Page 7 of Levi

“To get a tree?”

“Yes! At least I’ll spend some time with him. Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to go out with him?”

“Uh, hello! I believe I do. The first time you saw him was at mine and Cody’s engagement party, but you didn’t meet him, then at Thanksgiving when he showed up, I thought you needed mouth to mouth.”

“Yes, preferably, his.” Kinley laughed. “God! He smells so good.”

Addison laughed. Kinley knew her best friend would support her no matter what. If she was heading for a heartache, she’d get through it with the help of Addison. Same as she’d do for her.

It was Saturday, and Levi was picking her up today to go pick out a Christmas tree. Kinley couldn’t wait to spend the day with him. However, her excitement faltered when she thought about what could possibly go wrong.

“What if today is terrible?” she asked, looking nervously at her friend Addison.

“Then you’ll know it’s not meant to be,” Addison replied nonchalantly.

Kinley shook her head. “Please don’t say that. I’ve been looking forward to this for days.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have said that,” Addison sighed. “But if things don’t work out between you two, then it’s just the way it is. Just because you find him so attractive doesn’t mean it will work out between you. There are good-looking men who are jerks.”

“I know, but you were lucky with Cody.”

“Yeah, I was. And if it doesn’t work out for you with Levi, just move on. Don’t waste your time.”

Kinley nodded in agreement. “You’re right. It will be disappointing, but if it’s not meant to be...”

At noon, they locked up the store and stepped outside into the crisp winter air.

“At least it’s a nice day; cold but sunny,” Addison remarked as they parted ways.

Kinley smiled and waved goodbye before climbing into her car and making the short drive home. She lived in a cozy townhouse in a quiet neighborhood. Her previous neighbor, Abbie Wells, had moved after getting married, so Abbie had rented out her unit to Celine Nelson, who owned the local coffee shop. Kinley and Celine became friends since their first meeting. Kinley had bought her home three years ago after her divorce.

“What a mistake that marriage was,” she muttered as she parked in the driveway of her house.

After grabbing the cat food from the backseat, she unlocked the door and entered the warm comfort of her home. She called out for her cat and entered the kitchen, where she filled the dishes with food and water. As soon as she opened the can, Tootsie appeared and began purring at her feet.

“You’re only nice to me when I have food, huh?” Kinley joked as she knelt to pet her. She smiled when the cat wrapped around her legs then stuck her head in the dish of food.

Kinley then rushed upstairs to change out ofher work clothes and into something more casual. She and Addison both wore scrubs at the pharmacy because they were more comfortable than wearing jeans. Levi would be here in less than an hour, and she wanted to look nice for their outing. She settled on a pair of jeans and a cozy blue sweater from her closet, then pulled on her snow boots.

Kinley slipped into the bathroom to touch up her makeup. As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her excitement to see Levi.

“Don’t get your heart broken,” she warned herself.

After dressing, she headed down to the living room, settling onto the sofa to wait. At one o’clock, she heard a vehicle pull up outside and held her breath. A truck door slammed, followed by a ring of the doorbell.Oh boy, stay calm. Breathe.

With a deep breath, Kinley opened the door and couldn’t help but smile when she saw Levi standing there. He grinned back at her, making her heart skip a beat.

“Come in, Levi.”

He removed his hat, wiped his feet on the welcome mat, and stepped inside.

“Thanks. This is a nice neighborhood.”

“I like it. Sometimes.”

“Oh? Just sometimes?”

“Yeah, Mrs. Smith who lives two units to the left of me keeps a close eye on everything.”

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