Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella (17 page)

Levi took a deep breath and headed in to the living room.

“Welcome home.”

“Levi.”

Joe grinned at him and Levi realized how nice it was to have someone happy to see him.

“Levi!” Phoebe came in behind Joe, carrying Kaelyn.

Levi reached for the baby who readily came into his arms. “Hi, beautiful,” he said, planting a kiss on her chubby cheek.

He helped them get everything into the house and then, at Phoebe’s insistence, he settled at the kitchen table while she got Kaelyn something to eat.

Phoebe put Kaelyn in her highchair, swept over to the fridge and retrieved a plastic container of something that she heated in the microwave, stirred, tested and heated for another ten seconds. The entire time she talked, she told him about how beautiful DC had been all decorated for Christmas, how Kaelyn had slept through the night at her mom’s house and how she hoped that carried over to home now, and how she had to still make two salads for the Christmas formal.

“Salads for the formal?” Levi finally interrupted.

“It’s potluck.”

He looked at her. “What does that mean?”

“We’re all bringing food in and everyone will share.”

“I know what a potluck is,” Levi told her, though he’d never been to one. “Why are you doing a potluck at a formal ball? Isn’t that kind of a church-supper thing or a barbecue thing?”

Phoebe laughed. “This is Sapphire Falls. We don’t exactly have a catering company that can serve us a formal sit-down dinner. Plus, people here don’t mind. It’s the first formal. People are just excited to see Lauren’s fancy decorations and have the chance to get dressed up and stuff.”

Levi thought about that. A fancy sit-down dinner for the people of Sapphire Falls? How hard could that be?

He pulled his phone out and texted his assistant, Cora. She’d investigate the closest companies, the cost of a dinner like that and how much extra it would be to get them to Sapphire Falls with only a day’s notice.

“Don’t make any salads,” Levi told her after Kaelyn was cleaned up and down for her nap.

“Why not? You think I should do a hot dish?” she asked. “I thought of that too, but it’s a lot more work.”

“I’m bringing a catering company in for a fancy sit-down dinner,” Levi said. “How many people?”

Phoebe stared at him. “What did you say?”

“I’m catering the dinner. Well, I’m paying someone to do it.”

“For the whole town?”

“Please. We could fit this tiny town on the floor of one of our casinos,” Levi teased. “I mean, everyone would have to cuddle, but they would fit. And people here probably don’t mind cuddling.”

“You can’t…that’s impossible…that will cost a fortune.”

“Good thing I have a fortune.”

Joe came into the kitchen and leaned over to kiss Phoebe and then helped himself to coffee.

“Levi is paying for a fancy sit-down dinner for the Christmas formal,” Phoebe told him.

Joe leaned back against the counter next to the coffee pot. “That’s awesome.”

“That’s ridiculous. It’s too much,” Phoebe exclaimed.

Joe laughed. “Levi doesn’t understand the words
too much
,
babe. Let him do it.”

He met Levi’s eyes and Levi had a feeling that his brother understood something had happened that made him want to do this for Sapphire Falls.

“Let him…” Phoebe turned back to Levi. “Really?”

“Really. It’s all set up. I just need to give Cora a head count.”

Phoebe sighed. “I’ll call Lauren and get it.”

Levi felt a surge of satisfaction. Kate had asked him what he was going to do here and he hadn’t known how to answer. She’d meant as a job, he knew, but he wasn’t in need of a job. What he did do for the family business could be handled remotely with occasional trips to Vegas or their other sites. The reason for living in Vegas had been all about the parties.

But what was he going to do here? Besides relax, recover and become a better man?

Become an even better man. He could work on community development, marketing for tourism, and he could provide funding for community projects along with continuing to support IAS.

He was fine. He was going to make a home in Sapphire Falls. He was going to adjust to no food delivery and everything shutting down at ten p.m. on the weekdays. It might take a little time, but he’d do it.

Kate was just going to have to accept that.

“I need to go,” he said, pushing back from the table and standing.

“Where are you off to?”

“I need to find a gorgeous blonde and convince her I’m not crazy.”

Joe nodded. “You’re sure that you’re not?”

“I am.” And he was for maybe the first time ever.

“I assume you’re talking about Kate?” Phoebe asked. “Not just some random gorgeous blonde.”

“I’m done with random gorgeous blondes,” Levi said. “And brunettes, redheads and anything else,” he added before they could ask.

“That was fast,” Joe said mildly.

“Fast but not crazy,” Levi agreed.

“Where is she right now?” Phoebe asked.

“On her way back to San Francisco.” He looked at the clock. “She’ll be getting to Denver in about thirty minutes.”

“San Francisco?” Phoebe asked, clearly alarmed that she hadn’t known her friend had left town. “I thought she was downtown getting a pedicure or something. Why is she going home?”

“Because in her life, happiness and fun have always covered other things up. She didn’t want to dig down through the happiness and fun here to find out what it was covering.”

Joe and Phoebe both looked startled by his insightful answer.

“And what’s underneath it here?” Phoebe asked.

“More happiness and fun,” Levi said.

Phoebe seemed to like that answer.

Joe, on the other hand, said, “Sapphire Falls isn’t perfect, Levi. It’s not
all
happiness and fun.”

“Yeah, well, good thing Kate’s happiness isn’t about Sapphire Falls then.” Levi started for the door.

“It’s about you?” Joe asked.

“Damn right.”

“What about your cold, black soul?”

Levi shrugged. “I’m thinking it might be kind of an ecru at this point.”

Joe laughed. “I’ve always thought so. You know, deep down underneath. Way deep down.”

Levi grinned and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Hi, Chris,” he greeted his pilot a moment later. “I’m going to need the helicopter. And a way to keep hot cocoa hot. And the biggest candy cane you can find.”

Chris didn’t hesitate. Requests like this weren’t that uncommon from Levi. “Where am I picking you up?” he asked.

“You have coordinates for Joe’s house?”

“Yep.”

“He’s got a pasture. That should work right?”

“Joe’s got a pasture?” Chris asked.

Levi laughed. “And a barn.”

“Well, this I’ve got to see.”

Layovers sucked.

She had nothing against Denver as a city or even the Denver airport, but she really did hate four hours of sitting around. Because that was four hours where she couldn’t throw herself into work or wallow on her couch with Netflix. Which meant it was four hours of thinking…and feeling.

She was so tired of thinking and feeling. She’d been second-guessing leaving. She’d been missing Levi. She’d been regretting not taking photos of Sapphire Falls.

She sighed, slumped down in her chair in the gate area, tipped her head back and closed her eyes.

“I’ve decided that Sapphire Falls is
more
real than anywhere else on earth, and I thought you should know.”

Her head came up so fast at the familiar voice that she felt her neck muscles cramp.

Now she
had
to be dreaming.

Levi stood in front of her in the crowded gate area.

He was carrying a candy cane that was as tall as he was.

“
That
is never going to work,” she said, straightening fully.

He gave her a wicked grin and handed her a hot chocolate. It was in a plain white Styrofoam cup with a plain white plastic lid. No way had he gotten this in the airport. Any store here would have their logo stamped all over it.

“What’s this?”

“A reminder of how simply this all started,” he said.

He’d brought her hot chocolate from Sapphire Falls. Kate swallowed hard and pressed her lips together. When she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to sob, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been thinking about your note.”

She winced. She knew it wasn’t cool to only leave a note behind.

“And,” he went on, “I was watching Joe and Phoebe at home. Feeding their daughter, cleaning up spilled milk, rocking her to sleep, talking about groceries and the formal. And I realized something…Sapphire Falls is as real as it gets. Family, home, love, neighbors, taking care of each other, that’s all real. People wanting to have a formal so badly they’re willing to do it potluck, that’s real. Serving hot chocolate in the town square to raise money for the nursing home residents, that’s
real
, Katie.” He moved in closer to her.

Neither of them paid any attention to the people around them.

It was just the two of them in this moment.

Kate had to remind herself to breathe.

“You and I don’t know real life. We haven’t had to struggle financially. Neither of us have parents who would do anything for us. Neither of us have fallen in love. We haven’t had a normal Christmas or, probably, a very normal anything else. But Sapphire Falls can teach us about normal and real.”

Oh my God. She loved this. She loved everything he was saying. She loved his voice, the earnest look on his face…him.

She probably loved him.

She wasn’t quite ready to say that for sure, but…yeah, probably.

“I don’t know if I can just pick up and—”

“I know,” he said. “I know you can’t just move to Sapphire Falls now. I totally get that. And I know that you can’t know for sure that you’re in love with me yet either.”

She wanted to protest. She really did. She wanted to assure him that she
did
love him, that she wanted everything he was saying, but it was too fast, too crazy, too soon.

He went to one knee in front of her and her eyes widened.

He’s going to propose! Oh my God.

And in that moment, she knew that she would say yes.

“So take your time,” he said. “Take longer to fall in love with me if you need to. That’s fine. Just don’t stop falling in love with me once Christmas is over.”

Kate felt the tears fill her eyes. Her hands flew to cover her mouth.

That was the best thing anyone had ever said to her.

Finally, she nodded, sniffed and lowered her hands. “Okay. I promise not to stop. Maybe ever.”

The grin he gave her shot straight through her heart. Like Cupid’s arrow.

Wrong holiday, but she liked the idea.

She leaned forward and threw her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe you came after me.”

He chuckled. “No one can.” He gathered her close and stood up. They were pressed together, nose to toes, and he kissed her. It was everything it always had been—hot, sweet, sexy, bold—but there was something else there, something that she finally let herself believe…magic. There was still magic in his kiss and there was no Sapphire Falls air around them, no mistletoe, no cranberry Booze buzzing through her bloodstream.

It was real.

“So let’s go to San Francisco,” he said, when he finally released her lips.

“You’re coming with me?” she asked, pulling back slightly and dashing the tears from her cheeks.

“Of course. There’s no way you’re spending Christmas without me.”

“You’ll be there for Christmas?” she asked.

“Every Christmas for the rest of your life if you’ll let me,” he told her solemnly.

Her heart turned over in her chest. That sounded damn good.

“But I can’t move to California right now,” he said. “I’m spending a year in Sapphire Falls. I told myself and Joe that I would, and it’s time for me to start following through on my good intentions.”

“So we’ll try a long-distance relationship for a while,” she said, trying to sound confident about it. Those were hard. But if the alternative was
not
being with Levi, she’d handle the distance thing.

“Well, yeah,” he said with a shrug. “I have a private plane and a helicopter. I can be in San Francisco within a few hours. It won’t be a normal long-distance relationship.”

She laughed and hugged him again. “We’ll work up to the normal-life stuff.”

He squeezed her, leaned back and pulled something from his coat pocket. “By the way, you left this behind.”

He handed her the Sapphire Falls ornament.

Her eyes misted again. “I tried,” she said, taking it from him. “But it really is impossible once you’ve been there.” She knew that he knew she was talking about more than the ornament.