Melodies of the Heart: A Pinewood Grove Sweet Romance (6 page)

“Oh,” he said, and by the look on his face she knew she’d said the wrong thing.

“You don’t have to,” she cut in. “I just wanted to be polite and let you know you were welcome. Please don’t feel obligated.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, though the conflicted look never left his face. “How about after church? Unless you have to come back and work.”

“No, we’re closed on Sundays,” she assured him as she tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “But, um, I’d really like that.”

“Cool,” he said, relaxing some. “I’ll let you get back to work. What time should you be free?”

“I should be home around one,” she told him. “We just walk over from the chapel, it’s not that far.”

“One it is,” he told her and then he picked up his bags to leave. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Kassidy’s mouth went dry and all she could do was nod her agreement. She was still young, and she was not as experienced in dating as her friends, but she knew what he meant by that.

It wasn’t until he walked out the door that she managed to whisper, “Me too,” at the now empty bakery.

For the first time in years, Kassidy ached for church to end. Their pastor – a middle aged man named Greg Smythe – was an excellent orator and told great stories, but Kassidy couldn’t force herself to pay attention. All she could think about was seeing Levi after the sermon let out.

She’d worn her Sunday best – a robin’s egg blue dress with cap sleeves and a matching pillbox hat. Pinewood Grove gave the church the respect it deserved and everyone made sure to dress properly for each week’s service, even if most other people had started to slip across the country.

Her outfit was completed with a pair of little white gloves that she had to take off to work Addison’s iPhone when it came time to record her best friend leading the hymns in church. Kassidy liked singing along, but she kept quiet to keep her hands still while she filmed Addison singing
Again the Morn of Gladness
in front of the worshippers.

Addison had a beautiful voice, and normally Kassidy let herself be washed away by the sound of her singing, but she found her thoughts trailing away. Instead of listening to Addison, she wanted to hear Levi singing the hymn in front of the church. Somehow she just knew his voice would lend itself perfectly to the inspirational songs, but he had refused to join her when she’d invited him.

He just doesn’t want a crowd of people knowing he’s here
, she told herself while she filmed.
It’ll be easier for him to keep a low profile if he stays out of sight.

That much was true, but word was already getting around town. She’d heard his name mentioned a couple times as her family had entered church and there was no way it could be a coincidence. People were starting to hear that there was a celebrity in their small town and it was only going to spread more now that everyone was together.

At least she didn’t hear her name connected with Levi’s as the sermon finished and people moved to enjoy coffee and snacks in the church basement. Though she had never developed the taste for the stuff, Kassidy grabbed a cup and talked with her friends while their parents caught up over treats her parents had brought.

She had hoped her friends would act as a shield to protect her from having to talk with Paul again, but the moment he approached their little group, they backed away and left the two of them alone to talk.

“Kass, hey,” Paul said as he strolled up to her. He was wearing a perfectly tailored navy suit and his light brown hair was gelled to perfection. He was a replica of his father, right down to his confident walk. The Larson’s were one of the wealthiest families in town and when she and Paul had dated in high school, everyone made note of what a perfect pair they made.

Everyone save Kassidy herself.

Now they were side by side again, and worse, they had an audience. It wouldn’t be long before rumors of their reconciliation began to float around the congregation.

“Hi Paul,” Kassidy greeted him. “How’s it going?”

“Very well, thank you,” he said, his voice full of confidence and his eyes lingering on hers just a little too long.

His weren’t the only eyes on her. Ever since they’d broken up, Kassidy had to deal with people advising her to give him another chance. They were some weird kind of celebrity couple in town and people just expected them to be together, even though it wasn’t what she wanted. Now that they were talking to each other one on one, several sets of eyes were keeping close watch on them.

“Enjoying the nice weather?” she asked when he didn’t ask her about how she was doing in return.

“It’s good,” he said. “We missed you up at the park yesterday. It would have been nice to get you out there. Little cold for swimming yet, but we had a good time.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But I had to work and then help Mary Alice at Shady Pines. No time for fun, I guess.”

“Well I hope that changes soon,” he told her. “I was hoping to join you for the spring carnival next weekend.”

“Oh yeah,” Kassidy mumbled at the mention of the annual event. Pinewood Grove set it up in mid-May every year, just in time for the college students getting home each summer. It used to be that everyone went, though attendance had dwindled some over the years, but going with Paul would make it clear to everyone that they were dating again. It was an idea that Kassidy did not want anyone to start to imagine.

“I’m not sure if I’m going,” Kassidy lied. “My, um, my mom has a big cake order that day that she needs my help with and I don’t know if I’ll have time.”

“Ah,” Paul said, and Kassidy was about to hope she was off the hook, but then he said, “I see the issue. A few too many eavesdroppers. How about we head outside and talk?”

Part of Kassidy thought that was a good idea. Get the people staring at them to give them a moment alone, but on the other hand, talking to Paul alone might give him the wrong idea.

But being alone meant being away from prying eyes and she decided it was for the best. Better to turn him down without anyone watching. She was sick of her over-percolated cup of coffee anyway and she set it down before she followed Paul outside into the early afternoon sun.

The sun was bright in her eyes and it took a moment for the swirling red and black to fade as her vision adjusted, but when it did she forgot all about Paul.

Up ahead, leaning on the church’s sign announcing service times, was a familiar man wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, aviator sunglasses, and a baseball cap.

If she hadn’t met Levi before, she never would have guessed it was him. The hat and shades did enough to make him look like just another guy, but she knew the truth.

Paul called after her as she walked over to Levi, but she ignored his voice. She knew his pride was too big to follow her and she’d be left alone to talk to the man she would much rather spend her time with.

“Hey,” she greeted him and he took his sunglasses off when she approached.

“Hey,” he replied as he shifted his back to the people who were starting to come out of the church. “You look really nice.”

“Thanks,” she said with a swish of her skirt. “It’s my favorite color.”

“With good reason,” he said, careful to keep his voice down.

“Oh,” she giggled, her cheeks warming again. She struggled to keep her involuntary reaction under control and cleared her throat in an attempt to make her brain stop being so flustered.

“So are you free now?” he asked. “I thought maybe we could go and do something together.”

“Sure,” Kassidy said, but when she looked behind him she saw people watching them and realised that continuing their conversation there was a bad idea. Even her parents were outside now and the look of disappointment was obvious on their faces. “I know where we can go.”

She knew it meant a lecture when she got home, but she needed to live her own life and be her own person. This was what she wanted, and no one was going to respect her if she kept doing whatever everyone else said was best for her.

Not far up the street from the church, the sidewalk ended and the trees encroached upon the sides of the road. Kassidy wasn’t wearing the right shoes for their adventure, but she tried to ignore the blisters that were already forming on her toes as she led Levi down a hidden pathway.

“Where are we going?” he asked her as he reached past her shoulder and pushed a low hanging branch out of her way.

“Nowhere special,” she told him, though that was a bit of a lie. As a girl, she and her friends would head down to the path all the time and play pretend down by the little creek that ran along the edge of town.

The path had gone too long without attention now that the kids spent their time at ShopMart and playing video games, but she still knew the way and Levi followed behind her until they reached a clearing in the brush where the creek widened. There were some fallen logs to serve as benches and hollowed out tree trunks where the kids used to hide snacks and other treasures.

“This doesn’t look like nowhere special,” Levi said as he walked passed her and sat on one of the logs.

“We used to play here as kids,” she said. “It’s a nice, private place.”

“Won’t the kids come down here now?” he asked as he tucked his sunglasses away. “They’re probably itching to have some fun after church.”

“Nah,” she assured him. “They’ll all head to ShopMart or go home to their Xboxes. No one really comes out here anymore. Anyone old enough drives up to the state park where there’s a real beach and fire pits and stuff.”

“Gotcha,” Levi said and Kassidy took a seat behind him on the moss covered log. It wouldn’t be good for her dress, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to be close to him.

“Any word from Murph?” Kassidy asked as she fumbled with her fingers. Her gloves were suddenly too hot, too constricting on her fingers, and she took them off and shoved them in her pocket.

“Not yet,” he told her with a shrug. “So how was bingo last night?”

To her own surprise, Kassidy laughed at that. “It was good,” she told him. “Only one fight broke out.”

“A fight?” Levi asked, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

“Don’t think like some sort of fist fight,” she laughed back. “But there is always someone who accuses someone else of cheating. To be fair, Mr. Grant does cheat a fair bit. They normally just accuse each other of it and then yell across the room until Mary Alice puts her foot down. Once someone even threw a dabber at someone else.”

“And the retirement home still lets you guys do bingo?” he asked her.

“Of course,” Kassidy told him. “Honestly, they love it. The fighting is the best part. They need some excitement in that place and we give it to them. To be honest, Mary Alice riles them up on purpose.”

“I’m not surprised,” Levi laughed at that. “She’s a fun old bird.”

“Well, she had nothing but nice things to say about you,” Kassidy told him.

“Oh?” Levi asked, the laughter stopping.

“Yeah, she thinks you’re pretty okay,” Kassidy told him. In truth, Mary Alice thought Levi was a lot more than okay. While they ran the bingo game, she’d made it clear that she thought very highly of the rock star who was sleeping under her roof. She was the only woman in town who would tell Kassidy that she would be a fool not to go for him, which only made Kassidy love her more.

“Well, tell her I think she’s pretty okay, too,” Levi said. “And so are you.”

“Sorry?” Kassidy asked, though she knew exactly what he meant. Nerves flared up in her belly and she was paralyzed. Even as Levi put his hand on hers, she couldn’t move even though she’d been dreaming about what she knew was about to happen since she first laid eyes on him.

Her heart was pumping hard in her chest as Levi leaned in closer to her. His brown eyes, soft and beautiful, met hers and she so badly wanted what he was about to do. She’d imagined his lips on hers half a hundred times already, but now that it was about to happen, she didn’t know what to do.

The moment was perfect. The babbling creek beside them, the shade of the trees above. The little grove was one of her favorite places in town and she was showing it to someone she truly felt that spark with. He felt it too, that much was clear, and he wanted to kiss her.

But she couldn’t do it. As Levi leaned in, his perfect lips so close to hers, Kassidy forced herself to turn away.

“Is something wrong?” Levi asked, backing off immediately when she moved away from him.

“No,” she lied. “Yes. I don’t know. Levi, I... I want to, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t want to get attached only to have you leave in a few days when your bike gets fixed.”

“I understand,” he said. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he let it go again. “How about I walk you home?”

“Okay,” she said with a nod, but the excited nerves in her belly were already transforming into something else, something darker. Regret and worry filled her as Levi walked with her out of the brush and back toward the bakery.

Luckily, the roads were mostly clear as they walked and he was still wearing his hat. He’d put his sunglasses back on when they reached the road and they walked in awkward quiet until they reached Main Street.

They parted ways when they reached the front door of the bakery and without much more than a, “See you later,” Levi made his way – alone – back toward Mary Alice’s house.