Eleven years agoIt was a normal Friday night – normal for his family anyway- his dad drunk as usual, bellowing through the house. “Wanda, I told you a million times I hate fish sticks and what’s on my plate? Fucking fish sticks!”“I told you those were for Levi, Roger, not for you.” She stirred a pot on the stove. “Look, I’m making you that spaghetti you like so much. It’s just about done.”Levi winced as he heard the slap and his mother cry out. “Why isn’t it on the fucking table then? Is it too much to ask to have some goddamn dinner on the table when a man gets home from working all goddamn day in the hot sun?” His father took another slug from his bottle. He’d long since given up the pretense of drinking from glasses.“Here, honey, here it is,” Levi’s mother placed two bowls of spaghetti on the table and forced a smile. “Come eat.”Levi crept up the hallway to peek into the dining room as his father weaved his way to the table and sat down heavily, eyeing his dinner. “And why doe
After he left Dani’s drive, Levi sat in his truck in the road between their properties with his head down on the steering wheel. He didn’t know what to do now, where to go. His life was coming unraveled just as it had all been coming together. He figured he needed to go back out to the woods and finish covering his tracks. Maybe the physical work would help clear his troubled mind and help him figure out what to do with Dani. Then, he had to go talk to his mom. He dreaded telling her that he had confessed what they had done to Dani, but he knew he had to. He had known if he and Dani had any future at all, he had to be completely honest with her. She didn’t deserve any less. By the time he was finished refilling the original grave and covering it with pine needle mulch and leaves and had covered the new hole he had dug to hide the old bones the same way, the first birdsong was starting, and a faint glow was starting to shimmer through the trees into the clearing. Levi gathered his shov
Dani spent the next few days hopelessly trying to triage her emotions and figure out what she should do with the story Levi had told her. She spent hours rocking on the porch swing sipping wine, throwing pebbles into the water down at Avalon, and watching the ripples for some kind of sign. She also studiously avoided talking directly to Maggie. What could she say? She couldn’t share what Levi had told her. She was almost positive Maggie would keep the secret, but it wasn’t her secret to share. She was expecting her to show up in her driveway any time now, however, since she hadn’t replied to her calls with anything other than cryptic texts about not feeling well and not wanting Maggie to catch anything from her. If it was only as simple as an illness, she would be over in a few days. She was rather surprised she hadn’t heard a peep from Levi in the last few days either, but it was just as well. She still had no idea what she would say to him. At first, it had been truly shocking to le
After three days of waiting, Levi was crazed with not hearing anything from Dani. He and his mother had talked for hours after sending Debbie on her way. He had told her how he had confessed their sin to Dani and why. He loved her beyond reason and wanted to grow old with her. To make a life like Lu and Eustace had and that kind of love could brook no secrets. She would either accept him or she wouldn’t. He fervently prayed she would as he now understood there could be no other woman for him. He had cleaned the bunkhouse for hours trying to calm his nerves. When there was nothing left to possibly clean, he sat at the table with a beer in his hand. He had told himself he was going to give Dani all the time she needed to process what he told her, but he suddenly felt a foreboding chill up his spine. He decided he couldn’t, wouldn’t, wait any longer for an answer. Without even cleaning himself up, he got in his old Chevy and headed down the road. He was thinking so hard about what he wa
Levi blinked, his eyes straining to make out his surroundings in the bright morning light streaming in through the windows. As shapes solidified, he saw lots of white and a small lump of red curls lying on the bed next to his arm. Dani. His hand went up to stroke her head and she jumped like she’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. He chuckled but then groaned as the pain in his side bit into him. “Levi! Oh thank God, you’re awake!” Dani grabbed his hand tightly in hers. “I was so scared. You lost so much blood!”“I’m apparently hard to kill,” he quipped, bringing her hand to his lips as he held on tightly, but then he turned sober. “What about Debbie?”Dani’s face grew hard. “She lived, damn her. You tore up her shoulder but she made it through surgery. The sheriff has her handcuffed to the bed and a deputy stationed outside her door. I hope she’s in pain.”Levi blew out a relieved breath. As horrible as the woman was and as much trouble as she had caused him and his mother, he didn’t
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“I look like a giant vanilla cupcake with sprinkles!” Dani yelled from the dressing room. “I’m not wearing it!” Maggie rolled her eyes heavenward in the private, oversized waiting area at Patsy’s Bridal Boutique. She had chosen a dozen dresses for Dani to try on and this was number 11. Her best friend had vetoed every one. “Just come out and let us see!” With her slim figure, alabaster skin and riot of red curls, her bestie looked good in everything. Maggie knew, however, finding the perfect wedding dress was going to be a challenge given Dani’s preference for scrubs and casual clothes. She heard what could only be described as a growl from Dani as the door to the dressing room was held open by the saleswoman, who slinked out like a beaten down dog. Dani marched past her to the little stage in front of the large three–way mirrors like a soldier going off to war. She stood there glaring at her entourage.Maggie held her hand up to her mouth, discreetly covering the smile trying to brea
Zane and Maggie enjoyed their food and talked of inconsequential things for the next half hour. Zane could feel the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders relaxing. He had obviously made the right decision to come here. He finally sat back in his chair and dropped his napkin on the table. “I’m stuffed! I don’t know how you aren’t round as a bowling ball being around food like this all the time.”Maggie giggled. “Oh you! Honestly, this is the first thing I’ve had since a cup of coffee this morning. I’m running around here all day. If you hadn’t come in, I probably wouldn’t have eaten until I got home.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Occupational hazard.”“Well, I’m glad then that….” Zane started then stopped as a shadow loomed over their table. “Hey, JT. Great burgers, man.” Zane stuck out a hand to Maggie’s brother to shake. JT paused two long beats before grudgingly taking it. Zane noticed the hesitation but decided to ignore it. JT had been affable enough when they had met that after