Flight (19 page)

“
What?” I was sure my mouth was hanging open.

“
How thoughtful, that would have been nice.”

“
My parents know all about Allie and are so excited to meet her.” Levi challenged me with his stare.

“
It’s nice to hear you are close to your parents. I think communication between a parent and child is of extreme importance.” Mom’s glare let me know I was in deeper trouble. Mom was okay with the omission when things were casual, but Levi was acting like we were moving in together or something.

“
Well, I’d like to meet your parents, Levi. Just name the time and place,” Dad said.

“
I will. My parents will be thrilled.”

“
Excuse me.” Throwing my napkin down on the table, I pushed back my chair and headed for the bathroom. I couldn’t believe Levi was playing this game. Why did he care that I didn’t mention him? It was just a summer fling, right?

After taking a moment to get my anger in check I returned to the table with a huge smile plastered on my face. “Honey, we’re going to be late, aren’t we?”

“
For what?” Levi asked, watching me closely as I sat down.

“
That thing we just couldn’t miss.” I shot Levi a look to kill and he got the hint.

“
Oh yeah.”

“
Well, we don’t want to keep you kids, let’s get the check,” Dad said.

Ten minutes later we headed for the door and noticed the torrential rainstorm.

“
I didn’t know it was going to rain,” Mom said as we got ready to venture out.

“
It’s just how things are here. It can go from a clear sky to a storm in minutes,” I explained as if I was the resident New Orleans expert.

“
We might as well get it over with,” Dad said.

“
Okay, thanks for dinner. I won’t be back too late, Mom.”

“
All right, have a nice night you two.” Mom waved before dashing out.

As soon as my parents disappeared around the corner, I walked out into the rain pulling Levi with me.

“
What the hell was all of that? What are you playing at?”

“
What am I playing at? I can’t believe you didn’t tell your parents about me!”

“
What the heck was I supposed to tell them? It’s not like we’re officially together or anything.”

“
Not officially together? You mean I’ve been staying away from other girls all summer just for the fun of it?”

The rain pouring down only accentuated the anger on Levi’s face.

“
It’s not like I’ve been with anyone else either.”

“
Then what are we arguing about? That we’re both too stubborn to admit we actually have something here?”

“
What does it matter? I mean it’s already August—”

“
Just stop. I know what the problem is.”

“
Care to enlighten me?” Already soaked to the bone, I could hardly contain my anger.

Levi came out of left field. “Let me take you out on a real date.”

“
Seriously? That’s your response? And what separates a real date from anything else?”

“
Dinner, wine, nice clothes. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

I paused, fleetingly wondering if I really wanted to say no even if I had the willpower to resist him. I admitted defeat, “Fine.”

“
So Friday night at seven?”

“
Okay. Are we done here ‘cause this rain is getting old and—”

With the rain enveloping us, Levi interrupted me with a kiss. Holding back for a moment, I couldn’t resist any longer. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to my level. A honking car brought us back to reality and he pulled away from me slowly, his gaze heated.

“
I guess I should get you out of the rain.”

“
You mean us?”

“
No, just you. The rain doesn’t bother me much.”

“
Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“
With me babe, the surprises never end.” With an arm draped over my shoulders, he led me back to the hotel.

***

“
That was fast,” Mom said as I walked into the room.

“
Yeah, we decided not to go.”

“
Probably for the best, considering you’re drenched.” She tried to hide a small smile.

“
Good point. I’m going to go dry off.”

“
Do that. But Allie?”

“
Yeah?” I asked as I headed to my room.

“
I think I like him for you.”

“
What does that mean?”

“
You could do worse. Much worse.”

“
It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving soon anyway.”

“
Not everything in life is black and white. Sometimes the best parts are gray. Just remember that not everything can fit into one your neat little boxes.”

“
My neat little boxes?”

She laughed lightly. “Just think about it.”

“
Okay. If you are done philosophizing, I’m going to change.”

Mom left the next morning and I couldn’t get her words out of my head. I wasn’t completely sure what she was getting at, but I was determined not to let the fact that I was leaving get in the way of the time we did have. In just the last few months both my mom and best friend had accused me of being unable to color outside the lines, and by God I was going to prove them wrong.

Chapter
Fourteen

The dress demanded to be worn. Determined to wear something completely different from the bright colored sundresses that filled most of my closet, the short, black, and lacy dress I bought with Hailey called out to me. Slipping into the little black dress, I wondered what Levi had planned for the night.

I used more dramatic makeup than usual and put on a new pair of kitten heel pumps. Leaving my hair down, I was ready just as Levi knocked.

“
Hello there gorgeous,” Levi gaped at me unabashedly.

“
You don’t look so bad yourself.” Levi looked great in a dress shirt and khakis.

“
You ready?”

“
Definitely.”

He took my hand as we boarded the elevator, smiling at me in a way that gave me chills.

“
Are you cold?”

“
No.”

“
Does that mean I’m the cause of the goose bumps?”

“
Maybe,” I said coyly.

“
Nice.” He gave me one of his devastating toothy grins.

An older couple entered the elevator one floor down, disrupting our conversation.

“
Celebrating something special tonight?” the woman asked.

“
No, just a night out,” I answered.

“
There is always something worth celebrating,” she continued.

“
Right,” I said as the elevator door opened up at the lobby. “Have a nice night.”

“
You too,” she smiled.

We walked out into the sticky heat of the night, headed for dinner.

Levi squeezed my hand. “You were wrong, you know.”

“
About what?”

“
We are celebrating tonight.”

“
Oh yeah? What are we celebrating exactly?”

“
We’re celebrating you,” he stopped walking to place a hand over my heart, “and me, and an amazing summer.”

“
All things worth celebrating.”

We walked the rest of the way to the restaurant in near silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Usually Levi felt the need to fill every second with conversation, and it was a nice change to just exist.

The ambiance at Antoine’s was perfect. Seated at a corner table, I was struck by the beauty of the historic restaurant. With a menu of French-Creole food, Levi had picked the perfect place.

The waiter approached our table shortly after we sat down. “Welcome to Antoine’s. Can I get you something to drink?”

“
Yes, we’ll have the 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild.” Levi ordered without glancing at the wine menu.

“
Nice choice, I will be back with it shortly.” By the expression on the waiter’s face I knew it must be really expensive.

“
So you know a lot about wine?” I asked.

“
You could say that.” He smiled.

“
What do you mean?”

“
My family is originally from France, and we still have some vineyards in Bordeaux.”

“
Oh, wow. That’s really cool.”

“
Yeah, it’s a very beautiful area; we’ll have to visit sometime.”

The waiter returned with the wine and I watched as Levi got serious when he tasted it. “Yes, perfect, thank you.”

This really was a different side of Levi, and I liked it.

After the waiter retreated, Levi held up his glass reminding me of the night we toasted with coffee.

“
To a truly amazing summer and to many more celebrations,” Levi said lightly before we clinked glasses.

He watched me intently as I took a sip. “What do you think?”

“
Wow, that’s really smooth.” Even with my limited experience with wine, I knew this was a good one.

“
I thought it was perfect for tonight.”

I smiled, picking up a menu.

“
You don’t need that.” Levi took the menu from my hands placing it on the table next to me. The waiter appeared immediately.

“
Are you ready to order?”

“
Yes. We’ll start with the huîtres a la Rockefeller and escargot la bordelaise. Then we’ll both have the Chateaubriand.”

Prepared to argue with his presumption that he could order for me, I stopped myself realizing that if he was even half as good at ordering dinner as he was at picking wine, I was in good hands.

Finishing my first glass of wine right as the appetizers arrived, Levi refilled my glass.

“
Okay, the Oysters Rockefeller are incredible,” I said between bites.

“
The dish was invented here.”

“
Really? That’s cool.”

The rest of the meal was equally as good. We shared an entrée designed for two, and there was something intimate about sharing with him that just added to the setting.

“
I have something for you.” Levi glanced at me nervously, an expression that looked wrong on his face. I didn’t like it.

“
Really? You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“
It’s actually a family piece but it was made for you.”

“
Levi… I can’t take anything like that.”

“
Shh. Just let me enjoy giving it to you, okay?”

“
Okay.” I smiled.

He pulled out a small box from his pocket and my breath hitched, Levi didn’t seem like the jewelry type.

He gently opened the box, pulling out a small ring covered in tiny rubies. Before I could even react, he slid the gorgeous ring on my left hand. “Perfect.” He smiled contently, all evidence of nerves gone.

“
Levi, it’s beautiful, but I can’t take it.” I moved to remove it from my finger, but he stopped me.

“
It looks perfect, doesn’t it? Do you like it?”

“
I love it. Red is my favorite color, you know.”

“
I know.”

I wasn’t completely comfortable wearing a ring on my left ring finger but I didn’t want to insult him by moving it. It wasn’t like he had proposed or anything, it was just a gift and making a big deal out of it would just ruin the night.

“
Thank you. It’s beautiful and I’ll treasure it.”

“
I’m glad.”

Overwhelmed by the gift I let the words on my mind slip out. “I can’t believe the summer is almost over, it went so fast.”

“
Entirely too fast.”

“
So what happens now? Or when I leave?” I bit my tongue, hoping I hadn’t just spoiled the evening.

“
We’ll make it work.”