Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
I was getting the kitchen ready for the caterers when Tanner and Alex walked in from back-to-school shopping. Alex carried a bunch of bags to his room while Tanner joined me in the kitchen. I knew I couldn’t have focused and been ready for the party tonight if Tanner wasn’t here paying attention to Alex. I was more grateful for his presence by the day.
“How’s my girl?” Tanner shook his head and corrected himself. “I’m sorry. Old habit.”
I sprayed the counter and wiped it down as he came up behind me.
“You’re so tense, Presley. You need to relax.”
The next thing I knew, Tanner’s hands were firmly around my shoulders. He dug his fingers into my muscles, massaging. As inappropriate as this seemed, I closed my eyes and relished the feel of the tension releasing from the base of my neck.
For a moment, as I closed my eyes, I imagined it was Levi touching me. My body stirred before I snapped out of my trance and pulled away.
Letting out a breath, I said, “Thank you.”
I swiftly exited the kitchen—and ran into a smirking Fern in the hallway.
“Feeling refreshed?” she cracked.
Great. I could only imagine what that had looked like in the kitchen. But I couldn’t be concerned with her assumptions right now.
I walked right past her, went straight to my room, and shut the door before lying down on the bed. My body buzzed from the massage—not because it had been Tanner’s hands on me, but because being touched reminded me of everything I still longed for.
I miss Levi. I missed the way Levi looked at me, the way he made me feel, how happy I was with him. I had no idea how I was supposed to just forget all of that and move on with my life.
Rubbing my temples, I started to sweat. I rubbed my legs against the smooth sheets in frustration. I snatched my phone from the nightstand and scrolled through my contacts.
My finger lingered over Levi’s name as I debated texting him.
What would I even say? Admitting how much I missed him or that I was thinking about him wasn’t going to make either of our lives easier. It would serve no purpose. I tossed the phone and buried my head in a pillow, hoping the moment would pass. And eventually it did. Rather than give in to my need for contact with Levi, I escaped to the shower and began getting ready for tonight.
***
A couple of hours later, I was downstairs, dressed in a floor-length, purple dress as people arrived for the celebration.
Tanner and Alex wore matching navy suits, and even Fern had changed out of her usual house dress into a fancy outfit. She’d finished off the look with a gargantuan hat adorned with flowers.
I made my way around, schmoozing with the guests and answering questions from local reporters.
It was hard to talk about the renovation process without acknowledging Levi, so I gave him credit where it was due. More than one person asked why he wasn’t at the party, and I explained with a bitter taste in my mouth that he was back in Colorado for work. Perhaps the most bittersweet fact about this entire shindig was that Levi had arranged the whole thing. Back when things were better between us, he’d made all of the party arrangements—from the invite list down to picking the menu.
By the time everyone left, I was utterly exhausted from having to be “on” so many hours in a row as The Palm Inn’s official spokesperson. And I hadn’t eaten a morsel of the food Levi paid for.
The kitchen was finally quiet when I opened the refrigerator to see what was left. Staring me in the face was a tray of peach cobbler. Levi had requested that particular dessert for a reason, and at the time, it was likely not meant to hurt me.
I took the tray out and grabbed a fork, knowing damn well tonight would be yet another evening consumed by thoughts of Levi Miller.
CHAPTER 28
* * *
Presley
Two weeks later, The Palm Inn was officially open for business, and the first guests had checked in. Not only that, we were sold out for two months—until early October. Everything was great, aside from the fact that I was exhausted.
This endeavor was entirely too much for one person. Tanner had started his new coaching job, and was still doing the agent stuff on the side, so he couldn’t help me as much anymore. And I’d started the art teacher position at the local high school, which ate up a good chunk of my time.
Tanner had just dropped Alex off at school when he returned to join me for coffee before work.
“You look totally stressed. Did something happen with one of the guests?” he asked as he poured himself a mug.