Sway (19 page)

don’t like that you’re feeling off

balance and that maybe he’s hiding

you from his family. I don’t want you

feeling as if you’re not good enough.

That makes me quite cross with your

Levi.”

“The thing is, I know I’m good

enough. And you know, we go out in

public so it’s not like he’s hiding me

really. He actually”—she paused to

find the right words—“he makes me

feel beautiful. Special. I’m just. God.

I’m being irrational. I hate that.”

“Of all the people I know, the last

word I’d use to describe you is

irrational. Sometimes when we love

someone else it makes us see things

differently. Sometimes we second-

guess what we know is true and

sometimes we’re right. I think you

should talk to him about it.”

This is why she came to Gillian

and Daisy said so.

Gillian grinned at her. “Come on.

You’re staying over. Let’s watch

something scary, eat nachos and have

margaritas.”

“Oh, that sounds so good. I don’t

have to be up until after ten.”

Levi walked into his parents’ front

entry and narrowed his gaze when he

heard Gwen’s voice. He hadn’t

spoken with her in person yet about

the scene she’d made two weeks

before at the Met.

Mal saw him first and steered him

out of the drawing room and into the

hall. “I’m sorry for the other week.

She’d had a few drinks.”

Which only made him angrier.

“Yeah, been there, done that. I’m not

really fond of drunks.”

“Hey! That’s my wife. She was out

of line, but she did it because she

cares.”

“Keep her away from me unless

you want me addressing my concerns

to her in person.”

“She’s concerned for our position

in the community.”

“Over what? My having a steak

with a friend in a public place? Or is

it that my friend isn’t white? We

were raised better than this. Don’t

feed me your bullshit, Mal.
You
might

be content to listen to your wife, but

I’m not.”

“It has nothing to do with her

race.”

“Really? Because from where I’m

standing a different story is being

told.”

“What on earth is going on out

here?” Their mother came out,

looking back and forth between her

sons.

“Nothing I can’t handle. When’s

dinner?”

She narrowed her gaze and Jonah

stepped in, saving him. “Time to

eat.” He inserted himself in between

their mother and Levi and led the

way, holding his arm out for their

mother.

He kept himself away from Gwen,

not

trusting

his

tongue.

The

unfairness, the ugliness of her

behavior burned in Levi’s gut. Daisy

was one of the finest people he knew.

Giving to a fault.

A person like Gwen had no

business judging her.

His mother kept giving him the eye

all through dinner until she finally got

around to it. “So guess who I saw

yesterday?”

“Liesl.” His father gave her the

eye, which she ignored, and Levi’s

stomach tightened, just waiting for

whatever was next.

“Jenny Martrek. She says hello of

course. And Dyan, her daughter? The

one your age, Levi, I’m sure you

remember

her.

Anyway,

she’s

moving back here to Seattle. I told

Jenny you’d be happy to reacquaint

her with the area. I gave her your

card and invited them all to dinner

Sunday.”

“I’m busy on Sunday, actually. I’m

sure Dyan has plenty of people to

squire her around town when she

moves back.” He ate and kept his

gaze down, not wanting to tangle with

his mother but he would if she pushed

it.

A man could only be pushed so

far.

He blinked and cocked his head, but

yes, that was indeed Daisy sitting at a

nearby table with another man.

Her face was animated as she

talked with her hands. The man, all

Levi could see was the back of his

head, nodded and leaned toward her.

Levi sat and waited for her to

notice him, but she didn’t. Finally he

got up to go to the bathroom, which

happened to take him past their table.

She looked up at him and then

smiled. “Levi, I wasn’t expecting to

see you.”

He started to say he bet, but then

he turned and realized her lunch date

was Mark Schneider, the owner of a

gallery on the Eastside.

She stood and he kissed both

cheeks and clasped her hands. “I

don’t want to interrupt. I’m meeting

one of my brothers for lunch in just a

few minutes. Good to see you,

Mark.”

He walked off, feeling better and

also a little like a jerk for thinking

she was out at lunch with someone

else for romantic reasons. He

realized he felt greedy for her. He

liked it better when all that animated

beauty was aimed at him.

And all he had was lunch with

Jonah.

When he returned to his table she

was still chatting with Mark and not

looking his way. Of course, he told

himself, she didn’t look at him

because this was business for her. He

saw her portfolio leaning on the table

leg and made a note to ask her all

about the meeting when he saw her

next.

When they both got up to leave

about twenty minutes later, his

brother finally asked, “What the fuck

are you so distracted by?”

She walked past, still engaged in

conversation but she sent Levi a

quick smile and a wave.

“That’s her, right?” Jonah stared.

“Christ, you weren’t kidding. Why

are you acting like you barely know

her?”

“I’m not acting like I barely know

her. She was having some sort of

business lunch with Mark. I told you,

she’s

an

artist.

He

must

be

considering giving her a show.”

“She’s gorgeous.”

Levi smiled. “Yes.”

“What’s the story then? Clearly

your face tells me this is more than a

casual fuck. And the way you nearly

threw down with Gwen underlines

that too.”

“I like her, I told you that. But

she’s too young and too…everything.

We enjoy each other.” He shrugged.

“You’re a moron. Too everything?

What? Pretty?”

“Tattooed. Artsy.”

“So you buy Gwen’s line about her

not being our kind?”

He clenched his jaw. “No. That’s

not it. It’s not her race. It’s not her

class, though Gwen being a racist

bitch wouldn’t imagine that Daisy’s

father and sister are dentists and her

grandmother is a successful painter.”

“So then what? She’s an artist, a

damned good one from what I can

tell. She’s beautiful. Her body is

holy-shit wow. She’s intelligent and

funny you tell me. She clearly enjoys

your company enough to overlook

your horrid sister-in-law. You’re not

going to take it another step because

she’s got ink and makes art? Because

you collect art, Levi. You love art.

Tell me how this is not a perfect

match?”

He wiped his mouth and tossed his

napkin down, his appetite gone. “Shut

up.”

“You’re forty years old. How long

are you going to flit around with

dumb women who you don’t care

about? Is that your lifestyle now?”

“Is that
your
lifestyle?”

“My lifestyle is a private one. I

also have a teenager I’m doing my

best to raise into a real human being.

Don’t you think she deserves to see

her uncles with women who aren’t

Gwen or her own bitch of a mother?”

“Oh, so it’s my job to do that?”

“Yes. Kelsey was a mistake. You

think you’re the first person who had

a shitty marriage? This woman is the

first I’ve seen you show a real

interest in since you brought Kelsey

home.”

“I don’t want to have this

conversation with you.”

“I know you don’t. And you know

why. Because you’re being a punk

and a coward and making excuses

about it.”

“I haven’t punched you in the face

in a while. It might be time.”

“If you think you can do it, go on

ahead.”

“Um…is there anything else I can

bring you?” The server looked back

and forth between them nervously.

“An espresso please. Don’t worry,

I won’t make him bleed all over

these lovely hardwoods.” Jonah

smiled at her charmingly and Levi

rolled his eyes.

When Levi came over she was on her

front lawn building a snowman with

Miles, Adrian and Gillian’s fourteen-

year-old son.

She waved a mittened hand and

ducked the snowball Miles had

lobbed while her attention was

elsewhere.

He smiled at her and her heart

lifted as it always did when she saw

him. “Hello there. I hope you’re not

going to stand out in the snow in

those shoes.”

Miles wrapped a scarf around the

snowman’s neck.

“Hogwarts

snowman?”

Levi

grinned.

“Do you really think a snowman on

my lawn would be Slytherin?

Puhleeze. Levi, this is Miles, Miles,

this is Levi.”

Miles looked to Daisy carefully

before he smiled at Levi. Sweet boy,

that one.

“I would have worn my snowman-

making shoes if I’d known this was

on the day’s menu.” Levi reached out

and pulled her hat lower to cover her

ears.

“Miles is hanging out with me until

his dad gets back.”

“Mum made him because he drives

back and forth between our house

here and his old place in West

Seattle.” Miles did that one shoulder

shrug his father was so good at and it

made Daisy grin.

“I’m going to run home and grab a

pair of boots suitable for snowman

making. I’ll be back shortly.” He

ducked to kiss her and it made her

happy.

“So who is that guy?” Miles

worked on the second snowman as he

spoke.

It

had

dumped

an

uncharacteristic amount of snow two

days before and it was cold enough

to stick around, though thankfully the

roads were clear.

“That’s my boyfriend.”

“He’s all right. Got a nice car.”

“He totally does have a nice car.

You can’t hear anything when you’re

inside it.”

“Dad says the kind of car a dude

drives says something about him. I

say yeah, it says how much money he

has.”

Daisy laughed and kept packing

snow. “He’s a lawyer so I guess he’s

got a few pennies to spare on a nice

car.” She had a Mini Cooper, which

got her where she needed to go and

was totally cute too. But Levi’s big,

dark, luxury-on-wheels BMW was

another league of vehicle.

“I’m saving now. Only two more

years until I get to drive.”

Daisy loved how despite the fact

that Adrian was a rock star, they

were raising Miles to be down-to-

earth and work for what he wanted.

They talked about cars until Levi

returned

dressed

far

more

appropriately for the weather. She

had to pause and look at him a few

times because he looked so gorgeous.

Boots and jeans, a fisherman’s

sweater and a watch cap pulled

down over his ears. She wanted to

lick him from head to toe.

Levi talked to Miles about school

and his studies and Miles’s shyness

began to wear off as he got used to

Levi. It was lovely. And normal. It

made her happy.

When Adrian came back to pick

Miles up he gave Levi a long look.

She figured Gillian had told him at

least a little, though she knew Gillian

wouldn’t have spilled any secrets,

even to Adrian.

“Adrian Brown, Levi Warner.”

Adrian held his hand out and shook

Levi’s as the two men gave each