Georgie, All Along (59)
When talk turns to Bel and Harry’s house, I at least have some familiarity with the topic of conversation. Evan admits to Harry that he’s been staying with his sister since his divorce, a touch of charming, disarming embarrassment in his eyes, but says that he’s a fan of the area where Bel and Harry live now, and he’d consider it for himself someday, too.
“Oh, you should,” says Bel. “Our house is wonderful! Isn’t it wonderful, Georgie?”
“It is,” I say, even though it’s the sort of question that already has an answer.
“It was move-in ready,” Bel adds. “The biggest project we have left to do is build a dock.”
I choke a little on my coffee, clear my throat indelicately. Please, don’t talk about docks, I’m thinking, but that train has left the station. We’re off the rails now, and I have no one to blame but myself. Why didn’t I tell Bel about me and Levi, warn her that any topic adjacent to him is off-limits?
“You ought to call Hammersmith Marine,” Evan says. “They do all our work here.”
“That’s a good tip,” says Bel. “But your docks here are a lot bigger than what we’d need. We want something small.”
Evan nods. “Well,” he says, pausing to take a sip of his coffee, and in those few seconds of quiet a puddle of dread settles in my stomach. “I’d tell you to call my brother, but he won’t take on your build.”
To her credit, Bel blinks in surprise at this mention of Levi and darts her eyes to mine. Should I spill the coffee now? I’m wondering, but before I can attempt it Harry—who is obviously hugely uninformed about years-old gossip around here—says, “Why not?”
Evan takes another sip of his coffee, shrugs. It’s the first time since I’ve been back that I’ve seen him look anything less than perfectly comfortable. “He doesn’t take any jobs along that part of the river. Something about compromising the shoreline.” He clears his throat. “That’s what I hear, at least.”
Harry frowns across the table at Evan. “What does that mean, ‘compromising the shoreline’?”
“The Realtor said we could put in a dock,” Bel adds, her brow wrinkling in concern. Both of them, obviously, are missing the major point here, which is that Evan has acknowledged Levi’s existence.
“You can,” Evan says. “But not one built by my brother.”
I can tell Bel and Harry don’t like this answer. If there’s someone out there who thinks they shouldn’t build a dock on their property, they’ll want to know why.
“Not much of a business plan, if you ask me,” Evan grumbles, and I’m not even sure he intended to say it out loud. I don’t think Bel and Harry heard him, but I did, and when I look over at him, I don’t see an expression on his face that matches the casual insult. If anything, he looks kind of sad.
“I think his business does well,” I say, and as soon as it’s out of my mouth I realize what I’ve walked into.
Evan turns his head toward me. “You know Levi?”
“Oh, I—um. Not really,” I say, which I decide is not actually untrue. I thought I knew Levi, thought I was getting to know Levi. But the Levi I thought I knew wouldn’t have left me hanging. “He runs in the same circles as my dad.”
Even though Evan nods, I know I haven’t made this totally convincing. I just hope I haven’t made it so unconvincing that everyone at this table catches on to the fact that I was halfway to sleeping with Levi the night before last.
“My goodness, I better stretch these legs!” Bel says suddenly, pushing back in her chair and standing more quickly than I thought she was capable of at this point. Harry looks startled, and I don’t blame him. She practically vaulted her way upright.
“I hate to cut this short,” she says, smoothing her tunic and sending me a conspiratorial look that tells me I was not, in fact, very convincing about not really knowing Levi. “But I am supposed to keep my circulation going!”
Harry stands, too, probably worrying over how this sudden departure affects the massage timing. When Evan rises I follow, signaling the end to the weirdest double date I never could have dreamed up. He insists on paying for their meal, “a manager’s prerogative,” and points them toward the manicured path off the patio that’ll make for an easy walk for Bel. She leans in to hug me goodbye and then whispers intensely in my ear that I have to call her later.
When they’re finally gone, I do what strikes me as the most natural thing and start clearing plates. Evan reaches for one, too, but I wave him away. “I’ve got this,” I tell him, desperate for him not to ask me anything else about Levi. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“My pleasure,” he says, but he doesn’t make a move to go. “You do a great job here, you know? Remy says you’re terrific.”
Probably they won’t say that anymore, I think, since they had to serve me coffee while I’m still on the clock.
“Well, I’m an old hand at it.”
He smiles, and I almost wish I felt something, because this scenario—getting Evan Fanning’s attention by working at his family’s inn—is so like the fic it’s almost fated. But there’s nothing, only a dull ache that his face isn’t the one I wish I was seeing right now.