Page 48 of Levi

“Why not?”

Kinley sighed. “Levi doesn’t drink and I don’t want him to feel left out.” She shrugged. “I don’t need champagne.”

“He doesn’t drink at all?”

“No.”

“I see. Well, good for him. We can have fun without it.” Addison smiled.

Kinley smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’m sure Cody would rather have beer anyway.”

Kinley nodded. She hoped Levi told Cody about his past. She knew he wanted to, but as far as she knew, he hadn’t yet.

****

Thursday morning, Levi sat at his desk in his office, reviewing the payroll for the week. As he studied the numbers on his computer screen, thedoor swung open, and Cody walked in.

“Hey, Cody,” Levi greeted him.

“Levi. Are you busy?” Cody asked.

“Just finishing up with payroll. Did you need something?” Levi replied.

“You are coming to the house for New Year’s Eve, right?”

“Yeah, Kinley and I will be there.”

“Addison wants to have a small gathering. Just us, you and Kinley.”

“That sounds good to me. At least I won’t have to deal with crazy drivers on the roads.”

Cody pulled up a chair and sat across from Levi at his desk. “You said you wanted to talk to me. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I actually wanted to thank you for the cabin and land—” Levi began.

“I already told you it’s no problem,” Cody interrupted with a smile.

“I know, but there’s something about my past that I haven’t shared with you yet, and I feel like I need to.” Levi felt uneasy at the thought of telling his boss.

“Levi, whatever it is, it doesn’t change anything between us,” Cody reassured him.

“Thank you. But please let me explain,” Levi pleaded.

“Of course,” Cody nodded.

Levi took a deep breath and told Cody everything he had told to Kinley.

“I started drinking because...” Levi trailed off, struggling to swallow the lump in his throat. “My father beat my mother to death. He’s in jail now, serving a sentence of twenty-five years to life. And it kills me that he could get out anytimenow. I drank on weekends and quit when I was eighteen because my boss found me passed out and helped me through it. I was close to becoming an alcoholic. Mr. Brown was a recovering alcoholic and knew the signs. He told me I was in what some called a pre-alcoholic stage, there is little evidence of someone being a problem drinker. It’s when alcohol tolerance develops as the person begins drinking more regularly as a coping mechanism for anxiety, stress, or other emotions. I know I should have told you all this when you hired me, but it’s not something I’m proud of. But I haven’t touched alcohol for twenty-five years. I thought it was important for you to know.”

“Wait. I remember you saying you were getting a beer at the engagement party.” Cody stared at him.

“Yeah, I lied about that, and I hated doing it, but I didn’t want to bring up my past with you yet. I planned to tell you, but it seemed like I never got the chance. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“That’s why you were so shocked about us giving you the cabin,” Cody said quietly.

“Yes,” Levi replied with guilt in his voice. “I didn’t feel like I deserved it after all that had happened to me. For close to a year, I lived on the streets.”

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