“Look at this.” Levi showed her several photos taken inside the inn back in the days of black-and-white. “I wish we’d had these for the remodel. Would’ve been fun to recreate some of this.”
“You did a great job with the place. It’s so warm and inviting. Despite the circumstances, I’ve loved staying here.” And she was feeling more than a little depressed at the thought of leaving.
His eyes searched hers for a long-drawn-out moment. It was a thing of wonder that his mere look could make her body hum.
“I’ve loved having you.” The low thrum of his voice strummed a chord inside her. The vibrations spread throughout.
I’veloved having you, notwe’ve. She shouldn’t make too much of that, but the way he was looking at her made it all too easy. Those eyes, warmer than blue had a right to be. His bone structure was the handiwork of God Himself, a masterpiece.
Of its own volition, her hand lifted to thumb away the streak of dirt from his cheek.
At her touch his eyes flickered with surprise.
She jerked her hand back and showed her thumb, clearing her throat. “You—you had a streak of something on your cheek.”
“Oh. Thanks.” He rubbed the spot.
Had she mistaken the moment for more than it was? Her face warmed.
Since they’d gone through all the goodies from the attic, they started loading the box back up.
Levi topped the pile with the fedora. “Ready for that pizza?”
Actually, the very thought of pizza made her stomach rebel. She’d had pizza three times this week and had hardly had anything but takeout since she’d arrived, and she didn’t even want to think about getting on the scale right now.
What she really needed was a nice grilled chicken breast and a side of steamed broccoli.
“Not hungry yet?” Levi asked.
“It’s not that. I’m just... a little tired of pizza, I guess.”
“Okay. Well, we could order wings instead. Or Chinese. Did you like it last time?”
“Yeah...”
The truth was, she’d had it with being trapped like an animal. Her travel had been restricted for seven days, and she was ready to go crazy. Of course, she was leaving in the morning anyway, but just now the thought of another takeout meal made her want to vomit.
And even more so... She was sick and tired of everyone else dictating where she could and couldn’t go. She was a grown woman. She was tired of hiding from the general public and even more tired of hiding from the paparazzi.
She looked at Levi, resolve flooding through her even more strongly as she met his steady gaze. “You know what, Levi? I think I want to go out.”
His eyebrows popped. “Really?”
“No, I don’tthinkI want to go out. IknowI want to go out. And not through the back door, either. I want to walk right out of here, past the vultures, and go to a nice restaurant where I can sit down and have a healthy meal that isn’t fried twice over or consists mainly of refined carbs—no offense to Southern cuisine.”
“None taken.”
“And I want to stop hiding—stop acting like Ihavesomething to hide, because you know what?I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Levi’s lips lifted in a smile of wonder. His eyes softened in approval. “All right then. Let’s do this.”
twenty-three
“Ready?” Levi gripped the inn’s front doorknob, adrenaline beginning to surge through him.
Mia had gone to her room to freshen up. No more ponytail. No more ball cap or yoga pants. She was sporting a pair of stylish jeans and a black top with cutout shoulders.
In short, he could hardly take his eyes off her.
