“Who are they?”
He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. I need twenty-thousand dollars, Mar.”
“What—” a surprised laugh escapes me. “I don’t have that kind of money, Travis.”
“Would your boyfriend? I mean, he’s a hotshot CEO, right?”
I scoff, placing my hands on my hips as I tilt my head back to look up at the snowflakes falling gently from the sky. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We can’t help you, Travis. Even if I wanted to, I can’t get that kind of money. I’m sorry.”
Travis gives me a sad look as he nods in understanding. He absently glances around, his eyes falling on the burger joint across the street. I follow his gaze to see Levi and Claire sitting beside each other next to the window. She’s laughing at something as he draws on a piece of paper with a crayon, and when I see her lips moving, he laughs, too.
“Are you going to be at the apartment tonight?”
“Travis—”
“I won’t come by.” He stuffs his hands into his coat pockets. “I’m sorry, that was dumb of me to ask. I’ll leave you alone now. Can… can you at least tell her I said hi?”
Nodding just to end the conversation, he gives me an indecipherable look before he spins on his heel and walks away. I wait until he’s across the opposite street and rounds the corner before I go back to the burger joint.
Walking inside, Claire immediately perks up, waving her little hand frantically to get my attention. I laugh softly andhead over to their table, sliding in across from the pair. There’s already a burger and a water waiting in my spot, Claire’s burger half gone but Levi’s untouched.
“You sure got those burgers fast,” I say as I slip out of my coat.
“Yeah, I’m not sure whether that’s concerning or not,” Levi responds with a laugh as Claire takes another massive bite of her burger. “I hope you’re good with a plain cheeseburger.”
I nod. “It’s perfect, thank you.”
Levi grins before picking up his burger, taking a bite. We eat the rest of the meal in a comfortable silence, the sound of the other patrons filling our ears. Claire finishes before we do and is coloring in the flowers that Levi had outlined for her when my phone rings in my pocket.
Claire perks up once I pull it out and sees Blue’s name on my screen. “Can I answer?”
I shrug and hand her my phone.
“Hi, Auntie Blue… that sounds like fun… let me ask mom. Mom? Can I stay the night?” I nod. “She said yes! Okay, here she is.”
“Figured you could get your Christmas shopping done,” Blue says the second the phone is to my ear. “You’re welcome.”
I chuckle. “Yes, thank you. We can drop her off here soon. Do you still have some extra pajamas and her toothbrush?”
“You know I do.”
“Okay, we’ll see you soon.”
Levi pays the check and together we walk back to his car. The drive to Blue’s is filled with Claire telling us everything she wants for Christmas for this year—as if she hadn’t already given both Levi and I separate lists. Only once she’s dropped off and we’re heading to our first stop of our shopping adventure does Levi speak to me.
“What did he want?” I turn to face him with a raised brow. “Travis.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell him, tearing my eyes away from him to look out the window.
The car suddenly lurches to the right and Levi flips his hazards on. My brows furrow as I glance at him; his one elbow rests on the center counsel and his other hand reaches for the one I have resting on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze, his eyes pleading as he stares at me intently, and all I can do is sigh.
“He asked for money,” I mumble, glancing down at our intertwined hands. “And then asked if I’d be at the apartment tonight.”
Levi’s finger and thumb grip my chin, drawing my eyes back up to his. “Lowe, you can tell me anything when it comes to him. I know I don’t like the guy, but I want you to confide in me.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I tilt my head up to rest my forehead against his. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He pulls back, turning off the hazards and flipping on his blinker to merge back into traffic. “Now, let’s go get Claire everything on her lists.”
