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I blink and meet her eyes in the mirror. Mine are a little watery now, which is irritating because my makeup looks very nice.
“I am,” I say.
The sound of Levi’s car pulling up gives me a welcome distraction before my emotions can spill over. A minute later the front door opens, and he walks in carrying Fifi’s little pink carrier.
For one sharp second, Paul’s frightened face flashes through my mind. But watching Levi set the carrier down so carefully makes it harder to hold on to my anger.
“You know how many looks I got at the grocery store?” he says, straightening. “A lot.”
Diane presses her lips together, clearly fighting a smile.
I hop up to check on her. “How is she?”
“Fine.” He crouches and opens the carrier. Fifi blinks up at us sleepily. “I took her to the vet, just to be sure.”
My chest tightens. “Levi—”
“You want to know what was wrong with her?” His gaze drops to Fifi. “They x-rayed her stomach. The gremlin’s been eating paper again. Vet says it’ll pass.”
“Naughty girl,” I murmur to Fifi, though the words carry no real scolding. The relief is too strong.
Fifi’s tongue lolls out the side of her mouth.
I look back at Levi—at the way he watches her, at the fact that he spent his day sorting this out because she seemed a little off. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“She was acting weird.”
“She always acts weird.”
“Weirder,” he corrects.
I fold my arms so I won’t reach for him. “Should we leave her if she’s got paper in her stomach?”
“Don’t change your plans,” Diane says quickly. “She can stay with me tonight.”
I glance over my shoulder. “Di, you don’t have to.”
“I really don’t mind. Rod and I were just going to watch a movie anyway.”
“Thank you.”
Levi’s attention shifts to me then. It’s not obvious, but I feel it—the slow sweep over my robe, my freshly curled hair, my bare legs. A low flutter of heat stirs despite how determined I am to stay annoyed with him.
His voice comes out a little rough. “I’ll get Theo ready.”
I nod. “We’ll leave around six?”
“Yeah.”
For a moment it looks like he wants to say more. Instead he flicks a quick glance at Diane, and he decides against it. Smart man.
The moment the door clicks shut behind him, Diane lets out a dramatic breath and fans herself.
“God.”
“What?”
“That man is intense.”
