Wren’s desperate cry reached them, and Levi’s eyes widened. “I have to help her. Will you be all right?”
Swallowing hard, she nodded.
“Be back in a second. Don’t let him get to you,” he whispered. Despite the anxious knot pulled tight in her abdomen, the warmth of his minty breath on her cheek and his kindness sent a pleasant sensation zipping through her.
Sadly, Jasper hadn’t moved at all.
“You okay there, Savvy?” His eyes dipped to her hands. “Need more water or something to eat?”
She tipped her chin up, determined to follow Levi’s example and deflect Jasper’s comments. “No, thanks. I’m fine for now. Congrats on your engagement. That’s exciting. You must be so happy.”
Jasper’s tight smile gave her pause.
“Yeah, we’re over the moon.” He stepped closer, and his smile vanished. “Do you want to tell me what you’re up to here?”
An icy chill danced along her spine, and for the second time since she’d arrived, she desperately wanted to leave. But he had her cornered against the patio furniture, and she wasn’t about to make a scene. “Sorry?”
“What brings you back to town? Surely it’s not a summer romance with my twin brother.”
Wow, when had he gotten so blunt? She twisted the cap off the water bottle and took a long sip. Jasper didn’t get the hint. He kept standing there, his piercing eyes boring into her.
“We’re having a class reunion, remember? And since you and Levi clearly haven’t had a chance to chat, I’m going to babysit Wren and, in my spare time, design and build a float for your store. Evidently, the deadline to post your entry for the festival is closing in fast. The parade’s less than three weeks away.”
Too snarky? Probably. But his questions and his attitude unnerved her.
Jasper rubbed his fingertips along his angular jaw. Had her answer not satisfied him? She racked her brain for a short list of reasons why she’d ever been interested in him, because the high school version of Jasper had not been this confrontational.
“Yeah, my dad did mention they had found some help with that. Cool. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.” He pinned her with a long look.
Miranda sidled up to them and looped her arm around Jasper’s waist.
The side eye she offered wasn’t lost on Savannah.
“Babe, come on.” Miranda tugged Jasper closer. “People want to hang with you.”
Jasper’s gaze held Savannah’s. She refused to look away.
“I’ll probably see you around,” he said. “Good luck with Wren. She’s a handful.”
With that, he turned and walked away, letting his new fiancée guide him toward a circle of people they’d gone to high school with.
Wren’s cry pierced the air, pulling Savannah’s attention back to Levi. He’d dropped to the ground beside her near the bottom of the slide. The other children had scattered. Levi scooped Wren into his arms and carried her across the yard. Her soiled dress hung limply from Wren’s slight body. Savannah’s heart pinched at the wounded expression on Levi’s face.
What brings you back to town?
Jasper’s question replayed in her head as Levi stepped inside the house with Wren. Had she made a terrible mistake coming home? Or was her guilt still wreaking havoc? The art teacher position hadn’t been posted yet, but she still held out hope that the school district would make an announcement soon. Then maybe she’d get another chance to start fresh.
He hadn’t been this angry with Jasper in a long time. Not since their first year in college, when Jasper had convinced him to finish a project for him during a class final and they’d both gotten in trouble. He’d nearly failed the class until Jasper stepped forward at the last minute and confessed to being the instigator. Man, he loved his twin, but sometimes the guy really aggravated him. Why had Jasper made things so awkward with Savannah?
That was a question he intended to ask, just as soon as he got Wren settled and could catch Jasper alone.
“Come on, Wren. I found some dry clothes for you.” He held the little girl’s hand as he guided her down the hallway toward the bathroom inside his parents’ home. Wren had zipped down the slide a little too fast and landed on her backside in a small muddy puddle at the bottom. The other children playing nearby had laughed, and she’d been crushed. After he’d brought her into the house a few minutes ago, she’d stopped crying, but her tangled hair, muddy dress and hurt feelings had demanded a breather from the party. To be honest, he could use a bit of a time-out himself. Before he said something or did something to Jasper he’d regret later.
“Can I watch TV?” Wren asked softly.
“How about you watch one show, and I’ll get you something to eat after you change?”
She pushed a mass of hair out of her eyes and then nodded.
Poor thing. She looked exhausted. Maybe they should just go home. He turned on the light in the bathroom, then handed her the cotton shorts and T-shirt he’d found in his sister’s old bedroom. Thankfully, his mom had saved some of their childhood stuff. He made a mental note to pack extra clothes in his backpack the next time they left the house. Not that Wren had come to him with much. Sometimes the fact that she liked to wear the same dress again and again was a blessing in disguise.
He leaned against the wall in the hallway and studied the arrangement of framed pictures hanging beside the bathroom. Most of them featured him, Jasper and their sister, Nyla. A few photos captured Dad’s various hunting trips around Alaska and a couple of his grandparents in their younger days. Growing up in a close-knit family who adored the rugged outdoors had always been part of his identity. He’d never questioned it. But lately, the tension that flowed like an undercurrent between him, his father and Jasper made him uneasy.
The doorknob twisted, and Wren emerged, her face still splotchy from crying.
“You look adorable,” he said.
She held up her dress. “Dirty again.”
Her chin wobbled and he gritted his teeth. Please, no more tears tonight. “It’s all right. Savannah will understand. We can wash it.”
“Okay.” She heaved a sigh as she made her way into the family room, then climbed onto the sofa.
After helping Wren find a show to watch on his parents’ television, Levi draped one of his mom’s well-loved quilts over her legs. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go outside and get us something to eat.”
Wren nodded, already craning her neck to see around him.
Levi patted the top of her head, then walked toward the back door. Before he could get there, Jasper stepped inside. Blocking his exit.
