“Listen,” she said, wringing her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry I’m late. If I’m being totally honest, I was going to not come until my friends reminded me that I would be a total dope not to come and take this opportunity.”
“Okay,” Levi said carefully. He could live with it if June had come here just for the professional opportunity, but he wouldn’t necessarily be happy about it.
“But the opportunity to sing with you isn’t the only reason I was hesitating,” she went on. “Or, I guess it is. Because it’s the opportunity to singwith you. And I… like you.”
“Okay!” he said more brightly. He liked where this was going.
June wasn’t finished, however.
“It kind of scares me, liking you,” she confessed. “Because it’s not a small liking. It’s maybe the biggest liking that I’ve had since… well, since my husband died. But then you waltzed in to that bar, looking, you know.”
She waved at him, gesturing in a way that encompassed his entire body. Her tone was a little annoyed, but Levi was still flattered by the implication.
“So, first you’re handsome, and that’s bad enough, but then you’re also nice? And you like music? You likemymusic? And you’re understanding and nice when I have to do mom stuff, and you get along great with my kid, and…”
She seemed to run out of steam at this point. She threw up her hands in a helpless sort of gesture.
“You are listing these things,” he said carefully, “and the words sound good, but thewayyou’re saying them sounds bad.”
“Now you know how I feel!”
She looked so adorably dismayed that Levi couldn’t resist reaching out and rubbing her arms, even though he didn’t know how much of the gesture she could feel through the puffy coat she still wore.
“I hate to say it, but I actuallydon’tknow how you feel,” he confessed, hoping it didn’t scare her off.
But she just laughed and tipped her head forward until her forehead was resting on his shoulder.
Hereallyliked where this was going.
She took a slow breath, then leaned back to look up at him, although she didn’t pull away from his touch.
“I like you,” she said. “I’ve felt drawn to you from the beginning. And that scared me, so I pulled away, even though you were so wonderful and reassuring, both to meandto Benjamin. So, basically, I hope that you can forgive me for the whole skittish, silent treatment thing.”
She was so earnest, her expression so hopeful as she looked up. Levi smiled, feeling warm and content.
Slowly, so that she could pull away if she wanted to, he bent his head toward hers.
She didn’t pull back.
When he kissed her, it was like summer had finally come to this freezing landscape. He felt bright and light and happy. Kissing June was unlike any kiss he’d ever had before.
He pulled back far earlier than he wanted to. Heneverwanted to; he would have been happy standing there kissing her forever.
But she’d confessed to being nervous, and he didn’t want to push things. Well, hedid, but he knew that it wouldn’t be wise or polite or fair. Besides, he was playing the long game with this girl. He would do whatever he needed to do, to protect her fragile trust in him.
She smiled at him. He smiled at her.
And, realistically, Levi would have been happy to stand with her and smile at her like this forever too.
“That was… really nice,” she said.
“Nice enough that we can do it again sometime?” he asked hopefully.
She laughed, but it was a nice laugh, one that made that hope in him spark ever higher.
“Yeah, I think so,” she agreed. “But… would you be upset if we tried some of the singing stuff first?”
“Ha!” Levi let his country music origins take over; he raised one arm, guided her in a spin beneath it, and pulled her in for an embrace when she came back around the other side. “Junebug, I have beenwaitingto sing with you for ages now. Would I be upset? Heck, no; I’m honored.”
