He scanned the left page’s bullet point.Cook dinner forMrs. Perkins and take it over to her house sinceshe’s not feeling well.He tilted his head to read the right page.
Donated3bags of dogfood to the animal shelter
Volunteered2hours at theanimal shelter
Fostered Genie for the weekend(should this oneeven count? She paid me in doggie kisses)
He flipped the page. Scanned. Flipped the page. Scanned. It was a daily recording of good deeds. He looked at the date at the top of the open page. The day of the rockslide.
This wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be breaching Hayley’s privacy by reading her journal without her permission. He went to close the book, but against his will and intent, his gaze catalogued every word, even though there was a giantXmark across the page. They imprinted on his brain before the cover could shut.
PutLevi at ease. Make him comfortable by filling in allthe uncomfortable silences—carry the conversation on my own,ifnecessary.
Levi chuckled, remembering the disaster that night had turned out to be because of her incessant chatter. Then, his smile faded as the inference of the inscription settled around him. An uncomfortable spasm radiated from behind his sternum, locking his joints into place.
Was that what he’d been to her? A charity case she could write down in her book and complete with a checkmark?
He dropped the book like it was a burning coal, and it landed with a thud on the floor. He pressed the heels of his palms to his temples and squeezed.
No. He shook his head violently. That wasn’t right. His insecurities were just trying to hijack his thoughts and distort what was real. Despite what was written there, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wasn’t just a bullet point in a journal. Hayley couldn’t have looked at him the way she did or kissed him with such feeling out of simple kindness or to check off a good deed.
The fingers on both of his hands formed fists around his tucked thumbs. Even if Hayley were standing in front of him and he heard her say those words, watched them form on her lips and tongue, he still wouldn’t believe that he meant nothing more to her than a journal entry or two. His heart knew better. It knew the truth.
Levi closed his eyes again, searching his mind. Why would she so diligently keep a record like this? It was almost as if...
His chin lowered to his chest, the answer becoming clear.Oh,Hayley,darlin’.
He looked at his watch and swallowed down a curse. There wasn’t enough time. He wouldn’t be able to drive to Little Creek and back—not to mention have a conversation with a certain beautifully kind anddeservingwoman who needed a tiny bit of sense knocked into her—and get everything ready for his dad’s birthday dinner before his family showed up. As much as it pained him, returning Hayley’s notebook and holding her in his arms until she saw reason would have to wait.
26
Four hours later on the dot, the crunch of tires coming up his dirt drive alerted Levi to his family’s arrival. He lowered the cover on the gas grill to let the chicken breasts cook a little longer, then made his way from his back deck, through the house, and opened the front door just as his mom climbed the last step of the front porch.
She opened her arms wide as she smiled at him in her full and infectious way. “Levi, I’m so happy to see you’re well.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a firm squeeze before stepping back and patting his chest a few times. “Even if I’m a little upset at you for not calling to let us know about the rockslide. Not something a mother wants to learn about from the news, hmm?”
Not expecting a response, she walked around him and into the house, leaving room for his dad to follow in her wake. Levi’s father was a tall man, but even still, the top of his head only came to his son’s chin. They gave each other side hugs, and his dad squeezed his shoulder.
“Happy birthday, Dad.”
“Good to see you, son.”
Dad walked into the house, and Levi turned to take in his sisters. They had varying degrees of smiles on their faces, andLevi was unsure what they had planned. Sometimes they’d remember they were adults and act accordingly, but other times they’d pull some sort of sibling shenanigan—especially when they were all together like this.
Yet another reason why he preferred when they visited one at a time.
Constance smirked at him. “We’re going to give you a choice this time, bro. Draw out the torture, or group hug and get the greetings out of the way all at once.”
Levi waved a hand at them. “Let’s get this over with.”
His four sisters grinned, then circled him like a pack of hyenas coming in for the kill. He rolled his eyes while he held out his arms. Aliyah and Trinity hugged him from the front while Nova and Constance wrapped their arms around him from behind. He let his arms fall on top of his oldest and youngest sisters’ shoulders, squeezed, then let go.
None of his sisters moved away from him. He squeezed again, then let go. They still held on.
“Okay. That’s enough.” He patted their heads and shifted his weight a little to the side, hoping they’d get the message.
Aliyah raised her face and gave him a look of mock innocence. “Oh, is it now?”
“Yes,” he ground out.
