Disappointment settled low in his gut. “Thanks. You too. We’ll get ’em next time.”
His encouraging words clearly fell flat. She turned away without responding, then hurried across the yard to return the bandannas to Mrs. Jackson. Man, what had he done? Tonight was supposed to be a casual evening meant to help people reconnect. So not a big deal.
Then why did he feel like he’d let Savvy down?
Early Monday morning, Savannah parked her car in front of Levi’s house, grabbed her tote bag and her insulated mug filled with coffee, then headed for his front door. She’d agreed to stay with Wren that morning because Levi had to get to a staff meeting at the store before they opened. After attending church yesterday, then going to last night’s party and participating in the three-legged race, her stomach danced with nervous energy. She wasn’t apprehensive to see him, because nothing had happened between them—except she’d nearly told him everything when he’d mentioned family secrets. Yeah, okay, so he’d been joking, but his words had touched a nerve. Left her so flustered that she’d made them lose the race.
She slowly climbed the three steps to his front door and knocked softly. Coming back to Opportunity hadn’t been bad, even though it wasn’t what she had planned for her future. This wasn’t the time to lose sight of her goal, though. She needed a permanent teaching position.
And her interactions with Levi were starting to cloud her perspective.
Especially after the way he’d looked at her when she helped Wren with her hair. They’d agreed to fake a romantic relationship—emphasis on fake. A ploy designed to help her feel more comfortable during their reunion activities and to help him get over Tori. Or at least, look as though he was getting over Tori. But his kindness, blended with the tender way he looked after Wren... Well, all that was quite genuine.
Wasn’t it? Levi’s admirable traits conspired against her walled-off heart. Made her question why she’d agreed to his unconventional scheme.
He opened the door. “Hey.”
His smile made her heart do a little loop-the-loop. Why did he get to look that handsome first thing on a Monday?
“Good morning,” she said.
Levi raked his fingers through still-damp hair as he stepped back. “Come on in.”
The spicy scent of his aftershave lingered in the air. Savvy took a sip of her coffee, hoping to cleanse the palate. She set her oversize canvas tote bag on the floor.
He tilted his head for a closer inspection. “What do you have there?”
“Oh, I brought over a couple of puzzles and a board game. A simple matching one that Wren and I can play together. There’s also paper and finger paint, but don’t worry, I brought an old shirt she can wear to cover—”
“Whoa. Hang on a minute.” Levi rubbed his fingertips along his clean-shaven jaw. “I’d like for her to go to story time at the library. It starts at ten, and then my mom’s going to pick her up after that. She’ll watch her so that you can get back to work on the float for the parade.”
Oh.
He reached past her, lifting his keys off the hook. “Wren’s still sleeping, so you might have to wake her up soon so she has plenty of time to get dressed and eat breakfast.”
She sipped her coffee to keep from saying something she shouldn’t. So much for her grand plans. If his mom was available, why did he need her help today?
Levi turned away, clearly looking for something.
“If you’re looking for your phone, it’s on the coffee table.”
“Thanks.” He flashed her a half smile, swooped into the living room, then grabbed his phone and strode toward her. Hesitating, he stopped before grabbing his backpack. His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Savvy, you look like I stole your lunch box. What happened? What did I say?”
“I’ve been thinking about Wren and all that she’s been through.” Savannah kept her voice low just in case Wren popped out of bed. Or tiptoed down the hall to listen in, unnoticed. “Maybe she should choose how she wants to spend her day. I mean, if you’ve already got something planned with your mom, I thought she and I could hang out. Take it easy.”
Levi twisted his key chain around on his finger. “But I want her to interact with other kids. Story time is free, and it lasts less than an hour.”
“She already tried Vacation Bible School. It wasn’t her favorite.”
He tucked his phone in his pocket, then hooked his backpack strap over one shoulder. “But she needs structure. The social worker said her home life was chaos.”
“She’s also a young child who’s likely endured a lot,” Savannah gently reminded him. “A quiet morning here with me is not exactly chaos.”
Sighing, he reached for the door. “Look, I’m running late, so if you could please take her to story time, I would really appreciate it. I’ll check in later to see how things are going.”
“Sounds good. Have a great day.”
He stepped outside, gently pulling the door closed behind him.
She turned in a slow circle, surveying the scene. A pile of unfolded laundry had been dumped onto the couch. Unopened mail sat on the kitchen counter, next to a neat stack of dishes.
Half-tempted to tidy up, she set down her coffee. Nope. Chores were not part of their agreement. Besides, he’d kind of aggravated her with his comments. So she picked up her bag and sat down at the counter, carefully slid a stack of mail out of the way and opened her laptop. As soon as she logged on to the internet, she quickly opened the school district’s website and clicked on the link for available jobs.
After scrolling through a half dozen options, her breath hitched when the posting for the art teacher position appeared last. Finally. She pumped her fist, then clicked the link and scanned through the requirements, just as Wren came out of her bedroom. She was wearing a faded blue T-shirt and thin striped shorts that had seen better days.
“Hi, Wren.” Savannah smiled and closed her laptop. “Did you sleep well?”
“Where’s Lee-by?”
“He had to go to work. I’m going to hang out with you this morning. What would you like for breakfast?”
Wren stalked past her, flopped down on the couch and fumbled with the remote.
“How about scrambled eggs? Maybe some cereal? Or do you like to start with toast?”