taking with a sandwich order made George’s heart trill in that bizarre way again. As if Levi really cared about making lunch perfect for George.
It’s because you’re caring for one of his furbabies. He’s grateful.
“Yes, okay,” George replied. “And we’ve got chips and pretzels here, so don’t worry about those. Drinks, too.”
“Got it.” Levi flashed him a brilliant smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Give Ginger extra pets for me before bed.”
“I will. Bye, Levi.”
“Later.”
George stood on the landing and watched Levi descend the stairs, sad to see him go even though they’d spent hours together. Something in George’s life had shifted profoundly today, and he had no idea what would happen next.
But for the first time in years, he was excited to find out.
Chapter Five
Levi’s nervous anticipation was his constant companion on the drive into San Francisco to both visit Ginger and bring lunch for him and George. The anticipation made sense because he missed his kitty. Baby and Sporty had seemed to sense the absence of their sister last night, because they both snuggled close in bed until dawn. After feeding them, he went on his usual run, then spent some time drafting a blog post about yesterday’s adventures.
He only ever used first names, sometimes nicknames, when writing about real people, and he mostly stuck to his feelings over yesterday’s fright with Ginger and the kind new friend who’d taken her in. Since his followers loved seeing kitty pictures, he uploaded the one of Ginger that George had sent last night at bedtime, along with the adorable caption “Good night, Dad.” He’d sent back a heart emoji.
Once he’d edited and uploaded the post, he called and chatted briefly with Robin about the house he and Shawn had made an offer on. Levi was thrilled for his best friend, and also amazed that someone who had thrived in the mobile lifestyle of a traveling rodeo was actually settling down. But Robin was a man in love, and Levi wished the couple all the best.
He’d found a highly reviewed deli in George’s neighborhood, and he left early enough to order their food in person rather than using an app to order ahead. Then he knew it would be freshly made, instead of sitting on the counter waiting for him. They did have sliced chicken, which delighted Levi, and he ordered a loaded veggie sub for himself. The staff was quick and kind. Levi put cash in the tip jar and thanked them for serving him today.
The nervous part of his anticipation hadn’t amped up until he left the store with their food. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been nervous to visit a friend’s house with lunch. But something about his friendship with George was different. Bigger in a way he couldn’t explain. The guy volunteered to take care of Levi’s cat, for goodness’ sake, with no prompting and no real reward. It had been incredibly selfless of George.
George. A humble name for an exceptionally complex human being. And he was impressed with George for stepping out of his comfort zones and testing his own limitations, rather than continuing to hide behind old habits and familiar things. George was charming and sweet, adorable in his own way, and Levi genuinely liked him.
Maybe more than he should, given their age difference. Eleven years was kind of a lot and George had been sheltered for so long. Not that he had any reason to think George was interested in him...beyond those glances at Levi’s lips.
Not going there.
Levi rang the buzzer for the Thompson apartment.
“Levi?” George asked, his voice a bit dull today, and that worried Levi.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Cool.”
The door unlocked, and Levi went inside the spacious lobby. He loved the layout of the house, with its shared living room and separate apartments. He was a touch surprised to find Slater and his neighbor Dez sharing the love seat, each working on a craft project of some sort. Slater had taken up needlepoint during his convalescence from a broken ankle this past summer, and most of his patterns were of the adult variety. He was sewing fabric stretched out on a big wooden hoop, while Dez stitched what looked like a shirt by hand.
“Hey, dude,” Slater said. “You here to see your cat?”
Levi chuckled. “I see the gossip has gotten around. Yes, George is watching my cat because she needs a lot of supervision. It’s a huge favor. That’s why I’m bringing him lunch as a thank you.” He hefted the