“Then I’ll order for both of us,” she told him. “Two old-fashioneds.”
“An extra cherry in hers,” Levi added, finally finding his voice.
The bartender nodded and got to work mixing their drinks.
When she didn’t say anything else, Levi decided he couldn’t take the silence any longer, so he turned slowly until he caught the familiar shade of green in the corner of his eye. And then, there she was…holding at least ten Toblerones.
He barked out an unexpected laugh.
“I never paid you back,” Haddie told him, her voice wobbling.
Levi shook his head. “I only gave you two.”
She bit her bottom lip like she was trying not to smile, like she was as terrified as he was to take the next step in whatever this reconnecting was.
“Two old-fashioneds,” the bartender announced. “With an extra cherry for the lady.” Levi grabbed both of the tumblers and nodded for Haddie to follow him to an empty table several feet away.
He set their drinks down and then reached for the Toblerones. “You look ridiculous holding all of those. And there is a whole table full of Mrs. Pinkney’s homemade sweets. I don’t want to insult her.”
But Haddie hugged them closer to her chest. “Not until I saysomething first,” she told him.
Levi gave her a slight bow. “The floor is yours, Birthday Girl.”
She jutted out her chin. “Thank you, Mr. Tux.” Then she took a steadying breath. “You might be good at petitions, but I’m good at lists. So this is my list of ten reasons why…um…you should stay. In Summertown.”
Levi’s heart leaped into his throat, and it took everything in him not to just blurt out what he’d been trying to tell her all night. Not when Haddie was finally letting him in.
She blew out a breath and set the first candy bar on the table. “One… Your family is here.” She deposited bar number two. “Two… Rumor has it you are kind of a local football legend, which means you’d probably get the all-star treatment if you moved back home.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Three…” she continued. “You look really good in Muskie purple.” She paused to look him up and down. “And also tuxedos. You should wear them more often.”
Levi laughed, and Haddie continued.
“Four… Your best friend is here, and he calls you Five-Oh-One, and you should never be too far from someone who gives you a great nickname.” She paused, swallowed, and blinked a few times before setting down Toblerone number five. “Your students and colleagues care about you so much that they signed a petition for you to stay, and while I haven’t had the privilege of seeing you in the classroom yet, that’s all I need to know that you’re a great teacher.” Bar number six. “Six, you are also an amazing coach, no matter the sport, andthose students don’t want you to leave either.
“Seven… You have put so much work into your team, which I think means you love them as much as they love you, and so I’m guessing you’ll probably miss them if you leave. And I know you probably also miss the team you were forced to leave, but I can’t help thinking that your connection with your students here hits different. But… I digress.”
She dropped the eighth Toblerone. “Eight… I asked Tommy about the budget proposal for the school board, and he told me it was all your idea.” She sniffled. “You went against Coach Crawford for these kids, which kind of piggybacks on number seven, so… See the footnotes for that one.” She tossed the last two bars onto the table, but tears were suddenly streaming down her face. “Nine and…” She hiccupped. “Nine and…” But she couldn’t get the words out. She fished her phone from some secret compartment in her dress and started hammering away at the screen while simultaneously swiping at her falling tears.
Levi wanted to reach for her, but before he could, his own phone vibrated in his pocket.
She looked up at him with a teary smile and nodded toward the phone now in his hand.
Birthday Girl:9. I love you, and I would really, really miss you if you left. But also, 10. If getting your football coaching job back is really your dream, then I will support you 100 percent. And I will fight for us even if it scares the hell out of me that I could one day lose you because it turns outthat being without you is just as scary.
He dropped his phone on the table and stepped toward her, his hands cradling her tear-streaked cheeks. “Haddie, I sent Chancellor Barnes my resignation two weeks ago.” He swallowed. “And letters to every player on my team thanking them for their hard work, apologizing for my reckless behavior, and promising to do better with my new team.”
Her breath hitched in her throat. “Your new team? You’re…you’re staying?”
He nodded. “I’m staying.” His hands were shaking. “You…love me?”
She let out something between a laugh and a sob but nodded her head too. “I love you.”
He brushed his thumbs softly over her cheeks, catching the falling tears he still couldn’t believe she was shedding for him. “I’m going to kiss you now. Okay, Birthday Girl?”
Her teeth skimmed over her bottom lip, and she finally,finallysmiled. “Okay, Mr. Tux,” she told him. “You can kiss me.”
