Trailer Park Heart
Page 13
“I am still working here,” I confirmed, my chin held high in proud defiance.
“Ruby…”
“Levi,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could wound my pride any more. “Do you need anything else?”
Thoughts flickered across his face and I tried not to wish I could read them. He had always been like that and for some reason I liked that he still hadn’t mastered the art of hiding his emotions. It made him more human somehow—more vulnerable.
After a long pause, he tilted his head toward the other side of the booth. “Sit down with me for a minute. Let’s catch up.”
I felt my lips tug up into a sardonic smile. “And what would we talk about? We’ve already established what I’ve been up to the last few years.” When his eyebrows quirked in confusion, I explained. “Still working here. Remember?”
“Ruby, that’s not what I meant—”
“And I already know why you’re back in town. So, let’s skip the pretend pleasantries and get on with our lives, yeah?”
He leaned forward, drawing his legs toward me, parallel with the table, and sitting up straighter. Even though I was standing, and he was sitting, he somehow managed to bring us just a foot apart. I could smell him this close and a sharp, tingling heat flooded me faster than I could stomp it down. Soap and laundry detergent. Just like graduation night.
I recoiled, showing weakness by taking a step back.
No matter how much time had passed, some things had not changed. Like his smell.
And my reaction to it.
“Same old, Ruby,” he murmured thoughtfully.
I made a sound in the back of my throat. “Hardly.” Leaning forward quickly, I brushed his shoulder with my chest—not on purpose—I needed his half empty coffee cup. “You don’t know me anymore, Levi.”
“I’d venture to say I’ve never known you. Not the real you.”
I shot him a dirty look, not liking his thoughtful tone.
“But, to be fair, you’ve never known me either.”
“I’ll get you a refill,” I told him, ignoring everything else. “Back in a sec.”
I nearly tripped over my own feet when he quietly said, “Looking forward to it.”
The counter felt like base after the strange interaction with Levi. Hadn’t I just decided to ignore the idiot? And now he was here, in my space, sucking up all the oxygen and reminding me of things better left in the past.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, sugar,” Rosie gasped when I stepped up to the coffee pot. “You all right?”
No. No, I was not all right. “Not a ghost,” I said quietly—although he could have been for how much he reminded me of Logan. “Levi Cole.”
“Ah.” She loosed a sigh that was too dreamy for a woman who played hard to get. “That boy grew up in the time he’s been gone, now hasn’t he?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I told the inky coffee.
She made a tsking sound. “Yes, you do. You’ve got two eyes. You know exactly what I mean. That boy grew up in the most delicious way.”
I faced her, shoving the fresh cup of coffee in her hands. “Then I’ll let you have the privilege of delivering his refill. Ogle all you’d like.”
She grinned at me, flashing pearly whites and cherry red lipstick. “Thank ya, darlin’. I will.”
Busying myself by wiping down the counter while Rosie pranced over to Levi, I pretended not to watch her milk every second of winning his attention. She rested her hand on his shoulder and laughed loudly at all the things he said to her. It was quite the spectacle. And if I didn’t know Rosie so well, I would have been ashamed for women everywhere at how easily Rosie was charmed by Levi Cole.
But the truth was, she laughed like that for everyone. And he could probably consider himself lucky since she hadn’t buried her hand in his hair yet.
She loved to flirt. It was why all the farmers ate breakfast here.
Ordinarily, I found her antics entertaining. Sometimes Reggie and I would even take bets on how forward she would get. But today I was not amused—not with Levi or Rosie’s flirting or any of it.
Thankfully, I got busy with new customers and had something to distract my attention. It was forty-five more minutes of bustling around the small dining room before I came face to face with Levi again.
“Ruby,” he called while I bussed the table next to his. I ignored him at first, which didn’t seem like the most mature response, but I was still so upended by his presence that I hadn’t thought of a better tactic. “Ruuubbbbbyyyy,” he sing-songed, then he reached over and tugged on my sleeve. “Psst, Ruby.”
Finally, I gave him a frustrated look and huffed a, “What?”
He smiled at me. “What’s with the attitude? I haven’t seen you in…”
Wiping the edges of the table, I supplied, “Seven years.”
“Has it been that long?”
“Graduation night,” I answered without thinking. “Kristen’s party.”
I didn’t look up at him, but I felt something shift in his demeanor, like a cloud passing over an otherwise sunny day. The temperature dropped, and the atmosphere stilled.
“Right.”
“Anyway, I don’t have an attitude. This is how I always am.”
“She’s right, kid,” said a farmer named Joseph a table away. “She’s always like this.”
Levi glanced at the elderly man. “She can’t always be like this. How does she make tips?”
Joseph smiled at his menu. “We’re too afraid not to tip her.”
“Joseph McCallister, I’m going to call your wife if you keep picking on me,” I told the man that I genuinely liked.
He gave Levi a look that said everything. “See what I mean? She’s threatening to bring Betsy into this. Of course I’m going to tip her.”
I glanced at the ceiling, hoping to find help there. Nothing but water stains and light fixtures that could use a good dusting. “It better be double today, Joe. Else I’ll never forgive you for this.”
He chuckled and winked at me. “Will do, Ruby. Will do.”
Noticing Levi watching the exchange with uncalled-for rapt attention, I walked quickly back to the counter and considered throwing myself on the ground behind it until Levi left. Unfortunately, he followed me.
The wide counter still separated us and since I had actual work to do, I didn’t feel bad about focusing on everything but him. That way I didn’t notice how tall he was. Or the way he carried himself and how confident he’d become. Had he been that tall in high school? Surely not. Definitely not as filled out as he was now.
His confidence was something more, something infinitely more obnoxious.
He knew who he was now and that had given him a swagger that teenage boys didn’t know how to carry.
Levi Cole had grown up.
You should probably grow up, too, a mature voice somewhere in the recesses of my brain whispered.
Shut up, you, I whispered back.
“We should catch up, Ruby,” he said to my back while I stacked freshly cleaned coffee cups on the counter. They were still piping hot from the dishwasher and my fingers burned as I moved them around. “Smooth over our old differences.”
I attempted to smile at him over my shoulder, but I was positive it looked more like a grimace. It wasn’t our old differences that pushed me to keep my distance with him. It was old secrets. Secrets that needed to stay secret.
“Ruby…”
“Levi,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could wound my pride any more. “Do you need anything else?”
Thoughts flickered across his face and I tried not to wish I could read them. He had always been like that and for some reason I liked that he still hadn’t mastered the art of hiding his emotions. It made him more human somehow—more vulnerable.
After a long pause, he tilted his head toward the other side of the booth. “Sit down with me for a minute. Let’s catch up.”
I felt my lips tug up into a sardonic smile. “And what would we talk about? We’ve already established what I’ve been up to the last few years.” When his eyebrows quirked in confusion, I explained. “Still working here. Remember?”
“Ruby, that’s not what I meant—”
“And I already know why you’re back in town. So, let’s skip the pretend pleasantries and get on with our lives, yeah?”
He leaned forward, drawing his legs toward me, parallel with the table, and sitting up straighter. Even though I was standing, and he was sitting, he somehow managed to bring us just a foot apart. I could smell him this close and a sharp, tingling heat flooded me faster than I could stomp it down. Soap and laundry detergent. Just like graduation night.
I recoiled, showing weakness by taking a step back.
No matter how much time had passed, some things had not changed. Like his smell.
And my reaction to it.
“Same old, Ruby,” he murmured thoughtfully.
I made a sound in the back of my throat. “Hardly.” Leaning forward quickly, I brushed his shoulder with my chest—not on purpose—I needed his half empty coffee cup. “You don’t know me anymore, Levi.”
“I’d venture to say I’ve never known you. Not the real you.”
I shot him a dirty look, not liking his thoughtful tone.
“But, to be fair, you’ve never known me either.”
“I’ll get you a refill,” I told him, ignoring everything else. “Back in a sec.”
I nearly tripped over my own feet when he quietly said, “Looking forward to it.”
The counter felt like base after the strange interaction with Levi. Hadn’t I just decided to ignore the idiot? And now he was here, in my space, sucking up all the oxygen and reminding me of things better left in the past.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, sugar,” Rosie gasped when I stepped up to the coffee pot. “You all right?”
No. No, I was not all right. “Not a ghost,” I said quietly—although he could have been for how much he reminded me of Logan. “Levi Cole.”
“Ah.” She loosed a sigh that was too dreamy for a woman who played hard to get. “That boy grew up in the time he’s been gone, now hasn’t he?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I told the inky coffee.
She made a tsking sound. “Yes, you do. You’ve got two eyes. You know exactly what I mean. That boy grew up in the most delicious way.”
I faced her, shoving the fresh cup of coffee in her hands. “Then I’ll let you have the privilege of delivering his refill. Ogle all you’d like.”
She grinned at me, flashing pearly whites and cherry red lipstick. “Thank ya, darlin’. I will.”
Busying myself by wiping down the counter while Rosie pranced over to Levi, I pretended not to watch her milk every second of winning his attention. She rested her hand on his shoulder and laughed loudly at all the things he said to her. It was quite the spectacle. And if I didn’t know Rosie so well, I would have been ashamed for women everywhere at how easily Rosie was charmed by Levi Cole.
But the truth was, she laughed like that for everyone. And he could probably consider himself lucky since she hadn’t buried her hand in his hair yet.
She loved to flirt. It was why all the farmers ate breakfast here.
Ordinarily, I found her antics entertaining. Sometimes Reggie and I would even take bets on how forward she would get. But today I was not amused—not with Levi or Rosie’s flirting or any of it.
Thankfully, I got busy with new customers and had something to distract my attention. It was forty-five more minutes of bustling around the small dining room before I came face to face with Levi again.
“Ruby,” he called while I bussed the table next to his. I ignored him at first, which didn’t seem like the most mature response, but I was still so upended by his presence that I hadn’t thought of a better tactic. “Ruuubbbbbyyyy,” he sing-songed, then he reached over and tugged on my sleeve. “Psst, Ruby.”
Finally, I gave him a frustrated look and huffed a, “What?”
He smiled at me. “What’s with the attitude? I haven’t seen you in…”
Wiping the edges of the table, I supplied, “Seven years.”
“Has it been that long?”
“Graduation night,” I answered without thinking. “Kristen’s party.”
I didn’t look up at him, but I felt something shift in his demeanor, like a cloud passing over an otherwise sunny day. The temperature dropped, and the atmosphere stilled.
“Right.”
“Anyway, I don’t have an attitude. This is how I always am.”
“She’s right, kid,” said a farmer named Joseph a table away. “She’s always like this.”
Levi glanced at the elderly man. “She can’t always be like this. How does she make tips?”
Joseph smiled at his menu. “We’re too afraid not to tip her.”
“Joseph McCallister, I’m going to call your wife if you keep picking on me,” I told the man that I genuinely liked.
He gave Levi a look that said everything. “See what I mean? She’s threatening to bring Betsy into this. Of course I’m going to tip her.”
I glanced at the ceiling, hoping to find help there. Nothing but water stains and light fixtures that could use a good dusting. “It better be double today, Joe. Else I’ll never forgive you for this.”
He chuckled and winked at me. “Will do, Ruby. Will do.”
Noticing Levi watching the exchange with uncalled-for rapt attention, I walked quickly back to the counter and considered throwing myself on the ground behind it until Levi left. Unfortunately, he followed me.
The wide counter still separated us and since I had actual work to do, I didn’t feel bad about focusing on everything but him. That way I didn’t notice how tall he was. Or the way he carried himself and how confident he’d become. Had he been that tall in high school? Surely not. Definitely not as filled out as he was now.
His confidence was something more, something infinitely more obnoxious.
He knew who he was now and that had given him a swagger that teenage boys didn’t know how to carry.
Levi Cole had grown up.
You should probably grow up, too, a mature voice somewhere in the recesses of my brain whispered.
Shut up, you, I whispered back.
“We should catch up, Ruby,” he said to my back while I stacked freshly cleaned coffee cups on the counter. They were still piping hot from the dishwasher and my fingers burned as I moved them around. “Smooth over our old differences.”
I attempted to smile at him over my shoulder, but I was positive it looked more like a grimace. It wasn’t our old differences that pushed me to keep my distance with him. It was old secrets. Secrets that needed to stay secret.
