Page 39 of A Future To Remember

“Maddy?” Levi questioned softly.

My eyes prickled with tears, and my gaze refocused on him again. Swallowing hard, I said, “I don’t know how many nights you’ve lived through that, Levi, but I can guarantee that it takes only one night where your body gives up its fight to keep you warm, and you’ll sink into the abyss and never wake up again.”

His eyes widened. He knew that I knew what hypothermia felt like; how painful it was, how traumatizing, not to mention terrifying.

He began to nod and motioned toward the sofa. “I promise not to do anything bad to you while you’re sleeping.”

It was an odd statement because it wasn’t anything I’d been even remotely worried about. “Of course you won’t. You’re not into girls, and I know I’m safe with you.”

Color drained from his face, and he stared at me with big round eyes. Then color seeped up his neck, and he dropped his gaze to the floor as if he were deeply ashamed. When he looked back up, I could tell he was thinking of bolting.

So, I bowed my head, held up my good hand, and said, “Levi, I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to out you. That was beyond rude. I’d like for you to feel safe around me, and I probably just let you down. If you’ll give me a chance to re-earn your trust, I promise to work on it.”

He didn’t say anything for a long couple of moments, during which time I held my breath. If he bolted and tried to tough out these early spring nights, he’d die. And it’d be my fault. I couldn’t have that on my conscience, so I added, “If you don’t take me up on my offer, I’m just gonna prowl the streets at night looking for you to try to convince you to listen to reason.” For emphasis, I cupped the side of my mouth and called, “Levi?! Leeeeeeeevi? Here kitty, kitty, kitty!”

The corner of his mouth quirked with the hint of a smile. “Please don’t.”

“I can’t make any promises when I know you’re out there, likely unaliving yourself by freezing to death.”

He sighed. “Okay,” he said, barely above a whisper.

I pumped my arms in mock excitement and gave him a hushed, “Yay!’

He laughed, and his gaze drifted toward the bathroom. “Is there soap?”

“There is. And there are some bartending towels to use as a washcloth and towel. I’ll add a second bath towel to the list of items to hunt for at the church after the breakfast crowd leaves. Maybe we’ll hit paydirt.”

He nodded, but his posture was stiff.

“Do you want to come with me?”

He shook his head vehemently, which surprised me. It appeared that Levi wasn’t a regular churchgoer.

“No worries,” I assured him. “What brand of deodorant and shaving cream do you use? Oh, and what about a razor?”

He shook his head, opening his coat to remove a worn-looking razor out of his inside pocket. “I’m good, I promise. You don’t need to spend extra money on me. I’ll get by with this and some soap.”

If he planned to work all day and night in a steamy dishwashing room without the aid of deodorant, he’d have another thing coming. And who would pick soap over shaving cream? And that razor looked like it’d struggle to peel a carrot. I’d pick up the toiletries for him and refuse to return them should he put up a fight.

I was hoping to have close to forty dollars by the end of the breakfast shift; I needed only twelve dollars more, and I thought I could hit that target. That’d give me some actual purchasing power if I was frugal, and I planned to be frugal.

I left Levi to wash up and headed down the stairs to get busy setting up the restaurant. Wanda arrived promptly at five a.m. to find Levi wiping down all the booths and me wrapping some extra silverware.

“Wow!” she said, when she came through the door. Her eye drifted to the various bowls set up on the back counter, each with a spoon, small metal pitcher, and cereal box or oatmeal package lined up. I also had two pots of regular coffee and one pot of decaf brewed and ready to go.

“Good morning!” I sang. Pointing to Levi, I added, “I hope you don’t mind that I asked him to come in early to wipe down the booths. It’s hard for me with this cast.” I held up my left arm. I’m right-handed, but I was hoping she wouldn’t notice. “He’s been super helpful.”

Wanda eyed Levi with a guarded smile, and I couldn’t figure out what it was about him that she felt suspicious of. Cash had worn an almost identical expression when he’d spotted Levi coming through the door the day before.

“Sure,” she said. “That’s fine.”

I carried on with rolling the silverware, subtly watching both her and Levi, searching for a clue to their tense dynamic, but they simply ignored each other and went about their business.

The breakfast crowd showed up promptly at six a.m., and I was a busy beaver until a little after ten. Wanda let me know that I could have an hour off until she’d want me back for the lunch crowd, so I hurried out of my apron, grabbed my sweatshirt, and beelined out the door.

Once outside, I looked up and down the street, trying to get my bearings and feeling a sinking feeling in my belly. This town looked completely unfamiliar to me, and I knew the heaviness in the pit of my stomach was homesickness, but what and, more specifically, where was home? Given my nightmare from early this morning, did I even want to go home? What if I’d been abused and dumped in the cold to die by my abuser?

Trying to shake off the feeling, I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt high and marched forward toward the large steeple jutting up above some of the houses lining the street one block over.