Page 15 of Kringle and the Kraken

“It’s going to be fine. Now get in the truck. I don’t want your family to blame me if lunch is late.” He pulled the door out of my grasp, and it slammed shut. For a second, I just stared at him, liking the way Levi looked in my truck. He gestured for me to hurry up, and I rounded the hood and slid into the driver’s seat.

It took all of two minutes to get down the street to the grocery store, and it was easy to find a parking spot in the half-empty lot.

As we walked through the store, Levi greeted several people by name and smiled and waved at a handful of others who smiled and waved back. A few did a double take when they saw Levi and me making our way to the deli counter together, and I wondered what they were thinking.

“You’ve certainly made a lot of friends.”

Levi beamed. “This is a great town. For the most part, everyone has been really friendly.”

I thought about that for a moment. Maybe I took the town for granted after living here my whole life, but seeing it through Levi’s eyes made me stop and reconsider. When I was younger, all I’d wanted to do was leave, but after college, I’d come right back. There was something about Lifeboat that called me home, and now, there was nowhere else I’d rather be, even if I did forget that sometimes. The town and the people who lived there were pretty great.

“It really is, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “I have this feeling it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.” He reached for my hand, and I let him take it, twining our fingers together as we made our way to the deli.

“Hey, Sue.” I shouldn’t have been surprised that Levi greeted the deli manager by name, and she looked up and smiled.

“Hey, Levi. Hi, Kris. Give me one second and I’ll grab your order.”

“No problem.”

She whipped off the food prep gloves she’d been wearing while assembling a party tray and tossed them into the trash as she pushed through the swinging door that led to the back. She was back a minute later carrying a giant box loaded with sandwiches that she set on the counter. “Give me another sec and I’ll grab the rest.”

“The rest?” Levi eyed the box. “That’s not enough?”

“This is just the sandwiches. My mom usually orders a fruit tray, a veggie tray, and a bunch of cookies and chips. The snacks have to last us until dinner.”

“I’m going to be totally out of my depth aren’t I?” He was smiling, crinkles at the corners of his eyes indicating he smiled a lot, and I knew he was joking.

“Nah. It’s the guys at the KELPS meeting you really have to worry about. My mom is a gold medal meddler, but that group of old men holds the world record for getting all up in someone else’s business. Most often it’s mine.”

Levi laughed, the sound rich and melodic as it bounced off all the hard surfaces around us. The sound made my heart flip over in my chest and a suspicious amount of blood rush south. For someone I just met, it was surprisingly easy to spend time with Levi. It was comfortable like we’d known each other for a long time instead of a week. And even though I wanted to kiss him and run my fingers through his slightly shaggy sandy-brown hair, I wanted to spend time with him just as much.

Which was weird for me.

Then again, I’d only lived outside Lifeboat for the five years I was in college and getting my master’s degree. I knew every eligible bachelor in town who identified as gay, bi, or pan, and I’d fooled around with almost all of them at some point. Now, I usually headed toward Bar Harbor if I was looking for a hook-up, relying on apps to find tourists or locals who were looking for a night of fun. When I’d walked into Levi’s record shop, the last thing I’d been expecting to find was a new connection in my hometown. But there he was.

My crush’s eyes went wide as Sue backed through the swinging door carrying three extra-large trays with two large brown paper shopping bags on her wrists. She set everything down on an empty prep table and set about double-checking the order sheet.

“I see why Kori loves your family if they eat like this.”

I winked. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. They’ll descend on this like a ravenous horde. If you want a sandwich or a cookie, you’d better grab it before they see it.” To prove my point, I picked a paper-wrapped sandwich from the box and shoved it into my coat pocket. “Don’t be shy. They’re all the same. Turkey on multigrain with cranberry orange chutney.”

Levi raised a brow.

“Sounds weird, I know, but I promise it’s good.”

“I’m willing to take your word for it.” He plucked his own sandwich from the box and shoved it into his coat pocket.

“All right, boys. You’re all set. Tell Mary Kate I said hi and thanks. I’ve already made our reservations for the workshop for mid-December.”

“Will do. Thanks, Sue.” I took the shopping bags Sue offered and slipped them onto my arm, then slid the box of sandwiches off the counter, leaving Levi to carry the fruit, veggie, and cookie trays. “We could probably use another set of hands.”

Levi’s head whipped my way like I’d said something off the wall, but his expression changed a split second later, the smile returning to his face. He held up his hands. “You’ve got ’em.”

He effortlessly balanced the trays, and we made our way back to my truck.

I didn’t mention his odd expression, but something niggled at the back of my mind, like a truth I might have known once but had forgotten, and I had to work hard to push the nagging thought away.

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