worry.
“Oh, honey, yes, I do. He’s, uh...he’s in there.” Faith nodded back at her place.
“I called him last night, but he didn’t pick up,” she said.
“Shoot. I— He’s...sleeping.”
Sarah’s expression changed from worried to astonished. “Holy heck,” she said. “Did you guys do it? Are you sleeping together?”
“Um...maybe your brother should answer that.”
“You are! You’re doing my brother. OMG, where’s my phone? I have to tweet this.”
“Calm down, Sarah,” came Levi’s voice. The man himself came out of her apartment, his dress shirt untucked. “If you tweet this, you’re dead.”
“Dude, I’m completely supportive. Faith is much nicer than G.I. Jane. I approve.”
“Super,” Levi said. Faith smiled at Sarah, grateful. Always good to have family on your side.
Levi tucked in his shirt. Too bad. He looked better naked. “What are you doing home, anyway?” he asked his sister.
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Levi! This was the weekend you allowed me to come back, remember? The weekend I wasn’t forbidden to come.”
Levi took a short breath, held it, and then said, “Right. So get inside and stop bothering Faith. I’ll be right there.”
“I’m not bothering her,” Sarah said. “We’re bonding. In case I’m gonna be an aunt sometime soon.”
“Sarah. Go. Inside. Now.” There was a fascinating knot in his jaw. His sister obeyed, pulling a face at Faith as the door closed.
“Don’t be mad at her,” Faith said.
“I’m not,” he said. Jamming his hands in his pockets and ignoring Blue’s whimpers of adoration, Levi finally looked at her. “Hi,” he said, his voice just a soft scrape.
A two-letter word, and she was a mushy puddle. “Hi,” she whispered.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Fine. How are you?”
His eyes dropped to her mouth. “Also fine. But I have to go.” He looked as somber as somber got.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you.”
“Yes. As we live not too far from each other.” She bit down on a smile.
“Right.” Only then did he seem to realize she was joking, which he acknowledged with a raised eyebrow. Then he grabbed her, eliciting a squeak, and gave her a hard, fierce kiss, and before she could even respond, let her go. “See you around, neighbor.”
With that, he was gone.
* * *
“YOU HOT BITCH,” Colleen breathed the next evening, her eyes full of admiration. “You slept with Levi Cooper? Get outta town! Tell me everything. How many times did you—”
“Okay, whoa. Easy, girl.” Faith sat back in her seat at O’Rourke’s, which had just opened. She hadn’t seen Levi since The Night, though she’d smelled chocolate again at three this morning. Today, though, his car wasn’t at the station or in back of the Opera House, so she assumed he’d driven his sister back to school. Not that she was stalking, though, yes, she had just followed Sarah Cooper on Twitter.
“I want every detail,” Colleen said. “You owe it to me. My friend got it on! I’m so happy!”
“Yay! But could you just lower your voice a teensy bit? That’d be great.”
“No one’s here, pet.”
“Your brother might come in any second.”
“He doesn’t count. Right, Connor?”
“That’s right.” Connor appeared from the kitchen. “Hi, Faith. Glad you’re getting some.”
“Thanks, Con. And thank you, Colleen, for not telling me your brother was lurking.”
“What color dress should I pick out for the wedding?” Colleen asked. “You definitely owe me another gig as maid of honor, since Jeremy ripped me off the first time.”
“You know what? He’s the—” Faith looked around (the early crowd was trickling in) and lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s only the second man I’ve slept with. So let’s just slow things down.”
“I know he’s the second,” Colleen said. “That’s my fault. I regret buying you adult toys.”
“Shh! Come on! I don’t want your brother to know all this stuff!”
“Well, it’s true,” her friend said, taking a long pull of coffee. “I’m sure you would’ve gotten laid long before now. Three years is too long.”
“I’d have to agree there, Faithie,” Connor called.
“You two. What a team.” Ah, well. It was just Coll and Con, the two-for-one special.
“So how was it?” Colleen asked.
“I’m only telling you if you keep your voice down.”
“Fine,” Colleen whispered. “How’s this?”
Faith smiled. “It was...” She smiled. “It was amazing.”
“Yes! This is great! Con, it was amazing.”
“Yay.”
Colleen sighed happily. “So, are you engaged, are you dating, or was this a one-time bang-a-palooza, never to be repeated, are you friends with bennies...what?”
Faith paused. “I don’t know. We’re definitely not engaged.”
Colleen gave her a knowing look. “You’re in love, aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Sure you are. I know you. You wouldn’t have had sex with him if you weren’t.”
“I’m not. He’s... I mean, he’s... It could happen, I suppose.” Her face was getting hot again. “Look, here’s my dad. Please don’t hit on him or tell him I’m getting a little some-some or give him anything with jalapenos, because he’s got acid reflux.”
“Oh, Jack is here, too. Hooray.”
“Be merciful, Coll.”
“They’re kind of early, aren’t they?” Connor asked, looking out from the kitchen door. “I don’t usually see Jack before seven.”
“I’m screening a date for my dad. Dad will eavesdrop, then give me the thumbs-up or down.”
“You Hollands are so cute.”
The afternoon after the party, while Levi had been busy with his sister, Honor, Pru and Faith had had an intervention with Dad. Honor had served as Head Inquisitor, Mrs. Johnson banging pots and slamming drawers in the kitchen to underscore the theme of disapproval. Dad had admitted that he’d enjoyed Lorena’s “wacky ways,” as well as the distraction of having someone new to talk to but hadn’t believed she was as attached as his children had warned. He had no intention of seeing the vegan gardener again and said he’d try to be open to dating someone. Maybe. Possibly. And, yes, he’d do what they told him from now on.
Faith was immensely relieved.
“Jack,” she said, “brother mine, don’t think I didn’t notice you skulking off from the party the other night.”
“Don’t think I didn’t hear you left with Levi.”
“He drove me home,” Faith said, feeling her face practically burst into flame.
“Is that what you