Page 25 of Levi

Addison raised an eyebrow. “I never took you for a wuss. But ever since you met Levi, you’ve been acting like one. You’ve never had a problem talking to men before.”

“It’s different with Levi. I know I’m falling for him, and it scares me. There are things in his past that he won’t talk about yet.”

“So what? Stop making excuses. Maybe spending tonight with you will make him believe in a good Thanksgiving,” Addison suggested.

“I’ll still send a message just in case he’s busy,” Kinley repeated.

“Pfft, whatever,” Addison scoffed playfully, making Kinley laugh.

Kinley took out her phone and sent Levi a text message:

Levi, will you stay with me tonight?

Hey baby, of course. What time should I come over?

Great! We’re closing at noon today, so any time after that is good.

Okay, I’ll see you later then.

Smiling, Kinley put away her phone and glanced at Addison, who was now smirking at her.

“Shut up,” Kinley said, laughing along with her.

When it was finally time to close for the holiday, Kinley couldn’t wait to go home. However, she still had one more errand to run before she could relax. She hated to do it, but she needed to stop by Walton’s in Spring City to get another gift for Levi. She had already bought him some T-shirts and flannel shirts, but she noticed that the heels of his boots were worn down. So, one night while he was sleeping, she snuck a look at them to get his size.

As she drove to Spring City, Kinley hoped they would have the boots he needed in stock. She knew they would probably be expensive, but she had a feeling that Levi wouldn’t take the time to buy a new pair until his current ones completely fell apart. She even took a photo of his boots just to make sure she got the right ones.

Groaning at the sight of all the cars in the parking lot when she arrived at the department store, Kinley knew it was going to be horrible going through the store. Weren’t people supposed to be shopping the dayafterThanksgiving? She thought by going today, she’d miss the crowd.

With a deep sigh, Kinley parked her car and made her way across the busy parking lot toward the entrance of the store. As she entered, shebraced herself for the chaos and crowds that usually accompanied holiday shopping but was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as bad as she expected. There were still many people navigating their carts through the aisles, but there was no pushing or shoving.

Making her way to the shoe department, Kinley’s eyes scanned the shelves filled with various brands of boots. She knew exactly what she was looking for, Beckett Boots from Hartland, made by the Beckett brothers whom she knew personally. Spotting the section where they were located, she perused through the sizes, her heart sinking as she couldn’t find the desired boot: size thirteen, riding heel, distressed boot.

“Kinley?”

She turned to see Celine approaching her.

“Celine! How are you?” Kinley asked, embracing her good friend.

“I’m good. You?”

“Good but hoping to get out of here and head home. Did you try to beat the rush too?”

“Yeah, I wanted to get something for the girls at the coffee shop, and this is the first chance I’ve had. I just happened to see you when I was heading for the women’s department.”

“I’m glad you did.” Kinley smiled.

“Well, I’ll let you go. I want to get out of here.” Celine laughed.

“Oh, me too. Once I find what I’m looking for, I’m out of here.”

Celine glanced at the boxes of boots before turning back to Kinley.

“So, who are you buying boots for?” Celine raised an eyebrow.

Kinley smiled. “A man I’m falling for. Levi Thomas.”

Celine gasped. “I know Levi. He comes into the coffee shop occasionally. Lucky you.”

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