"Oh." I blink. "Okay. I just don't want to cause any trouble."
"It's no trouble, Lennie. I teach riding lessons all the time. You worry too much. And besides, she's, well, I don't know what she's doing. I can't seem to wrap my head around it."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
His gaze slowly, inch by inch, moves to the floor. We're in the back room, not visible to anyone outside. The look on his face is unreadable. It looks like maybe he's going to cry, but I'm not sure. "What is it, Levi?" I ask, taking a step towards him. I want so badly to touch him, to comfort him, but I don't trust myself.
"I, um." He looks at the wall, averting his gaze from me. "Listen, I've got to go. Why don't you come by the ranch later. I'll be there. I'm staying at the resort house."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." He nods, but he doesn't look at me.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He says, unconvincingly. "I've got to go. Buddy is waiting for me."
"Sure. I'll see you later."
"Yeah."
He can't look at me. It's like he's battling with himself over something, but it's none of my business to ask. The man is hurting. He's all over the place, and there's nothing I can do about it. Here I am, lusting over a man that isn't mine, shamefully, and he's so outside of himself that he can't carry on so much as a conversation. He's a friend and I'm not being much of one. I make up my mind to dust myself off and grow up. We'll have fun riding tonight, and this time, I won't be stupid enough to bring up his problems, just as a tactic to divert my own immature thoughts. This isn't like me. Normally, I'm very levelheaded. I'm also good to the people that are good to me. Not like this. I decide that I'm working too hard and I need to take a break.
In my world, that means getting my camera and going on a hunt. The 'closed' sign gets lit up an hour early, and I find myself cruising through town, until I end up at the marina. Somehow, Levi's idea of going boating must have tipped something off inside my brain, and all is fine and well, until I see him and Buddy walking towards his boat. I'm mere feet away, at the marina, as they climb on the vessel, and sit in the front. Far enough away so they can't see me, something tells me to remain there and use one of my hidden talents. Moral or not, I need to know. And what I find out, well, let's just say that I have to figure out whether or not it helps.
Buddy's fixing something in the mast as Levi sits there, forlornly, on the deck. "Your face has been dragging to the ground since back at the store, Levi. You want to tell me what's wrong, or is this a two-drink minimum sort of thing? Your daddy manage to get himself into more trouble, son?"
"You know I don't drink, Buddy. And, no, daddy's on his way to rehab last I heard. Can't say that I give a damn though."
"Then what's with the sour puss? This anything to do with that chippy?"
He looks up. "Which chippy are you talking about?"
Buddy's eyebrows rise. "Oh. There's more than one." He shakes his head. "God, you kids nowadays. I tell you. I'd barely want one woman in my life, but today, Jesus."
"It's not like that, man." Levi corrects. "I'm only in love with one of them."
My heart stops.
Buddy stands upright, leaving the mast for a moment. "This got anything to do with you buying that picture from Lennie?"
I feel like I should stop eavesdropping, but it's like my evil alter ego is sitting next to me, eating popcorn, smacking me down each time I try to rise. Shushing me.
"Sort of." Levi admits. "And I don't know what the fuck to do about it."
"So, you're having a baby with this other woman, but you've got a thing for Lennie." Buddy checks. "Is that right?"
Levi nods. "Yeah."
"Jesus Christ, Levi. In the town's eyes, your daddy's starting to look like the better goddamn man here."
"I haven't tried to kill anyone, Buddy."
"Don't be a fool, Levi. Y'all know how this town works. It's the men that run out on their responsibilities that are scumwads. And there are plenty of them. Your daddy's going to be getting himself sober while you're out knocking up one girl, even though you've got another one already knocked up." He tisks.
"Tell me what I should do then, Buddy." Levi says, raking a hand through his hair. "Because as much as I'd love to stay away from Lennie, I can't. My heart and my head won't let me. And as much as I'd love to be with Shelly, and fulfill my fatherlyobligations, my heart and my head won't let me. You know, she won't even talk about the baby until she finds out how far along she is? Jesus Christ. She's driving me over the fucking ledge like this. I don't even know if she's married or not."
Buddy comes down hard. "Then why the fuck did you climb into the sack with her, boy? Goddammit, shame on your brother Nash for not smacking you around for pulling a stunt like this. That's rule number one, you fool! You don't just screw around with a woman y'all don't know nothing about! What happens if she is married? All the writing's on the wall if she's got a belly a mile wide and she hasn't slept with her husband in months! Never mind worrying about your daddy killing you! Worry about that dang husband coming around and knocking some sense into you!" He mutters something as he walks back over to the mast, but then he thinks twice, and walks back to Levi. "And what makes you think that she's married?"
