“Ellis is on staff at the Surrey City Press. And this is my fault.” Levi glanced at Bethany, but his focus stayed with Aubrey. “I shouldn’t have shared information about Delacort. It should have stayed between us. Ellis is right to be upset.”
“Yes, but she was talking about talking with dead people. What does that have to do with—”
“Guess I didn’t mention that part,” he said. “Somebody came up with the idea that we should bring in a psychic.”
“A psychic?” Bethany picked up her glass of wine, half-heartedly hiding a smirk.
“Right, that was my first reaction too. Ellis here, she offered a surprisingly convincing argument.”
“Levi, you can’t be serious? You, of all people, were willing to entertain ideas about psychics?” Her pouty mouth frowned at Aubrey. “If that’s true, then you must share your secret. I can’t imagine Levi sitting still long enough to listen, never mind calling that sort of nonsense convincing. “
“I, um . . . It took some doing,” Aubrey said.
“Honey, if you were able to—”
“Let it go, Beth.” Bethany and Levi traded a look; she shrugged but was silent. “Ellis must have thought I was being disrespectful to her ideas. I wasn’t.” His stone face softened. “I swear.”
“I’m sure . . .” The words caught in her throat. “I should have known better.”
“And any mention of facts about the Flannigan case was an anomaly,” Bethany said. “Levi’s stubborn nature is only surpassed by his honesty.”
“I know,” Aubrey said, damp lashes blinking. “I mean, that’s become apparent in the time we’ve worked together. I should have realized . . .”
“No worries.” Bethany moved her glass in a cheers motion, Chanel wafting off her arm. The scent was as intense as an ardent specter. “If anything, what you heard was me being silly. Levi and I, we’re negotiating the hazards of a long-distance relationship. Truth be told, I was upset with him. Turns out, he stayed home all day while I visited a friend.”
“I told you, Beth. I had a ton of work to do on the Flannigan case. You would have been bored silly. I . . . I just needed to work in the quiet.”
Bethany’s manicured hand stretched out, capturing Levi’s. “Hey, baby, maybe you should take this whole misunderstanding as a sign to rethink suburbia, even Hartford.” Aubrey stared at their tangled fingers. The term of endearment sounded louder than the rest of the remark. Bethany’s smile turned broad and blinding. “I’ve been trying to convince Levi that when this story is over, he should apply to a New York daily, maybe even the Times. You can’t duplicate someone like Levi. Anyone would be crazy not to snap him up in a heartbeat.”
“Great. Sounds like you two have a plan,” Owen said, inching his way into the tight exchange. “Bre, why don’t we go somewhere else?” She glanced at their table, seeing two twenties. “We can finish up our conversation someplace more private.”
“Don’t do that,” Levi said. Aubrey’s eyes went as wide as Bethany’s. “What I mean is why don’t you join us for dinner? Both of you.”
“But Levi,” Bethany’s voice was soft but tight. “It’s supposed to be just the two of us. There’s, um . . . there’s even homemade dessert . . . at home.”
“Really,” Aubrey said, reaching for her wrap, “I wouldn’t dream of intruding.”
“Thanks for the invite, but no.” Owen closed his hand around Aubrey’s arm. “My wife and I have other plans. She’ll see you tomorrow.”
At the coat check, Owen turned to Aubrey. “I thought you said you were working with him all afternoon?”
Aubrey hesitated, her white lie sounding more like a full blown one. “Uh, that’s right. That’s what I told you.”
“You said you were out. But you didn’t say you were at his home.”
“It’s not. It’s MediaMatters’, they have a corporate condo. It . . . it just worked out that way. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Enough of a deal that Mr. Honesty just lied to her. She thought he was alone.”
“Owen, I was with Levi, but we weren’t working on the Flannigan case.” He took a giant step toward the dining area. She grabbed his arm. “It’s not that. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Really? Because standing near the guy, first while he’s in my living room, then as he oddly objects to you leaving, that’s not the vibe I’m getting.”
“You’re reading into it. It’s not like that. Not at all. Levi, he’s . . . It’s just absurd to think about him that way, if you knew him. Work is his entire life.”
“Seriously?” he said, thumbing over his shoulder. “Did you not get a good look at her?”
“Okay, that may be a slight overstatement. But it’s also another great point,” Aubrey said, still holding tight to his arm. “Bethany is his longtime girlfriend. For God’s sake, Levi will probably move to New York just to be with her, just like she said, just as soon as the Flannigan story is over. He doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
“Then do you mind telling me why the hell you were with him all afternoon?”
“Actually . . .”
He stepped back, blinking wide. “You do mind.”
“It was personal—for Levi. I don’t know that it’s my story to tell.”
Owen’s expression looked as disturbed as it did a year ago. “I take it this is where your gift comes in, somebody dead from his past came a-calling.”
“In short, yes.”
“I guess it would have to be ‘in short,’ since the details are none of my business.”
“Owen, what happened today with Levi was complicated and the outcome unexpected. It . . . it was painful to hear, difficult to deal with.”
He was quiet for a moment. “So I guess you had no problem confiding your gift to him. A guy who’s . . . what to you, exactly?”
“You’re twisting things. It wasn’t about confiding my gift to Levi. It was about offering him long-awaited, badly needed closure.”
“Damn. I’m so glad you could be there for him.”
“Don’t take it that way. It wasn’t even a friend helping a friend.”
“Again, I’m not liking the alternatives.”
“It was a message that no one but me was in a position to offer. I wasn’t some shoulder to cry on. That’s not Levi. That’s not what happened.”
“Good to know he’s such a rock.” With his keys in his hand, he spun the ring around his index finger, grabbing them into a clenched fist. “Fine,” Owen said, exhaling hard. “I get it. This is the part you were concerned about. The things I’m going to have to get used to. Sorry, Bre, but you picked a bad place to start.”
“Owen, listen to me. I can control my gift. But I can’t ignore it—not when it’s that important. I’m sorry this particular incident was about Levi. I’m sorry that upsets you, but I don’t choose spirits. It’s the other way around.” She could see him struggling with multiple issues—her gift and the fact that it suddenly involved Levi.
He shook his head, making eye contact with everything but her. “Could you give me the courtesy of a learning curve?”
“Of course,” she said. “It’s taken me a lifetime. I don’t expect you to completely understand. Not that easily.”
The hostess handed Owen his jacket and he tugged it on. He looked past Aubrey and into the main dining room. His expression soured. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Levi said, walking toward them.
“Then don’t,” Owen snapped.
“It’s important,” Levi said as Aubrey turned. He held out his cell. “Delacort called. Could . . . could we speak in private?”
“My wife is off the clock,” Owen said. “Share it with your girlfriend.”
“It’s the break we’ve been waiting for,” he said, ignoring Owen. “And it
really can’t wait.”
“Can’t it?” Owen narrowed his eyes at Levi. Then he softened. “Do what you have to.” He kissed Aubrey on the cheek, whispering, “I can deal. We have the rest of the night.”
“Why don’t you get your car?” she said. “We can leave mine here for now. I’ll be right out.”
Owen started for the exit but turned back. “On second thought, take your time. I’ll call over to Trapeze, see if they have any champagne on hand—or at least that organic wine you like. It’s low key, but more our style.”
“Sure. I haven’t been since . . . Sounds fine, Owen.”
He nodded, eyeing Levi as he left.
“Celebrating, I take it.”
“Owen’s been offered a job. A really great job in Seattle. He wants me to go with him.”
“Congratulations . . . I’m happy for you, Ellis . . . Have you started packing yet . . . ?” Any one of those responses would have been appropriate, but Levi’s only reaction was a deep swallow. In the uncomfortable quiet, Aubrey stood taller, the wrap draped loosely around her arms.
Levi turned his head, rubbing his fingers hard across his brow—erasing something, recalling something. “Delacort,” he finally said. “He’s willing to talk tomorrow afternoon—to you.”
“Me? You’re kidding. That’s amazing.”
“I thought so. But we’ll need to review your approach, get all the questions in order.” The suggestion was met with more silence. “I guess you’re unavailable the rest of the evening.”
“I don’t think that would be a great idea.” Aubrey glanced at the restaurant exit. “But if Delacort is asking for the afternoon, can we discuss things tomorrow? Early.” She considered tossing a length of fabric over her shoulder; it seemed like the kind of confident gesture that would shore up her position. Instead, Aubrey found herself apologizing. “Levi, while we’re here . . . I’m sorry about the way I behaved in there. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“I can see how you’d misconstrue what you heard, how it looked.”
“I just assumed . . . The truth is I never asked you not to tell Bethany, so even if you had—”
“It wasn’t appropriate to share it with her—for a lot of reasons.” The swallow rolled through again. “Protecting you was one of them.”
“Protecting me?”
“It’s hard to articulate. But I found myself strongly opposed to the idea of anyone putting you through what I did. Hypocritical? Yes. Shamefully so.”
“Thank you.” She smiled softly. “That means a lot.”
“I’d never share your gift with anyone. Not unless you wanted me to. I can appreciate it now. But I also see the burden. For what it’s worth, I like to think loyalty is up there with honesty—especially when it comes to . . . friends.”
“Friends,” she said, nodding. “That sounds like an official upgrade from colleagues.”
“I guess it is.”
“Still, Bethany must think . . .”
“Don’t worry about what Beth thinks. She’ll be off on another tangent by the time I get back. She doesn’t dwell.”
Aubrey stared into the dining area, which offered a good view of Bethany. “Is that why it works between the two of you? She’s easy going, and you’re . . .”
“Definitely not?” He hesitated, adjusting his glasses. “For a long time, Bethany was a buffer between me and myself. She kept me from tumbling too far from . . . well, life. In turn, my driven nature seemed to anchor her. Bethany’s clever. I don’t know about a sixth sense, but she’s good at what she does. Good at being resilient in impossible situations.”
“You being one of them?”
“You have to counter honesty and loyalty with something.”
“You’re a challenge, Levi. But hardly impossible.” Aubrey looked toward Levi’s longtime girlfriend again. Bethany seemed oblivious to them. She was texting someone and as Aubrey watched, her imagination tumbled forward into the conversation:
Break in the action. Levi being Levi. He’s conferencing with a co-worker.
Who?
Some woman he’s working the Flannigan story with—a high-strung head case, apparently. Can you believe he invited her to have dinner with us?
No way! Levi’s on your time. You’re his ltgf. (Aubrey envisioned bath towels with the acronym for longtime girlfriend.)
Yes, but I’m not that kind of ltgf. Levi’s a complex man. I understand him. What could she possibly mean to him?
Nothing.
You got that right.
OK, call me later . . . After you fhbo.
Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut, squashing the hand-towel acronym: Fuck. His. Brains. Out. Tugging at the wrap, she folded her arms. “How nice that you and Bethany complement one another so well.”
“We did once. Relationships change. Usually because the people in them change.”
“Sometimes . . . I’m sure.” Silence edged back in. “Goodnight, then.” Aubrey got as far as the door. She turned back; he hadn’t moved. “That last remark. Why do I get the impression it wasn’t about you and Bethany?”
“I don’t know. Is there a reason you should take it another way?”
Aubrey cinched up her shoulders. “No. Of course not. Owen and I . . . we’re going to be fine. Better than fine. My life isn’t going to be a parade of marriages, not like my grandmother, or even the tragedy of my parents.”
“Good,” he said, nodding. “Because Seattle’s a damn long way to go find out otherwise.” Levi moved fast to where Aubrey stood. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t go—if that’s what you want. But I also don’t see the need for a snap decision.”
“How do you even know . . .”
“I didn’t say a word to Bethany about you, but I did overhear your entire conversation.”
“My entire conversation?”
“With Owen. It was an accident at first. Obviously, I didn’t know you were there, behind us. I heard your voice, and . . . and then I just kept listening. Could I . . . Can I offer an outsider’s opinion about what he said?”
“Do I have a choice?” she said, sure it was rhetorical.
“Speaking strictly from a career perspective, the Seattle Times is a fine paper. But you’ve got one hard news story under your belt. You’d be better off staying here, at the Surrey City Press, building a portfolio that’s weighted toward hard news.”
“So you don’t think coverage of one complex murder and two-hundred clips of home portrait pieces will sway anybody to give me a city beat.”
“I’m not saying you don’t have the talent—clearly you do. Your descriptive powers are enviable and your work on the Missy Flannigan stories is exemplary. Hell, we’d hire you in a heartbeat at the Standard Speaker. I’m just offering a perspective from someone in the field. Your husband seems to feel he has it all worked out.” Levi waved his hand toward the door. “But I’m not sure he realizes how fierce competition is for newspaper jobs.”
“He might not.”
“So you agree. Three thousand miles is a hell of a long way to go with no guarantees, just to find out . . .”
“Find out what?”
“That it’s not what you want . . . any of it.”
She hesitated. “My job, right? We’re talking about my job?”
“Your job . . .” He took a deep breath. “Your life.”
“My life.” Aubrey stared. His image was strikingly altered from the buttoned-up, hard-nosed reporter who’d ploughed into her life as the Missy Flannigan story broke. “I understand the job part. But why are you so concerned about my life?”
“I’m not.”
“Okay then.” She turned for the door.
“Your grandmother.”
Aubrey turned back. “What about her?”
“She was nothing more than a footnote in Owen’s shiny new plan. Are
you really going to pack up and go—just leave her here?”
“One thing Charley’s used to is moving. She’ll come with us.”
“To that damp climate? In her condition? That’d hardly be in Charley’s best interest.”
Aubrey nodded. “She’ll be touched by your concern.” She turned for the door once more. It almost felt like an aberrant force spinning her back around. But it was only Aubrey who was compelled to ask, “Why don’t you want me to go?”
Levi came closer, his hands shoved in his pockets. “Owen’s a persuasive talker. Not necessarily what one expects from a computer genius. But I don’t think he gets you—not like you need him to. He spent more time talking around your gift than he did trying to understand it.”
“Owen is trying to fix our marriage. I’m sorry if his approach isn’t analytical enough for you. But you don’t know him. Spontaneity, big gestures—that’s his way. Another thing, he’s not solely to blame for our problems. Keep in mind, Levi, if I hadn’t hid my gift from him, it wouldn’t be an issue at all.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“You’re a fine one to judge. You didn’t exactly respond with positivity when I was trying to convince you. As I recall, you tried to throw me out of your condo.”
“It was an extenuating circumstance. You were relaying something more than the existence of your gift. Surely you can see that.”
“I see that doubt and disbelief was acceptable behavior for you, but damn anybody else who has trouble grasping it—Owen in particular.”
“This isn’t about me, and they’re not comparable situations,” he shot back. “To start with, when you told me, I wasn’t already married to you!” It shut them both up, Levi’s hands thrust to his waist and his gaze to the floor. Bethany looked up from her phone, tipping her head in their direction. He lowered his voice. “That, um . . . that came out awkwardly.” Levi’s hand rose as if he might touch her. He didn’t. “I only meant to offer an objective opinion. That’s all.”
“Fair enough,” she said, her tone softer. “But whatever happens between Owen and me . . .” She shrugged, a glassy gaze veering toward the bar, landing back on him. “Levi, listen to me. With any luck, soon we’ll get to the bottom of the Missy Flannigan story. Surrey and everything connected to it will go away. I’ll go away . . . You’ll go back to Hartford or move to New York, whatever the future holds. And truly, I hope it’s with less burden than before.” She looked once more toward Bethany. “But other than Missy Flannigan . . . Other than the amazing few hours we shared this afternoon, I’m not sure why the idea of me moving to Seattle has you . . . so concerned about my life.”
Ghost Gifts Page 27