Levi racked his mind, trying to remember when they’d talked about her visiting, but he came up with nothing.
“Dad’s birthday party? Ring a bell?”
Levi let his head drop. How in the world had he not remembered his offer to host a family dinner to celebrate Dad’s birthday? The offer had exploded out of his mouth in desperation after his sisters had told him their not-so-amazing idea of havinga huge get-together that included a DJ and a guestlist of over a hundred people. Of course it was only after they’d looked at one another with sly grins that he began to suspect he’d been played. They’d wanted an intimate family gathering all along, and he’d walked right into their trap of the easiest way of getting him to agree. In their defense, however, they knew that he’d be more comfortable in his own home, so in a way, they were also being considerate. A very roundabout, manipulative way, but still.
“With the road being blocked, we thought we might have to postpone, but Aliyah just told us the rockslide was cleared and the road is open again. By the way, prepare yourself for a mini rant from Mom. She’s a bit miffed you didn’t call to tell her about the situation, although we all reassured her you’re fine. Anyway, everyone had already cleared their schedules for today, so we’re still planning to head your way. I just wanted to double-check that you didn’t need us to bring anything, especially since you’ve been stranded there the last two weeks. I know you have that tiny little general store, but I wasn’t sure what supplies were looking like.”
He’d bought a large portion of frozen chicken breasts the last time he went to the wholesale store, so he could defrost those in cold water over the next few hours. There were plenty of zucchini in his garden that would grill up nicely. A salad would be easy to throw together, and he was pretty sure there were a few canisters of dinner rolls in his fridge. “I’m good as long as you’re still bringing the cake.”
“You sure?” She sounded skeptical.
“Yep.”
“If you say so. Hey, hold on. Trinity wants to talk to you.”
There was some fumbling noises that caused static, then the line cleared again. “Levi?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Trinity didn’t say anything for a bit, and Levi started to wonder if the call got disconnected.
“Look,” she finally said. “Don’t be mad, but I was just wondering if you still have those noise-reducing earplugs I got you.”
He rubbed at his temple. “Yeah, I have them.”
“Okay. That’s ... that’s all I wanted to know.”
She wouldn’t ask if he’d used them. Not with the way he’d reacted when she’d given them to him in the first place. But her asking if he still had them was her gentle way of reminding him they were there and they could be helpful. Letting him know she supported him too. Even if he’d been a stubborn, prideful bull in the past.
He sighed and let his hand drop. “Thanks, sis.”
Maybe it was time to dig those earplugs out of his bedside table and try them out. They were small and hardly visible once in, so his family shouldn’t have any reason to think he was being rude by trying to ignore or mute them. Not that they would jump to that conclusion even if the ear protectors were big and bulky, but still. The thought was in the back of his mind, nevertheless. Besides, they weren’t supposed to cancel out all noise, just reduce the decibels to a more manageable level. Couldn’t hurt to try, right?
Levi hung up the phone and covered his eyes with his palms. He had four hours before utter chaos descended upon him. Groaning, he stood and walked out of the office and up to his house. It would take that entire time for him to both mentally and physically prepare for his entire family to be in his home at the same time.
Guess he shouldn’t have complained about the silence earlier.
The kittens greeted him with hungry meows as soon as he entered the front door. “I’m coming, little guys.” Preparing the formula had become such a routine that it didn’t take much brain power, just muscle memory.
With a bottle in one hand, he opened the laundry room door with the other. “Here you go. Lunchtime.”
The kittens increased their cries as he neared. He lowered himself cross-legged onto the floor, then scooped up all three felines at once, depositing Meowfoy and Dumpurrdore in the small space between his thighs and lifting up Harry Pawter to feed first.
“You know,” he said as Harry Pawter sucked the milky white formula hungrily. “Now that the road is open, I need to make you three an appointment to get checked out by a vet.” Maybe one in Little Creek since he already planned to be heading that direction. It wasn’t an excuse to see Hayley—he didn’t feel like he needed one of those—but you could be sure that he’d create as many opportunities as possible to be in her company.
After the kittens were fed and settled back in their blanket nest for a milk-induced nap, he set about getting things ready for his family. First, he started thawing the chicken. Then, he pulled his sister’s clothes that Hayley had borrowed from the dryer and returned them to the laundry basket. He’d have to thank Constance for being so forgetful. For once, her absentmindedness had been beneficial to him. He lifted the laundry basket and carried it into the guest room, where he’d be a nice brother and fold everything for her.
The essence of Hayley still lingered in the room. He looked around, taking in the gold gilded mirror, the plethora of throw pillows, the frilly duvet. Would he ever think of this room as his sisters’ again, or would it always now be associated with his temporary roommate?
His gaze snagged on a small, field-notes-sized journal lying on the bedside table, half hidden by the antique stained-glass lamp. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing one of his sisters writing in a notebook of that size. Trinity, maybe? Notes from one of her classes?
He overturned the laundry basket onto the bed so the clean clothes lay in a heap, then pivoted to the nightstand. Picking up the journal, he opened the book and stilled.
Dates marked the top of the two open pages. Like a diary. But not a diary, because instead of flowy sentences of innermost thoughts, bullet points—a single one on the left page and three on the right—marked the lined white paper.
He remembered where he’d seen this notebook before. In Hayley’s hands. He’d seen her jotting something down and then hiding it away just as quickly.
His brows pulled together. Why would she be embarrassed for someone to read ...
