Levi was waiting for the big guy himself to come out and chat with him, but according to his line cook, Pete was on the phone with a supplier. The man liked to cook his way. He didn’t like any other parts of the business. But he knew them, and hopefully he’d share some trade secrets.
Sipping his coffee, his stomach eager for the waffles he’d ordered, Levi turned when the door jingled and saw Beckett strolling through with a gorgeous woman at his side, her head tipped back in laughter. He wanted that.
Some might think tripping over a cooler and making a fool of himself wasn’t great luck, but not Levi, since it gave him sometime with Jillian. He could picture her laughing at his jokes like Beckett’s girlfriend was. He wanted that more than he’d considered. That familiarity, the right to touch and laugh and kiss. Inside jokes and all the rest of it.
“Levi Bright,” Beckett said, spotting him as the pair started toward a booth. They detoured toward him as he rose from the stool.
They met in the middle of the floor and a lightness invaded his chest. He’d really missed his friends. Texts, emails, FaceTimes, and a random visit here and there hadn’t been enough. They hugged, both of them laughing, before he pulled back and held a hand out to Beckett’s girlfriend.
“You must be Presley. I’m Levi. I voted in favor of this guy asking you to marry him, but if it’s not what you want, just blink twice and I’ll rescue you,” he said, moving quickly when Beckett went to give him a shove.
“No horsing around in my diner,” Pete said, coming through the swinging door.
“Or smiling or laughing,” Levi whispered, making the other two laugh.
Pete stopped beside them, looked down his bulbous nose at Levi. “You want to eat these waffles or wear them, Bright?”
Presley laughed, tucked herself under Pete’s arm, and gave him a squeeze. Clearly, the woman didn’t value her life.
To Levi’s surprise, everything about Pete softened. He handed Levi the plate of waffles, gave Presley a half hug, and told them to find a booth.
“Are you magic?” Levi looked at her then Beckett. “Is she magic?”
The two of them slipped into one side and Levi sat on the other. They held hands and grinned like loons in love.
“She’s magic, all right. Pete’s sour moods are no match for Presley’s sunshine.”
Presley rolled her eyes. “Please. He’s a teddy bear.”
Levi unrolled his fork and knife, cut into the thick, vanilla-scented waffle, his mouth watering. “Maybe you ought to come meet my dad.”
“Actually, I did a little bit of website work for your dad,” Presley said.
Holy shit. The fork paused halfway to Levi’s mouth. “And he let you?”
She laughed again. “Hehiredme.”
So, it was just Levi he didn’t want in his space or business.
Groaning around his bite of waffle, he closed his eyes.
“Jesus, dude. Want us to leave you alone?” Beckett said.
Opening his eyes, Levi swallowed and laughed. “I missed these.”
“You’re a chef, aren’t you?” Presley asked as Pete approached.
“I am,” he said, cutting another bite but tipping his head in Pete’s direction. “But this guy has a secret recipe that he won’t share for anything.”
“Family only.” Pete squeezed in beside Levi without an invitation.
Levi slid his plate over onto Mona Lisa’s face—each table was a re-creation of a painted masterpiece, all done by Pete’s wife and his daughter. Every one of them was gorgeous. Van Gogh’s night sky was Levi’s favorite, but it had a family of four around it right now.
An older woman hurried out of the back, tying an apron as she rushed over to their table. It was the older woman from the park. Her bushy brows lifted when she saw him, a smile twitching on her lips.
“Hey, Beckett. Hi, Presley. Sorry I’m late, Pete. Some runner went ass over cooler, not looking where he was going, and we had to help him out.” She kept her gaze on Levi, who did his very best not to turn the color of ketchup.Pete’s sister!That’s who she was.
“What an idiot,” Pete mumbled.
