Levi's Blue: A Sexy Southern Romance (8 page)

I look up, and the hostess is on her way back to us, her eyes wide.  “I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to lose you.”

I can tell by the way she glances at Evie that she’s just realized something is off.  Evie isn’t wearing her glasses, but her eyes aren’t
quite
focused on the hostess. It’s clear they aren’t focused on
anything.

The young woman is visibly flustered.  Her gaze is shifting from Evie to me and back again like she has no idea what to do.  I imagine this is the reaction Evie gets from a lot of people.  Probably
most
people.  They treat her differently because she makes them uncomfortable.  She makes them flounder, but not because of anything
she
does, but because of their own lack of experience with disabled people.

“It’s fine. Lead the way,” I tell the girl with a smile, stepping between her and Evie and tugging Evie along behind me.

She holds tight to my hand, and for the first time since I saw her at the showing, I feel a deep pang of sympathy for Evie. Not because she’s disabled, but because of the way everyone else acts when they find out that she is.  No wonder she wanted to be treated like every other woman on the planet. 

We are cautiously making our way in and around the other tables, heading toward ours, when a familiar voice calls my name. 

“Levi!”

I bite back a strong curse by clenching my teeth together.

I know who it is before I even look to the left.  Julianne is rising from her chair at a table for two, moving around it to come right at us.

The hostess, who has been continually looking back to make sure we are still with her, pauses as Julianne grabs my right arm and hauls up to kiss the corner of my mouth.  “I’m so glad I ran into you!  I’ve been wondering what happened to you after the showing.”

“Been busy.”

“Daddy and I just got here,” she says, glancing back at her table.  “It’s just the two of us as well.  Can we join you?” Her eyes stray to Evie, but only briefly, like she’s inconsequential.

“I had reservations for two. I’m sure our table—”

“It’s a four top.  There’s plenty of room,” the hostess supplies with a big smile, like she just did me a huge favor.  It’s the first time all night that I’ve felt like strangling her. 

“See? Plenty of room. Let me get Daddy. He’ll be thrilled to see you.”

Before I can protest, she’s already walking away, which I’m sure she did on purpose so that I couldn’t argue without looking like an ass and embarrassing Evie. Julianne is the type of woman that doesn’t let much stand in the way of her getting what she wants.  I just happen to be the one thing she hasn’t been able to get, but damn if she doesn’t keep trying.

I notice that Evie has become a little stiff as I lead her along when the hostess resumes leading us to our table. I want to explain, but I’m not sure how.  Making excuses might make matters worse. 

Maybe things will go smoothly and it won’t matter.

Maybe.

Maybe Julianne will be on her best behavior in front of her father.

We are seated, Evie across from me, and seconds later, Julianne arrives to claim the seat beside me. Her father, not far behind, sits beside Evie.

He claps me on the shoulder as he passes.  “Michaelson,” he says in his gruff voice.

“Sir.”

“How’s the shipping business?”

“Good. How’s the real estate business?”

“Hopefully recovering.  Who’s your friend?”

“Gerald Pine, this is Evian de Champlain. She’s a local artist.  Evie, this is Gerald and his daughter, Julianne. Old family friends.”

“I’ve known this scamp since he was a scrawny high school kid.”

“He means
brawny
high school kid.”

Gerald booms a laugh.

“So, Ms. de Champlain, an artist? What kind of art are you involved in?”

“I paint,” Evie supplies politely.

“Is there much money to be had in that field?”

“I’ve sold a few,” she replies vaguely.

“Good, good.  Before having to cut off an ear, I see.”

He laughs again, a robust sound that makes Evie flinch almost imperceptibly. 

Thankfully, the waitress arrives to take a drink order.  Without asking, Gerald orders an expensive bottle of red wine for the table.

When she leaves, Julianne is the first to speak.  “Daddy, Evian is the artist Levi and I went to see the other night.  She’s…impaired.”

The way she says it, the way she emphasizes it is insulting. And knowing Julianne like I do, she means for it to be.  She’s nothing if not cool and calculated. But she’s
losing
her cool with Evie, showing her claws in public (and in front of her father) which is very unlike her.

I narrow my eyes on Julianne. Her smile is plastered on, but her eyes are flashing hotly.  I thought her jealousy from the other night was odd, and this I find even more so.  She obviously sees Evie as a threat, which is
also
unlike her.  Julianne doesn’t feel threatened by anyone.

Unless she sees something in the way I look at Evie.

Gerald’s thundering voice interrupts the thought.  “She doesn’t look impaired to me,” he offers, nodding to approve the wine when the sommelier brings a bottle to the table.  

“I’m blind,” Evie explains without hesitation. She says it boldly, her chin rising with her declaration.

“And a painter? How unique.”

“She’s definitely that, Daddy. You should see her work. It’s…something else.  And Levi was kind enough to save her from a dreadful fall at her show. I’m sure she would’ve been humiliated had he not caught her.”

“I’m sure it was no hardship, getting your hands on a beautiful woman, eh, Michaelson?” he asks with another hearty laugh.

“No, sir.  I was quite pleased to help.”

Julianne continues as if we hadn’t interrupted.  “And then to bring her out this way. You’ve always been a big softie, haven’t you, Levi?” Her voice is dripping with condescension.

“If by ‘big softie’ you mean that I enjoy the company of a smart, gorgeous woman, then yes. I’m a big softie.”

“So sweet of you,” she adds, unwilling to let it go. “And what about you, Evian?  Isn’t it nice to get out occasionally?”

I grind my back teeth together.

“Evie’s actually here to help
me. 
Her palate is unmatched. She’s got a great nose, too. I’m sure you’d appreciate that, Gerald. She could probably sniff out a good Cuban faster than you.”

“Mind if I borrow her later?” he asks genially.

We both chuckle, and I hope my compliments ease any tension Evie might be feeling.

“Surely you can find better parlor tricks than that, Daddy,” Julianne interjects.  There’s a venomous edge to her tone that raises my hackles.  “I mean, a blind woman sniffing out cigars?  Don’t they have dogs for that?”

She laughs like she just said something hilarious rather than insulting. 

“Julianne,” I growl warningly.

“What?” Her face is the picture of innocence.  “Surely she can take a joke.  You’ve probably heard all the blind girl jokes, haven’t you, Evian?”

I glance across the table at Evie, who is sitting perfectly still with a small smile etched on her face. If her posture weren’t stiff, I would think her completely unfazed.

But she’s not.

That much is obvious.

“I have, yes.”

“And I’m sure you’d much rather others treat you like one of the crowd rather than some pathetic cripple, wouldn’t you?”

“She’s not a cripple,” I force from between my teeth.

“Of course, she is. It’s a matter of
fact,
Levi, not opinion.  She’s a cripple and cripples—”

“Stop it!” I snap at Julianne, slapping my palm onto the linen-draped table.

Julianne jumps and I glare at her, daring her to finish her sentence. 

I swear to God if she says cripple one more time…

Evie reaches across and unerringly places her fingers over mine.  “It’s fine, Levi.  Really.”

“See? She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.  Mostly,” Julianne says from my left. I don’t even look at her.

“It’s
not
fine. I’m not going to sit here and let her—”

“It’s fine,” Evie reiterates calmly.  “Julianne is right.  I’ve heard it all.  Luckily, I’m not the type to let the baboons at the zoo bother me.  They fling their shit at the glass all the time, too stupid to realize I’ll never get splattered.”

Her tone is even, placid.  Cool.  Her expression, too. She is an iceberg, poised steadily on the surface of the water, but I feel like I know her well enough now to sense the turmoil that’s bubbling underneath. Julianne is chipping away at a crack in the crust and burning hot magma is seeping closer and closer to the top.

“Did you just call me a baboon?” Julianne asks waspishly. 

“I don’t know. Did I? You know how dumb us
cripples
are.”

“You little—”

“How about some more wine?” Gerald cuts in, refilling everyone’s glass.

“Thank you, but I think it’s time we get going. I’ve lost my appetite.”

I scoot my chair back.

I’m done.

Over it.

One more second and I’m liable to throttle the bitchy redhead to my left.

Besides, I’m not going to put Evie through this.  I’ve known Julianne for a lot of years. I know she can be elitist. I know she can be callous. I know she is ruthless when it comes to getting her way, but I never would’ve expected her to be so cruel.  Otherwise, I’d have turned and walked right back out the door when she invited herself to our table.

“Evie, shall we?”

I toss my napkin onto the table before going around to give Evie my hand.  When she stands, we step away from the table and I nod to Gerald.

“I’m sorry, sir. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your meal.”

“No, no. I should be apologizing to you. I don’t know what’s gotten into my daughter.”  He gives Julianne a scathing look.

“I was just
kidding
,” Julianne defends.  “Can’t anyone take a joke?”

I cut her off at the knees, my tone brooking no further comment.

“Don’t. Just don’t.”

“You can’t just
leave
, Levi.”

“Watch me.”

“It was such a pleasure to meet you both,” Evie says as we start off.  I’m sure I’m the only one who hears her whisper as we walk away, “Asshole.”

By the time we reach the front of the restaurant, Evie is practically pushing me out the door. I hear her loud exhale the instant we step out into the humid evening. 

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I don’t even know what else to say.”

“Wow.  Your friends are just … wow.”

“Our fathers know each other. She’s not the kind of woman I actually
enjoy
being around.”

“Then why be around her? She
is
the one you were with at the show, right?”

“She’s…we’ve been…our relationship is complicated yet also very
un
complicated. She knows me. I know her. We get together sometimes when I’m in town. She knows where she stands with me, where
we
stand, and she’s okay with that.”

“You use her for sex.”

“I don’t
use
her, no.  She knows I don’t want anything serious.”

“So, you’re just in it for fun?  Out for a good time?”

I could tell Evie that I am. I could use this as an out, so that she doesn’t get her hopes up about what’s in our future.  I could give her my usual “let’s just enjoy our time together, see where things go, don’t rush it” bit, but for some reason—some reason that I don’t fully understand and don’t want to look too closely at yet—I don’t. I don’t give her the speech. 

I don’t
want
her thinking this is just casual, because it doesn’t
feel
casual. I don’t
want
her thinking I’m just out for a good time with her, not when every second I spend with her seems like so much more than that.

“When I’m with her, yes.  But when I’m with
you
—”

“Let me stop you right there.  Don’t even try to tell me that all of a sudden you want ‘something more’. That you’re suddenly ready for not only a relationship, but an
extremely
complicated one with a woman who’s more trouble than she’s worth.”

“You’re not more trouble than you’re worth.”

She closes her eyes and holds her hands up as she backs away.  “You know what, let’s just call it quits right now. No harm, no foul.  It’s been fun, but I think this has run its course.”

I reach for her, wrapping an arm around her waist before she can back too close to the curb and fall into the street.  “Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to let you do that.”