“That’s why I’m going earlier than I’m expected to be, so I can get to know the city. Explore a bit. Meet some of my new teammates.”
“You’re gonna love it! I haven’t been in a while, but your sister and I visited a few times. People are so nice, and the food! Seriously, you’re never going to cook. They have endless restaurants!”
“You should come visit then! Come show me all the good spots,” he says wistfully.
“Levi, you’ll be fine. Plus, I’m sure you’ll meet your teammates before you know it. No one can escape that Jonesy Charm!” I’d love nothing more than to go to Calgary with him for a week or two and help him get settled in, but Lucas would never let me do that. If he did, I’d get the silent treatment or an attitude for the next six months.
“Enough about me, I’m supposed to be excited about my last night here in Vancouver, I finally have my dream right in reach. I shouldn’t be whining about moving to one of the most beautiful cities in the country to start a career I’ve been dreaming about for fifteen years,” he says to himself, more than to me with a big exhale.
“Anyways, what are you up to tonight? I’m not interrupting anything am I?”
“You’re not interrupting,” I reassure him. “I’m in Toronto with Lucas. He had a work thing and I tagged along.” Although, “tagged along” isn’t the right word—dragged along seems more appropriate.
“You hate Toronto,” he simply says, seeing straight through my lies. My parents love Lucas, but the Jones? Not so much. Mr. Jones even offered to drive me away the night before my wedding.
“It’s not that bad.”
“If you say so, Han. Anyhow, I should really head back, my flight leaves at 6 a.m., but promise me that you’re going to invite yourself over to my place once I’m all settled in. I know you don’t make it out west often these days, but I’d really appreciate it. Especially with Summer traveling the world for work all the time.”
“I’m not going to invite myself over,” I say with a sad smile, knowing he’s right. I haven’t been back home in years.
“The Hannah I know just shows up and you know it,” he points out. He’s right. I can’t remember ever being invited to hishouse growing up, it seems I was always just there. Even when Summer wasn’t.
“We’ll see,” I say, not wanting to give him too much hope, before hanging up.
Chapter 1
Present . . .
“Thanks again for picking me up at the airport. You really didn’t have to; I could have taken a taxi,” I tell Levi, stepping out of a famous Jones hug. His hug transports me back to simpler times—to being just another kid in the Jones’ household, the smell of his mom’s cooking, and his dad yelling at us to stop running in the house. It’s like being home.
He’s giving me another squeeze. Wrapping my arms around him, I find myself leaning in a little more and trying my hardest not to let the tears fall as he runs his hand up and down my back. “Seriously? Do you think my mom would let me live if she were to ever find out I made you take a taxi?”
Not waiting for me to answer, he pulls back and sees my eyes watering. “Hey, no crying. Summer told me I couldn’t let you cry because you’ve cried enough. Plus, I have Indian food from that restaurant you got me hooked on waiting for you at home. You can’t cry while eating pakora, it’s a house rule,” he says ashe gives me one last squeeze before grabbing the handle of my medium-sized, black suitcase.
“Just this one?” he asks, looking around, searching for more matching luggage. “There’s no way this is the only thing you have.” Probably recalling how many bags Summer and I used to pack for a simple weekend of camping.
“Yeah, just this one,” I answer softly with a shrug. “This is supposed to be a fresh start, so I just brought the necessities.” Most of the things I had weren’t me, or they weren’t the me I wanted to see in the mirror. They were the me that Lucas had created, the me he had forced me to become over the years. He had an opinion about everything—from how I cut my hair, to the pants I wore, and even the hobbies I had. So when my divorce settlement came in and I got paid out from the house we owned together, I decided to quit my job and move in with Levi. I also decided that I was only bringing the things I had picked for myself, the things I liked. I was starting over. I was starting the life I had always envisioned for myself, or at least I hope so. So far, it hasn’t been that easy.
I’m not going to lie and say he was my first choice in a post-divorce roommate, but there’s no way I was moving back in with my parents, and Summer just wasn’t an option. She doesn’t even have an apartment in the country anymore; her work with doctors without borders keeps her everywhere but home.
“Fair enough,” he answers, not wanting to push the subject, as we make our way to the exit of the Calgary airport in comfortable silence. Unlike his five siblings, Levi knew when to be silent and when to push for information, a trait that I was appreciating now more than ever.
We make the entire thirty-minute drive from the airport to his house in comfortable silence, neither of us knowing what to say. I’m still embarrassed that at almost thirty years old I’m moving in with my best friend’s younger brother. At this point,he’s probably sensing that I’m hanging on by a thread and doesn’t want to make me cry. I’m given a little reprieve from my wandering sad thoughts, as we pull up to a dark-blue, two-story house. It’s gorgeous. It reminds me a little bit of his parents’ house, with the attached garage, big flower beds in front of a dark-stained porch, with a porch swing hanging to the left of the door. The house is just far enough away from the road, with trees lining the front of the property, so you can actually enjoy the porch swing without people being able to see you.
When I walk in, I can’t say that I’m surprised. I’ve seen some parts of his house over FaceTime here and there over the two years he’s been living here, but never got a full tour. It’s exactly as I imagined it. Nothing is out of place, no shoes in the doorway, no bag thrown on the floor. I bet if I open the closet door to the right of the entryway, all of his shoes are perfectly lined up and color coded, same with his coats. We used to laugh at him when he was younger because of this specific trait of his. I’m happy to see all our teasing didn’t deter him.
What does surprise me though, is the bright red, sectional couch taking up most of his living room. I was not expecting a bright color from him. His room was beige growing up, by his own choosing. Now, not only does he have a red couch, but he has multiple perfectly-placed, colorful throw pillows. The couch should be too big for the space, but it just makes the open concept house feel cozy and inviting.
“Yes, I still need things to be organized, and yes, I now like bright colors,” Levi answers with an eye roll, clearly knowing what was going through my mind, making me smile.
I take a few steps further into his house, or our house I should say. I guess I’m officially moved in, since my one and only bag has followed me in. Kicking off my sandals, I can’t help but make my way into the living room, letting the shaggy area rug whisper against my feet, bringing a smile to my face. Or, my smile mightbe because I finally notice the fireplace with a huge, flat screen TV mounted on top facing the couch.
Joining me in the living room, he says, “This is one of my favorite parts of the house. You’ll find every possible streaming service on the TV.” He motions to the stairs on the left between the living room and kitchen. “The bedrooms are all upstairs. I mean, there is one in the basement, but it’s nothing compared to the one I got ready for you upstairs.”
Past the staircase, there’s a door that Levi tells me is a bathroom, but the real masterpiece in the house is the kitchen. It’s a Pinterest-perfect kitchen.
“And the real reason I bought this place,” Levi says, sweeping his arms at the kitchen in front of us. “Double oven, range stove, butcher block island with a wine fridge, patio doors leading to the deck, and the smoker. What more can a man ask for?” he says, admiring his immaculate kitchen, making me smile at his happiness.
