Levi grabbed the cold pack, returning it to the freezer, and promised he’d go for takeout in a while. He made sure Mia was comfortable before joining Adam on the back lawn.
Molly’s boyfriend came by every so often just to chat. He was new to the area and didn’t have any siblings. His best friend—and agent—Jordan lived in New York, so Levi was probably the closest thing he had to a friend in Bluebell. They didn’t have much in common, but what Adam lacked in conversational skills he more than made up for with his sincerity and intellect.
The day was winding down, only one boat out on the lake, the sun low in the sky. A squirrel nattered from a nearby tree, and the smell of freshly cut grass hung heavily in the air, reminding Levi that it was time to mow again.
He handed Adam one of the cans and sank into the Adirondack chair. “Molly at book club?”
“Yes. They were readingWhere the Crawdads Sing, though in all fairness, Molly’s probably the only one who finished it.”
“It’s not really about the book, you know,” Levi said.
“I gathered as much. She keeps begging me to go with her.”
Levi chuckled. He’d bet the old biddies would love that.
“Yeah, that’s not happening. Even if I have already read the book.”
“Did you mention that to Molly?”
“She didn’t ask.”
Levi laughed again. He liked to read, but his sister was a total book nerd. Stood to reason she’d hook up with another one, an author no less.
A moment of silence passed as they enjoyed their cold drinks. A breeze came off the lake, fluttering the leaves overhead and cooling his skin. His headache lingered, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier.
Adam shifted in his seat.
Levi was starting to sense he had something on his mind. Adam was always a little awkward, but he seemed even more so today. Levi wondered if everything was all right between him and Molly. His sister didn’t really talk to him about guy stuff—for which he was grateful.
Or maybe it had to do with his family. Adam hadn’t really opened up about that, but Levi knew he was close to his mom and gathered he hadn’t had the best relationship with his dad.
Adam cleared his throat. “So, um, listen, Levi... I wanted to talk to you about something.”
His intuition had been spot-on. He held back a smug grin. “Sure, what is it?”
“Well... it’s about Molly.” He shoved his glasses up with a finger.
“Everything all right?”
“What? Oh, yes. Everything’s good. Great, actually.” A flush crawled up his neck and into his cheeks. “We’re coming up on an anniversary in a couple weeks.”
Levi gave him a questioning look. “You didn’t get together till August or September, right?”
“August, yes, but this is more—it’s an anniversary of, well, our first kiss.”
“Say no more.”Please. Say no more.
They’d first kissed mid-June of last year? Levi wasn’t sure what had gone on between June and August to delay progress. He supposed he could read all about it in Adam’s new book if he wanted. And he definitely didn’t.
“Right.” Adam cleared his throat again. “Well, so that was a beginning, of sorts. And we’ve come a long way in the past ten months, obviously.”
“Sure, sure.”
“I guess what I’m trying to say, and not very articulately, is that your sister has come to mean a great deal to me. I’m sure you realize I’m in love with her—and she with me. We’re in love with each other.”
“Well, sure.” Levi shifted in his seat, the heat of the sun making a sweat break out on his skin.
“With your parents gone and you being her older brother, for whom she has a great deal of respect, I wanted to ask you... I’d like to ask Molly to marry me. I’d like to ask if I have your blessing on that.”
