In less than five minutes, they were seated inside a pizzeria, near a huge brick fireplace that took up one entire wall. The heat felt wonderful, the scents teased her cranky belly, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, her dinner companion was a sight for sore eyes.
They ordered, and when they each had a beer in front of them, Levi met her gaze. “I’m guessing you have an idea who the ornament is from.”
She gave a stunned nod. “I think it’s from my grandpa. He’s the only other person who would know what such a gift would mean to me.”
“Can you ask him?”
“I haven’t talked to him in twenty years.”
He didn’t look judgy or horrified. He merely nodded. “I can understand why.” Gently, he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand, which was gripping her beer bottle with a white-knuckled grip. “What do you want to do?”
She wasn’t sure. Did she want to make contact? Her first instinct was no, a decision made by hurt. But suddenly she wasn’t sure. Wariness kept beating back her curiosity, but maybe it was time to let go of the past and make a present for herself. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “If I just show up, I might upset him.”
Levi continued to hold her hand, and she wondered if he knew that simple touch was the only thing keeping her grounded.
“If he’s the one who got you the ornament, he already knows you’re here,” he pointed out. “You won’t be a surprise. He gave you the ornament knowing you’d figure out who it came from. I’m betting he’s expecting you.”
She looked into his calm eyes. “But what if he’s not? What if he’s unhappy to see me. I can’t . . .” She let her gaze break from his. “I don’t want to be turned away.”
Levi gently cupped her face, bringing it back around. “Either way, going to see him or not, you’re in the driver’s seat now. You can’t make a wrong move.”
She nodded, empowered by the reminder. “I’m just . . . wary. I don’t know how to trust this. I have no idea what he expects. But you’re right. This isn’t about him, it’s about me and what I want. And what I want is for bygones to be bygones, because family matters.”
“I agree, family does matter. But it only works if it’s a give-and-take.”
“He did make the first move,” she said. “Sort of.”
He nodded, keeping a hold on her hand, gaze solemn. He was taking this seriously. He was taking her seriously. Just as Charlotte had, and Jane realized how much that meant. “When I lived with my grandparents . . . it was the best time of my entire childhood,” she admitted.
“There’s no harm in reaching out and seeing what’s up.”
How did he always make everything sound so simple, so easy, so right? She had no idea. All she knew was that when she was with him, she felt like she could do anything.
Their pizza came, and she practically fell onto it, inhaling the best-tasting loaded pie she’d ever had. “Oh my God,” she said around a mouthful.
“Right?” Levi was working on his own big slice. “Only yesterday, I’d have said heaven on earth.”
“What changed since yesterday?”
“I have a new favorite taste,” he said, and laughed when she blushed.
She put her hands on her cheeks. “Are you always such a flirt?”
“No.”
“So why me?”
He smiled at her. “Because when I’m with you, I feel like . . . me.”
Everything inside her softened at that. Because the truth was, she felt the exact same way, which meant he was dangerous to her heart and soul. She decided to concentrate on eating rather than messy things like feelings. “I’m starving,” she said, grabbing another piece. “Didn’t get any breaks today.”