Nowhere had ever felt like home until he’d arrived in Jamesville. He was glad he’d come to help Jonah when he’d called. Not that there had ever been any doubt. Jonah was his one good friend. No matter what, he would have come to his buddy’s aid.
But he’d found so much more here. He’d found friends. And he’d found Linda. Being around her gave him a sense of peace. She helped to silence the ghosts that often haunted his sleep, driving him from bed many nights. Working out helped some too. And since he’d been in Jamesville, he’d been pumping iron and jogging until he fell into bed exhausted.
Since he and Linda had gotten together, he’d been jogging in the mornings after she went to work. The change was nice. Instead of running in the dark, he ran when the rest of the world was up and around. Folks were starting to recognize him and wave as he passed by. It was…nice.
He glanced at his watch. It was just after eight. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed.
“Yeah.” The male voice on the other end was brisk.
Levi smiled. “I see your wife hasn’t domesticated you yet.”
Jonah Sutter snorted. “What do you want?”
“I need help.”
There was no hesitation. All traces of humor disappeared from Jonah’s voice. “What do you need?”
Levi’s reply was quick. “I need you to make some calls.”
Chapter Nine
Linda stood in the shower and let the hot water cascade over her. She still couldn’t believe she’d had such a meltdown in front of Levi last night. But she’d been upset and vulnerable when he’d found her.
Still, he’d handled it just fine. Better than fine. He’d let her cry and vent, all the while holding her in his arms. He’d offered her the only thing he could. Comfort.
She grabbed her sponge, squirted some of her rose-scented shower gel on it and began to wash. She’d awoken alone and still fully dressed. It was a grungy feeling to sleep in your clothing, but she’d slept well in spite of it. Other than her eyes being puffy, she felt like her normal self again.
After she’d crawled out of bed and used his bathroom, she’d found Levi hard at work at his kitchen table, tapping away on his laptop.
He’d closed the cover on the computer when she’d appeared and she hadn’t asked what he was doing. If he’d wanted her to know what he was working on, he’d tell her. Besides, she had more than enough to worry about in her own life at the moment.
Sixty days. She had sixty days to relocate Past Promises. She might lose the building, but she wasn’t going to lose the store. The promissory note had been a personal loan to her, strictly for the building and the renovations. The bank could have it.
She ignored the pain in her stomach and continued to wash. She’d searched long and hard for the right location and loved the hundred-year-old building with its brick façade. Rinsing her body, she grabbed her shampoo and squirted a dollop into her palm. She could rent for as long as she had to if it meant keeping her business open.
Finding another place to live would be more of a problem. Apartments weren’t plentiful around here. She could impose on Amanda and Jonah for a few days if she had to. She couldn’t ask Cyndi for a room at her B&B. It was almost summer and that meant tourist season. Most likely the rooms were already booked. If this had happened in January, she probably could have rented a room there for a decent rate.
She scrubbed her scalp and then stood beneath the spray, rinsing off the shampoo and any remainder of soap. Slicking her hair back from her face, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall. She grabbed a thick white towel and wrapped it around her body.
Her friends would help her. Unlike her family, she knew she could count on them. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but facts were facts. At least she had wonderful friends. That was definitely a reason to be thankful.
Linda swiped her palm over the mirror, clearing away some of the steam. She stared at her reflection with a critical eye. She didn’t look too bad all things considered. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, but some strategically placed concealer would take care of those.
She grabbed her hairdryer and brush and dealt with her hair. Thankfully, her short haircut was wash and go. When that was done, she dug out her cosmetic bag, knowing she needed an extra boost today. She applied her makeup carefully and went for the works—foundation, concealer, blush, mascara, eyeliner and shadow, followed by lipstick in a deep plum.
Her reflection was different this time. Gone was the tired woman. In her place was a confident businesswoman. Her grandmother had taught her that the proper clothing was half the battle in any business situation. You had to look the part before you could act the part.
Linda went to her bedroom and yanked open her closet door. She had to find something to wear. A damp towel just wouldn’t cut it. She ignored the clothing in front of her and dug right to the back. She knew exactly what she was looking for. The garment bag was zipped tight, but she pulled it out and hung it on the hook on the back of the closet door. The zipping noise was loud in the room as she opened the garment bag.
The skirt and jacket were a rich burgundy and screamed power. The designer label was discreetly sewn into the collar of the jacket. “Thank you, Grandma,” she murmured as she pulled out a cream-colored silk blouse to wear with it.
Underwear came first. Linda rummaged through her dresser drawer searching for just the right undergarments. She needed a bra that wouldn’t show through her light-colored blouse. It also had to make her feel sexy and confident. No one else would know what she was wearing beneath her suit, but she would. And that was all that mattered. After a short debate, she chose a lacy bra and panties in a light café au lait color. She dropped the towel and slipped them on. Stockings were next. Her choice was thigh highs. Much more comfortable than pantyhose.
She slid the blouse off its padded hanger and slipped it on, doing up the pearl buttons one by one. The skirt came next. The silk lining slipped over her skin like a lover’s caress. Linda stilled, her thoughts going back to Levi.
He’d been so good to her this morning. She’d barely stepped into the main room before he’d ushered her to the far end of the table, away from his laptop. He’d served her tea and oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal.
Tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath and sucked them back. She wasn’t going to cry over oatmeal. But it had been so sweet of him. He’d obviously gone to some trouble because it wasn’t the kind of oatmeal you just added water to, but the kind you actually cooked on the stovetop.
The warmth had felt good in her belly, while his obvious concern had been a balm to her soul.
She worried about what this whole situation would do to them. When she lost the building Levi would be homeless, just like her. Would he move on? Would he stay in Jamesville? She’d been too afraid to ask him. She was already losing so much. She didn’t want to contemplate losing Levi as well.
Not now.
Maybe in a few weeks when she had hopefully found a new place to live, as well as rented a space for her store. Maybe then she would broach the subject with Levi. If he hadn’t already left town by then.
Sixty days. Actually, it was less than that now. Not much time to find a new place to live, relocate a business and find out if her lover would be leaving or staying.
It wasn’t that she was being a coward. It was that she could only deal with one crisis at a time. And, unfortunately, the financial one took precedence. Unless Levi decided to pack it in and leave town in the next few days.
Her hands stilled on the suit jacket hanging on the back of the closet door. No, he’d tell her if he was leaving. She knew he would. Besides, he hadn’t kissed her like a man who was planning on going anywhere.
After she’d eaten her breakfast, he’d walked her to her door and wished her luck with her bank meeting, telling her he’d see her later. Then he’d kissed her with a passion that had left her breathless, her entire body tingling.
Her breasts swel
led and her nipples tightened. Swearing, she yanked the jacket off the hanger and pulled it on. There was one button right at her waist, which she closed. She slipped on a pair of black leather pumps. The added height gave her a sense of confidence. She grabbed her matching leather purse, quickly transferring her wallet and belongings from her everyday purse. Everything she wore was good quality and classy. Perfect for a meeting with a banker.
Accessories were next. Nothing too flashy. Small gold hoops for her ears and a single strand of pearls for around her neck. She looked smart and successful. A quick glance at her watch told her she was running out of time. The store would stay closed until she got back. She hated to do it, but there was no other choice. Her part-timer was in school and wouldn’t be able to work.
There was nothing left to delay her any longer. She was as ready as she was ever going to be. Linda left her apartment before she gave herself any more time to think, locking the door behind her. There were no sounds coming from Levi’s apartment as she passed his front door. Only silence. She had no idea if he was still in there or if he’d already gone out. He ran in the mornings and was most likely pounding the pavement. She would have liked to have seen him before her meeting, but she consoled herself with the fact she’d see him later.
She almost left by the front door to the building, but at the last second decided to go through the store. She needed to put up a sign anyway to let folks know she’d be late opening today.
A noise reached her ears as she unlocked the inner door. Maybe she hadn’t missed Levi after all. She pushed the door open, a greeting on her lips. It caught in her throat and she blinked, not quite able to believe what she was seeing. Amanda was there, her reddish hair tucked back in a ponytail, wearing jeans and a cotton sweater. Beside her was Cyndi, looking stylish as always, dressed in pair of dress pants and a silk blouse. Both women walked toward her, their arms open wide.
“I’m so sorry,” Amanda began.
“Families can suck,” Cyndi added.
Their arms came around her and the three of them shared a group hug. She pulled back and stared at them in wonder. “Why are you here? How did you know?”
Amanda pushed her wire-rimmed glasses up onto the bridge of her nose. “Levi called Jonah last night.”
Linda wasn’t quite certain how she felt about Levi telling her business to other people. But when she looked at their sympathetic faces, she couldn’t be mad with him. It felt good for her to have her friends around her. And besides which, they’d have to know eventually. Everyone in Jamesville would know before too long. Gossip like this wouldn’t stay hidden in a small town for more than a day or two.
“I’m here to cover the shop for you until you get back from your meeting with the banker. Is there anything I need to know about how you handle your sales?” Amanda went over to the counter and poked around. “I think it’s pretty basic. I may not know anything about antique furniture, but I know how to talk to customers.” She shot Linda a cocky smile. “And I certainly know how to charge their credit cards.”
Linda laughed in spite of the gravity of the situation. A weight lifted from her shoulders. No matter what happened, she’d be okay. She had good friends around her. “You guys are the best.” She turned to Cyndi. “I take it you’re here for moral support.”
She shook her head. “I’m going to the bank with you. I’ll wait outside the office while you talk with Albert Kramer. But you don’t need to do this alone.”
“How did you know my meeting was with Kramer?” Linda was stunned by how much information her friends had about the situation. She raised her hand to stop Cyndi from speaking. “Let me guess. Levi?”
“Not quite. Levi talked to Jonah, who told Amanda, who called me and spilled everything. Shamus knows too, but that’s everyone. We want to help. We need to help. You should have called.” Cyndi hugged her again and she heard the underlying hurt in her friend’s voice.
“I was going to tell you.” She sniffed and then laughed when Amanda handed her a tissue. “I spent a lot of time on this war paint, I can’t afford to smear it.” She dabbed carefully beneath her eyes.
“You look fine,” Amanda assured her. “But you should have called us.”
“I’d planned to. I was just going to wait until after my meeting this morning. I wanted to know exactly where I stand with things.” She held out her hands to both women. They each took one hand, holding on tight. “I was in no shape to call anyone last night.”
Cyndi squeezed her hand and nodded. “I’m sorry. I should understand that better than anyone. My own family life wasn’t exactly what you could call normal. I don’t know how I would have gotten through everything without Shamus.” She released Linda’s hand and shoved her purse strap further up on her shoulder. “At least you have Levi to help you.”
Linda nodded, released Amanda’s hand and fiddled with the button on her jacket. She had Levi. For now. She had no idea how long he would be staying in Jamesville, but she was grateful for everything he’d done.
“Are you ready?” Cyndi jolted her out of her pity party, reminding her there were problems that wouldn’t wait.
“I am.” She gave Amanda what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine. This shouldn’t take too long.”
Amanda waved them away. “Take your time and don’t worry about a thing. But stop by Delicious Delights on the way back. I think we’re going to need something sweet and fattening. I’ll have the coffee on.”
“We can take my car,” Cyndi offered.
Linda nodded. “Let’s get this done.”
Levi heard Linda head downstairs to the shop. As much as he wanted to see her one more time before she left for her meeting, he didn’t want to do anything to upset the balance she’d seemed to find over breakfast.
At least she’d eaten something healthy. She’d missed supper last night and he worried about her. The oatmeal would hold her over until lunchtime.
He also had reinforcements waiting downstairs. Maybe he’d overstepped the boundaries of privacy, but he didn’t care. Linda would have to tell them eventually. This way she didn’t have to worry about that. Her friends already knew the situation. Plus, they could help her out this morning, give her some added confidence by letting her know she wasn’t alone.
Both Amanda and Cyndi had exceeded his expectations. Amanda had grabbed the phone from Jonah last night, wanting to talk to Linda. When he’d told her she was resting, Amanda had let him know she’d be there first thing in the morning and would cover the store for Linda while she was at her meeting. When he’d protested, she’d ignored him, saying that she didn’t open By the Book until noon anyway and she’d call her part-timer to handle things for her.
Cyndi had phoned a half hour after he’d finished speaking with Jonah and Amanda. She’d promised to go to the bank with Linda and try and exert any pressure she could, even threatening to use the James name if she had to. Cyndi had been born into the James family, the most prominent one in town. She was also the bank’s biggest client.
There was probably little Cyndi could do at this point. The bank had already sold the promissory note to the bank in Vermont. But she could be there for moral support.
Levi was doing what he did best—digging up intel on the enemy. In this case, the enemy was Simon Dyson and Linda’s family. On the surface, they seemed like moral, upstanding citizens. But Levi dug deeper. People who treated their family and loved ones as heavy handedly as they were treating Linda surely had skeletons somewhere in the closet.
He had three laptops set up on the table and was currently running complex search programs through various banking and government systems. It was illegal as hell, but Levi didn’t care. Uncle Sam had given him these skills and he was making good use of them. Nothing he found would ever hold up in a court of law, but it didn’t have to. It was meant for leverage against Dyson and her family.
A knock came on the door. “It’s open,” he called. He’d been expecting Jonah all morning. The door
opened and Jonah walked in, followed by Shamus. Levi downsized the screen on his laptop and stood when he saw the third man. He walked around the table, downsizing screens on each of the other computers. He hadn’t expected to see the local sheriff. Patrick O’Rourke seemed like an okay guy, but he was still the law.
“We brought coffee.” Jonah carried a paper tray with four large cups and set it on the corner of the table. “What have you got?”
Levi glanced at Patrick. “Not much. Yet. I’m still searching.”
Patrick crossed his arms over his chest, his dark gray eyes narrowing as he read between the lines. The man was nobody’s fool. He’d seen the look passed between the two friends. “I won’t ask you what you’re doing so you won’t have to lie to me. Just let me know if there is anything I can do on my end to help.”
Levi nodded as he tugged the cover off one of the coffees and took a sip. Black and strong. Just the way he liked it.
Shamus had propped himself against the wall, coffee cup in hand. “Family can be nothing but trouble sometimes.” He shot his brother a glance. “Present company excluded, of course.”
Patrick snorted. “Of course.” He grabbed a cup of coffee and saluted them. “You’ll talk more freely without me here. You know where to find me if you need my help.”
“Will do.” Levi inclined his head. “Thanks for the offer.” He waited until Patrick was gone, then he turned to Shamus. “If you’re going to have a problem with my methods, you should go. If you don’t know anything, you can’t be held accountable.”
Shamus shook his head. “I’m in.” He paused and cleared his throat. “As long as we’re not talking about physically harming anyone.”
Levi shook his head. “You’ve got a vivid imagination there, Shamus. There are much better methods of getting results. We don’t want to create an even bigger mess. The trick to getting what you want is information.”
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