The Apple Tree (19 page)

Levi crossed the room and placed a hand on Bianca’s back. “Remember that Owen’s been through a lot tonight. Maybe this can be saved for later?” He nodded toward the boy watching from the futon.

A deep breath cleared Bianca’s head and she nodded. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“
No… I-I deserve it.” Her mother mumbled an embarrassed thank you to Levi, and then carried Owen upstairs.

Levi rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean to interfere. I know it’s not my business…”

“
No, you were right.”

His gray eyes held her gaze. “Are you okay?”

She grimaced. “Um, not really. Sorry this is a horrible end to our date.”

He wrapped her in his arms. “Hey, this isn’t your fault. Don’t worry about our date.” His body felt so comfortable. It was warm and like… home.

She clutched the soft fabric of his long sleeved shirt. “Thank you, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been with me.”

He shuddered. “Does your mom have men she hardly knows over a lot?”

“
Yep.”

“
That scares me. It could have been a lot worse, you know. How can I be sure you’re safe?” He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. Worry crept across his face as he held her cheek in his palm.

“
I don’t know.” She bit her lip and ran her hand along the hard muscles of his back. Heat rose in her cheeks as she realized she was practically feeling him up. “Put a lock on my bedroom door and have Owen sleep with me?”

He sighed. “You shouldn’t have to do that. Not in your own house.”

No, she shouldn’t. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

“
You’re tired. You’ll be safe for tonight, so I’ll let you get some rest.”

Stay please. But she couldn’t speak the words out loud. Instead, she nodded.

He stepped back, dropping his arms until he stood in front of her holding her hand. “Despite all this, I’m really glad I got to spend some time with you.”

“
You know, I can think of plenty of foods you probably haven’t tried yet.” Her eyebrows rose and the corner of her mouth turned up.

He grimaced, but humor colored his expression. “I guess I could try more food, as long as I get to see you again.”

“
It’s a deal.” A wide grin spread across her face.

He gave her hand a squeeze and then let go, slowly walking toward the front door. “Bye, Bee.”

Her breath caught at the familiar nickname coming from his lips and she smiled. “Bye.”

S
pending time with Bianca was torture. Incredible, wonderful, sweet torture. Levi took a tomato from the basket on the counter and pulled a knife through the ripe flesh, making even slices. He tossed them on the turkey lying across a thick hunk of whole wheat bread. Bianca would probably laugh if she knew he ate a turkey sandwich for lunch almost every single day. What could he say? He knew what he liked.

He liked sandwiches and he liked Bianca, maybe more than liked in her case. He sighed, tossing a leaf of lettuce on top of the tomatoes. Spending time with her would be perfect and amazing if it weren’t for the dark cloud hovering over their relationship. His secret. What was he supposed to say? Oh, by the way, I’m one hundred and eighty years old. Want to have dinner? He rolled his eyes at the thought, placed the last slice of bread on his sandwich and took a gigantic bite.

He hadn’t cared for Edith half as much as he cared for Bianca and it had still hurt like hell when Edith left. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down on his sofa, taking a swig of the cool, bubbly liquid.

Remembering the way the waitress had examined his ID, Levi pulled the wallet from his back pocket and studied the card. Time to have Wiley make him a new one. The card said he was thirty-six, too old for his appearance.

Wiley had spent his long life learning the ins and outs of the legal system and was a pro at forging paperwork. He gave the entire group new documents every ten to fifteen years. Levi sighed and tossed the wallet on the coffee table.

What was he going to do about Bianca’s mother? Obviously, Bianca felt it was her responsibility to take care of them, which made her all the more endearing, but it would only bring her down. He leaned his head back on the cushion, closing his eyes, the sandwich still in his hand.

He wanted to tell Bianca and Owen to move in with him and be a little family, but that was completely jumping the gun. He hadn’t even kissed her yet, although he’d imagined it, many, many times and in great detail. She’d been so close to him the night before, wrapped in his arms. The scent of sage from their dinner had clung to her skin and invaded his senses. He shuddered remembering the overwhelming need he’d felt to protect her, mixed with the desire to throw her on the futon and take her right there.

He took another gulp of beer, trying to push the thought out of his mind. His mother raised him to be a gentleman. He needed to keep his thoughts pure, that’s what Bianca deserved. Besides, the more time he spent with her, the more likely she’d figure out he was different. She already suspected. He took another bite of his sandwich. At least it seemed like she had forgiven him for the ugly spying episode.

The morning after the incident with Slime-ball, Bianca set a glass of water on her mother’s night stand and then yanked open the purple curtains. “You can’t stay cooped up in here all day. What about work?”

“
I called the store and told them I’m sick. And I can stay here all day. It doesn’t matter anyway. You’re used to having a horrible mother, right?” She flopped over and faced the wall.

Yeah, she was used to it. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Mom, you’re not horrible. You just—”

“
Yes, I am! It’s all my fault. I thought Travis was a nice guy and then he tried to rob us! This never would’ve happened if I hadn’t been drinking.” She pulled the blanket over her face.

Bianca sighed. “I know you love Owen, and I know you love me. But it’s true, you need to stop drinking.”

A muffled sob came from underneath the sheet. “I know, I know.” She sniffed and pulled the blanket down to look at Bianca. “But, I’m scared. Before I started drinking and going out, I was a frump, remember?”

“
You weren’t a frump, you were a good mother. Before…” She looked at her hands as they twisted on her lap. “Before dad left, you used to make dinner and help me with my homework. Remember that cleaning schedule you kept tacked to the fridge? And you sold candles at those house parties and made enough money to buy my prom dress. You were amazing, Mom.”

“
Yeah, so amazing that my husband left me for Barbie.” She sat up and reached for the water. “At least when I go out to the bar and meet a man, it feels like someone wants me. They tell me I’m sexy, and at my age, that’s something I really need to hear.” She took a sip from the glass.

“
I know. I like to hear that at my age too.” The corner of Bianca’s mouth turned up. “But you can be sexy and responsible, at least when it comes to Owen.”

“
I know,” her mother whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“
Come here.” Bianca pulled her in to a hug. “You deserve more than slime-balls like Travis.”

Her mother huffed, but a small smile appeared on her face.

Bianca stood and grabbed an armful of laundry, tossing it into the basket. “I’m going to go check on Owen. Stay up here and rest if you need to.”

Downstairs, she made a snack for Owen and then opened her laptop on the kitchen table. Her blog popped on screen and she groaned. The photos were horrendous. Really, why would anyone want to try her recipes when she didn’t even have an accurate example of how they would turn out? She sighed. Maybe she should take Peter up on his offer. If only she could trust him to keep his hands off her, or trust herself to want him to.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Did she will Peter to her house just by thinking of him? Surely not. She opened the door.

Kate stood on the doorstep dressed in her Papa’s uniform. Bianca breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t ready to face Peter quite yet.

“
Hey, Kate, what’s up?”

“
I was on my way to work, but I wanted to show you this photo I found. It’s crazy! It looks just like your stalker guy.” She held it out to her.

The tall courthouse building rose in the center of the black and white photograph and, on the sidewalk in the bottom right corner, stood a man that looked identical to Levi. At least, what she imagined Levi would look if he put on trousers and a waistcoat. The caption under the photo read,
Benton County Courthouse, 1909
.

“
Crazy, huh? I found it when I was working on my Corvallis history project for school. It must be his great-great-grandfather or something.”

Bianca continued to stare at the photo. “Yeah, crazy… Do you mind if I keep this? I kind of want to show him.”

“
Oh, sure. It’s a copy. You can give it to him if he wants.” She waved her hand. “Anyhoo, I have to get to work. I just wanted to drop that off, before I forgot.”

“
Okay, thanks.” Bianca waved goodbye, still looking at the photo. Her mind leapt to the day he’d cut, or not cut, his finger at Papa’s. Something was different about him, but she couldn’t make her mind fit all the pieces together. She closed the door and sat on the futon, still holding the photo.

Maybe his family had some rare genetic thing where they looked exactly like each other each generation, like a doppelganger. Was that even possible? And he also had a rare clotting disorder that caused him to heal quickly? She rubbed her forehead, a headache coming on. Maybe it was all nothing and she was being ridiculous. That was probably the most likely answer. She placed the photo in the mail basket, on the kitchen counter. She’d ask him about it the next time she saw him.

B
ianca pondered her blog situation for a few days. Her photography skills were a real handicap, and not likely to improve anytime soon. Peter's offer probably still stood and she reluctantly texted him asking for help, even though he'd surely take it as anything but platonic.

Barely a minute passed before the phone buzzed with his reply.
My pleasure. Be right over.