“Even with your celebrity status?” she teased, raising a brow at him over the top of her menu.
He laughed, shaking his head at her.
“Man, I open up to a pretty woman about my deep, dark fears and she uses them against me!” he said in mock affront.
“Sorry,” she said, but they were both laughing. “Is life feeling a little more level now that you’re out of the public eye all the time?” she asked. “I mean, feel free to tell me to mind my own business if that’s too personal, but I admit that I’m curious. I’ve never been famous, you see,” she added with a sly smile.
He smiled back, although there was something contemplative behind it.
“A little,” he said. “I mean, I’m definitely starting to feel more like my old self. But, also, yesterday I went out for a walk, and an older lady waved at me, and I almost dived into the bushes to avoid her like I was in some sort of ‘hapless spy’ movie. Then I realized she was just being friendly.”
June laughed at this image but then she narrowed her eyes.
“Wait a minute. Was this older lady stylish, with a cute short silver haircut, and wearing a very bright scarf?”
Levi blinked. “Um, yes, actually. How did you know that?”
“That’s my friend Miriam,” June said. “She’s wonderful, and she means well, but she’s a meddler. I am going to hear alotabout how handsome you are when I see her next.”
Levi’s eyes twinkled at her. “You think I’m handsome?”
June playfully hid her face behind her menu instead of answering.
Levi laughed and turned his attention to his own menu. When the waiter returned, Levi ordered braised beef short ribs with a side of roasted and herbed root vegetables. June ordered a mushroom bourguignon served over house-made egg noodles, an upscale nod to a comfort classic that was widely touted as being the perfect winter meal, even for those who weren’t vegetarians. Levi talked June into ordering an appetizer: baked brie en croute, which was served with fig jam and thyme, along with little rounds of herbed bread to spread the delicious jam upon.
“Oh my gosh,” June moaned happily around the first bite, covering her mouth in hopes of obscuring her bad manners. She couldn’t wait to express this, however. “This is so good. I never order an appetizer, but this issogood.”
“Not to be too forward, but I would like to marry this jam,” Levi joked. “I am in love, and we shall be married.”
June chuckled, nearly choking on her bite of food.
Their conversation flowed easily from there, at least in part because Levi asked June about one of her favorite topics: Benjamin.
“So, you have a son, right?” he asked when their entrees had arrived. “I saw you with him at the diner. Sorry if that seems creepy or something.”
She laughed. “It’s not,” she reassured him. “Small towns mean that everybody knows everything about everyone. And yes, in my totally unbiased opinion, I have the greatest son in the world. Benjamin. He’s seven, and totally hilarious and perfect and wonderful.”
“In your unbiased opinion,” Levi mimicked jokingly.
“Exactly,” she said.
“So,” Levi went on, “is your son with his dad tonight? Sorry,” she added, wincing. “I feel like that crossed back over into creepy again. I guess what I’m looking for is a slick way to ask about your history, but I’m totally missing the ball.”
His slight awkwardness made June feel so much more comfortable.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m out of practice with dating, so I couldn’t be slick if I tried. But no,” she continued, reflecting on how there was never an easy way to have the ‘dead husband’ conversation. “Benjamin’s father is my late husband; he passed a few years ago.”
“Oh, June,” Levi said, his expression creasing with sympathetic dismay. “I’m so sorry. That’s… it’s horrible.”
She gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, thanks. It… it is horrible. There’s no real other way to put it. And his passing was sudden, so those first few days were…” She shook her head. “Honestly, I can barely even remember them properly. It’s like my head was stuck inside this dark cloud, and all I could focus on was keeping Benjamin safe. Fed. And gradually, we figured it out.”
“It’s not the same,” he said, “but my dad is actually my mom’s second husband, because she lost her first spouse too. And I know she still keeps him with her. They didn’t have any kids together though, so I can only imagine that losing your spouse with your son so young was even tougher.”
“It was,” she agreed. “But in some ways, having Benjamin also saved me a bit, I think. He gave me a reason to get out of bed and face the day when I woke up and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sob the hours away. And I think that doing things was probably better for me than just letting grief carry me away.”
He considered these words in a thoughtful, kind way that made June’s heart skip a beat. He really was so lovely and considerate.
“That makes sense,” he said after a long moment. “He’s clearly a blessing. I mean, all kids are a blessing, but as you reported?—”
