Page 20 of Picking Daisies on Sundays

A book?I couldn't hide my look of astonishment. This was a

dream of his for years. “You didwhat?”

His angular jaw turned pink as he shielded his face with his hands and shook his head. “I did no such thing,” he argued as his voice came out gravelly under his palms. I had the sudden urge to pull his hands off of his face and kiss his embarrassed face. My spine tightened—stop—I pressed down harder on those teenage thoughts.

Trish rolled her eyes at her son’s lack of ability to boast. “Yes, he did.”

“It’s nothing groundbreaking.” Finally pulling his palms from his face, he nursed the back of his neck. He used to always do that when he was stressed or embarrassed. I saw it whenever we watched his sisters together; nervous that they were going to trip or fall or combust into thin air.

“What is it about?” I asked with excitement and curiosity all in one.

“Love,” Rhea rushed to say from beside me, evidently excited to embarrass her older brother even more. But now my cheeks were as pink as my nails.

“It’s only a few poems, that’s all,” he said casually, as if it wasn’t something to be proud of. I itched to ask him if I could read them. But I didn’t want to overstep.

“You wrote a collection of poems? That’s incredible,” I said earnestly, extending my hand to his knee. It was only a quick gesture to show my amazement, nothing else. But his hand briefly landed on mine in a friendly manner, the pad of his thumb running along the back of my hand, sending goosebumps up my arm. It was like no time had passed in that quiet moment.

“Thank you, Dani,” he responded. It was only a few words,

but I could feel his heart in them.

Before I had the chance to have heart palpitations, I asked Trish, “Have you read them?”

But it wasn’t Trish that responded. “They’re in French,” Levi interjected shyly.

My jaw dropped. “You wrote themin French?” French. Love. Poems. Written by Levi. You’ve got to be joking.

Well, that confirmed my curiosity on how well spoken he was in the language.

He nodded in response. I sat there in disbelief. “You’re amazing,” I said it with my whole heart. I didn’t ask to read them, as much as I was even more intrigued now. I didn’t want to push; he’ll offer if he wants me to.

His eye lit up, accompanying his bright smile. I felt seen in that moment, and I would’ve slept in that feeling if it weren’t for the fact that it was all pretend.

The night from there was smooth; I answered several questions about myself for various family members of Levi’s, ate more food, and witnessed Levi be Levi. It was like having déjà vu all night; watching him pick up the twins, clean up after dinner, and take care of his mother. The same moments I had witnessed when we were younger.

With Levi’s dad passing away so long ago, it made him a father figure to all the women in his life. He became the constantly moving gear that kept everyone working together. But as much as it made him independent, it also turned him into a puzzle, made of pieces of each woman.

He had Rhea’s silliness, Claire’s thoughtfulness, and Sarah’s

tenacity. He supported and cared for them all, but they gave away pieces of themselves to him over the years.

As he made his rounds through the house, saying goodbye to the family members spending the night here, I got a text from Gabe.

Gabe: How’s it going?

Dani: Good! About to leave now.

Gabe: Perfect, I just caught you. Leave your purse.

Dani: Excuse me?

Gabe: Leave. Your. Purse.

Dani: Yes, I can read, thank you. Why would I do that???

Gabe: I saw this thing in a movie once where the girl left her purse at a guy’s house on purpose and if the guy brought the purse back to her the next day, it meant he was into you. But if he doesn’t, thenit’s a lost cause. Bam. Mission How To Find Out If Levi Is Into Dani complete.

Dani: You’re insane.