Considering this, I sighed. I could fight him, but chances were very high that after a cold shower and a beer, I’d end up on the phone with him again anyway and kicking myself for not going over there. “Okay, but don’t go to any trouble.”
“Let me worry about that.” Levi laughed, and so did I, even if it was a tired chuckle.
Thinking about him carried me through the rest of the long afternoon. And by the time I stopped at my house to grab a fast shower and some clothes for the morning, my mood was already improving.
Funny how a few weeks ago I hadn’t even known Levi existed, and now he was the thing I anticipated most, the person I wanted to talk to more than anyone else. I’d told him to enjoy the summer and not worry about the future, but this heat wave was an unwelcome reminder that the summer was speeding by fast. Levi was quickly becoming indispensable to my life.
I pushed that worry aside, though, to summon up a smile to match Levi’s as he let me into the condo. Chilly air greeted me, and it felt so nice after my day outside that I had to groan.
“See? Told you you’d like this. I cranked the air up before you came.”
“It feels amazing.” I stretched in front of one of the wall vents like a husky dog in Florida. Sparing him a glance, I smiled wider. His hair was wet, and his shirt clung to his chest in a way that made him look edible. Yes, indeed, my day was looking up. Way up. “You look good too.”
“Thank you. Now, you and your bad day can sit right here.” Instead of the couch where we usually hung out, Levi steered me into the dining nook off the kitchen.
He’d set the table with actual dishes and had a beer waiting at the seat he pushed me toward. It was the same brand I kept at my place, and my chest went warm at the thoughtfulness, especially since he never drank himself.
“You cooked?” I gestured at the plates. Much as I appreciated his efforts, the idea of him cooking gave me pause. He was great at following directions, but less proficient on his own.
“Not exactly.” He offered me a winning smile as he carried a stack of black boxes to the table. “You’re safe on that front. The downtown grocery store has a lot of gourmet grab-and-go items near the deli. I picked out an assortment of things that looked like Joe food.”
“Joe food? What’s that?” I found myself grinning at him as he bustled around, filling our plates.
“Meat, bonus points if there’s more than one meat product in a dish. Nothing with raw onions. Potatoes or rice, but you’re picky about what gets added to pasta and whether cold pasta is legit a salad.”
“Pasta salad is basically leftovers someone didn’t want to reheat.” I laughed because damn did he ever have my number.
“See? I know you well.”
“You do.” I pulled him onto my lap before he could turn toward the kitchen, then I dropped a kiss on the back of his neck, inhaling his shampoo and soap and everything that made him Levi. “Thank you. This helps.”
“Good. I’m glad.” He escaped my grasp to put the empty containers on the kitchen counter before taking his own chair. The food did look great—some sort of chicken dish with bacon, roasted potatoes, and two different side salads, neither of which had pasta.
“You chose good Joe food,” I said before digging in. We both ate in silence for a few minutes, but it was a comfortable quiet.
“You do such a good job taking care of me that it’s nice to take care of you for a change.” Looking up from his plate, he smiled, the sort of angelic softness that belonged in a picture frame.
“I do?” In truth, Levi was extraordinarily easy to care for. Who wouldn’t want to take care of him?
“You do. And not just sex. Thanks to you, my pancakes are perfect circles, the plants here haven’t died, and I know far more about construction now.”
“They love you at the volunteer project.”
Levi had been at the housing site most weekends with me, painting and trying his hand at some new skills like sanding, working around his Bold Brew hours. My dad had been impressed and was now solidly a member of team Levi.
“Good. I love helping. And learning new things.” His eyes started to sparkle as his tone shifted to joking. “And I do love watching—”
“Please don’t say my dad and Inez.” I gave an exaggerated groan, but seriously, hearing his theories on their relationship status wasn’t going to reduce my stress level.
“Love is in the air…” he sang, making me cringe. It wasn’t so much that he was offkey as that I didn’t want to hear the sentiment.