Page 73 of For the Birds

The bell on the front door rang, and my stomach sunk when Levi walked in with my purse in hishand.

Well, crap on a cracker.

“Speak of the devil,” Joe said. He stood and put Muffy on the floor. “Just the man I planned to gosee.”

Muffy stood halfway between the desks, watching Levi with open curiosity.

Levi gave Joe a wary look. “Deputy Simmons.”

Joe grimaced and held out his hand. “Call me Joe. I need to apologize for the way I acted last night. I’m not usuallyso—”

Levi shook his hand and gave him a smile. “Water under the bridge, Deputy.”

“Glad to hear it,” Joesaid.

Levi turned his attention toward me and gave me a warm smile. “Good morning, Rose. I wasn’t sure you’d be here this early, but I decided to take a chance. Your phone was going straight to voicemail, and I figured you’d need your purse.”

“We got an early start,” I said, grateful that Joe was standing behind him, because the expression of utter shock on his face would surely have made Levi start asking questions. I walked over and took the bag from him. “You didn’t have to do this. I could have come and picked itup.”

Levi squatted on the floor and held out a hand toward Muffy. “Hey, Muffy. Rememberme?”

She came over and sniffed his hand, and he began to rub behind herears.

Levi looked up at me. “It was no bother. Besides, I wanted to apologize again for leaving you like that last night.”

A noxious smell suddenly wafted up, and Levi stood abruptly, coughing a little as he waved his hand in front of his face. “We could see about experimenting with Muffy’sdiet.”

“We’ve already tried that,” Neely Kate said. “But we’re sure open to ideas.”

“How’s that poor dog that got hit by a car?” I asked.

“Doing much better, but his surgery took a while, so it’s a good thing you didn’t come to the clinic with me after all.” He glanced at Neely Kate and then back to me. “I’ve got a late start today, so I was wondering if you could get away and walk over to Dena’s for breakfast.”

I grimaced. “I really wish I could, but Neely Kate and I are about to head out with Muffy.”

“Yep.” Neely Kate nodded. “We’ve got a busy day planned.”

Levi stood and gave my legs an appreciative glance. “You wore a dress again today.”

I shrugged. “Neely Kate’s influence.” Literally.

Levi moved closer and lowered his voice. “Are you sure you’re not mad? You’re not acting like yourself.”

“Of course not. I’m sorry,” I said, feeling terrible. He was such a nice guy. Why couldn’t I have feelings for him? “I’m fine. I just have a headache.” I needed to end this, but I certainly couldn’t do it in front of Joe and Neely Kate. Levi deserved better thanthat.

“Did you take something forit?”

It was actually my leg that was throbbing, and I wasn’t supposed to take anything else for a good two hours. “Yeah, but it’s starting to wear off. Don’t worry about me. I’ll befine.”

“The Presbyterian church is having a string quartet come in tomorrow night. They’re playing Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons,’ and I was wondering if you’d like to go,” he said, looking nervous. “The quartet is from Little Rock, not from Magnolia like the one I hear they hosted last year.” He made an exaggerated grimace, then grinned. “I’ve been told it made cats within a half-mile radius howl. When they gave me complimentary tickets, I figured it was because they wanted me there in a professional capacity . . . just incase.”

I forced a smile. He really was great company, and the invitation sounded fun. Still, this wasn’t fair to him. I knew I would have been upset if the situation were reversed—if I’d been seeking out a commitment from him, and he’d left our date to have hours of sex with another woman.

I opened my mouth to decline, but Neely Kate said, “She’d love to. Do you want to pick her up from the office again?”

He shot Neely Kate a surprised glance before turning back to me. “I’d planned to drop her off at the farmhouse last night, and since I’ve never seen it, I was thinking I could pick you up from there. The concert doesn’t start until eight.”

“How about you come early for dinner?” Neely Kate suggested. “Rose is a greatcook.”

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