He’d contributed at the perfect time, made what she’d said convincing enough that Levi seemed to fall for it. Or else he didn’t want to reveal any more of his displeasure with Baxter listening in. Either way, Baxter had just gotten her out of a tight spot. She flashed him a grateful smile.
“Thanks,” Levi said. “Maybe someday I will.”
As she expected, his response was noncommittal, but it ended the conversation on a polite note. They all said goodbye, then Callie closed her eyes. “I hate this,” she grumbled.
Apparently no longer frustrated with her, Baxter took her hand. “You’re going to get through it.”
Not without a new liver she wouldn’t.
22
Callie was home by noon the next day. She was looking forward to seeing Levi. He was all she’d thought about. But she didn’t have a travel bag, which she would’ve packed had she really taken a trip to San Francisco. With her hair barely combed and no makeup on, it was also pretty obvious that she hadn’t showered as she would’ve done had she been on vacation in the city. She had had none of her stuff—just a toothbrush and a few other necessities that Baxter had gone out and purchased before leaving the hospital last night. It wasn’t as if she’d had time to prepare before rushing to the emergency room. There were a number of details that could’ve given her away.
But her concern over whether or not Levi would notice turned out to be unwarranted. Although Rifle greeted her when she let herself into the house and she could see that the window had been fixed, Levi wasn’t around. He’d put a note on the fridge where she’d left hers.
“Working at the Gas-N-Go. See you tonight.” As soon as she spotted it, she recalled Joe’s messages. He must’ve figured out how to get through to Levi on his own. She hadn’t remembered to tell Levi when they talked so briefly while he was at Kyle’s, and she’d had no way to contact him after.
“Everything okay?” Baxter came into the kitchen behind her.
“Great, actually. Levi’s in town.”
“That gives you some breathing room, huh?” They’d been discussing how to handle the various questions he might ask.
“Now I can settle in, rest a bit more and shower before I see him.” She’d also have time to call her parents, assure them she was home safe and chat as long as they wanted. She’d had to keep their conversations brief when she was in the hospital in case they overheard a doctor being paged on the intercom or something.
Rifle whined to get her attention, so she crouched to pet him. “I’m home, buddy. Everything’s okay. For the moment, anyway.”
“I’ve got to go,” Baxter said.
Callie stood to give him a hug. “Thanks, Bax. For everything.”
He held her a second longer than usual. “I’m glad you told me what you’re going through. I’m grateful I get to spend this time with you.”
She knew what he was saying about the other people in her life. He was telling her they’d feel the same way. But then he added something she didn’t expect.
“Still, I have to admit...if I had the chance to be with Noah the way you’ve got this chance to be with Levi, I’d take it,” he said. “You have every right to do what makes you happy. So enjoy it and don’t feel guilty.”
“What made you change your mind?” she asked as he let her go.
“I couldn’t understand how he could mean so much to you in such a short time, but—” he kissed her cheek “—you’ve made a believer out of me.”
* * *
Levi was anxious to return to the farm. He hadn’t seen Callie since he’d carried her to bed from the shower. He’d thought of her, though—almost constantly—but not for the reasons he’d expected to. Surprisingly, he felt no remorse for getting involved with her. The opposite was actually true. It was as if he’d finally broken free from everything that had held him captive for the past two years, as if the soldier he’d been in Afghanistan had died.
He wanted to bury that much younger man and never look back. He knew Behrukh would want him to go on without her and be happy. But he’d known that all along. So what had changed? Was he merely giving himself an excuse to do what he wanted?
Maybe. Believing that Behrukh would approve certainly seemed convenient. But he’d already slept with Callie once. He didn’t see how stopping would change anything. He doubted he’d be able to keep his hands off her, anyway. That one encounter had been far too brief....
He saw her in the kitchen window as he turned down the drive. At the sound of his motorcycle, she looked up and smiled—and he was hit with a deluge of testosterone.
Heart pounding in anticipation, he got off his bike and strode to the house.
She met him at the door. “How was work?”
“Fine. I made another two hundred dollars.”
“Good news. You need some clothes.”
Right now, he felt like the only thing he needed was her.
She stepped back to let him in, as if she wasn’t quite sure how to greet him.
He wanted to touch her, to draw her into his arms. But he’d been fixing cars all day, and although he’d washed his hands with the special soap at the garage, he had grease on his clothes.
He offered her an apologetic smile. “I’m dirty.”
“I can see that,” she said with a chuckle, but then her eyes locked with his and he knew she didn’t want to wait a second longer.
Fortunately, neither did he.
“It seemed like you were gone forever,” he told her and, taking her hand, led her into the bedroom.
* * *
They showered together, only this time they both peeled off their clothes before getting in. Callie laughed as Levi hurried to scrub up. He managed to get mostly clean before she gave him somewhere else to put his hands. She didn’t care if he’d gotten every last smudge. She figured a girl who didn’t have very long to live was justified in her impatience. What did a little grease matter in the face of that?
“Anxious, huh?” he teased with a laugh. But he quit laughing when she arched a challenging eyebrow and lathered up their stomachs. As soon as he felt her against him, he sucked in a breath and said, “Okay, you win.”
After that, everything moved fast. They were out of the shower and kissing up against the wall, the vanity, the door, before they reached the bed.
There, she tried to pull him down on top of her, but he resisted. “I owe you something first,” he told her. Then he smiled as he nudged her legs apart and lowered his head.