Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,18

Jacob had no idea why that emotion would be on Levi’s face.

“Soooo,” Levi drew out as he stopped at the door.

“So?” Jacob asked with a raised brow.

“You are a big, strong guy.”

“Last I checked, yes.”

“And you don’t really have a...work schedule.”

“I do not.”

Levi let out an annoyed sounding puff of air. “You got a chance to maybe help me tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’m sure I can find the time.” It wasn’t like he was getting anywhere with his painting anyway.

“Well, I want to finish up the James’ porch. It’s all there for them to walk on safely, but I want to put a good strong awning over it that’ll hold up more than a season, and one they won’t have to fight with to put away. I can do it myself, but it’d be a lot easier if I had someone tall and with some muscle on them to help.”

Jacob noticed the way Levi’s eyes lingered over his arms but only nodded. “I think I can manage that. A bit of manual labor might do me some good.”

“Yeah,” Levi said with a light chuckle. “Maybe it’ll knock something else loose for your next painting. A porch.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “What time?”

“Probably two...ish? Really depends on when I finish replacing a pane in Deidra’s front window.”

Jacob’s continued agreement didn’t seem to ease any of the tension and awkwardness practically rolling off Levi. In fact, the man’s expression was shadowed as he walked off, as though it bothered him. Jacob sincerely hoped the man wasn’t starting to suspect him.

He also found himself feeling a little lighter as he remembered Levi’s eyes lingering on his arms, and not in any professional capacity. There had been a flicker of heat there, and Jacob’s own body warmed at the thought. Maybe it was a bad idea, or well, he knew it was a bad idea, trying to get anything but a casual friendship with Levi started. He told himself, as he tried to focus on the painting, that getting too close to Levi would make his guilt even stronger and things even harder when he eventually had to leave.

As he painted, he thought of Levi’s flashing eyes, his nimble fingers, and the dimples that appeared whenever he happened to smile.

Levi

The weather was practically cloudless and warm as Levi drove back into town. He’d told Jacob that it would be about two when he showed up, and a glance at the truck’s clock told him he’d be a little early. That worked just fine for him. He preferred to be early. Something his father had somehow managed to drill into Levi’s mind at a young age.

You’re heading over there now?

Levi raised a brow. “Yeah? Since when do I ever show up somewhere late if I can help it?”

This is early, even for you.

“It’s not like I have anything else I need to be doing. And if he’s not ready, then I can wait for him.”

Or you just want an excuse to see more of him.

“Don’t start.”

That’s not a no.

Levi rolled his eyes, knowing full well that to argue with Lou was to get caught in a constant cycle of back and forth. Sometimes he would swear the spirit existed purely to drive him crazy, if only because it gave him some sort of entertainment. Levi had once asked Lou what he did to entertain himself, and he was met with the most perplexed silence. Apparently, following Levi around and watching his life was all that mattered to him, well, and interfering in it when he saw fit.

Lou’s words sat heavily in Levi’s mind as he turned the next corner. It wasn’t like anything had happened between him and Jacob. Not that Lou would have necessarily argued with more than their casual, growing friendship, but neither of them had made a move. Levi hadn’t said it aloud to Lou, but he felt this sense of loneliness coming from Jacob. It was vague, and it was impossible to point at specific instances that told him that. All he had was a gut feeling.

And Levi was lonely too. Maybe that was why he was willing to take whatever happened between him and Jacob. If anything more were to happen, it would either kill the mystique of ‘maybe’ that hung between them, which would separate them, or it would create expectations. Levi avoided any sort of tight bonds with other people. It was easier that way when he inevitably had to leave for somewhere else.

How much longer are you going to stay