Page 55 of Getting Wrapped Up

Levi took a deep breath and headed in to the living room.

“Welcome home.”

“Levi.”

Joe grinned at him and Levi realized how nice it was to have someone happy to see him.

“Levi!” Phoebe came in behind Joe, carrying Kaelyn.

Levi reached for the baby who readily came into his arms. “Hi, beautiful,” he said, planting a kiss on her chubby cheek.

He helped them get everything into the house and then, at Phoebe’s insistence, he settled at the kitchen table while she got Kaelyn something to eat.

Phoebe put Kaelyn in her highchair, swept over to the fridge and retrieved a plastic container of something that she heated in the microwave, stirred, tested and heated for another ten seconds. The entire time she talked, she told him about how beautiful DC had been all decorated for Christmas, how Kaelyn had slept through the night at her mom’s house and how she hoped that carried over to home now, and how she had to still make two salads for the Christmas formal.

“Salads for the formal?” Levi finally interrupted.

“It’s potluck.”

He looked at her. “What does that mean?”

“We’re all bringing food in and everyone will share.”

“I know what a potluck is,” Levi told her, though he’d never been to one. “Why are you doing a potluck at a formal ball? Isn’t that kind of a church-supper thing or a barbecue thing?”

Phoebe laughed. “This is Sapphire Falls. We don’t exactly have a catering company that can serve us a formal sit-down dinner. Plus, people here don’t mind. It’s the first formal. People are just excited to see Lauren’s fancy decorations and have the chance to get dressed up and stuff.”

Levi thought about that. A fancy sit-down dinner for the people of Sapphire Falls? How hard could that be?

He pulled his phone out and texted his assistant, Cora. She’d investigate the closest companies, the cost of a dinner like that and how much extra it would be to get them to Sapphire Falls with only a day’s notice.

“Don’t make any salads,” Levi told her after Kaelyn was cleaned up and down for her nap.

“Why not? You think I should do a hot dish?” she asked. “I thought of that too, but it’s a lot more work.”

“I’m bringing a catering company in for a fancy sit-down dinner,” Levi said. “How many people?”

Phoebe stared at him. “What did you say?”

“I’m catering the dinner. Well, I’m paying someone to do it.”

“For the whole town?”

“Please. We could fit this tiny town on the floor of one of our casinos,” Levi teased. “I mean, everyone would have to cuddle, but they would fit. And people here probably don’t mind cuddling.”

“You can’t…that’s impossible…that will cost a fortune.”

“Good thing I have a fortune.”

Joe came into the kitchen and leaned over to kiss Phoebe and then helped himself to coffee.

“Levi is paying for a fancy sit-down dinner for the Christmas formal,” Phoebe told him.

Joe leaned back against the counter next to the coffee pot. “That’s awesome.”

“That’s ridiculous. It’s too much,” Phoebe exclaimed.

Joe laughed. “Levi doesn’t understand the wordstoo much,babe. Let him do it.”

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