The Best Man (Blue Heron #1)(58)

“You saw the whole thing?” John asked, his voice sharp with concern.

“Yes, sir. Anything in particular I should do?”

“Is she awake now?”

Levi saw that he was stroking Faith’s hair, the red strands impossibly silky. “Faith? How you doing?” She swallowed and looked up at him. “Your dad’s on the phone. You want to talk to him?”

She blinked. “My dad?”

“Yep. She’s coming around, sir.” He held the phone to Faith’s ear, and she reached up, her arm wobbling a little.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said. “Um...I...I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and frowned. “I’m fine. I think Levi...I don’t know. Okay. Here he is.”

Levi took the phone back. “Anything I should do?” he asked.

“I’m coming right down,” her father said.

“The roads are pretty icy.” He paused. “I can stay with her, or take her to the hospital, if you think she should go.”

“I don’t wanna go anywhere,” Faith muttered. “I’m tired.”

“She says she’s tired,” Levi added.

John sighed into the phone. “How bad are the roads?”

“Bad enough to stay put. What does she need?”

“A nap. Someone to keep an eye on her. That usually does the trick. Damn, she hasn’t had one of these in a long time.”

Faith seemed to be sleeping. “I can stay with her for a while,” he said. “I live right across the hall.”

Her father hesitated. “You sure?”

“Absolutely, sir.”

John sighed. “Okay. I’d appreciate that. If you could call me when she wakes up, that’d be great. Generally, she sleeps for a little while, seems a little groggy, but otherwise, she’s fine. She probably missed a few doses of her medication. But if she seizes again, call me right away.”

“You got it. I’ll check in later.”

“Thanks, son. You’re a good kid.”

Levi put his phone on the counter. “Faith? You awake?”

“I’m tired,” she said without opening her eyes.

“I’m gonna pick you up, okay?”

“I need to lose fifteen pounds first.”

He felt the start of a smile. “I can manage.” He slid his arms under her and lifted her up. Okay, she wasn’t a wisp of a thing, she had a point. She sure smelled good, though, sweet and warm. Her head settled against his shoulder, her hair brushing his chin.

The dog trotted into another room, tail waving, and Levi followed. Set her down on the unmade bed and took off her shoes. “Thanks, Levi,” she murmured, her voice distant.

He pulled the covers over her. Blue jumped up and put his head on her hip. Faith reached out to pet him without opening her eyes. “I’ll be out here if you need me,” Levi said.

“Okay.” Her eyes were closed, lashes a dark smudge against her cheeks.

Levi reached out to smooth her hair again, but he stopped himself. She was awake now. Sort of.

He went into her living room; her apartment was more or less the same as his, minus one bedroom. Unlike his, though, hers looked...homey, which was strange, because she was just back for a little while, so far as he knew. Nevertheless, one wall had been painted fire-engine red, and there was a red-and-purple throw on the couch. A bookcase held a couple dozen books, some photos and keepsakes. A women’s magazine was open on the coffee table, as well as a giant red mug with a sunflower painted on it. Her kitchen counter held a vase of yellow flowers. The wine rack was filled, he noted. As it would be, if your family owned a vineyard.

A gust of wind sent sleet crackling against the window, making him jump a little. It always surprised him, how innocent a gun could sound, like firecrackers. Or sleet.

Time to be useful. He picked up her cup and went to the kitchen. The dishwasher was full of clean dishes. Taking care to be quiet, he unloaded it, figuring out where things went, then wiped down her counters. Folded the blanket on her couch. Turned on the TV, found the YES Network, saw that the Yanks’ game had been canceled due to rain. Clicked around for a little while, then turned the TV off. Pulled out his phone and called Everett.

“How are things going, Ev?”

“Great, Chief! Um, we had one call asking for help on how to put the battery into a smoke detector—that was Methalia Lewis, and lucky for me, I have the same kind, so I was able to walk her through it just fine, Chief.”

The pride in Everett’s voice was obvious. “Good job.”

“Thanks, Chief!”

“Anything else comes up, just give me a call.”

“Roger that, Chief Cooper. Over and out.”

Seemed like the good people of Manningsport had exhibited some excellent common sense thus far and stayed off the roads tonight.

He looked in at Faith, who was sleeping with her arm around the dog. She might be hungry when she woke up. Going back to the kitchen, he checked her fridge. A bottle of white wine, an open Pepperidge Farm chocolate cake box, a roll of Pillsbury Dough cinnamon rolls, and a jar of artichokes. Cooking wasn’t her thing, apparently. He went back to his apartment, grabbed the container of meatballs and sauce, as well as a box of linguine, and took it back to Faith’s. She’d been asleep for about an hour now.