said, laying her hand on his forearm. His tanned, smooth, muscular forearm. Little golden hairs caught the light. Faith cleared her throat and looked at something else. “The squirrels in our attic. They make noise every night! Faith can hardly sleep.” This earned her another disgusted look from Levi.
“Goggy, it’s fine. I’ll go up there with some Havahart traps.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Levi said.
“Oh, thank you, sweetheart,” Goggy said. “I don’t want Faith to fall.”
Pru returned to the Blue Heron table, Abby in tow, and cuffed Levi fondly on the shoulder. “Here he is. Viagra for women.”
“Mom, please! We’re in public!” Abby said.
“You said it, Pru!” Lorena answered. “Can I get an amen? Right, Faith?”
“Yeah, no, I’m not feeling it,” she murmured.
“Sorry, Sarah, didn’t see you there,” Pru said. “Didn’t mean to ogle your brother in front of you. And what can I say? He’s cute. Levi, you’re cute.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Sarah, want to go find something to do? Get away from these horrifying adults?”
“Sure,” Sarah said. “See you later, big bro.” She smooched Levi on the cheek, who took it manfully. Even smiled.
It was just a small smile, but it took Faith unawares. Granted, she’d seen him smile over the years. Plenty of steamy looks at Jessica... Honestly, he probably practiced those in the mirror. Otherwise, it was the Boredom Scale for her.
Except for that one day when he’d shocked the living daylights out of her and kissed her. Chances were, he’d smiled then. And yes, there’d been a steamy look or two. Something else, too. Something...protective.
Or not. He was looking at her now, the smile gone and that much more familiar bored look...a six...now a seven...getting close to an eight. He crinkled his brow at her as if to say, What, Holland?
“Johnny!” Lorena boomed. “What’s a girl gotta do to get a meal around here? Buy me a sausage, what do you say? I love me some sausage! Right, Faith? Us girls love sausage!”
“I’d say she has some nerve, calling herself a girl,” Mrs. Johnson muttered darkly.
“What would you like, Lorena?” Dad asked. “Faith? No? Mrs. Johnson, how about you? Can I buy you some of that kettle corn you like? Hmm? I’ll take that silence as a yes.” He winked, then walked away, Lorena and her mammoth breasts flopping along beside him.
“Think he even knows she’s interested?” Ned asked.
“Your grandfather is too good-hearted,” Mrs. Johnson said. “That woman.”
The next customer at the wine tasting was a familiar face. “Hi, Mrs. McPhales!” Faith said, her throat tightening. “It’s so nice to see you!” Mrs. McPhales had been Faith’s Girl Scout leader one year, one of those die-hard types who actually made scouts earn the badges. Ned, who was on the Manningsport Volunteer Fire Department, said they went up to her house fairly often these days. Apparently she was heading down the sad road toward dementia...today, she was wearing her slippers instead of shoes. Faith came out from behind the table and kissed the old lady. “What can I get for you, Mrs. McPhales? Would you like some wine?”
“I’ll take a coffee, I guess,” the old lady said.
“Coming up, dear lady. Cream and sugar?” Mrs. Johnson asked. She really was a peach once you got over her Darth Vader type of omnipotence. Mrs. McPhales nodded, then seemed to recognize Faith.
“Faith! How are you? Aren’t you and that nice Jeremy getting married soon?”
“We’re not,” Faith said. “Sorry.”
“Oh! That’s right! He’s a confirmed bachelor, from what I hear.”
“I think so,” Faith said.
“You poor thing. Chin up, Faith, dear. You’re very brave.”
Faith thought she heard a snort. Right. Levi was still here. Brian, Mrs. McPhales’s son, came up and took his mom by the arm, smiling at Faith as he led her away.
At the moment, there was no one around except Levi. “Thanks for washing Blue,” she said, attempting to be friendly. “That was really nice of you. And unnecessary, but thank you.”
“Keep him leashed.” A five on the scale. “I’ll have to start fining you if he runs loose all the time.”
Sigh. “It was one time, Levi.”
“Make sure it’s only one.” He wasn’t even looking at her; casting about instead for someone more interesting to talk with.
Faith felt her jaw clenching. “Heard you got divorced, Chief.”
His eyes came back to her. An eight. “Yes.”
“How long were you married?” Colleen had passed on the details, of course, but why not torture him?
He waited before answering, his green eyes filled with disdain. “Three months,” he finally said.
“Really! Wow. What a short time.”
“Yes, Holland,” he said. “Three months is a short time.”
“Bet you wish someone had stopped your wedding.” She smiled sweetly. “Seems only fair, since you’re so good at doing that for others.”
Levi was crinkling his brow at her again. “When do you go back to San Francisco?”
“We’ll see.”
“Really? No job?”
“I’m very successful, actually. And I’m doing two projects here, one up at Blue Heron, another for the library, so I’ll be around for at least six weeks. Isn’t that great?” He didn’t answer. “There’s Julianne Kammer now. I should go and talk to her.”
“When are you going to see Jeremy?” he asked.
“Gosh. Is it really any of your business? Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re Jeremy’s guard dog.” She was going to see Jeremy; it wasn’t her fault he was in Boston for a conference.
Levi leaned in close, and she could smell his shampoo, feel the warmth from his cheek, and an odd tension coiled in her stomach. “Grow up, Faith,” he whispered.
The man. Was. Suchapainintheass.
Then she went to talk to Julianne about the library courtyard and tried not to feel Levi’s eyes on her back.
* * *
ON HIS FIRST TOUR, Levi found that war was all it promised to be, at times stupefyingly dull...days on end of doing nothing more interesting or challenging than cleaning your gun. Then you’d be coming back to camp and a kid who’d taken food from you the day before might throw a grenade at your Humvee. Once,
