Well Played

by Keeland, Vi

  “I’m not sure, sweetie. Things might be busy here. Why don’t we talk about it when it gets closer.”

  “It’s in fifty-one days. I looked it up. I’m going to ask Uncle Levi about it this morning.”

  I didn’t have the heart or the energy to tell Alex his uncle likely wouldn’t want us to come visit. So instead, I just nodded and forced a smile.

  “Next summer, do you think Uncle Levi will come back to The Palm? Maybe he could help coach my summer camp.”

  It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. “I’m not sure what Uncle Levi will have planned for next summer. That’s almost a year away.”

  “Three-hundred-and-forty-three days.”

  My real smile couldn’t help but peek out. I reached over and mussed my son’s hair. “Someone found a calendar.”

  When we pulled up at the inn, Tanner was sitting outside on the swing with his coffee. I hadn’t come out of my room after talking to Levi last night to see if Tanner had installed it once he got back from the wild goose chase I’d sent him on.

  He stood as we approached. “What’s up, killer?” He held a fist out to Alex and the two bumped. “How was your night? You didn’t sneak out of Kyle’s house to meet up with girls and smoke cigarettes and drink whiskey, did you?”

  Alex laughed. “Girls are gross, Dad.”

  Tanner winked at me. “Just girls? Not booze and smokes?”

  “Daaad…you’re so not even funny.”

  Tanner chuckled. He nodded toward the house. “Why don’t you go inside and get washed up for breakfast? I picked up chocolate chips when I was at the supermarket last night so I could make us double chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. I’m gonna start making them in a few because I have to drive Uncle Levi to the airport this morning.”

  “Okay!”

  Tanner looked at me after Alex ran into the house. “How do you like your swing?”

  “It looks great. Thanks for doing that.”

  “I knocked on your door last night to tell you it was done, but you didn’t answer.”

  “I guess I conked out pretty early.”

  Tanner nodded. He seemed to study my face for a minute. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

  He held my eyes. “You look a little swollen…like you’ve been crying or something.”

  I looked away. “My allergies are just bad. Actually, I’m going to take a shower right now. The hot water and steam usually do a lot to help my sinuses.”

  “Make it quick. I’m making those chocolate chip pancakes for all of us. They’re not just our boy’s favorite, they’re my big bro’s favorite, too.”

  I tried in earnest not to frown, but gravity had my lips reaching for the floor. “I’m not really hungry. So don’t wait for me to eat.” I walked toward the door and looked back. “Thanks again for hanging the swing.”

  Tanner winked. “My pleasure, sweetheart.”

  ***

  Today it was apparently my turn to stay in my room. I guess maybe it was only fair considering Levi had done it all day yesterday. I’d seen his flight paperwork on the kitchen table when I’d grabbed coffee earlier, so I knew it wouldn’t be much longer before he would be heading to the airport. It was going to kill me not to say goodbye, but I couldn’t imagine how I could do that in front of everyone without bursting into tears. We’d made it this far without Tanner knowing anything had happened between us, so there was no reason to blow it now with an overly emotional goodbye. I just needed to keep to myself for a little while longer, and then it would all be over.

  Well, it wouldn’t be over. Not in my heart anyway. Because you can’t just flip a switch and turn love off. But at least the risk of Tanner finding out would be minimal once Levi was gone.

  I sat in my room and counted down the minutes with my heart ricocheting in my chest. Then my bedroom door suddenly burst open.

  I jumped up from where I sat on the bed, and my hand covered my heart. “Alex, you scared the wits out of me! Remember our rule? We knock on any closed door, especially here at the inn.”

  “Sorry, Mom. I just wanted to ask if it was okay if I went with Dad to drop Uncle Levi at the airport. Dad said I had to check with you to make sure you didn’t have anything else going on.”

  I sighed. “That’s fine. Go ahead.”

  Just like Tanner had done earlier, my son searched my face before his little one wrinkled. “Are you okay, Mommy?”

  I smiled sadly. I hated lying to my son, even when it was for his own good. “I’m fine, honey. My allergies are just bothering me.”

  He walked over and took my hand. “I’m sad Uncle Levi is leaving, too.”

  I blinked a few times. “What?”

  “When your allergies are bothering you, you sneeze all the time. I think you’re just sad like me that Uncle Levi is leaving. He’s fun to have around.”

  I stroked my son’s cheek. He was such a perceptive little boy. “How about you and I take a ride to the beach tomorrow? Maybe we can get a hotel room for the night and spend two days surfing the waves in Myrtle Beach?”

  My son fist pumped. “Can I get a new boogie board before we go?”

  I smiled. “Of course.”

  “Okay!” Alex squeezed my hand. He then started for the door, but stopped when he realized I wasn’t following. “Come on. Uncle Levi is packing the car. You need to say goodbye.”

  “Ummm...” I couldn’t think of a way to avoid doing it, so I reluctantly nodded. “Okay.”

  Out in the kitchen, Levi was putting his laptop into a backpack when we walked in. He looked up and, if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought he was in as much pain as I was.

  He smiled sadly. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  Tanner strolled into the room, swinging around a set of keys dangling from a lanyard. He smiled. “You ready to go, superstar?”

  Levi’s eyes jumped to meet mine again before he looked down to zip his backpack. “Yep.”

  “Let’s hit the road then.”

  Again, Levi’s eyes met mine. Of course, my plan had been to avoid saying goodbye, but now it would seem weird if we didn’t at least hug or something. So I took a deep breath and walked over. “Goodbye, Levi. Good luck this season.” The hug was awkward, but when I went to pull away, Levi’s grip on me tightened.

  He whispered in my ear, “Good luck with this place. My grandfather was a wise man.”

  When he released me and I took a step back, there were tears in his eyes. Levi coughed and turned away. “Let’s go. I don’t want to miss my flight.”

  I followed them to the door, completely numb. Levi never looked back as he got into Tanner’s SUV and buckled. Alex climbed into the back and the engine started, but at the last second, Tanner opened the driver’s side door and jogged up to the porch where I stood. He kissed my cheek and pulled me in for a hug.

  “I forgot to say goodbye.”

  Tanner and I had put a lot of the hard feelings behind us, and we were friendly these days, but we weren’t in a place where we hugged and kissed goodbye, so I thought it was odd. Until I looked up and saw Levi watching from the car. That had been Tanner’s point. Apparently my son wasn’t the only perceptive one in the house, and Tanner wanted to leave his brother with a lasting memory.

  ***

  I allowed myself a solid hour of crying, and then I took a second shower. I’d considered calling Harper to talk through everything, but that would have inevitably led to more tears, and I didn’t want to be red faced and swollen when my son arrived back home. So instead, I put the kettle on and made a cup of chamomile tea. As I steeped the bag and stared into space, someone knocked at the front door. More and more people had been stopping by to inquire about renting a room lately. While that was a good thing, I was glad there was still another week until the grand opening, because I couldn’t imagine having to smile and welcome strangers right now.

  But when I opened the door, it wasn’t a stranger on the other side at all.
/>
  Tanner’s mother took one look at my face and frowned. “Can I come in?”

  The last thing I wanted was to discuss anything about either of her sons, but I also couldn’t turn her away. So I nodded and stepped aside for her to enter.

  She walked into the kitchen and looked at my teacup sitting on the counter. “Mind if I join you?”

  Yes. “No, of course not. I’ll make you a cup.”

  We were both quiet as I prepped a second cup. Setting it down in front of her, I took the seat on the other side of the table.

  Shelby wrapped her hands around the mug. “I know you’re hurting right now. But sometimes the hardest decisions we have to make end up being the right ones.”

  I swallowed. “Nothing feels right at the moment.”

  Shelby reached across the table and took my hand. “In life, there are so many different paths we can take. Often we feel compelled to cross one bridge over another to get to a new place. So we don’t really give the bridge to the place we’ve been any true consideration, unless the other bridge is burned, and we have no choice. Right now, you’re probably feeling like you lost your way. But I promise you, everything happens for a reason. Just because you’re forced to take a different bridge, doesn’t mean you can’t find happiness on the other side, Presley.”

  I’d told myself I wasn’t going to cry anymore today, but a tear escaped and slid down my cheek. I wiped it away. “I’m not ready to talk about this, Shelby. But I appreciate you trying to make me feel better.”

  She patted my hand. “It’s going to take time. But if you want to talk at any point, you know where to find me.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Would you like me to take Alex for a few days?”

  I shook my head. “I think we’re actually going to go down to the beach for a day or two.”

  Shelby smiled and nodded. “That’s a good idea. You know the old saying: Saltwater cures everything.”

  She finished her tea and brought her cup to the sink before gathering her purse. Unzipping it, she took out an envelope and extended it to me. “I almost forgot. Levi asked me to give this to you.”

  My heart, which had felt deflated, suddenly started to pump again. “What is it?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t open it, and he didn’t say.”

  I took the envelope. “Okay, thank you.”

  Shelby was barely out the door when I tore the envelope open. I don’t know what I’d been expecting; I guess I’d assumed it was a letter of some sort—the goodbye we didn’t get to have, or some attestation of his true feelings for me. But it wasn’t a letter at all. Inside was a stapled packet of legal documents, though I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at.

  Quitclaim deed?

  Grantor and Grantee?

  I flipped through the pages, the last of which had Levi’s signature on it, then went back and started to read from the top. The meaning of the document didn’t become clear until the second full paragraph.

  I, Levi Sanford Miller, hereby remise, release and forever quitclaim all of my interest in 638 Palm Court, The Palm Inn, City of Beaufort, State of South Carolina, to Presley Sullivan.

  Oh my God.

  Levi didn’t write me a love letter. He signed over his half of the inn to me.

  And cut the last tie that binds us.

  CHAPTER 27

  * * *

  Presley

  The waves crashed as I sat on the sand, watching Alex dig for seashells. It was our first day in Myrtle Beach, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.

  “Look at this one!” Alex came running toward me and handed me an almost-symmetrical white shell with burnt orange spots.

  I rubbed my finger along its lines. “This is definitely one for the jar.”

  We’d brought a large jar from the kitchen with us and promised to fill the entire thing with only the most worthy of seashells to take back home.

  When Alex ran back toward the shore, my phone rang. I smiled as I answered. “Hey, Harp.”

  “I got your text with that breathtaking photo of the ocean. How’s Myrtle Beach?”

  Breathing in the salty air, I said, “It was definitely a good decision to get away for a couple of days.”

  “Is Tanner with you guys?”

  “No. He wanted to come, but I told him I preferred to have some alone time here with Alex. I honestly needed a breather from him. Levi just left, so I’m still processing everything.”

  “How did you leave things with him?”

  Where do I even begin? I filled Harper in on the days leading up to Levi’s departure and ended with the fact that he’d given me his half of the inn.

  “Wow. That was amazingly generous of him,” she said.

  “I wish I could see it that way. I mean, it’s obviously generous. But it also felt like a slap in the face—like he didn’t want to have anything else to do with me, and that was a way of ensuring he didn’t have to. I feel like a fool for ever believing he could love me enough not to run away.”

  After a few seconds of silence Harper asked, “Do you really think he stopped caring about you, or is this whole thing about guilt over Tanner?”

  That was the magic question.

  Digging lines in the sand, I shook my head. “I don’t know. And I’m not sure which scenario breaks my heart more. In some ways, it would be easier if he truly had lost interest in a future with me. Then I would know for sure he wasn’t hurting inside. It’s all so confusing. I was pretty sure he’d given up on us until the moment he left when I saw tears in his eyes.”

  “Oh my God. Levi Miller cried?”

  It pained me to think about it. “It was subtle, and he was trying to hide it. I still have no idea if he just felt bad for hurting me or if he was the one feeling hurt. I’m supposed to be enjoying this time with my son, but that question is haunting me.” I sighed. “Even if I knew the answer, it wouldn’t change anything. Whether it’s a lack of love or guilt driving his decision, it’s over. Him giving me the deed proved that, and I need to accept it.” Emotion crashed over me, and I whispered, “I miss him so damn much.”

  “Are you gonna be okay?”

  I took a deep breath. “I have to be—for Alex. This is the last I’m gonna speak of it, Harper. As soon as I get off the phone with you, I’m letting it go for the rest of this trip.”

  “You need me to come down?” she asked.

  “No. Of course, I’d love to see you, but I have to do this on my own. Even if it kills me, I’ll force myself to move on.”

  She sighed. “If you change your mind, I’ll be on the next plane, okay?”

  A friend who’d hop a plane just to make you feel better is definitely a keeper.

  “Thanks, Harp. I love you.”

  ***

  A couple of days later, it was back to reality after Alex and I returned to The Palm Inn. The trip had turned out exactly as I’d wanted. I’d done the best I could, giving Alex all of my attention as we toured Myrtle Beach. We spent a lot of time together in the water, ate at the local restaurants, had ice cream, and browsed all the shops.

  Being back home, though, reignited the emptiness of realizing Levi was gone.

  Tanner walked into the kitchen as I was putting away groceries. I hadn’t gone shopping since before Levi left and had badly needed to restock the pantry.

  “How about we drop Alex off at my mother’s tonight and go out to dinner, just you and me?” he suggested.

  I paused before making an excuse, which wasn’t entirely a lie. “We just got back. I kind of feel like being a homebody for a little while.”

  He nodded, looking a bit deflated. “Well, then, we can have a date night in. I’ll cook something for us? Give you a break if you’re tired?”

  His use of the word date forced me to take a more direct approach.

  “Tanner, I’ve already told you where things stand for me. Nothing has changed. We’re co-parents, but that’s it. Not to mention, my focus right now needs to be on the gran
d opening next week, and Alex starting school soon.” I shut the pantry door. “But even if those things weren’t happening, I’m not interested in a romantic relationship with you anymore. I thought I made that clear.”

  He grimaced. “Oh, you did. But I can’t give up without a fight. You mean too much to me. I’ll be trying from time to time, fully expecting to get shot down for a while. And you know what? All things considered—the mistakes I’ve made in the past—this is to be expected. But I won’t give up on you, Presley. I will not give up on us. You and Alex are the most important people in the world to me. Every day from now on is a step toward earning your trust back.” He took a few steps closer. “In the meantime, I’m here to help you. Tell me what you need from me. I’m on your side, on your team. Put me to work, and we’ll make this the most kickass grand opening this town has ever seen.”

  ***

  Over the week that followed, Tanner definitely turned out to be a man of his word. He’d done so much to help me, from tending to Alex to deep cleaning the rooms in preparation for our guests.

  In just a few days, people would start arriving to stay at The Palm Inn, and tonight was the grand-opening party. We’d invited the local press and arranged for prepared food to be brought in. Two of the reporters would even be spending the night in the recently renovated bedrooms in exchange for write-ups about the inn.

  I was getting the kitchen ready for the caterers when Tanner and Alex walked in from back-to-school shopping. Alex carried a bunch of bags to his room while Tanner joined me in the kitchen. I knew I couldn’t have focused and been ready for the party tonight if Tanner wasn’t here paying attention to Alex. I was more grateful for his presence by the day.

  “How’s my girl?” Tanner shook his head and corrected himself. “I’m sorry. Old habit.”

  I sprayed the counter and wiped it down as he came up behind me.

  “You’re so tense, Presley. You need to relax.”

  The next thing I knew, Tanner’s hands were firmly around my shoulders. He dug his fingers into my muscles, massaging. As inappropriate as this seemed, I closed my eyes and relished the feel of the tension releasing from the base of my neck.