“Yeah. Sure. I’ll figure something out.” In the year since my mother’s death, Dad had become an expert at saying no. No, he didn’t want to go to dinner with old friends or coffee with business contacts. No, he didn’t feel up to cooking. No, going to the movies or bowling didn’t sound tempting. That Herb Metcalf had coaxed a yes out of him was a stunning turn of events, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to stand in the way of his baby step back to a social life. It left me at loose ends, but I’d deal. “Have fun.”
Still slightly dazed, I headed in for my coffee fix. I was way later than usual, after the lunch rush, and the place was more than half-empty with no line. Levi and Blake were both behind the long wooden counter at the front of the store. Great. Levi had been awkward ever since Blake had let slip about my drink preference, which sucked because, for the week prior, those dimples had been the highlight of my day and worth all the bland coffee in the world.
Blake was an excellent barista, but he was also one of those guys who thought everything was a joke. Teasing new hires was how he showed his love, but Levi didn’t seem to have figured that out yet. And much as I liked Blake, Levi triggered some overprotective part of me where I wanted to smooth the way for him. It was how we’d ended up in the whole mess about the coffee. Making things easier on him made me feel better than any sugar rush.
And right then, he definitely looked like he needed someone to take care of him. Dark circles under his eyes, slumped shoulders, slow steps, and he yawned three times as I approached the counter.
“You okay?” I couldn’t help but ask before I placed my order.
“Yeah, sure. I’m fine.” He yawned again and grimaced.
“No, you’re not.” Blake gave him a good-natured thump on the back. “You’ve been in a trance all morning. Either you got lucky last night, in which case we want to hear all about it, or something’s wrong. And you might as well tell me because Ralph will ferret it out of you soon enough.”
I laughed because Ralph, one of the polyamorous trio who owned the place, was extraordinarily good at providing an empathetic ear. However, my laugh was a little forced because Blake was wrong. We did not want to hear all about Levi’s love life. Not that I could be jealous of someone I barely knew—
Liar. Okay. I could be a little put out at the thought of those dimples belonging to someone who perhaps didn’t appreciate him enough or, at the very least, didn’t care whether he sent poor Levi off to work in rough shape.
“I didn’t get lucky.” Levi frowned, and I had to stop myself from exhaling in relief. “And it’s stupid. But a smoke detector in the place I’m subletting kept going off randomly all night. It’s been happening all week.”
“Take the battery out,” Blake advised before I could speak up.
“Can’t. It’s a wired-into-the-wall deal.” Levi held up a hand when Blake opened his mouth again. “And yes, I know I could call the professor I’m renting from, but Ralph called in a favor for me to get the place. Professor Carmichael is a sweet, older woman who’s off doing research for the summer. She doesn’t need to hear that I’m having issues already.”
“Does the building have a super or manager?” I had a feeling this was one of the older buildings close to downtown and the college because they were notorious for wiring issues.
“It’s condos rather than apartments, so maintenance is murky. There’s a manager guy of sorts who lives on the bottom floor. He’s even older than the professor, but cranky, and he hated the idea of her subletting at all.” Levi slumped further, chin tilting down before he sucked in a breath and straightened. “I’ll figure it out.”
That little moment of valor, when he tried so hard to convince himself more than us that he’d be okay, melted some essential connector in my own faulty wiring.
“I could take a look,” I offered.
“What?” Levi blinked, impossibly long lashes fluttering like a hummingbird. I could practically see the moment I crossed from friendly customer to creepy stalker in his brain, the way he took a step back and everything.
“No, seriously. That’s a great idea.” Blake clapped him on the shoulder. “Joe’s a legit electrician. He’s done some work here a time or two, and his logo is on his truck. Think he’s the owner of the company, even. If he’s offering help, you should take it. Can’t have you sleepwalking through the weekend rush.”
“It’s a family company, not only mine,” I corrected Blake as I dug out my wallet and plucked out one of our cards. “But yes, it’s what I do for a living. I could come inspect the problem after work, see if it’s fixable without bothering the manager.”