car and keep driving, but…
She remembered her conversation with him from late last night.
They still had a whole lot of practicing being…close to one another to master. And hopefully that included a whole lot of getting close and kissing. And touching. And…wherever else that may lead.
There are worse ways to spend an evening…
Of course, there was no way for her to blurt out, “Oh, hey…since we’re alone in the house, want to make out?”
And boy oh boy, did she want to make out with Levi.
Oh, God. Do people even say make out anymore?
Besides him being an incredibly nice guy who loved his family, he was funny, a great conversationalist, and he had amazing hands.
“You okay, Willow? You look a little flushed.” Levi looked around. “It is a little warm in here. Let me check the thermostat and see what’s going on.” And he walked away before she could comment.
Alone with her thoughts again, she had to wonder how to broach the subject of…making out.
Should she just politely ask him to kiss her? Go up and kiss him on the cheek to thank him for getting them through another day of driving?
Or you can just grab his face and kiss him.
Just like you did last night.
Yeah. That one would require a level of boldness she just didn’t have.
Mainly because it was still broad daylight out.
Last night she felt bold because she couldn’t really see him and he couldn’t see her. If he was shocked or repulsed by her actions, she couldn’t see his face to know. There was something empowering about the whole cover of darkness thing. But in the light of day, she was way more uncertain of herself and wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do.
“I’ll go put your bags in the guest room,” he said with a smile as he walked by.
Maybe I could be a little bold…
Staring at his denim-clad butt had her sighing with appreciation because Levi had a fine butt. Something she hadn’t noticed until a few weeks ago. Most of the time they were around each other, they were in the pub, and he was usually behind the bar. Once he had offered to be her fake boyfriend, and they started spending time together, Willow found she was noticing all kinds of things about him.
Like his butt.
It was amazing what some good lighting could do.
Oh, that reminds me…
“Hey, Levi?” she called out, following him down the hall where he went.
“Yeah?”
“So, I was thinking about the pub.”
“McGee’s?”
“Yeah.”
“What about it?”
“The lighting.”
He put her bags down next to a bed that was so high she was going to need a step stool to get in it. Her eyes went wide before the sound of Levi clearing his throat distracted her.
“Right, the lighting. I think if the pub took on a more rustic chic vibe, using the mason jar lights could really make a great impact. You do a trio of them over each table with soft light bulbs, and I think it would be amazing!”
With a low chuckle, Levi shook his head and walked out of the room. “You seem to have an obsession with the lighting at McGee’s, Willow. Why is that?”
She trailed after him and had to think about it. He had a point; she did seem to spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking about the interior of the place. That was…new, but somehow very comfortable.
“I think it’s because of Nana Ruth,” she said and then plowed into his back when he stopped in his tracks.
“Nana Ruth? Your grandmother who died when you were fifteen?”
She nodded. “Remember when I told you how she was artsy and always redecorating?”
“Yeah…”
“Maybe I take after her? Maybe I just never had a muse before.”
“The pub is your muse?”
Shrugging, she said, “I guess. I don’t know how that all works. Are there rules as to what can be a person’s muse?”
He took her by the hand and led her into the living room. This house was much different from Natalie’s. Where Natalie’s was cozy and very well lived in, this house was a little more like something out of a decorating magazine.
A boring one, but…she supposed it could be considered a classic décor.
“Why are you making that face?” he asked, and she groaned.
“Sorry. I was looking around and thinking about how different this is than your other sister’s house.”
“Yeah, Katie is a bit of a Type A personality and likes everything to be crisp and clean and…”
“White?”
He laughed. “Exactly.”
The kitchen was white, the living room furniture was