Page 32 of Code of Heart
“You can’t relate to people who spend money on niche services, which makes you biased against them. This is discrimination, and I, for one, amappalled.”
Isaac looked at the ceiling, shaking his head in disbelief. “I wish I could say this is the stupidest argument we’ve ever had, but that would be a lie.”
Owen grinned. “This wasn’t an argument. I very clearly pointed out flaws in your logic.”
Isaac prepared to retaliate, but the oven timer beeped.
As Grace turned to retrieve the lasagna, Owen leapt over the couch, yelling, “Food!” only to trip over the rug and crash to the floor like a felled redwood.
“I feel like I should feel bad for you…But I don’t,” Levi drawled. He took another swig of his beer as he stood from the stool.
“Go on without me,” he groaned dramatically. “Have an extra piece of lasagna in my memory!”
Isaac stepped over him without pause. Grace set the dish on the table as everyone took their seats, ignoring Owen’s theatrical display on the floor.
Levi had missed nights like this. He couldn’t remember the last time he made space for friends. He had systematically allowed work and social obligations to take priority. That needed to change straightaway.
“Sounds like you had a hell of a day,” Ivy said through a mouthful of lasagna after he finished recounting the consultation and assessments.
Owen eyeballed her with exaggerated disgust. “Excuse me, but Grace didn’t pour her heart and soul into this decadent meal for you to let it slosh around your half-opened mouth while you talked.”
Levi silently agreed with Owen. Grace was an incredible cook, and Levi appreciated that she had made his favorite dish without being asked.
Ivy glared at Owen, not bothering to hide the unbridled contempt in her eyes. He sipped his beer completely unbothered.
“As I was saying,” Ivy repeated to Levi, eyes still locked on Owen, “sounds like you had a hell of a day.”
Grace frowned. “Just so I’m clear…you're upset because you aren't as fun and spontaneous as you thought you were?”
“When you say it like that, it makes me sound whiny.”
“Now you're upset because you found out you're whiny too,” Owen added with a sad head shake. “We’ve been planning an intervention about it, but now seems like a good time to do it.”
“You're not boring, Levi…under the right circumstances anyway,” Isaac offered. “Remember that one summer in college, working for that landscaper, when we had to haul off that client’s busted washing machine?”
“I remember Levi saying, ‘let’s push it off a cliff,’ and me immediately agreeing,” Owen laughed. “That was when I realized he was a natural leader.”
“I’m not the one who set that poor landscaper’s truck on fire,” Levi countered, tossing a dinner roll at Owen’s face.
“How didthathappen?” Grace asked as Ivy’s eyes widened.
“That moron was doing burnouts in the truck,” Levi said, nodding at Owen. “He revved it in neutral, slammed it into drive, and the whole thing exploded. We barely made it out before it caught fire.”
“I still have my half-melted driver’s license from the wreckage,” Owen wheezed, doubled over with laughter.
Levi cast a perturbed glance at Isaac. “And what do you mean by ‘under the right circumstances’?”
Isaac shrugged. “You can be spontaneous and adventurous when you let yourself live a little.”
Levi stiffened.
“That’s why we keep saying you’re working too much,” Grace added quietly. “It’s been months since we’ve all sat like this…together.”
Silence fell. Levi nursed his beer, gaze fixed on the basket of dinner rolls. Ivy swirled her wine, staring at the wall. Owen kept eating, glancing at Grace’s plate with interest.
Isaac gently rested a comforting hand on Levi’s shoulder. “I'm saying it because we miss you, that's all. Now, tell us more about this potential match.”
The tension eased a fraction.
