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“I’ll hurry,” Mrs. Johnson said, setting the shoe boxes by their shopping bags and rushing off in the direction of the grocery store where Levi had bought their treats.
Five seconds after she disappeared from sight, the two boys started to whine.
“Should we go look at the polar bear?” Levi asked, hunkering down so he didn’t tower over the boys and setting his hat on his head.
“Yes!” they both said excitedly and started to race off, but Levi caught them, holding them like sacks of potatoes against his sides before they got more than a few steps away.
“We’ll go look at that big bear,” he said, setting them on their feet. “But you boys need to stay with us so you don’t get lost. Understand?”
Two little faces nodded up at him.
Levi glanced back at Grace, and she felt her heart melt like chocolate left in the sunshine. Someday, Levi Gibson would make a great dad.
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on our things,” Cindy offered, giving Grace a nudge forward.
Grace scowled at her but hurried to reach out a hand to each of the boys.
Levi caught Tommy’s other hand with his, and they made their way to the big case that held the polar bear. The boys walked all around it with their eyes wide in wonder. Then they started asking what seemed like dozens of questions about polar bears, if any lived in Boise, and if they would come when it snowed at Christmas.
Their curiosity shifted from polar bears to people they saw walking through the mall, then Tommy pointed to Levi’s hand.
“Where are your fingers?” the little one asked in innocence.
Grace tensed, worried Levi would be insulted, reply in anger, or ignore the question.
To her surprise, he knelt down so both boys could look at his hand. He rolled up his shirt sleeve so they could see the wounds that trailed up his arm. He told them he’d been a soldier and some bad men had tried to hurt him and his friends.
“That was mean,” Rick said, gingerly touching one of the scars on Levi’s forearm. “Does it hurt?”
“Sometimes,” Levi answered with honesty.
“Do you miss your fingers?” Tommy asked, holding up his hand and wiggling all his fingers.
“Every day,” Levi said, then he held up his hand and pressed his thumb and index finger together like a pincer. “But I’m also grateful every day I still have these two, that I am alive, and can do most things I want to do.”
“That’s good,” Rick said seriously, with his brow furrowed. “I’m sorry you got hurt, Mr. Gibson.”
“Thank you, Rick. I appreciate that.” Levi rolled down his shirt sleeve and fastened the snaps, stood, and held out both hands to the boys. Tommy latched onto his left index finger while Rick took his right, and they continued back to where Cindy waited.
They’d barely taken a seat on the couch to wait when Mrs. Johnson arrived with her arms full of groceries.
“Let me take those,” Levi said, grabbing both big bags from her. Cindy and Grace gathered their things and followed as Mrs. Johnson led the way to her car. She opened the trunk and stowed everything in it, then Cindy gave Grace a hug.
“Have fun with your farmer cowboy. I’ll see you later,” Cindy whispered in her ear.
Grace smiled at her. “You could come along.”
“No. I really do have some things I need to do, and you two need some time together. Between your work and Levi’s busy farm schedule, you’ve hardly seen each other recently. Have a great time.”
“I will.” Grace backed up and bumped into Levi. He waved at Tommy and Rick as they pressed their noses to the back window of the car after Mrs. Johnson closed the trunk.
“Bye!” Cindy called, and then got in the front seat with Mrs. Johnson and left.
“Well, Miss American Pie, what would you like to do?” Levi asked as Grace wrapped her hand around his right arm, and they headed toward his pickup a few rows over in the parking lot.
She gave him a sly smile. “We could drive the Chevy to the levee, but I heard it was dry.”
Levi laughed at her use of a popular song’s lyrics. “We could take a drive if you like, just see where the road takes us.”
