“Mom?” I asked as I threw open the door.
We nearly knocked one another over pulling each other into a huge hug. She rolled a bag into the room. “I heard you had an extra room. Your dad tried to talk me into taking my own, but I figured this would be more fun.”
“Good! But what are you doing here?”
“Does a mother really need an excuse to visit her daughter?”
“Come on, Mom.”
“Okay, you sounded distant the last time we talked and I’d thought I’d check in.”
I sensed there was more to her visit than she let on, but I didn’t press. “Well, I’m glad you’re here, whatever the reason. I was thinking about making popcorn, you want some?”
“Definitely.” Mom strolled around the suite while I waited for the popcorn to finish. “Nice place your dad set you up in.”
“Yeah. It’s a little large for just me, but the space was nice when Jess was here.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“We’ve talked a few times, but it feels off, like we’re only chatting superficially.”
We took a seat on the couch, munching popcorn.
“Now that we’re face to face, do you want to tell me what really happened?”
“What do you mean?”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “I know she didn’t leave because she was homesick.”
“It was because of a guy,” I admitted.
“I gathered that much. It’s Jess we’re talking about.”
“She made a mistake with a guy and I think it scared her.”
“All right, I get the idea.”
“It threw her for a loop, and she just needed to leave. I also think it made her miss Emmett. I should have been looking out for her, but she always acts so tough about boys that I didn’t think I needed to protect her.”
“It’s not your fault, and she knows it. Just give her time.”
“I know. I just don’t want it to change our friendship.”
“Whether this thing with the boy happened or not, your friendship was going to change. You’re both going to college. You’ll have different groups of friends and activities.”
“So you’re saying we’re going to drift apart anyway?”
“No. I’m just saying that your friendship will change—good or bad. It’s inevitable.”
I sighed.
“It’s just part of growing up, but I can take a hint. Enough of that topic and onto another awkward one.”
“Yeah?”
“Toby came by the house last week.” Mom pursed her lips; I could tell she was hesitant to broach the subject.
“What?”
“He says you aren’t returning his calls and that some guy answered once.”
“Oh.”
“So who’s the guy?”
“Oh, just a friend, no big deal.”
“You sure?” Mom studied me skeptically.
“Yeah, nothing to worry about.”
“Do you think you’re going to give Toby another chance?”
“No. It’s over between us.” I crossed my arms, Mom and I had already discussed this enough, and it annoyed me that he brought her into it again.
“You sure about that? He seems to think otherwise.”
“I’m sure.”
A loud knock on the door interrupted us and my stomach dropped as I realized it was probably Levi.
Hesitating a moment too long, my mom got up to open the door. “Well, hello there.”
“Oh, hi. Is Allie around?” Levi poked his head out, as if to double check the room number.
I got up and walked over to the doorway. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He looked at me questioningly.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, sweetie?”
“Oh yeah, Mom this is Levi.”
“It’s so nice to meet you Ms.—” Levi held out his hand at a loss for my mother’s last name.
“It’s O’Connor but call me Diane.”
“Well it’s nice to meet you, Diane. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Have you? Funny, I haven’t heard anything about you. Unless, is this the friend I didn’t need to concern myself with?” I was busted. Mom didn’t get annoyed easily but keeping stuff from her was a sure way to set her off.
For the first time in recent memory I was at a loss for words.
“Well, I’ll let you enjoy your time with your mother. Call me sometime. Once again, nice to meet you.”
“Wait, Levi. Do you have plans tomorrow night? We would love to have you join us for dinner. Allie’s father will be there as well.”
Please say no, please say no, I repeated over and over waiting for his response. “I would love to join you for dinner. What time were you thinking?”
“Around seven o’clock down in the lobby?”
“Perfect, I look forward to it. Good night, Allie.” Levi wore an unreadable expression as he walked out the door, and for once, I wished he had called me Al.
As soon as the door closed, Mom turned to me. “So yes, I agree, Toby has no chance.”
“Mom!”
“What? I’m not blind. Toby has no chance against him, especially not with the way he was looking at you.”
“Mom, it’s really not a big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
I groaned. “Please, can we just drop it for tonight?”
“Sure, I’ll get my answers tomorrow. Besides, I can’t really be that mad at you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been keeping a bit of a secret myself.”
My stomach dropped again. “What kind of secret?”
“I’m seeing someone new.”
“Oh? Anyone I know?”
“You know his son.”
“Who?” I asked with trepidation.
“Andrew Thomas.”
“What? You know how much I hate Andrew.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that I like his dad. Besides, maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on Andrew. He thought you made the right decision to dump Toby.”
“Of course he did! He’s been trying to sleep with me since the 8th grade!”
“Allie, stop it.”
“It’s true! The kid is a total perv and seriously can’t take a hint.”
“Well, you’re going to have to get over your differences when you get home in a few weeks. You’re not going to ruin this for me.”
I regretted my reaction immediately. The look of disappointment on her face hurt. “Of course not. I’m sorry. It just surprised me.”
“Yeah, I know how that feels.”
“I’m sorry,” I said guiltily.
“So, are you ready to call it a night?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you’re here Mom.”
“Me too,” she said as we hugged.
Lying in bed, I worried about whether Levi was mad that I hadn’t mentioned him to Mom. I contemplated calling him but stopped myself each time. I’d face him soon enough anyway.
***
After a day of sightseeing and catching up with Mom, I was almost ready for dinner. Dad was finally back in town, and I was sure the timing was anything but coincidental. He wasn’t about to let Mom think he was inattentive. She always gave him a hard time about not taking enough of an interest in me. I told her I didn’t care, but she assured me I would care one day. Dad met up with us in my room before we headed down to the lobby.
Levi glanced up from his phone as we approached. Wearing one of his usual Lacoste shirts, he had exchanged his jeans for a pair of khaki slacks. He looked like he had walked off a magazine shoot as he gave me another look I couldn’t quite read.
Levi didn’t miss a beat. “Hi Allie, Diane. Mr. Davis, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Levi.”
Dad shook his hand. “Hello, Levi, please call me Tim.”
“All right, Tim.”
“So you’re the one my little girl has been spending all her time with?”
My
mom glared at me and I shrugged. I had no idea how Dad knew about him.
“Yes, I have been monopolizing her attention all summer. I just can’t seem to get enough of her.” Levi smiled and he seemed much more relaxed suddenly.
“Allie told you about Levi?” Mom asked.
Arrgh. I could see where this was going.
“She didn’t have to tell me. I know what’s going on in my daughter’s life. I’m sorry she didn’t feel the need to share it with you.”
“She didn’t actually tell you then?”
“Not exactly,” Dad said through clenched teeth.
“So how did you hear?”
“Oy vey, Diane. You got me. No one actually told me, I only assumed.”
“Just like I thought.” Mom smiled smugly.
I glanced at Levi whose mouth was pressed in a firm line again.
“Okay, let’s get to dinner before someone gets killed,” I said quickly.
“Good idea.” Levi put his arm around me as we headed to the front entrance. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Is this okay, friend?”
“Please don’t start,” I pleaded quietly. Dinner might be worse than I thought.
“Oh, I haven’t gotten started yet, babe.”
“Lovely.”
We were given a corner table at the Palace Café. I was seated between Levi and my father, and my mother sat directly across from me. The way she smiled at me as we perused the menu let me know she was also gearing up.
Thankfully, things stayed calm long enough for Dad to order wine.
“So Levi, are you in school or have you graduated?”
“I’m about to start my senior year at Tulane.”
“Any plans yet for after graduation?” Dad asked.
“Dad, you don’t need to interrogate him.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind in the slightest. I’m going to be working in the family business,” Levi explained.
“And what kind of business is that?” Dad asked with obvious interest.
“It’s a large diversified corporation; we’ve got hands in a lot of places.”
“Sounds a lot like my own. What did you say the name was?”
“I didn’t. It’s the Laurent Corporation.”
“Oh wow, I had no idea.”
Levi smiled politely.
“Will your business keep you in New Orleans, Levi? Any plans to spend time in the Northeast after graduation?”
“We’re very locally based, but there are some travel opportunities if I’m inclined.”
“I see.” Mom smiled lightly.
The waiter brought over the wine and we ordered dinner. I hoped the conversation would lighten up.
“How did you two meet?”
I deliberated how to answer, but Levi didn’t give me a chance. “Your daughter first caught my eye in the lobby of the hotel, but I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her formally until I ran into her at a karaoke bar of all places.”
“A karaoke bar?” Mom said with surprise.
“Yes. Allie and her friend did a lovely rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
“I was wondering about that. Why isn’t Jessica joining us tonight?” Dad asked.
Mom’s face turned to stone. “Do you mean to tell me you weren’t aware that Jess left weeks ago? You had no idea of this when you left our daughter alone in a hotel suite on Bourbon Street of all places and with Casanova over there?” Mom pointed to Levi who smirked.
I spared my dad from answering. “Mom, I’m starting college in the fall, I don’t need to be babysat.”
“Princeton is not New Orleans.”
“No it’s not, but it’s still unsupervised. Besides, I could have come to college in New Orleans if I wanted.”
Levi looked at me with interest.
“But you’re not. Your father shouldn’t have left you.”
“What’s done is done, it’s not an issue. Now please can we enjoy the evening?” As if on cue, our meals arrived and I sighed with relief.
“So where do you live, Levi? Are you on campus?” Dad asked, trying to put someone else on the hot seat.
“I only lived on campus one year. I live in an apartment with a few friends. It’s a nice place. Isn’t it, Allie?”
I kicked him under the table, what was he playing at?
“Oh, Allie has seen it?” Mom asked.
“Yes, she’s spent plenty of evenings there.”
I was going to kill him. “Evenings meaning hanging out. The only time I stayed over was on the couch. Okay? Can we please change the subject?”
“Of course.” Levi smirked again. “So Diane, how long are you in town for?”
“I leave tomorrow morning. I only wanted to check in on Allie since no one else apparently is.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I would have loved to introduce you to my parents.”
“What?” I was sure my mouth was hanging open.
“How thoughtful, that would have been nice.”
“My parents know all about Allie and are so excited to meet her.” Levi challenged me with his stare.
“It’s nice to hear you are close to your parents. I think communication between a parent and child is of extreme importance.” Mom’s glare let me know I was in deeper trouble. Mom was okay with the omission when things were casual, but Levi was acting like we were moving in together or something.
“Well, I’d like to meet your parents, Levi. Just name the time and place,” Dad said.
“I will. My parents will be thrilled.”
“Excuse me.” Throwing my napkin down on the table, I pushed back my chair and headed for the bathroom. I couldn’t believe Levi was playing this game. Why did he care that I didn’t mention him? It was just a summer fling, right?
After taking a moment to get my anger in check I returned to the table with a huge smile plastered on my face. “Honey, we’re going to be late, aren’t we?”
“For what?” Levi asked, watching me closely as I sat down.
“That thing we just couldn’t miss.” I shot Levi a look to kill and he got the hint.
“Oh yeah.”
“Well, we don’t want to keep you kids, let’s get the check,” Dad said.
Ten minutes later we headed for the door and noticed the torrential rainstorm.
“I didn’t know it was going to rain,” Mom said as we got ready to venture out.
“It’s just how things are here. It can go from a clear sky to a storm in minutes,” I explained as if I was the resident New Orleans expert.
“We might as well get it over with,” Dad said.
“Okay, thanks for dinner. I won’t be back too late, Mom.”
“All right, have a nice night you two.” Mom waved before dashing out.
As soon as my parents disappeared around the corner, I walked out into the rain pulling Levi with me.
“What the hell was all of that? What are you playing at?”
“What am I playing at? I can’t believe you didn’t tell your parents about me!”
“What the heck was I supposed to tell them? It’s not like we’re officially together or anything.”
“Not officially together? You mean I’ve been staying away from other girls all summer just for the fun of it?”
The rain pouring down only accentuated the anger on Levi’s face.
“It’s not like I’ve been with anyone else either.”
“Then what are we arguing about? That we’re both too stubborn to admit we actually have something here?”
“What does it matter? I mean it’s already August—”
“Just stop. I know what the problem is.”
“Care to enlighten me?” Already soaked to the bone, I could hardly contain my anger.
Levi came out of left field. “Let me take you out on a real date.”
“Seriously? That’s your response? And what separates a real date from anything else?”
“Dinner, wine, nice clothes. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
I paused, fleetingly wondering if I really wanted to say no even if I had the willpower to resist him. I admitted defeat, “Fine.”
“So Friday night at seven?”
“Okay. Are we done here ‘cause this rain is getting old and—”
With the rain enveloping us, Levi interrupted me with a kiss. Holding back for a moment, I couldn’t resist any longer. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to my level. A honking car brought us back to reality and he pulled away from me slowly, his gaze heated.
“I guess I should get you out of the rain.”
“You mean us?”
“No, just you. The rain doesn’t bother me much.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“With me babe, the surprises never end.” With an arm draped over my shoulders, he led me back to the hotel.
***
“That was fast,” Mom said as I walked into the room.
“Yeah, we decided not to go.”
“Probably for the best, considering you’re drenched.” She tried to hide a small smile.
“Good point. I’m going to go dry off.”
“Do that. But Allie?”
“Yeah?” I asked as I headed to my room.
“I think I like him for you.”
“What does that mean?”
“You could do worse. Much worse.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving soon anyway.”
“Not everything in life is black and white. Sometimes the best parts are gray. Just remember that not everything can fit into one your neat little boxes.”
“My neat little boxes?”
She laughed lightly. “Just think about it.”
“Okay. If you are done philosophizing, I’m going to change.”
Mom left the next morning and I couldn’t get her words out of my head. I wasn’t completely sure what she was getting at, but I was determined not to let the fact that I was leaving get in the way of the time we did have. In just the last few months both my mom and best friend had accused me of being unable to color outside the lines, and by God I was going to prove them wrong.
Chapter Fourteen
The dress demanded to be worn. Determined to wear something completely different from the bright colored sundresses that filled most of my closet, the short, black, and lacy dress I bought with Hailey called out to me. Slipping into the little black dress, I wondered what Levi had planned for the night.
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