Love Him Free (On the Market #1) - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,12
and moved to the sink to wash up. He looked a mess, but Levi was having his official food truck grand opening over at the fire station where Spencer, Max, and Collin had set up a little makeshift petting zoo for the kids in order to raise money for Spencer’s cat shelter.
It was going to be cute, and Simon would have enjoyed the idea more if it wasn’t crushing him with social anxiety. But he was trying more—for Levi, for the things his brother was doing and the steps he was taking to bridge the gap between them. Simon felt worse about it for the secrets he was keeping. The fact that Bubbe hadn’t left the bakery to them both—that Simon alone shouldered the burden of ownership and finances. That sales had been sluggish since Simon was dragged back from college and forced to take her place—to play parent to an angry twelve-year-old who had just lost the last parental figure he’d ever had.
He managed to keep them afloat for a while, and Levi’s refusal to do anything with his culinary schooling besides work at Chametz had helped, but not enough. The loan was a stop-gap, it was a way for Simon to provide for Levi before it all came crashing down.
The foundation was already ruined, and the walls were starting to tremble.
He knew that disaster too well.
He could only pray at this point, Levi would forgive him when all was said and done.
As summer crept closer, the nights were easier to bear, and he enjoyed the breeze on his skin after being trapped in the kitchen all day. As much as Cherry Creek felt like a prison some days, he did love it there. He loved that he could spin in a full circle and never get tired of looking at the mountains—he loved that the summer air was fragrant with blossoms, and the winter was crisp with fresh snow and rich with smoke from fireplaces. As much as this place held grief, it also held joy.
It held Levi’s first steps and his first words. It held Bubbe’s smiles and off-key Shabbat blessings and the smells of home. He knew that the bakery wasn’t long for the world, but he wasn’t ready to roll over and give it all up. Not yet.
The walk to the fire station wasn’t far, and he heard the soft murmur of voices as he got closer. Someone was playing music on a loudspeaker that didn’t carry far, and he could already smell fresh baked goods on the breeze.
Crossing over the grass courtyard, Simon stepped onto the pavement and rounded the corner to the massive parking lot at the fire station. The bay doors were wide open, kids hanging on and around the front of each truck, and off to the side was the makeshift paddock that held goats, a duck, and a handful of cats who didn’t seem at all interested in escaping the eager hands, giving them all love.
To the right of that were two food trucks—Cibo Di Strada, and then the Rebel Rugelach. It was the first time Simon had seen Levi’s truck in action. He’d missed the soft opening which had been on a Friday night, and then Levi shut it down to work out the final kinks before the debut.
From his spot near the edge of the party, he could see Levi behind the small window—smiling bigger than he had in years. His boyfriend, James Motel, was behind him, head shaved, wearing a t-shirt with Rebel emblazoned across the front. He touched the small of Levi’s back, making his brother soften just a fraction. Even now—after almost a year—he and James had never quite found their middle ground. James was resentful and angry toward Simon on Levi’s behalf, and Simon would be lying if he didn’t admit to his own pain at watching Levi move on.
Simon didn’t entirely understand the dynamic of their relationship, but he didn’t need to. All he knew was that James made Levi—maybe not happy, but at least content. He brought a sort of balance and peace to his brother where anger had festered for years, and for that, Simon owed James the world. Simon didn’t begrudge James’ continued wariness toward him, or even his open hostility. He liked that someone else felt as fiercely and almost violently protective over Levi’s life as he was.
And he liked that unlike him, James was able to show it.