fun squasher.”
He plucked her coat from the chair and pressed it against her chest. “Then let’s go have some fun.”
A glaring contest ensued but she finally gave in with a sigh. “Fine. But make it quick.” She put her coat on and followed him back into the hallway. “Where are we going anyway?”
“A Klezmer concert on the green.” It was original, if a bit unexpected. Who knew a small town in Ohio would have something as rare as a Klezmer band?
“What’s a Klezmer?”
He looked over his shoulder. “You’ll see.”
Still scowling, she followed him out the door. “I’m not really into music, you know.”
“Just enjoy a nice walk then.” God she was stubborn. He fought the urge to kiss the scowl right off of her face.
She sighed and watched the ground as they crossed the muddy lawn. Soon everything would burst to life again. The earlier breeze died down but the sun was still high, making it feel warm enough not to need their coats. Levi unzipped his as they started down the sidewalk.
“So a Klezmer band is Jewish folk music with a little extra flare,” he told her. It wasn’t a popular style anymore but he’d had a professor who was Yiddish and made his students compose a Klezmer piece for an exposition. Other students had grumbled about it but Levi had loved the challenge. And secretly, he loved the music as well. “Sort of like Fiddler on the Roof meets Duke Ellington. A lot of improv. A lot of syncopated beats.” He paused to look at Emerson.
Her eyes glazed over. “That sounds to me like what math equations sound like to you.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” Music rose up over the small hill they climbed. Brass instruments first, then piano. “Aha. Hear it?”
She nodded.
At the top of the hill, he spotted what must be Hillpoint Green. A dingy stage had been set up. The grass surrounding it was a muddy yellow, signaling it was a little too early in the season for outdoor concerts. But there was an audience anyway.
They drew closer and he took stock of the musicians on the small stage. Four on brass, a drummer, a bass guitarist, one on keyboard, three woodwinds, and even a violin. Not too shabby.
Lawn chairs dotted the area in front of the stage. Levi scanned the audience. It was made up entirely of senior citizens.
He leaned into Emerson. “I don’t think there’s anyone under the age of sixty here.”
“No.” She chuckled.
They stood in the back, listening to the upbeat song fill the early spring afternoon. The beat was nice – mostly snare. Whoever played the oboe killed it with the slides, boosting the jazz feel of the music. For a small town band, they were pretty damn good.
A few members of the audience danced to the song, swayed or did a little jig as the music moved them. He felt it too – a current in the air. Music, old people, new spring air… He looked at Emerson then started bopping to the beat. It was silly, maybe, but what was life without a little silliness now and then?
He took a few steps toward a few women dancing in the center, twisted to see Emerson, then jumped on one foot then the other.
Her brows rose in surprise then she shook her head, clearly holding back a laugh.
He bounced and spun, letting the music take him. The women made a circle around him, making eyes at him and shouting encouragements. He paused and waved Emerson over.
“No, that’s okay,” she said. “You have fun.”
Still bouncing, and now throwing his hands up in air with a clap, he made his way to Emerson. “Come on, pretty girl,” he cajoled.
She shook her head. “I don’t dance.”
“Sure you do.” He grabbed her hand and yanked. “It’s easy.”
“No!” Despite her protest and panicked look, he dragged her to the other dancers anyway. “Seriously, Levi! Let me go!”
Laughing, he pulled her right into the middle of the circle. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. When he danced his silliest around her, she only looked nonplussed. And when he grabbed her arms and waved them around, she let them go limp. He was about to give up when a man hobbled over, bald and wearing a stern frown, and butt bumped her.
She flinched and looked up at him. Levi froze, afraid for a moment that they’d truly upset him. Then he winked.
Her face slackened and a real smile appeared, showed off her one dimple. The man put out his hand and she took it, looking a little nervous. But when he spun her into his arms then back out again, she squealed with laughter.
Then they were both dancing, bouncing on their toes, clapping to the beat with a slew of elderly folks around them. He couldn’t remember having this much fun in a long time.
Emerson’s black hair and dark clothes stood out among the white haired women wearing pastels and slacks. The Mario tattoo peeked from her jeans every time she lifted her arms. A punk in the middle of a folk concert.
Levi grinned as he watched her in awe. Smiling, clapping, looking like a complete and utter dork… He’d never wanted to kiss her so badly. Who knew a nerdy math genius could be so enchanting?
Chapter 17
The scrape of knives against porcelain dishes filled the awkward silence at dinner. Or maybe it made it worse. Tension hung in the air. The steak was overcooked and chewy, as usual. Funny that her dad fancied himself a chef. He could ruin oatmeal and still chew it happily, remarking on how perfectly cooked it was.
Emerson pushed the steak around on the plate and filled up on broccoli and baked potato instead.
Her parents chattere
d quietly from time to time about the food or the weather. Levi had grown quiet as soon as she’d said she was hitting the road again after dinner. She felt a little guilty leaving him there with her parents, especially with him still reeling from the heartbreak.
Though no one would’ve guessed he’d been anything but giddy with excitement, and maybe a little nerdy, the way he’d been dancing that afternoon. She almost broke into a grin when she remembered Norma going in for a kiss on the cheek then trading for the lips at the last second.
On the way home, he’d made her admit, despite her eye rolling, that it’d been the most fun she’d had in a while. She’d admitted to weeks. Honestly, it was more like months.
She sighed. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t fit her life around him. His weekend plan remained the same – just one day later. He wasn’t losing money on this, she was. She’d paid for four days of convention. She’d barely make it to two as it was.
Every time she glanced his way, he was wearing the same pitiful expression – a small smile that never reached his eyes. Having seen him in a full on grin, she knew the difference. Did it finally hit him what Heidi had done? Abandoning him here, in the midst of that, felt wrong.
After dinner, Emerson grabbed some sheets and a blanket from the linen closet then led Levi down the basement stairs. At the bottom, she pushed the armful of blankets at Levi then felt around for the light on the other side of the room – a serious design flaw when they’d refurnished the space.
As she stumbled in the dark, Levi whispered from the doorway, “I feel like I’m in high school again.”
“What?” She felt along the far wall for the switch.
“Sneaking into a girl’s basement.” He chuckled.
She found the switch and the lights clicked on. Levi stood in the doorway, blinking as he adjusted to the light. He held a quilt covered in big tacky purple and pink flowers.
She smiled. The contrast of the girly quilt next to his raggedy clothes was amusing. The man didn’t seem to own a pair of jeans without holes in them. Somehow he managed to look fashionable instead of homeless.