Behind the Scenes

by Elisa Preston

  Levi watched them laugh with one another, playfully nudge and hug each other, even sneak in a kiss when they thought no one was watching. The light in his sister’s eyes was for real: she had found her person and would move heaven and earth to keep him, that was for sure. The great thing was, Brad’s subtle hand-holding, gentle deference, and his unselfish way of interacting with Ashley gave away that he felt the same. Levi’s little sister was happy, and his heart was happy knowing she was well-paired, that she would face life’s uncertainties from here on out with an ally.

  “So, what’s next?” Ashley asked as she turned around, clapping once and rubbing her hands together. She, more than anyone in the family, could buzz around New York City like a Queen Bee on a mission. She and Brad had already been on an hour-long run earlier that morning. No matter. Her energy remained. In fact, it abounded.

  “That depends,” Levi answered, standing up from the window. His hands landed in his pockets. “What are you up for? I have a little bit of work to finish up, but it’s just paperwork so you’re welcome to hang out here in the office. It’ll take me about an hour. You can go explore the neighborhood, pick up a couple souvenirs you said you wanted for some people back home. Or you can—”

  “Sorry to interrupt, Levi,” Kelsey popped her head in, looking serious and amused all at once.

  “It’s okay. What’s up?”

  “You have a visitor,” she said, dipping her head and her tone. A slow smile eventually lit her whole face as her hair fell forward.

  “Okay,” Levi said, drawing out the last of the word. “Anyone I know?” He held his head to the side for a moment after he asked the question.

  Who in the world would be visiting him on a Tuesday afternoon? The Tuesday before the Fourth of July, at that. Unless it had to do with—

  “Virginia,” he said, realization setting in at the same moment she appeared in the doorway.

  “Hi, Levi,” she said, with the same serious-and-amused expression Kelsey wore. She looked around at his office, digesting his other guests. “And company, I suppose.” Not a hint of reserve. Kindness, confidence, and the sense that she belonged in the room just like everyone else.

  Levi, unfortunately, was not so calm and collected. He stumbled over his first few words in the introduction between his parents, Ashley, Brad, and Virginia. If only either side knew how his heart had swelled at the sight of her. If only either side understood that he wanted there to be four engaged people in the room, not just two. If only he could refocus on why Virginia had come to see him at his office.

  “Virginia is our event planning lead for the Jackson Gala,” he finally said after working through everyone’s name. “She and her best friend own New Horizon Events out of Rochester.”

  “We love Rochester!” Curtis exclaimed. “Love their baseball, their Lilac Festival, their pizza, and their people.”

  Virginia smiled and acknowledged all four. “I love their summers and their winters,” she added.

  Kate put her hand to her heart. “I have never heard someone say they love the winter in our part of the world,” she said with a laugh. “Usually people just tolerate it or they can’t stand it and they move away. Our Levi always loved the winter. We like to think he would have stayed had his career not become so international.” Kate’s heart-shaped face lit up when she spoke of her son. Her light teasing was kind and showed her true feelings on the matter. Of course—what mom wouldn’t want her son back home?

  Virginia smiled warmly, holding his mom’s gaze for a long moment. “I bet he would have. I know he loves Toronto.”

  “So,” Levi said, before any more family bonding could go on between his parents and the woman whom he was falling for. Had fallen for. He cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Virginia?” Levi asked, his hands still firmly in his pocket.

  She looked around, asking with her eyes if they could discuss business in front of his family. The pause was long enough that Brad—of all people—seemed to catch on to it. That, or the rest of his family could sense the ethereal connection he shared with Virginia and they didn’t want to miss the show, since they had all been waiting on baited breath for Levi to have a romance.

  What was it about being over thirty years old that made everyone in his life—and everyone watching his life—believe that he would not be complete until he was romantically linked? In the form of married with two kids and a dog?

  “We’re going to explore the neighborhood. I promised my parents I would bring them back a ton of N-Y-C goodies. Curtis? Kate? Join us?”

  Ashley looked at Brad like he had just suggested they jump from the Brooklyn Bridge into a time machine that would carry them into the future.

  “You promised you’d help me,” he said to Ashley. “Let’s let Levi work.” Brad single-handedly ushered his fiancée and future in-laws out of the glass doors. Blessedly, he closed the glass doors.

  Levi saw a glimpse of Kelsey before he returned his attention—what he had of it—to Virginia. She looked particularly lovely today, wearing a flowing white sundress with a subtle floral design that wrapped from the left shoulder down to the bottom right of the dress. She tucked her small black handbag closer to her as she walked into the office.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Levi asked, gesturing to a seat.

  “Sorry to interrupt with your family,” she said, putting her hand to her heart. “They’re not here for too long. Kelsey could have told me you were busy.”

  Levi knew Kelsey would not have missed this opportunity for almost anything in the world. The great friend that she was, she knew he would want the chance to see her and she would not miss the moment of shock when Levi realized Virginia was unexpectedly at his office door.

  “We agreed that anything related to the Gala could interrupt my family this week. You’re the first,” he said, offering a wink.

  Virginia nodded with a tight-lipped smile, taking the moment to look past Levi and out toward the city. “Beautiful view,” she said, walking over to the wall of windows. “I’m not sure I’d get anything done all day if that’s what I had to look out at.” She pointed to the city around them and then to the streets below.

  “It never gets old, that’s for sure,” he said, moving to be closer to her. “My favorite is when it rains. All you can see are a million umbrellas that look like they’re moving by themselves.” He pointed downward toward the street. “It’s fascinating to watch.”

  “Like an ant farm,” Virginia mused, her eyes dancing at him.

  Levi’s smile grew five times wider. “Yes, like an ant farm.”

  They stood in silence for a few minutes while Virginia returned her attention to the outside. He hadn’t been able to study her profile since the meet-and-greet, and once again he was almost breathless for it. She had a subtle smile on her face at all times, lending her a peaceful look that came out in her disposition. Since the day on the plane, each time he had seen her—all two of them—she had been less restless and more content. To be fair, the day he met her, the biggest break in her career was hanging in the balance. Since then, she’d been nothing but calm-and-cool personified.

  One thing that hadn’t changed? How attracted he was to her. To every part of her. To her personality, her work ethic, her physical appearance. All of it. He liked all of it. He opened his mouth to attempt another date request when she finally spoke.

  “So.”

  “So,” he said quietly, with a sigh and a smile, hands still in his pockets.

  Virginia shook her head quickly. Her long, dark hair fell forward. “I … felt bad after last week. I wanted to apologize for shutting you down so quickly.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” he said, shaking his head and crossing his arms. He rocked on his heels as he spoke. “You’re the lead. No appetizers. It’s okay.”

  Virginia regarded him with caution. Her crossed arms seemed to move her further away from Levi. Their eyes remained locked on one another and Levi took a baby step in her direction.r />
  “You seemed … dejected after our meeting,” she said.

  Levi stopped rocking and put his hands back in his pockets. He leaned against the window. “I wouldn’t say dejected.”

  Virginia playfully rolled her eyes just enough that Levi caught it. “Don’t be one of those guys who won’t admit his feelings.”

  He sighed once. “Kelsey and Seth may use that word. You may use that word. I don’t think that’s how I felt.”

  “Okay, mister international chef, how did you feel?”

  “I thought it was a great menu. I felt right.”

  Virginia nodded once. “Hm. Okay. Well, I could have thought about it longer than I did. Sophie and I talked about that after you left. Still today, five days later, she and I stick with our decision. I do, however, apologize for shooting you down so quickly. It wasn’t kind and it wasn’t professional.”

  “You did it in a kind way. No hard feelings, but I appreciate your coming over here.” He offered an honest smile that Virginia easily returned.

  “Well,” she began. She looked out the window for a beat before continuing. “That wasn’t the only reason I came to see you.” Her nerves showed suddenly, as she wrung her hands and pushed her hair behind her ear.

  “No?” Hope grew in him like a hot air balloon being readied for lift-off.

  “No,” she said, letting out a quick breath. “I wanted to make sure this isn’t going to be an issue.” She pointed back and forth with her right index finger between herself and Levi.

  “Make sure what won’t be an issue?” His amusement grew as he watched her start to squirm. At least she was still smiling. He would do anything to keep that smile on her face.

  “Levi. You know what I’m talking about,” she said. Her nose was starting to scrunch, which he remembered from the airplane that she did when she was getting a little embarrassed or nervous. It was the cutest thing.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, hands in the air with palms facing up.

  She looked close to swatting him, which he would gladly accept because his sister had always told him that when a girl swats you like the way he thought Virginia would, it actually meant that she liked you.

  “I know you like me.” Her words were fast, blurted out like she had been holding them in all day.

  “Like you? Are we in sixth grade?”

  She giggled. “C’mon, join me in this conversation, please!”

  “Okay, okay. No, I don’t think this—” he repeated Virginia’s pointing action between himself and her, “will be a problem. At all.”

  “No?”

  “No. Do you?”

  “No.”

  “Great.”

  Again, Virginia regarded him with caution.

  “What?” Levi asked, indignant.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Startled, he asked why not.

  “You have the same expression you had on the plane when you talked about liking New York.”

  “I like New York.”

  She shook her head. “You like bits and pieces of New York. Your friends. Your office and apartment views. Cookies, Inc. Tanner. But you don’t like New York itself. You try to tell yourself you do, but you don’t. You have that same look right now.”

  Hm. He couldn’t argue with that. New York as a whole city had never grown on him as he once thought it might. He could, however, be impressed that she had observed and remembered such detail. Didn’t that count in the Pro column whenever she thought about Relationship with Levi?

  “Okay,” he said, not wanting to hide behind anything. Hiding had never been his style. He wasn’t about to start, especially if his ultimate goal was a relationship with Virginia. “I do ‘like’ you. I do want to go on a date or two with you to see if we could get to what I think we could have.”

  At his slight pause, Virginia began to protest. Levi kept talking, quickly quieting her concerns.

  “I heard you when you said business only. And I can be professional enough for the Gala that my feelings will not get in the way.”

  Again with the caution.

  “You have my word,” he finished, nodding once.

  Levi resolved to not break their eye contact. Virginia was watching him, something in her eyes that he couldn’t decipher. Her voice was softer, kinder—if that was possible—when she spoke again.

  “I would like to clarify something,” she said, putting her finger up in their air.

  “Okay,” he said, chuckling. “Clarify away.”

  Her smile was full. “I, um… I,” she paused. “Oh, this is harder than I thought it would be.”

  He patiently waited, his eyes locked on the woman standing before him. The woman who held herself gracefully, no matter the discomfort behind her words.

  “I don’t want you to think that I didn’t feel the same way you did after our flight. Because I did.” She paused enough for him to interject.

  “Just not enough to do anything about it?”

  “That’s not necessarily true. There are two parts to my reason for declining. The first I already told you—this has to be business only. I want, I need, to focus for this Gala. It is a huge break for New Horizons and we have worked so hard for this.”

  “You have, and I respect that,” Levi said.

  “Thank you,” Virginia said through her smile. “The second part is the fact that you live in the public eye. I needed you to know that I vowed a long time ago to never be with anyone whose life was public. I got the feeling that you thought that after we were done doing business together we might be able to go out. But the fact that you’re a public figure will not change, and therefore my answer to your date requests will not change.”

  A sack of pennies may as well have landed in his stomach.

  “Have you dated a celebrity before?” His eyes squinted, confused.

  “I have not,” she said, standing straighter. She pushed her bangs out of her face.

  “Then why would you vow that to yourself?”

  “I have my reasons,” she said, suddenly serious. “I just felt like you should know that. I didn’t want you waiting for something that won’t ever happen.”

  Levi felt suddenly serious, too. How quickly this conversation had turned to something he didn’t want to be a part of. It made no sense, her vow, if she had never been romantic with someone in the public eye. There are plenty of ways around having your private life publicized. He was actually quite good at it. Though, to be fair, he had never really had a hopping romantic life that the tabloids were interested in following.

  Levi had two choices, as he had had with the menu rejection the previous week. He could accept her answer and respect her wishes, leaving her alone and moving on. Or, he could accept her answer and respect her wishes, but actively work to change what she thought she wanted.

  Looking in her hazel eyes, the ones filled with compassion, inside-and-out beauty, and confidence, he knew he had no choice in his choice.

  “I can respect that,” he said, putting his hands up. “Thanks for telling me instead of stringing me along,” he said.

  Virginia nodded. “Thank you for listening. And for seeing me when your family was here.”

  Levi offered a thin smile. He motioned toward the door. “I should probably get back to them, though.”

  “You should.” Virginia paused to watch him. “Thanks again for seeing me. I’ll see you next Wednesday?”

  “It’s a date,” he said, winking. “A work date.” Levi held out his hand for a professional handshake. He was pleased when she didn’t hesitate to take it.

  “See you then,” she said, turning to leave. She kept her eyes and light smile on Levi until he returned her salutation.

  “Until then, Virginia,” Levi said, tipping an invisible hat in her direction. He watched her until she was out of sight, wondering how in the world he was going to keep his cards close to his chest for the next six months when every time she was around all he wanted to do was show his
whole hand.

  Time would tell, he supposed. Time would tell.

   Chapter 13

  The train rocked along the rails on the seven-hour ride between New York City’s Grand Central Station and Rochester, New York. A last-minute choice to spend a long weekend at home with her mom had put Virginia in the second train car, staring out the window as the Hudson River flashed by. Water skiers, jet skiers, sail boaters, and others dotted—sometimes lined—the river from the harbor in New York all the way to Albany, mid-state.

  Mid-afternoon sun shone from a cloudless sky, making the water shine like diamonds in a sea of moving black sand. It was peaceful, necessary, and the perfect backdrop to the little bit of work Virginia could do via e-mail. She could easily go between the entertainment on the water and responding to e-mails, further researching vintage New York City, and updating the communication spreadsheet she was using to keep notes of each vendor meeting.

  Once the train turned west and the river was far behind them, four-and-a-half hours remained until she met her mom at the train station in Rochester. She could daydream, evaluate her Gala leadership, and work hard to not think about the boy with the shining blue eyes.

  So far, Virginia had nothing to complain about. She had had productive meetings with vendors and could still work on two New Horizons events remotely. She would take care of a few details in-person this weekend, but each event was at the point where they could run with her local team. Surprisingly, none of it was spinning her up. Winning her dream contract had blanketed a sense of peace and comfort over Virginia. Minor pop-ups that might have once riled her, rolled off her back like rain on a windshield.

  The one and only item—piece?—of her current life situation that was getting her goat was the set of blue eyes on the seventeenth floor of an obscure office building in New York City.

  This is where the four hours of riding the rails became a problem.

  Four more hours to think about Levi and the look on his face when she appeared in his office doorway on Tuesday.