“Smells good in here,” he said, grabbing a mug from the cupboard to pour himself a coffee.
He hated the way his shoulders tensed just from being in the same room with his dad. He loved his dad. Respected the hell out of him. He just didn’t understand why he was so mad at Levi.
“Thanks. I’m heading over to the Keller lodge with Jilly today. Have you been there since Gray took over?”
His dad grabbed the milk from the fridge while Levi dug through his mom’s Tupperware drawer for containers.
“I haven’t. I haven’t been over there since you were a kid. I’m not even sure who owned it way back then.” His dad took a seat on one of the stools they kept tucked into the island, leaving the milk out.
Putting the milk away, Levi started transferring the potato salad from the bowl he’d chilled it in to a container. He’d been up early baking blueberry muffins with streusel topping. He’d also put together some homemade granola that he liked to have on hand for quick snacks. For lunch, they’d have barbecue-glazed baked chicken, potato salad, and biscuits, along with veggies and a lemon-dill dip.He’d used his mom’s short mason jars as serving containers for the strawberry custard dessert he’d made the night before.
“That look on your face worries me,” his dad said, setting his coffee down.
Levi bit back a sigh. “Happiness?” He huffed out a laugh and started cleaning up. Jilly was picking him up in a half hour, which should be just enough time to pack everything up. “My happiness worries you?”
“We’ve known the Kellers a long time. Not sure that’s a road you should travel down.”
Irritation pricked his skin. He closed the lid on the salad, put it in the fridge. His parents had a couple of coolers in the garage. “Jillian’s not a road, Dad. She’s a smart, beautiful, funny woman I’ve been intrigued by since I was a teenager.”
His dad grabbed one of the blueberry muffins that sat cooling on a rack, broke off a piece, and shoved it in his mouth. If nothing else, at least he was eating healthier with Levi home.
Levi went about cleaning, hoping the chore would keep him from telling his dad to mind his own business.
“You’ve been gone a long time. You say you’re back for good, but right now you have no plans other than pitching in with my crew. Jilly’s not the kind of woman you date and drop.”
Levi’s hands tightened around the sponge he was holding. Lifting his head, he stared at his dad across the counter.
“I’m not sure what’s bothering me more,” he said, deciding that bed or no bed, this was his last morning waking up in his parents’ home. “Your low opinion of me in regards to Jillian or your attitude about me being home.”
Setting the muffin down, his father brushed his hands together, sprinkling crumbs. “I don’t have a low opinion of you. Stop being dramatic. You might be older, but you obviously stilljump into whatever you want with your eyes closed. I’m just saying, the Kellers are our friends. Upstanding members of the community. And Jillian came home five years ago a shell of her former self. Acting on whatever—” His dad paused, then gestured toward Levi with his hand. “—spur-of-the-moment urges you’ve got, can only end poorly for everyone.”
The muscles in his neck tightened. Holy fuck. His dad wasn’t just mad at him. He didn’t think Levi was good enough for Jilly.
Levi tossed the sponge in the sink. “I do jump in. I’ll give you that. But I’m not an idiot and I’m not careless with other people’s feelings.”
His dad let out an exaggerated breath that was clearly a disagreement.
“I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. It used to make you proud. I’m truly sorry if I let you down by not joining Bright Builds. But going to school wasn’t a whim. It was my dream.”
How could his dad, who’d built his own dream right here in Smile, not get that?
“And yet, here you are, walking away from that dream as fast as you ran toward it. What happens when you get tired of being home? It’ll be hard enough on your mother to have you move away again. What about Jillian? She doesn’t need another man she can’t count on.”
His dad’s words felt like an uppercut to the ribs. He’d drastically underestimated the amount of resentment his dad held toward him and his decision to leave.
Levi shook his head, like maybe that would clear up the myriad of thoughts ricocheting inside of his brain. The timer on the stove went, so Levi turned, took the chicken out, and set it on top. His movements were deliberate and slow because he felt like tossing the dish into the sink and asking his dad what the hell he wastalking about. Instead, he removed the oven mitt he’d donned and turned to face the man who’d raised him. The man he’d looked up to and admired.
“I’m almost thirty-two years old. Running a kitchen was my dream. I went for it, and I appreciate that you sacrificed things to make that happen. I truly do. It’s a lonely life, the one I was living. And I’m getting older and so are you and Mom. So sue the hell out of me for wanting to come home and start a new phase. I didn’t run away from my dream. I lived it for almost fifteen years, and it changed, morphed into something else. I’m sorry you don’t think I’m good enough for Jillian Keller, but fortunately, the only person whose opinion matters on that is hers. I need to get ready to go. I’ll have my stuff out tonight. Thanks for your hospitality, Dad. And for opening my eyes so I could understand how you really feel about me.”
“Levi? Steven? What’s going on?” His mother came into the kitchen as he and his dad stared at each other across the island countertop.
Pulling on every Zen meditation technique he’d learned at a team-building event he’d attended a few years ago, he forced a smile when he looked at his mom.
“Nothing. I’m headed out with Jillian today. I’m helping the Kellers out with something.” He glanced at his dad, hoped the messagebecause they actually trust megot through. “If you’re not busy Saturday, I’m making everyone a big meal at the lodge. I’d love if you came—I’m sure you could boat over with Jilly’s parents. I’m taking my stuff. I’ve got my own place behind Pete’s now.”
His mom gripped his hand. She might have missed the conversation, but the tension was a presence in the room as real and tangible as the three of them.
“You don’t have to go. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
