Levi shook his head. “No thanks, I wasn’t directly invited and don’t like to crash other people’s gatherings.”
Robin whipped out his phone and started texting. Sure enough, about a minute later, Levi’s phone pinged. A texted invite from Mack for Levi to join them for lunch. “You are such a dork.”
“A dork who looks out for my brother. Seriously, though, I do hope things work out with George. He’s a great guy, and you two always look happy when you’re together.”
“Unlike whenever you’re with Shawn and you always look constipated?”
Robin growled softly. “Those are fightin’ words, Peletier.” He lunged, and Levi found himself wrestling with his best friend on the house’s small living room floor. They tickled and pinched like kids having a brawl, neither of them really trying to win, and the entire production made Levi hoot with laughter.
“Okay, uncle,” Levi said. “I was joking. You two are adorable together.”
“That’s better.” Robin stood, then offered Levi his hand for a boost up. “Friends?”
“Nope, you attacked me. We won’t be friends again for exactly five minutes.”
“Now who’s the dork?”
“Still you. I’m defending my pride here.”
Baby came in through the cat door, probably to see what all the fuss was about, and Robin scooped her up. “Your daddy is being silly, little girl.”
“Yes, well, you technically started it.” Levi reached over to scratch under Baby’s chin. “Why am I friends with such a silly man?”
“You keep me around for my charming good looks.”
“You wish.” A head bumped Levi’s ankle and he bent to get Ginger, careful of her injured leg. She instantly began purring. “Hey, princess. Are you jealous?” That got him an adorable chin nuzzle. Then she squirmed until Levi put her down.
She went up the stairs and stood at the top, and she began to yowl. As if sensing someone else wasn’t there who was supposed to be.
Cats know, and she misses George.
“He’ll be back again soon, girl,” Levi said.
“Come on, it’s getting close to lunchtime.” Robin kissed Baby’s head and put her down. “When are you talking to George today?”
Levi led the way out of the house. “This afternoon probably. George wanted to talk to his brother about us and a few other things, and I said he could take his time and call when he was ready.”
“He’s coming out?”
“That’s the plan.” He didn’t know Orry well, and hopefully, the conversation went in George’s favor. He imagined Orry would fully support his twin, but just in case things went badly, Levi would be there for George no matter what.
* * *
Lunch was fun, as was every meal Levi shared at the Garrett-Bentley cabin. Good food, good friendship, and always amusing stories from Wes about his acting adventures, or from Reyes about that week’s guests. No one asked him directly if he and George were dating, but he did get curious looks from Wes and Miles when Reyes talked about the adorable Briggs-King family and their daughter.
Levi would answer if they asked but he wasn’t much on freely sharing certain personal details of his life. He hadn’t even told his own father what Grant had done to him, only that they’d broken up. Dad would love George, and he’d be thrilled Levi was dating again.
“What kind of cookies are you guys baking this afternoon?” Miles asked Shawn.
“We’re doing double-chocolate crinkle cookies,” Shawn replied. Last Christmas, as a way to perk Shawn up when he was missing his late mother, Robin had asked Shawn to teach him how to bake. They ended up doing Nine Days of Cookies, one new cookie each day leading up to Christmas, and they left them in the guesthouse kitchen for all the hands to share. They’d decided to make it a tradition.
“Oooh, yum,” Wes said. “Chocolate cookies. I’m definitely popping down to steal a few.”
“Feel free, they’re for the entire Clean Slate family. Including you, Levi.”
Levi smiled. It warmed him to be considered part of this big, eclectic family. “I appreciate it, thank you. I missed them all last year but I promise to try some this week. I’ve had your food and know they’ll be excellent. Hopefully, you’ve taught Robin a few things.”
Robin mimicked throwing something at his head from the other side of the long table. One of Levi’s favorite things about the cabin was the long, wooden dining table that stood in front of a huge picture window, giving them all a perfect view of the outdoors. The beauty of the land was on full display and always helped Levi feel a little bit freer.
Far away from that hospital room before rehab.
Around one thirty, Levi’s phone rang with George’s assigned ringtone and he grinned. Excused himself from the table, Robin smirking at him the entire time, and went outside to the front porch. He was warm inside despite the chilly air, and he happily answered the call. “Levi Peletier’s answering service. How may I direct your call?”
The joke was worth it for the joyful laughter from George. “Cute. Hi.”
“Hey, yourself. How are you?”
“Great, actually.” He still sounded perfectly upbeat, and that gave Levi hope for a positive conversation with Orry. “I would have called you sooner but I wanted to get caught up on some work, and then Orry and I went out for lunch.”
“I’m glad you got some work—” Wait. “You went out for lunch? As in a restaurant?”
“Sort of. We did pickup from a local place and then ate in the car in the parking lot.”
“How was that?”
“A little nerve-wracking. I can’t remember the last time I walked into a restaurant, even for the five minutes it took to grab our order. But I was around a lot of strangers, both inside and in the parking lot, and I think I was okay. It helped that I was with Orry. He keeps me grounded. Kind of like you do.”
Levi could easily picture his shy smile and leaned against the porch railing. “Good for you. So can I assume your conversation with Orry went well?”
“Super well. Honestly, he was more annoyed that you’re eleven years older than me than he was about me coming out. That surprised me a little but also not really. He’s protective, and you have so much more life experience.”
Of that, Levi was keenly aware, and he worried what George would think of him when he found out how much experience Levi had. “What about Orry’s Thanksgiving lie?”
“He’s dating a girl named Zoey, and he was afraid to tell me because he didn’t want to pressure me to get out of the apartment and try to find a life of my own. I was able to do that all by myself, and he was proud of me. I even suggested the four of us go out on a double date sometime.”