The Game (That Girl, #2)(18)

I follow his instructions and take a seat right next to him. It’s clear he’s fished a time or two in his life by the way he prepares the poles so easily.

“What is this place?”

“Lincoln and I used to come back here whenever we could as kids. We’d fish, hunt with our BB guns, and play army whenever Dad was gone.” Levi twists his hat backward as he continues to talk. “Mom wanted us out of the house so we wouldn’t dirty it, and Dad was always making us practice football or go to camps when he was home. This was our favorite place to be when he left on business.”

“Who uses it now?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

“It looks as though someone lives nearby and takes good care of it.”

“Oh,” he chuckles, “I hire a crew to keep it up for me and to stock the pond with fish.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t get here often, but it’s my favorite place ever.”

“Even better than all your other getaways?”

“Even better,” he repeats.

“But why? You have enough money to go anywhere in the world, experience anything.”

Levi shrugs. “It’s me. It’s what I always wanted. A simple life. I guess because it’s my home.

“Your home.” My statement comes out more as a question.

“I mean, yeah, don’t you ever miss your childhood home?”

“Every day,” I answer.

“What’s your digits?”

“What do you mean, Levi? I don’t understand code.”

“The address of your childhood home.”

“Oh.” I let out a giggle. “It was—or is, I mean—325 Nebraska Avenue.”

The movement of his hands and how carelessly they move while stringing the poles and hooking the bait hypnotizes my eyes. Levi isn’t a dickhead or a pompous ass. It all hits me at once. He’s just a little boy who never had a chance to be who he wanted to be. He’s been transformed into his dad’s dream, and now, injured, he can’t even live up to that.

“Why don’t you do love?” I blurt out.

He freezes. “What?”

“This morning in the kitchen, you said you don’t do love.”

Levi completely avoids my question and hands me my pole. “You know how to cast, right?”

“I think so.”

I wait for Levi to cast first to make sure I really know what I’m doing. He effortlessly flips the pole behind his head and then glides it forward, sending his hook and bait sailing out into the open waters. I do a double take, watching his face carefully for signs of pain.

“Don’t worry, I used my left hand,” he reassures me. It’s like he practically read my mind.

I mimic his actions as closely as I can, and then send up a silent prayer that my hook sails out as easily as his did. When I flick my wrist forward, all I hear is a loud plop as my bobber lands a mere two feet from the dock.

I catch Levi shaking his head out the corner of my eye and decide to try my cast again. Reeling it back in and giving it another flip, I fail miserably again. This time Levi laughs at me.

“Hey, I never said I was good at this shit.”

“Here.” Levi hands me his pole, letting his hand linger on mine. I slide over his lap to the other side of him.

“Now, pay attention to the string. If you feel a little tug, let me know.”

“Do I throw the pole in if I feel a tug?”

“Jazzy, are you serious?”

“Well, yes, that’s how I thought it works. Just throw it in, right?”

“For the love of all things…”

“Levi, I’m kidding. I’m not that dumb. I may be platinum blonde, but I do have some brain cells.”

“God, you can be irritating. It’s a good thing you have big tits.”

I laugh at his comment, now knowing that is just how Levi is. Crude and to the point. He will never *foot around a topic or feed you a line of bullshit.

I watch again as he casts out the line. I’m impressed by the ease of it and how far he can cast with his left hand. Ten minutes flow by as I take in all the scenery. The small pond is mesmerizing, and I can see why it was a favorite of Levi’s. Trees upon trees encase the perimeter of the area, along with a sandy shore that borders the water. On warm days it would be perfect to lie out on the sand, taking dips in the cool water once the heat is too much. I notice Levi casts his pole out a couple more times, yet no bites or tugs.

“I’m bored,” I blurt. “I’m over this.”

Levi starts laughing and takes my pole from me. “Yeah, you didn’t strike me as the fishing kind who just enjoys the outdoors.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Yep, more of the bitchy, whiny type. I knew I had you pegged perfectly the first day I met you.”

“With big tits,” I add. “Don’t forget that part.”

“See, I knew you could be taught. Jazzy, you’re going to make someone a fine piece of ass someday.”

Levi points to the cooler, and without asking, I hop up to go inspect. He packed snacks, all kinds of them, from crackers and cheese, to jerky sticks and Oreos.

“Oh my god, I could kiss you,” I shout when I spot the pack of cinnamon bears. “You want anything?”