Page 93 of My Greatest Joy

“You’re done?”

“For now, I think. I’m hungry.”

Levi checks the time and chuckles. “Oh yeah, it’s time for lunch. I’ll drop Dasher off with Lucy if you’d like to go to the deli. She brought cans of dog food for me, so I’ll feed him too.”

“That lemonade sounds good.”

“And being inside will give you a chance to warm up,” he offers.

See, that’s the thing about Levi—he’s always putting me first.

After we feed and drop Dasher off with Lucy, we head toward the diner.

When we enter, Greta smiles wide and leads us to the same booth we sat in the first time. It feels like déjà vu because we order the same things, but I’m grateful the conversation is different.

“So are you leaving?” Greta asks, refilling my lemonade. It’s freshly squeezed, and if I could take a gallon home with me, I would. Levi glances up at me, and I give her a smile.

“After the new year,” I proudly say, hoping she spreads the word.

“Ahh, well, that’s great news.” Greta winks at Levi.

When she walks away, he smirks.

“You know she’s going to tell everyone.”

I grin. “That was the point.”

“Mm. I like possessive Fallon. She’s strategic.” He leans forward. “And sexy as fuck.”

Levi and I finish eating and soak up the heat until the restaurant gets busy. Once a line forms outside, he pays, then we return to the festival.

Levi gets a text and laughs.

“What?”

“Lucy asked if she could keep Dasher all day because he’s helping her sell more items in his costume.”

“That’s hilarious,” I tell him. “But he did draw a lot of attention when I was waiting for you earlier.”

Levi quickly texts Lucy back and tells her that’s fine.

“Do you want to ice skate?” he asks as we pass a small rink that looks like it was brought here just for the event.

“That would be a big no. I’m not great on regular skates or ice, so that sounds like a nightmare. I need my arms, hands, and wrists.”

He chuckles. “Fair enough.”

We continue walking around the festival, and I’m amazed by how they packed so much into such a small space. Beforelong, Levi lets me know that we should probably get situated for the Christmas tree lighting. We find seats right up front, but a crowd’s already forming.

I stare up at the gigantic Christmas tree with amazement.

“It’s sixty feet tall.” Levi leans in and tells me. “Twenty feet shorter than the Rockefeller Center tree in New York.”

“Wow,” I say, taking my time to study it.

“Yep. It’s probably seventy-five years old, and there are around fifty thousand lights on it.”

“I have so many questions.”

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