“You can’t be serious?”
Levi’s eyebrows rose. “What’s wrong with my motorcycle? Some people would consider it a privilege to ride a Harley.”
“I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.” Brooke peered at the spare helmet attached to the back of the motorcycle. “Were you expecting company?”
Levi’s grin was positively wicked. “I’m always hopeful. I thought you might want a ride home after the wedding.”
“Caleb offered to take me back to my apartment.” This wasn’t what she thought Levi had in mind when he said he’d save her from the bouquet toss. No one rode a Harley around the streets of Sapphire Bay for fun. In fact, they didn’t see many big, beasty motorcycles.
She looked down at her bridesmaid’s dress and frowned. “I’m not wearing the right clothes.”
“You’ll be okay. You can thank Zac for the helmet.”
Brooke took the bright red helmet Levi handed her. It was heavy. “If I agree to go for a ride with you, what do I need to do?”
For some reason, Levi seemed amused by her question. “The only thing you need to do is hold on to me. I’ll do the rest.”
“Have you ever had any accidents?”
“No accidents and no near misses—unless you count the squirrel who ran in front of my Harley in Missoula.”
Brooke grimaced. “What happened to the squirrel?”
“It survived.” Levi swung his leg over his motorcycle. “Are you coming?”
This was it—her moment of truth. Apart from moving to Sapphire Bay, she’d never done anything reckless or spontaneous in her life.
She jumped as the motorcycle roared into life.
Taking a deep breath, Brooke jammed the helmet onto her head. She just hoped they didn’t meet any squirrels on the road.
Levi couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun. He didn’t drive too fast, but each time he accelerated, Brooke gave a high-pitched squeal and clung to him like a starfish. When he turned a corner, her arms tightened around his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
“Do you want me to slow down?” he yelled over his shoulder.
“No. This is fun.”
Levi grinned. For all her concern about riding his Harley, Brooke was enjoying every moment. He would have given anything to see the expression on her face, the joy and excitement he imagined would be shining in her eyes. “I’ll have to head back to the church soon.”
He felt Brooke’s helmet nod against his shoulder.
Next time he took her for a ride, they’d have a picnic and spend the day exploring the small towns around Flathead Lake. If she thought driving around Sapphire Bay was exciting, there was nothing like opening the throttle on a clear stretch of road.
As they drove along Main Street, he looked for any stray cats or dogs crossing the road. Regardless of what Brooke thought, he wasn’t reckless. Usually, he would be wearing at least a leather jacket and steel-capped boots. His suit and Brooke’s dress wouldn’t last two seconds if they had an accident, which was why he wasn’t doing anything that could harm either of them.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the church parking lot. After he’d taken off his helmet, he turned to Brooke. “What did you think?”
She pulled off her helmet and grinned. “It was awesome and so much better than staying for the bouquet toss. I can see why you like riding your Harley.” She glanced at the church and sighed. “I guess we’d better go inside.”
“We can go for another ride but, next time, we need to wear the right clothes. Zac has some spare leather jackets and trousers in his garage. I’ll see if there’s anything that could fit you.”
“Does he like motorcycles?”
“Zac likes anything that goes fast.”
As Brooke got off his Harley, she swung her bare legs over the passenger seat.
Levi’s grin disappeared. With her hair messed up and a soft blush on her face, they could have been doing a whole lot of other things that didn’t involve his motorcycle. “We’d better make sure you look presentable before we go inside.”
Brooke unwound her satin dress from around her thighs. “No one will notice if my dress is creased.”
He got off his motorcycle and brushed a lock of hair off her face. “But they will notice if your hair is all over the place.”
Brooke laughed. “It doesn’t matter. If Sam and Megan ask where I’ve been, I’ll tell them I’ve been cruising the streets of Sapphire Bay on the back of your Harley. You’d better watch out, though. Sam will want to test-drive your motorcycle.”
He could have stayed here all night, listening to Brooke. Moonlight danced across her face, lighting her eyes, and making him believe they were meant to be together.
“Has Sam ridden a motorcycle before?”
“I don’t know, but she’s driven tanks, cars, trucks, bulldozers, and dump trucks.”
Levi frowned. “What did she do before she started working for Fletcher Security?”
“She worked in Army Intelligence.”
That surprised Levi almost as much as Brooke’s agreeing to go for a ride with him.
Brooke’s hand slipped into his. “Before we go home, I need to talk to Natalie about the color of the attic paint.”
“I thought you’d already chosen what you wanted?”
“I did, but I’m not sure it’s the right color.” Brooke walked toward the church’s reception room. “Sam and Megan liked different colors. How am I going to choose which one looks the best?”
“You need to find one you like.”
“But they’re all beautiful.” Megan opened the door to the reception room and grinned. “It looks like we missed the bouquet toss.”
Levi cleared his throat. Megan was on her way across the room and she didn’t look happy. “You might want to stop smiling.”
Brooke turned to him with a question in her eyes.
He pointed at Megan.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “We postponed the tossing of the bridal bouquet while we looked for you.”
Brooke seemed to be a little less sure about what to say to her friend.
“It was my fault,” Levi said. “I persuaded her to go for a ride on my Harley.“
“He didn’t have to try too hard,” Brooke murmured.
Megan grabbed hold of Brooke’s hand. “It’s just as well I’m looking after you. As soon as I tell the band we’re ready to toss the bouquet, they’ll invite all the single women into the center of the room.”
Brooke’s panicked gaze shot to Levi.
“It won’t work,” he blurted out.
Megan frowned. “What won’t?”
“Brooke being part of the bouquet toss. She gets hayfever.”
Megan seemed confused. “Brooke didn’t sneeze all through our wedding ceremony and we were surrounded by flowers.”
Levi wasn’t sure what to say. Covering up his slightly exaggerated half-truth wasn’t going to be easy. “Maybe they weren’t the type of flowers that make her nose itchy.”
Brooke sighed.
He hoped she was about to let him off the hook.
“It’s okay, Levi. I’ll be all right.”
“Are you sure? If you don’t want to be part of the bouquet toss, I’m sure Megan will understand.” He glanced at Megan’s stubborn scowl. Maybe not.
“It will take two minutes,” Megan huffed. “It’s the highlight of the evening for most of the single women.”
Levi didn’t miss the slight emphasis on the word, ‘most’ and neither did Brooke.
Twin spots of color appeared on her cheeks.
Megan gave Brooke’s hand a firm tug. “Come on. It won’t take long.”
Brooke bit her bottom lip. “And I can stand wherever I like?”
“You can stand anywhere that’s within throwing distance of the bouquet.”
Levi didn’t say a word. If this backfired, he didn’t want Brooke telling him it was his fault because he’d talked her into supporting Megan.
“And it will only take two minutes?”
“At the tops,” Megan assured her. Sensing imminent victory, Megan yanked Brooke’s hand even harder. “We can’t put it off any longer. Come with me before the other women organize their own bouquet toss.
Brooke sent him a helpless look before following Megan.
Their interesting night had just turned into something even better. And if Brooke survived the next few minutes, it could be the perfect ending to a day of surprises.
The following morning, Brooke was busy making marshmallow when Sam stumbled through the back door.
“Next time I go to the general store, I’m buying you a new doormat. I nearly tripped over your old one again.”
“That’s what you say each time you come here.”
Sam took off her jacket and sat on a kitchen stool. “I guess I don’t go to the general store as often as I should. How’s the superstar bouquet catcher feeling?”
Brooke scowled at the flowers sitting on the windowsill. “The bouquet shouldn’t have landed anywhere near me. At least fifteen other women were waiting to catch it.”
“I’ve always thought Megan had eyes in the back of her head. Her uncanny ability to find you in a crowd of excited females wasn’t normal.”
“I think William had something to do with it.” Brooke had seen him making strange hand signals to his new wife. At the time, she’d thought it was cute. It wasn’t so cute when the bouquet flew straight toward her head. “Why didn’t you join me?”
Sam waved her left hand in the air. “My engagement ring protects me from evil forces. I didn’t want to jinx someone else’s opportunity for a happy-ever-after moment.”
Brooke squeezed raspberry sauce on a layer of marshmallow. “A bunch of flowers will give someone hay fever, not a happy ever after moment.”
“You’re like the Christmas Grinch of weddings. What did Levi think when you caught the bouquet?”
“He laughed.” Brooke still couldn’t believe what had happened. She had purposely hidden behind someone who was taller than she was. At the time, it seemed like a great strategy, except she hadn’t seen where the bouquet was heading. When it collided with her head, she got such a fright that she tripped on the hem of her dress and almost flattened the person behind her.
“I took a photo.”
Brooke didn’t trust Sam’s smug smile. “You’d better show me before your cell phone mysteriously disappears.”
“It’s not that bad. I was thinking of sending it into the local newspaper for their weekly, ‘create a caption’ column.”
She didn’t need to study the photo for long to realize it was horrendous. Sam had taken the photo just as Brooke was collapsing on the woman behind her. At least the bouquet partially covered her face.
“Don’t send the photo into the newspaper. It will ruin my reputation.”
Sam grinned. “You can’t see your face.”
“But everyone at the wedding knows it was me.”
“I think it’s a great photo. It’s like poetry in motion.”
“Bad poetry,” Brooke muttered.
Someone knocked on the back door.
Sam looked over Brooke’s shoulder and smiled. “We were just talking about you.”
Levi frowned. “I hope it was a good story.”
“The best.”
Before Brooke could grab the cell phone, Sam showed Levi the photo. His grin did nothing to make her feel better.
“Nice photo.”
Brooke handed Levi the pan with the left-over marshmallow inside. “It’s horrible. The young girl behind me looks terrified.”
“So would I if a stranger was about to land on top of me,” Sam said. “How come Levi gets the off-cuts?”
Levi bit into a piece of fluffy marshmallow. “Because I’m special.”
Sam leaned across the counter. “You’re also kind and super-friendly. And super-friendly people always share their marshmallow.”
With a heartfelt sigh, Levi passed Sam the pan. Before she could take a piece, he pulled it away. “Will you forward me a copy of Brooke’s photo?”
Brooke gasped. “No. You don’t need a copy. No one does.”
Sam frowned. “It’s not a bad photo. It’s got character.”
She sent Sam a pleading look. “Delete it. Please.”
Levi cleared his throat and pushed the pan of marshmallow closer to Sam.
“It’s just as well one of us is being incredibly mature.” Sam slid her phone into her pocket. “I’m not going to delete it because it’s a great photo. And I won’t share it with anyone except Levi, because he has the left-over marshmallow.
Brooke sent her so-called friends a withering glance. “I’m the one who made the marshmallow.”
“And it’s delicious,” Levi said as he licked his fingers.
Heat spiraled through Brooke’s traitorous body. “You’re supposed to be on my side. We almost missed—” Brooke’s gaze shot to Sam.
“It’s okay,” Sam said. “A little birdie already told me you were seen on the back of a Harley, driving around Sapphire Bay.”
Brooke had wondered how long it would take Sam to find out about the motorcycle ride. She hadn’t said anything during the reception in case her friends jumped to the wrong conclusion. “I was hoping to miss the bridal bouquet toss, but Megan postponed it until I came back.”
Sam turned to Levi. “And what do you have to say about kidnapping a bridesmaid?”
“It was almost as much fun as watching Brooke catch the bouquet.”
Brooke picked up a bowl of flaked chocolate and spread it across the raspberry sauce. It was just as well she had a sense of humor. Otherwise, Sam and Levi would be smothered in thick, white marshmallow.
Levi grinned. “I don’t think Brooke likes us very much at the moment.”
Sam nudged his arm. “Do you think she’ll give us a cup of coffee?”
“It would be great with the marshmallow. But I think we’ll have to make it ourselves.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed. “If you want something to do, you could cut the fudge sitting on the counter.”
Levi licked his misbehaving lips. “Is it Russian fudge?”
“It might be,” Brooke muttered.
“I need to do some work upstairs. But if I finish the staircase to the attic, would you save me a piece?”
Sam turned on the coffeepot. “I thought you’d come to say hello to Brooke, not work.”
“Someone has to do it,” Levi said. “Besides, I knew Brooke was making marshmallow.”
Sam smiled. “Well, it’s just as well I’m a workaholic, too. How about we make coffee, then while you’re finishing the staircase, Levi, I’ll help Brooke with the fudge.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
Brooke leaned against the counter. “Although I appreciate you being here, neither of you should be working.”
“I’m not working,” Sam said with a mischievous smile. “I’m spending time with my friends and eating marshmallow. Besides, Levi promised to take me for a ride on his Harley.”
“It’s true,” Levi said when Brooke looked at him. “Your friends drive a hard bargain.”
“Friends? How many people are you taking for rides?”
“Only Megan and me,” Sam said quickly. “All we had to do was promise not to post your photo on Facebook.”
Brooke could have kissed Levi. He’d been looking out for her all along. “Thank you.”
He sent her a shy grin. “Megan might have also promised to make me a chocolate cake when she gets back from her honeymoon.”
Brooke wasn’t worried about the deal Levi had made. She was just grateful he’d stopped her friends from sending the photo to anyone else. “I guess we’d better have a cup of coffee.”
As Levi and Sam moved around the kitchen, Brooke wondered what she’d done to deserve such wonderful friends. Even if Sam had taken a terrible photo of her.
Levi lifted his arms above his head and stretched. It was taking longer than he thought to finish the staircase from Brooke’s apartment to the attic. The previous stairs were okay if you weren’t going between the floors too often. But now that they were converting the attic into livable space, a new staircase was important. It would provide easy access to the extra rooms, and make the remodeled area look as though it was always meant to be there.
His goal today had been to finish attaching the handrail and spindles and, hopefully, paint a layer of undercoat on the wood. He glanced at his watch. With the last spindle glued and nailed into place, he should be ready to start painting soon.
“This is amazing.” Brooke stood at the base of the stairs, admiring what he’d done.
He put down his hammer and smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I didn’t realize it would make such a difference to the light coming into this side the room.”
Because this side of the building didn’t have any external windows, the architect had suggested adding skylights to the roof. Not only would they let sunlight into the attic, but also into the main living area on the first floor.
Brooke stood on the bottom stair and looked around her apartment. “I was worried the staircase would take up too much room. But it’s perfect.”
“The stairs are slightly wider than usual, but it makes more of a statement. Have you finished making the candy?”
“I have. Sam left a few minutes ago. She wanted me to say goodbye to you and remind you about her motorcycle ride.”
“I won’t forget.” Not when Sam had already reminded him at least three times.
“How much longer are you planning on working?”
Levi studied the staircase. “I should be finished in about two hours.”
“You can’t work for that long. It’s Sunday.”
“If I don’t undercoat the wood today, it will be impossible to do it when everyone’s using the stairs.”
“I could help. After I bought this building, I painted my apartment by myself. And, even if I do say so myself, I did a pretty good job.”
Levi frowned. “I’m not worried about your painting experience, but I am worried about you. You’ve already spent a lot of time working in the kitchen. Don’t you want a break before you start work tomorrow?”
“If we both work on the stairs, we’ll be finished in no time at all. And if we’re fast, we could watch the boat races on Flathead Lake.”
Levi’s heart melted. Brooke never complained about the amount of work she had to do to make her business a success or the hours she spent helping other people. He admired her boundless energy and positive way of looking at the world. He just hoped she didn’t do too much and burn herself out.
“Come on, Levi. I know you like spending time by the lake.”
“I should say no, but you probably wouldn’t listen to me anyway.” He knelt on a canvas sheet beside the staircase. “I’ve got extra rollers and paint trays. We just need to sweep the stairs to get rid of the dust.”
Brooke picked up a broom. “Your wish is my command.” And with a cheeky grin, she started sweeping the stairs.
Levi wasn’t sure what to do with her. Anyone with half a brain would grab Brooke around the waist and never let go. But he’d tried that once before, and it had failed miserably.
Maybe he’d be luckier the second time around. Or maybe not.