by Brenda Novak
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered. Then he focused on Levi’s arms and the pinkish bite marks that weren’t quite healed. “What happened to you?”
Levi didn’t answer. He was asking himself what he’d hoped to gain by confronting his father again. He was crazy to expect any kind of peace with Leo, wasn’t he?
It would just be more of the same. He shouldn’t have made the effort.
He took a step toward the door, but his father hurried after him.
“Wait! At least sit down and talk to me for a minute.”
And say what? What could they say that would change anything?
Yet Levi hesitated.
“Come on. There’s a good—” Leo seemed to be scrambling to come up with something appealing “—a good restaurant down the street. I’ll take you there.”
“Looks like you were already having lunch,” Levi said.
“I just started. We’ll go there instead.”
Why not? He’d come this far. Besides, he was curious to see what restaurant his father would deem good enough for a champion’s body.
Levi waited as Leo gave the young man teaching the class some instructions. Then he followed Leo out into the sunshine and down the street to a dimly lit pub that served burgers and fries and draft beer.
“You’re willing to eat here?” Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“If it’d give me a minute alone with you, I’d eat dirt.”
Levi had no idea how to respond to that. His father wasn’t typically forthcoming with such comments.
“How have you been?” Leo asked.
Lost, Levi realized. He’d been lost for so long he didn’t know if he’d ever find himself. And it was difficult not to blame his father, who’d been so damn overbearing. “Fine.”
He indicated the scars on his arms. “Those marks are...”
“I was attacked by dogs a few weeks ago.”
“Why?”
“Shit like that happens when you’re out on the road,” he said with a shrug.
The waitress came by and Leo asked for a veggie burger. The curvy blonde almost laughed. “Sorry, no veggie burgers here.”
“What do you have?”
“As far as vegetables go, we have iceberg lettuce, pickles and tomatoes. Unless you count ketchup and fries.”
“Give me whatever you think is good. Levi?”
Levi ordered a half-pound burger, onion rings and a shake. He actually preferred to eat healthy, too. His father had trained him well. But he didn’t want Leo to know that his training had been so effective.
Surprisingly, Leo didn’t complain about his selections. “I—I’ve been worried about you,” his father said.
Slinging one arm over the back of his chair, Levi struck an indifferent pose. “Why would you worry about me?”
Leo lowered his voice. “Come on, that incident in Reno was all over the news. What happened, Levi? Why’d you do it?”
He’d just left his father’s house a few days before. The residual emotion from that was part of the reason. He’d also been drinking, which didn’t help. “The one cop, the older one, was a seasoned officer. He was showing off for the rookie.”
“And?”
“I barely touched the rookie.”
Leo slid the beer menu to one side. “What made you go after the other guy?”
“I was sitting on the ground, resting outside an office building. Hungry, tired. He came up and told me to move on. It could’ve ended there. But he kicked me when I didn’t get up fast enough.”
“He didn’t realize you could defend yourself.”
“No. I think that was kind of a shock.”
His father cursed. “When I didn’t hear anything from you after that, I thought maybe they’d caught you, put you in jail somewhere.”
“Not yet.”
“I wish that incident hadn’t happened,” he said, rubbing his face.
“So do I,” Levi admitted.
His father straightened the ketchup and mustard and the napkin holder in the center of their small table. “You might be interested to learn that...I found Ellen a few months ago.”
Levi blinked at him. “My sister? How?”
“I hired a P.I.”
“Don’t,” Levi growled. “Don’t do that. Leave her alone. Her and Mom.”
The waitress returned with two ice waters and Levi’s shake. When she was gone, Leo said, “I just...I wanted to see her, to assure myself that she was okay. That’s all.”
Levi had no interest in his food. How would he get it down now that he’d ordered it? “And? Is she? Okay, I mean?”
A distant smile curved Leo’s lips as he nodded. “She’s beautiful. Looks exactly like you. Just graduated from Oregon State in advertising and marketing.”
The urge to deck his father came out of nowhere, proving that the anger was still there, lurking beneath everything else.
Purposely shifting his gaze to the dark wood paneling and lighted beer signs surrounding them, Levi told himself to calm down. His father had cost him a lot—a normal childhood, a relationship with his mother and sister, a sense of home and belonging. But there was nothing to be done about that now. Life was what it was. “Where’s Mom? Did you hire a P.I. to find her, too?”
“No. And Ellen wouldn’t tell me much. Shelly still wants nothing to do with me.”
“Does that surprise you?” Levi asked with a bitter laugh.
He winced. “No.”
Levi scratched his arms. Due to the healing process, they were always itching. “She remarried?”
“Your mother? Yes.”
“Does she have other kids?”
“Two, according to Ellen.”
Levi supposed Shelly deserved another family. It wasn’t her fault she’d married the wrong guy the first time around. But as defensive of her as he felt, Levi couldn’t help resenting the fact that she’d abandoned him. “Good for her.”
“You’ve had no contact with her?”
“None.” He drank some of his shake. “And I don’t want any. What about Ellen? She married?”
“No. Got a boyfriend, though.”
“And you?”
“I was married to one of my students, for a brief time.”
This didn’t surprise Levi. There was always a woman in Leo’s life—but never one who stayed very long. “You mean since I was here last?”
“Yes.”
“You said was married.”
He shrugged. “She left a month ago.”
In and out. There’d be a new girlfriend tomorrow. “Another failed relationship.”
“I don’t pretend to be easy to get along with, Levi,” he said. “But right now I have one thing going for me.”
From what Levi could tell, he had a business that was marginally successful and that was it. “The dojo and those damn trophies in the case?”
“No. This lunch.”
“This lunch doesn’t mean shit,” Levi said.
“It’s what I’ve been praying for.”
Levi couldn’t imagine that. “Why?”
“Because it gives me the chance to plead with you to get your life in order. Stop running. Turn yourself in. Pay the price it’s going to take to wipe away the past and build a decent future.”
“And you feel you have the right to say this to me? Why?”
“I know I’ve screwed up. So do yourself a favor and live your life better than I’ve lived mine.”
Levi thought of Callie. If she were healthy, he’d have the incentive to do whatever he had to. But without her...there didn’t seem to be much point.
“I’ll keep that advice in mind.”
Their meals came. Levi picked at his food. Leo didn’t even pretend to eat. His gaze never moved from Levi.
“What?” Levi snapped, uncomfortable at his father’s unrelenting attention.
“I’ve missed you,” Leo said, his voice cracking. “You may not think I care about you, but I do.”
Levi couldn’t c
ope with all the contradictions. Maybe his father loved him, but he loved himself far more. That seemed to be a common theme with both parents. He could say the same about his mother. “I don’t want to talk about whether or not you love me.”
His father sighed. “Then why’d you come?”
Levi chuckled without mirth. “I don’t even know.” He’d certainly fought the impulse. There just didn’t seem to be anywhere else to go.
Leo grasped his arm. “Stay in Portland.”
After he’d spent the past eight years trying to get away? “Why would I do that?” The hamburger was tasteless in his mouth.
“You could become my partner at the dojo. Teach. It’ll keep you in martial arts, which you love. And you can live with me until you get on your feet.”
Levi stuck a French fry in his mouth. “I don’t need your help.”
“Then what will you do? You’re not going back into the army.”
“No.” Definitely not. He wasn’t sure what to do next. He’d thought he’d stumbled on a place he could call home when he found Whiskey Creek. But without Callie it wouldn’t be any different from all the other towns he’d passed through.
“So what, then?” Leo asked.
Levi worked to swallow what was in his mouth. “There’re still a lot of places I’d like to see.”
His father frowned but said nothing.
“You don’t approve?”
The effort Leo was making to be pleasant fell away like scaffolding. “I want more for you than rambling around like...like some vagrant.”
Levi shoved his plate into the center of the table. “You need to start living your own dreams.”
His father sat without responding for several seconds. Then he said, “At least I have dreams,” and tossed some money on the table before walking out.
* * *
Leo’s words echoed in Levi’s mind as he drove along Oregon’s Pacific Coast Highway. With his bike thrumming beneath him, giving him a greater sense of freedom than he’d ever experienced with any car, he’d drive around a curve and suddenly pop out of the cool shade of some giant trees to see the ocean in full sunlight. The waves would be slamming against black, craggy rocks, mist flying high in the air. The scenery was breathtaking, but didn’t have the same soothing effect it usually did.
At least I have dreams....
That was true. Leo had sacrificed everything for his dreams, had even tried to make Levi the vehicle of bringing those dreams to life.
But that didn’t mean striving to achieve something wasn’t important.
So forget Leo and what he had or hadn’t done, Levi told himself. His father had made his choices. What did he want?
It used to be escape. To show his father that he would not be controlled. But now? Leo had lost all the power he’d once possessed. Their visit a few hours ago made that clear. The only thing Levi had to fear was his own bad choices and limitations. So why wasn’t he creating a better life? Because of Leo?
The more he tried to hurt his father, the more he’d hurt himself.
A scenic view sign with a turnout for motorhomes and tourists came up on the right. Levi pulled into it and shut off his engine. Then he sat and listened to the caw of seagulls as he breathed in the briny scent of the beach. As much as he loved Oregon, he knew he didn’t want to live in Portland or work with his father. It was going to take a lot more than two years to overcome what he felt toward Leo. He was afraid he might never get beyond it.
But there was one place he desperately wanted to be. He hadn’t allowed himself to consider returning, had shoved the desire out of his mind every time it broke upon his consciousness. He knew the price he’d pay if he went back to Whiskey Creek. He didn’t want to watch Callie die any more than she wanted him to. He wouldn’t be able to stand seeing her suffer.
Not only that, sooner or later Chief Stacy would make sure he was arrested and charged for what he’d done to those officers in Nevada. If he went back, he’d essentially be turning himself in. And for what? How much time did Callie have left? Weeks?
That was the impression he’d gotten when he’d overheard her on the phone.
He’d made the right decision when he left. The cost of staying with her was too high.
But what if she needed him? What if he could make the end a little easier for her? After all, it wasn’t his practical side that was drawing him back to Whiskey Creek. It was some other part. A part of him that was willing to pay any price for just one more day....
27
On a Friday morning almost two weeks after Levi drove off, Callie sat with her friends at their customary large booth at Black Gold Coffee. It felt like one of a thousand other days, except for the surreptitious glances she received from her friends. They were worried about her, couldn’t help wondering if this get-together might be her last.
She could understand why they’d feel that way. It was odd, but ever since Levi’s departure she’d gone downhill fast. She could barely eat, had no energy, spent most of her time resting at her parents’. Every morning her mother would call the doctor to see if he’d arranged a transplant, and every morning he’d tell her not to call again, that he’d be in touch if a liver became available. Then she’d quickly wipe her eyes and force a smile before turning her wheelchair around to face Callie, as if Callie wouldn’t notice that she’d been crying.
“I tried to go there,” Ted said. “I couldn’t get her to answer the door.”
They’d been discussing the fact that Sophia hadn’t shown up since Ted had made that comment about Scott.
“Maybe she wasn’t home,” Eve said.
“I think she was,” Ted insisted. “Where else would she be? She hardly leaves that mausoleum they call a house.”
“Did you check to see if her car was there?” Noah asked.
Ted scowled. “How could I? They have a five-car garage but every single door was down.”
“She would’ve answered if she was there.” Cheyenne always stuck up for the underdog. But Callie had to admit it was a little ironic that anyone could consider Sophia an underdog. She and her gal pals had been merciless to anyone less fortunate when they were all in high school. As the daughter of their former mayor, she’d had the power to get away with just about anything, and she’d exploited it to full advantage. No wonder they had difficulty believing her transformation.
“Not necessarily,” Ted muttered.
“Give her a call,” Callie said. “Maybe you can reach her by phone.”
“I’m not going to keep bugging her,” he said. “If she doesn’t want to hear my apology, I won’t bother with it.”
Noah added cream to his coffee. “We’re just going to ignore the fact that she isn’t joining us anymore?”
The look on Ted’s face suggested he didn’t like this question. “What else can we do? It’s her choice whether or not to come.”
Callie felt like pushing their cups and plates aside so she could lay her head on the table. Instead, she took a deep breath and used a spoon to fish an ice cube from her water, hoping that might ease the nausea roiling in her stomach—a constant companion these days. “So you’re happy to be rid of her?”
Ted wouldn’t meet her eyes. “It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.”
Callie nodded but she was unconvinced. She suspected that Kyle, who’d picked her up and brought her here, remained skeptical, too. It was hard to tell. He sat next to her, but he was too busy watching her, looking concerned, to really participate in the conversation.
Callie ignored him. She hated the way they all seemed to be waiting for the moment she might keel over.
“I sort of miss her,” Eve said. “She was always very supportive.”
“Always?” Ted let loose a preposterous laugh. “Oh, how quickly they forget. She’s been nice the past couple of years. But only because her father has no more power in this town, and she doesn’t have any other friends. She’s always nice when she wants something.”
Baxter was
eyeing Noah. His gaze strayed in that direction so many times Callie was afraid Noah would notice that this wasn’t the type of attention typical of a best friend. She didn’t feel well enough to keep up with the conversation, but for Baxter’s sake she spoke to distract them, especially Noah. “Has anyone seen Skip lately?”
No one cared about Skip, so it was a pointless question, but they didn’t call her on it.
Kyle shook his head. “He’s never home these days.”
If Callie had her guess, he came home often enough to knock his wife around, but she had no proof of that, so she kept her mouth shut.
“I bet he’ll be here for the Fourth of July next week.” Ted rolled his eyes. “He wouldn’t want to miss the parade.”
Every year, Skip followed the high school marching band, the Rotary Club float and the Kiwanis Club float down Sutter Street in one of his rare Ferraris while his daughter sat in the passenger seat tossing candy to the crowds lined up to watch. Callie could picture the expensive sunglasses he chose for the occasion and his Ivy League attire. His parents, also some of the wealthiest people in the area, drove a Lamborghini in the parade, while Sophia rode atop the Bank of Gold Country float, dressed in a sparkly evening gown and looking like Red, White and Blue Barbie. Riley, Noah, Baxter and Kyle used to mock her Miss America wave. Callie had even laughed along. But once Sophia started joining them for coffee, everyone soon realized how much she hated being put on display like that. Apparently, it was Skip who insisted on this “family tradition.” He was showing off. First his expensive car and pretty daughter. Then his wealthy parents. And last, his lovely wife.
“I wonder if she’ll ever leave him,” Noah mused.
“Maybe. I certainly get the feeling she wants to.” Eve sounded slightly wistful.
“She won’t do it.” Ted spoke decisively. “No one else can keep her in such grand style.”
Callie was sure Ted was wrong about Sophia’s motives for staying in the marriage, but the hurt Sophia had caused him in the past blinded him. She didn’t attempt to correct him. Right now, she felt as if someone could cut off her right arm and she’d be too sick to protest.