On instinct, he straightened his shoulders.
“Yes, ma’am?” he asked, turning up the Southern charm.
In true governess fashion, she was unaffected. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Oh, don’t you try to flatter me, dear sir,” she said, wagging her finger at him. It should have been ridiculous, but Levi felt genuinely scolded. “I am just warning you that you areperilouslyclose to trespassing.”
Levi blinked and looked down at his feet, which were safely on the sidewalk.
“I’m on the sidewalk, ma’am,” he pointed out. He could practically hear his mom’s voice in his head, warning him against backtalk.
She looked unconvinced.
“You were leaning on my fence,” she retorted. “That seems like theintentto trespass to me. And now you are hassling my cleaner. June, darling, do you want me to turn the hose on him?”
June had a hand pressed to her mouth, but she removed it, revealing her smile, to respond.
“That’s not necessary, Mrs. Ferrars,” she said, laughter clear in her tone. “I know Levi. He was just saying hello.”
Mrs. Ferrars blinked. “Levi?” she echoed. “I’m sorry, are you… Levi Hawkins?”
Levi had come to Magnolia Shore to avoid being recognized like this, but if he had to attract attention for being a musician, he wanted it to happen at the right moment to save him from getting sprayed with a hose by an irate septuagenarian.
“I am, ma’am,” he said politely. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
She blinked again.
“Stay there,” she commanded. Then, she slammed the window shut.
Levi looked at June, his brows raised in question. She shrugged and went back to vigorously shaking the rug.
Dutifully, he stayed right where he had been until, a moment later, Mrs. Ferrars appeared in the doorway, this time wearing a pink, sparkly cowboy hat.
Levi had lived all of his adult life in Nashville. He’d seen every permutation of cowboy hat in creation. Even so, he had to admit that this one was eye-catching.
“Wow,” he said.
The older lady preened.
“It’s a great hat, isn’t it?” she said, reaching up to fluff her curls. “My sister got it for me the last time we went to a country music festival. I got it signed by a bunch of folks.” She lifted the brim to show that the underside was littered with signatures from some of the stars of the genre. Levi was honestly impressed.
“That is a great hat,” he praised.
He suspected what was coming next, so he was unsurprised when Mrs. Ferrars whipped out a Sharpie.
“Want to add your name to the collection?” she asked, smiling coyly at him.
Levi pretended to demur, but he reached out and took the marker.
“I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully. “Does it count if I’m not at a concert when I sign?”
“There aren’t anyrulesabout it, son,” she said, as though she pitied him for even needing the reminder. “It’s my own hat and I can do what I want with it.”
Behind the older lady, June had given up trying to pretend she wasn’t laughing. She leaned against the house as if she needed the support. Mrs. Ferrars didn’t seem to mind.
“Besides,” she went on, as Levi signed his name with a practiced flourish, then handed the hat back and dusted a few errant sparkles off his hands. “I’m going to have you come in for coffee and pastries, anyway. Private coffee and pastries is way better than a concert with everybody around.”
Levi was touched by the offer… but he didn’t want to push things with June, not when he’d already asked her to step outof her comfort zone by admitting her qualms about them seeing one another.
