Reservations

“Thank you!” he said, getting to his feet as she did. That would be enough to allow every single bit of his tips to go into savings.

“What about me? What happens to me?” Logan asked, rising to his feet.

“Well, you’re eighteen and soon to be a graduate,” Mrs. Gathright said, putting her purse over her shoulder. “You’re an adult. Levi’s got custody of Luke, so you’ll be left out of the mix when the files transition to the new state, but I’m always here if you need me for anything.”

Again, Luke was the odd man out. It took a second, and required an encouraging nod from Levi for his brother to hurriedly leap to his feet.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner. I stopped by on Saturday and no one was home.”

“We were at Escape in Coronado,” Luke added proudly, and all Levi could do was stare at him. What the hell was wrong with his brother? She was leaving, and instead, turned back toward the table, interested in Luke’s comment.

“Escape. I haven’t been there. I hear it’s nice,” she said, clearly encouraging Luke to say more.

“It’s real nice, isn’t it?” Luke said, nodding at Logan who remained absolutely still and silent looking every bit as concerned as Levi felt. “Levi’s boyfriend has a suite there, and he invites us all the time. The hotel’s right on the beach, and the back wall in all the rooms open all the way up. There’s no wall. It just goes from the living room to the balcony, nothing stops you. It’s all decorated the same, but each suite’s a little different.”

Levi had moved, closer now to the social worker. He looked at Mrs. Gathright, who was staring at Luke. He quickly raised a hand, giving a cutting motion at his neck. Luke needed to shut the heck up. His younger brother gave a startled look and just closed his mouth, becoming silent and ducking his head.

“That sounds really nice,” Mrs. Gathright said. She looked confused, probably because the unusually animated Luke had just stopped talking so abruptly. Levi just gave her a shrug and immediately started ushering her toward the door, Logan following behind him. “Okay, well, if I don’t see you again, then keep doing as well as you are now. Levi, I’ll be in touch. I’ll get these back to you in the next few days.”

“Great. Thank you,” he said, taking hold of the front door that she had opened.

“Let me know if you apply for the internship. Bye, guys,” she called out and gave a quick look over her shoulder, waving before heading down the porch steps. When the door shut, Levi turned and leaned back against it, closing his eyes, the relief strong.

“Luke, dude, you say too much,” Logan said, going back to the kitchen.

“What’d I say wrong?” Luke asked defensively.

Levi went back into the kitchen, dumping his paper plate in the trash. “You had to say I’m dating the owner of my company?”

“What? You are,” Luke said, becoming as frustrated as Levi and Logan, pushing his not quite empty plate to the center of the table.

“That breaks about every employment law on the planet. Less is always more,” Levi explained, coming to stand directly by Luke’s chair. “And anytime a woman enters a room, you’re supposed to stand.”

“How am I supposed to know that?” Luke asked, throwing his hands in the air.

“We learned that in elementary school,” Logan said.

“I didn’t,” Luke shot back, and Levi sensed a fight coming on.

“What time is it?” Levi asked, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

That distracted quick-draw Logan, and he read the time from his phone before Levi ever got his phone out. “It’s seven twenty.”

“Crap, I’m gonna be late.” Levi started texting Julian that he’d be there as soon as he could while he went to finish grooming. He thought about texting Thane. If CPS called Johns Hopkins, would they need to be prepared? As he went for the bathroom, he pulled his T-shirt over his head and reached for the hair gel.

“So, I thought you worked in the restaurant,” Luke said, coming to the bathroom door, leaning a shoulder against the frame. Of course, Luke wouldn’t skate past that. Levi squirted the gel in his hand and started working his fingers through the ends. He didn’t readily answer because he didn’t know what to say. So much had happened to him over the last six months—actually, even longer than that. Both his attitude and perspective had changed. It didn’t seem quite so bad to be working at a club like Reservations. Those were some of his best friends, and Thane had lived that life for years. The thought of others exchanging money for a hookup didn’t completely freak him out anymore. It also didn’t put people in the category he once thought it did, but how did he explain that to Luke?