Autumn Bliss

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  Avoiding her gaze as heat climbed his neck, he motioned for her to step aside.

  “My brother will be here in a little bit,” she protested. “He can get it.”

  “I’m here now.”

  She hesitated one more moment, then gave a small shrug and moved out of the way. He reached in and lifted the box past the edge of the seat that had been giving her so much trouble. It was heavy, and he understood why she’d struggled. As he started for the cabin, she pulled out a smaller box from the other side, then hurried past him onto the front porch to open the door.

  “You can just set it on the floor by the kitchen.” She set her own box down on the wooden table that’d come with the cabin.

  Once relieved of his burden, he straightened and strolled toward the hall leading to the bedrooms. Bracing one hand against the doorjamb, he leaned to look inside the first empty room. “Mark tell you I still need to paint?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry about it, I can do that. And you can finish whatever you need to in the bathroom whenever it’s convenient for you.” A tired smile lifted the corners of her mouth once more. “I haven’t taken the time for a nice, relaxing bath in a while, so this way, I don’t have a choice but to treat myself.”

  Picturing her in a steaming bath full of seductively scented bubbles was not where he wanted his mind to go right now. And yet, it went there, giving him a vivid picture of her damp hair curled about bare shoulders before some of the longer strands trailed down to—

  A shake of his head cleared the stimulating image his imagination had conjured. He turned back toward the living room. “I planned to work on the shower during my days off.”

  “Monday and Tuesday, right?”

  He nodded.

  “That’s fine. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you when I leave for work.”

  The sound of a vehicle outside drew his gaze to the open door to see a truck loaded with furniture and a few more boxes. Perfect. His cue to leave.

  He followed Mallory outside as her brother exited his vehicle. Dressed in plain clothes, Shane gave them both a wide grin. “Awesome, you got me some help.”

  Mallory cast Levi a quick frown of what looked like apology, then shifted her gaze back to her brother. “I don’t—”

  Levi reached out to halt her denial. “It’s fine,” he assured in an undertone as he eyed the load on the back of the truck.

  Her downward glance made him realize his fingers were curled around her arm. Heat flashed through him and he snatched his hand back to shove it in his pocket. After an upward flick of her gaze toward him, she turned to her brother, fists propped on her hips. Levi noticed a slight upward tug of her mouth even as she glared at the other Parker.

  “Excuse me, I did help you load everything.”

  “Yeah, but I did seventy-five percent of the work.”

  “So? You’re twice as strong as me.”

  “Exactly. Levi and I are more evenly matched.”

  When her brother said his name, confusion wrinkled her brow. She glanced between both men. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

  “We met on the road by your car the other morning,” Shane confirmed as he dropped the tailgate and leapt up onto it. “Now, come on, Mal. Grab what you can. I got a date waiting, so chop chop.”

  He handed her a box off the couch, set a second one aside, and then pushed on the long piece of furniture while Levi moved forward to catch the end before it fell off the tailgate. Once the couch was in their arms, they passed Mallory on her way out for another armload, but she moved fast enough to get back inside and instruct them where she wanted it.

  They each made a few more trips until all that was left was the bed.

  “Which room you want this in?” her brother asked.

  “Leave it out here in the living room until I get the painting done,” she said. “It’ll be easier than working around it, and I can sleep on the couch until then.”

  They propped up the full-size mattress and box spring against the wall, and then Shane pulled her into a one armed hug and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Sorry I can’t stay and chat, but I gotta go.”

  “No problem. Thanks for everything today, and the past couple weeks.”

  “Anytime, sis, especially if it keeps you here longer.” He let her go and clapped a hand on Levi’s shoulder on his way to the door. “I appreciate the help, man. See ya around.”

  Levi fought the instinctive tensing of his muscles at the man’s jarring gesture. “Sure.” His response was lost on Shane’s quick departure.

  As the truck engine roared to life outside, he turned to say goodnight as well, before he found himself wondering about her brother’s remark. Had he been that anxious to get her out of his house? Cramping his style, maybe?

  “Shane can be a bit of a bulldozer,” she said. “I hope we didn’t keep you from anything.”

  Nothing but his empty cabin and his over-active mind. “It was no bother.”

  Her gaze narrowed, and he just knew she was thinking of his earlier too late slip of the tongue as he edged toward the door. If he stayed longer, he was going to want to stay longer, and he didn’t like this feeling of wanting to get close to her. Getting close to people hadn’t really worked out that well for him since he’d come home.

  “Janelle said Mark’s brother will be here on Sunday to watch the Packer game and talk about the booth designs,” Mallory said as his hand closed around the door handle. “Is there any specific time that works better for you?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then I’m guessing it’ll be in the morning, before the game. Can I get your cell so I can…” She paused with a grimace. “I just remembered you don’t have a cell. What about a regular phone?”

  He shook his head. “Mark will let me know.”

  She looked ready to say more, so he pulled the door open and stepped out onto the porch. After a quiet goodnight over his shoulder, he left with her hastily called, “Thank you,” ringing in his ears.

  Chapter 5

  Mallory scrubbed the dark stains from the coffee maker and glanced out the window yet again to see if she could catch a glimpse of Levi in the fall sunshine. He’d mentioned working in her cabin on his days off, but his truck had rolled past her driveway a good fifteen minutes before she left to pick up the bakery order from Josie’s this morning.

  The man was an enigma, wrapped up in a mystery she was becoming more and more tempted to solve no matter how much he could screw up her plans.

  He’d come forward of his own free will to help her Friday night, then seconds later inferred it’d been a bother. Not on purpose—she could tell by the flush of color in his face that he hadn’t meant to speak those words out loud. But why stay when she’d already politely declined his assistance?

  She rinsed the wash cloth in the sudsy water filling the sink, wishing the answers came as easily as a clean coffee machine.

  Sunday’s planning meeting had only added to her curiosity. He’d contributed insightful input for the booth design, but the man hadn’t smiled once during the entire two hours. Next to Mark’s cheerful brother, Levi appeared positively grumpy. Except he wasn’t—he’d been perfectly nice and polite to both her and Eric Riley.

  More than once, she’d swear she felt Levi’s gaze on her, only to glance up to find him studying Eric’s sketches. Was he able to look away that fast, or was her over-active imagination playing tricks on her?

  Muted chimes signaled a customer had entered the shop out front, dragging her attention back to the present. She glanced at the clock, then leaned back to see two people, one redhead, and a second, shorter girl with long, straight chestnut hair. That would be Janelle and Mark’s younger cousin—the girl Mallory had received a phone call about fifteen minutes earlier to arrange an impromptu interview for a part time position.

  She’d been surprised at Janelle’s unexpected suggestion, then grateful. Even though she had procedure streamlined in the shop after three weeks, the extra h
elp would free her up from the increased flow of customers so she could focus her energy on the festival.

  Janelle had assured her the final decision to hire the girl rested completely on Mallory’s shoulders, but how did one not hire a member of the boss’s family?

  The two spun around to face the counter as she pushed through the swinging door with a cheerful, “Hello.”

  “Hey, Mallory, this is Shea Riley.” Janelle nodded toward the girl. “Shea, Mallory Parker, the shop manager.”

  Shea gave a shy smile as they shook hands. “Shane’s sister, right?”

  “Yes. How do you know Shane?” Please don’t say you dated him. Not that she normally cared who her brother dated, but he played the field quite thoroughly, and this fresh-faced girl in her skinny jeans, high tops—when did those come back into style?—and two sizes too big sweatshirt looked barely a day past high school graduation.

  “My boyfriend’s older brother is Reid Maxwell.”

  She grinned with relief at the mention of Shane’s best friend. “Better known around Pulaski as Net.”

  “A legend on the basketball court to rival Lisa Riley,” Janelle chimed in as Shea nodded.

  Mallory pictured the two younger, blond-haired Maxwell brothers in her mind. “Are you dating Keller, or Dalton?”

  “Keller.”

  It was sweet the way the girl’s green eyes smiled as she said his name. He was a pretty nice guy, and in his mid-twenties, much better suited age-wise than her thirty-year-old brother. Thank God.

  “I’d like to apologize for not dressing more formally,” Shea said. “I didn’t expect to be interviewing today.”

  “It’s not a problem.”

  “That’s my fault,” Janelle added. “Like I said on the phone, Shea was dropping off a festival donation from her brother Nash, and when she mentioned she’d been looking for part-time work, I thought here would be a perfect fit. It’s been getting busier, and I know you can use the time to work on other things.”

  Janelle’s belief in her ability to do so much more than simply manage the gift shop warmed Mallory’s heart. After giving her boss a thankful smile, she turned to Shea.

  “I went to school with your brothers and Peyton—Alex and I were in the same grade. Where is everyone these days?”

  “Nash lives in Georgia, Alex went north to the upper peninsula, and Peyton is in California.”

  Every single one of them had gotten out. Mallory maintained her smile despite her twinge of envy. “She always said she was heading to L.A. right after graduation.”

  “Yep. She’s had a few smaller parts in a couple movies, and one on a television series last year, but it didn’t get picked up for additional episodes.”

  “Which one was that?”

  “The Senator’s Mistress.

  “I liked that series,” Janelle protested. “They don’t give shows enough of a chance these days.”

  “I know,” Shea agreed.

  “Well, hopefully she gets her big break soon.” Mallory saw a couple guests headed into the shop and gestured toward one of the small coffee tables off to the side. “If you want to have a seat, I’ll be right with you.”

  “Go ahead,” Janelle said as the customers paused to look at the holiday displays. “I got ’em.”

  “Great. What about something to drink before we start?” she asked Shea.

  The girl politely declined, but as they sat down at one of the small coffee tables off to the side, Janelle brought them each a glass of water before moving back to the counter to take care of the guests.

  It didn’t take long for Mallory to agree with her boss. Not only did Shea have previous experience from working as a barista while attending college in Steven’s Point, her enthusiasm quickly eclipsed her initial shyness that Mallory now suspected had been embarrassment over her casual attire.

  “Have you graduated already?”

  “Not yet.” Shea’s gaze shifted and she shrugged. “I took this semester off to re-evaluate my major and figure out if I need to switch direction. I hope to go back either in the spring or summer, so if that makes a difference in your decision to hire me, I understand.”

  “I appreciate you being upfront about it.”

  After a few more obligatory questions, she decided even if the girl headed back to college with the spring semester, she’d take whatever time she could get now and through the upcoming holiday season. She’d viewed the occupancy reports; the lodge was booked pretty solid.

  She set her pen down on the legal pad where she’d made a few notes and sat back with a smile. “When can you start?”

  A grin curved Shea’s lips. “Whenever you’d like.”

  “Tomorrow too soon?”

  She shook her head. “Tomorrow’s fine.”

  Mallory set her up with training in the mornings for the next week to get the full run-down of the place. The added bonus was Shea could now pick up the bakery order and save her the early morning run for a while.

  When Janelle took her back to the lodge office to get the new-hire paperwork filled out, Mallory was surprised to see it was almost two o’clock. She completed her check-list in time to close the doors at two, then gathered her tote bag full of festival file folders, tucked her laptop under her arm, and moved to the empty conference room to fine tune the promotional brochure she’d designed the night before.

  She knocked on Janelle’s open office door a half-hour later and entered to extend the pumpkin-orange, tri-fold test brochure across the desk. “What do you think?”

  A little flutter of nervousness increased her heart rate as her boss’s gaze scanned the paper. They were so close to the same age, and yet she felt she had to prove something to the other woman.

  “Wow, this is great. I love how you highlighted our sponsors while still maintaining focus on the fundraising for our veterans, and the rescue animals.”

  Mallory released the breath she’d been holding. “Good. Are you okay if I print up a bunch and head into Pulaski and Green Bay to pass them out? I have a whole list of coffee shops, libraries, community centers, and restaurants.”

  “I’m definitely okay with that. Can you print some to put at the front desk?”

  “I will tomorrow.”

  “Perfect. Oh, and I just thought of something to add—veterans and their families get free admission to the festival. We’ll put a donation box out for those who can afford to give, but I don’t want any of them to stay away because of money issues.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Also, make sure you add veterans service centers in the area to your distribution list. Especially the new clinic in Green Bay. Ask to speak with the director, Chad Hahn—he and Mark are good friends. They served together.”

  She gave another nod and went to edit the brochure before printing the first five hundred copies.

  * * *

  Mallory pushed through the doors of the veterans’ clinic on the east side of Green Bay a couple hours later and stepped up to the information desk to inquire if Mark’s friend was in. The attendant made a quick call, then gave her directions to the man’s office.

  As she rounded the first corner on the main floor, she pulled up short at the sight of Levi Jenkins not more than twenty feet in front of her. This was the last place she’d expected to run into him, though with her assumption he was a veteran, it shouldn’t surprise her.

  Concern flared as to why he was at the clinic, until she realized he walked slowly down the hall alongside a brown-haired man with crutches and two prosthetic legs from the knees down. She took a moment to scan Levi’s always-serious expression, then transferred her attention to the man beside him.

  Sweat beaded his brow, yet the determination in his drawn features was inspirational. He wore black cotton shorts and a gray tank top. A chain around his neck disappeared beneath his shirt, and she recognized the outline of dog tags beneath the damp material. As she watched, her chest swelled with what she could only call pride for a complete stranger, and emotion
pricked her eyelids.

  The two halted, and she blinked away the moisture before glancing at Levi again. Her heart skipped when his moss-colored gaze locked with hers. A slight frown wrinkled his forehead, and his expression was anything but welcoming.

  Taking a steadying breath, she summoned a smile as she stepped forward. “Hey, Levi.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  The man beside him glanced over in surprise. “Dude, that’s no way to say hello to a pretty girl.”

  She noticed Levi’s jaw clench, and the heat in her face probably matched the color that bloomed along his cheekbones. Still, she couldn’t help but grin at the stranger’s rebuke as he gave her his full attention and leaned on one crutch to extend his right hand.

  “Kevin Spencer.”

  His grip was firm, and the warmth of his touch was mirrored in his blue eyes. Despite that, the butterflies churning in her stomach were all due to the man next to him. Just the sight of Levi these days got her pulse strumming.

  “Mallory Parker,” she introduced herself to the wounded veteran before pulling her hand back. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” He shifted on his crutches, and speculation filled his gaze as it flicked to the silent man beside him, then returned to her.

  “Levi and I work together,” she explained, though it didn’t really explain anything at all as far as she was concerned. She wondered why he seemed upset to see her? They’d exchanged polite goodbyes after the booth planning meeting yesterday, and hadn’t spoken since. There was no reason for his intimidating glower now.

  She forced herself to meet his gaze. “I was on my way to see the director. I have some promotional brochures for the fall harvest festival.”

  “A festival—sounds like fun,” Kevin inserted.

  Mallory looked away from Levi and reached into her tote bag to pull out an orange flyer for the soldier. “It’s the first weekend in November at Whispering Pines Lodge. We’d love to see you there.”

  “Thanks.” He swept his gaze over the front of the paper, then gave her a grin full of flirtatious charm. “Maybe you will.”