“Hey, sorry I’m late, man. Have you been waiting long?”
Levi looked up and smiled slightly at his twin brother, Jeremiah, as he sat down across from him.
“No, I’ve only been here a few minutes,” Levi answered. “I went ahead and ordered for you though.”
“Well, I hope you ordered me the patty melt, because that’s what I’ve been craving all day,” Jeremiah said.
“Yeah, I did actually,” Levi answered with a slight frown. Their weird twin connection still caught him by surprise sometimes.
This was something he and Jerry tried to do whenever they could. Whenever both of their schedules aligned to give them each a little bit of free time. They would do things like catch a quick lunch or sometimes even dinner. And if they were really blessed with some time to kill, they would catch a ballgame together. Or, at the very least, they would gather at the family home and watch the game with their grandfather. That was always nice. But they were both so busy with work lately though that those nice family gatherings were becoming few and far between, and their grandmother was constantly imploring the two of them to make the time.
“Grandpa and I are old, boys. We won’t be around forever, you know?”
Levi could hear his grandmother’s voice in his head as the waitress set their drink orders down on the table.
“Okay, what is that look about?” Jeremiah asked as he studied his brother’s grave expression. Levi and Jeremiah were identical. They even had the paperwork to prove it – results from a genetic sampling test their mother and father had requested when they were just babies. Apparently their mother had been distressed over the fact that her supposedly identical twin boys had been born with different colored hair. The results they received from the lab explained that while the boys were identical in each part of the genome that was tested, sometimes rare genetic slip-ups allowed for things like different eye or hair color. They were identical in every other way: height, build, facial features, eye color. But Levi had been born with dark brown, wavy hair while Jeremiah was blonde. Jerry liked to joke that they were as different as daylight and dark.
“What?” Levi said, giving him a distracted frown.
“That look.”
“What look?”
“That look, there. On your face,” Jeremiah answered. “What’s going on with you? You seemed fine when I talked to you on the phone this morning. Now you look like someone just stuck a pin in your balloon or something. What gives?”
Levi took a deep breath and sighed as he shook his head, feeling slightly disgusted with himself.
“Jeez, is it that bad?” Jeremiah asked.
Levi smirked at him. “You remember the girl I’ve been telling you about?” he said, looking his brother in the eye.
“You mean the girl you’ve been stalking for the last two weeks? Yeah,” Jeremiah smiled.
As low as he was right now, Levi couldn’t help the small chuckle at his brother’s words. Jerry had a way of making light of most situations, no matter how dire. It was a talent that had done its part to keep Levi in good spirits his whole life.
“I am not stalking her,” Levi corrected.
“Uh … you kind of are. You’ve been covertly asking her siblings seemingly benign questions about her, you ran her through the system computer at work to see if she’s had any sort of criminal activity, you pretty much staked out her dog treat store or whatever the hell it is for the past few days. I know that I left the Eastwood PD to pursue a career in the coroner’s office, but … last time I checked, even though none of those things is actually illegal, it’s still considered pretty creepy stalker behavior, Detective.”
“It is not creepy stalker behavior,” Levi argued. “I’m just trying to find out what she’s like. What she’s into.”
“What her routine is. Where she goes every day,” Jeremiah teased.
“Oh, would you stop it,” Levi huffed. “I’m not stalking her. I’ve been trying to get up my nerve to approach her and maybe ask her out.”
Jeremiah squinted at him. “I don’t understand this. I mean, you have never had any trouble talking to women before. Where is this sudden paralyzing fear coming from, man?” he asked as the waitress set their sandwiches before them. “Thank you.”
Levi sighed and said nothing more as he went about spreading some mayo onto his extra-bacon BLT.
“Man, Stacy must have really done a number on you,” Jeremiah mumbled before taking a bite of his patty melt.
Levi set his knife down with a disgusted clank. He wanted to tell him that it had nothing to do with his ex-girlfriend. That it had nothing to do with walking into the apartment they had shared and finding her in their bed riding some guy’s cock. But he couldn’t say that because they both knew he would be lying if he did. His sudden streak of cowardice with Marina this morning had fear of repeating the whole Stacy nightmare written all over it.
“I talked to her this morning,” he said, finally picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.
“Talked to who?” Jeremiah said with a confused frown as he swallowed.
“Marina.”
“The stalkee?”
Levi gave him a look that said “really?” and Jerry smiled.
“Yes. I actually helped to carry her things into the store this morning before they opened up,” he explained. “She invited me in for a cup of coffee and we talked for nearly half an hour.”
“Well, that’s cool, man! How did it go?” he asked, genuinely excited on his brother’s behalf.
“It went great,” Levi answered, unable to stop himself from smiling. “Man, she is even prettier close up, and she’s funny and quirky and really clever. And smart. I mean, she runs that business, and she’s real knowledgeable about dogs and people and food and … how that whole circle fits together, the psychology behind it, you know?”
Jeremiah smiled at him as he chewed a mouthful and swallowed. “No. But apparently you’ve thought a great deal about it. Did you ask her out?”
Levi’s smile faded and he shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Why not, man? You were right there! That was your chance.”
“I know. But … you were right,” he shrugged. “Stacy did a number on me. I don’t … want to go through that again. I can’t.”
“Levi … this girl is not Stacy, man. What are you going to do? Avoid all women for the rest of your life because of some fear that she might cheat on you?” Jeremiah asked.
“Jerry, Stacy didn’t just cheat on me, and you know it. It was a lot more complicated than that.”
“It was not complicated,” Jeremiah replied, looking his brother in the eye. “You loved her. You lived together for two years and she cheated on you. More than once. And you took her back more than once. There is no shame in trying to make it work, Levi. But you cannot live the rest of your life in some sort of self-imposed solitary confinement because she hurt you. At some point, you’ve got to move on. She sure as hell already has!”
Levi said nothing as he let his brother’s words roll over him, sinking into his consciousness. He knew that Jerry was right. At some point he needed to let it go and move on.
“Are you still in love with her?” Jeremiah suddenly asked. And Levi looked him in the eye. “Is that what this is about, Levi? Are you still in love with Stacy?”
“No,” he said without hesitation. “Any love I had left for Stacy died that night I walked in on her and that dirtbag in my bed. But you’ve got to understand something, Jerry … we were together for over three years, man. Living together for most of that time. I thought we were headed for something permanent, you know? I thought …”
“I know what you thought, Levi. And I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. But can’t you see how much better off you are without all of her constant drama?” he asked. “Man, she was always jerking you around and playing head games with you, and I think she enjoyed it! You deserve better. And this Marina person is the first girl I’ve seen you get excited about since you finally ended things with Stacy. That’s got to mean something! You should ask one of the Kellys you work with for her number and call her. Or better yet … just go back to her shop and ask her out in person.”
Levi stared at his brother for a moment and then slowly smiled at him. “Thanks for always being fiercely supportive, man.”
“Oh, like you haven’t been fiercely supportive of me over the years?” Jeremiah replied. “I couldn’t have made my career switch if it hadn’t been for you encouraging me. Telling me that it was okay to want something different. Telling me that I didn’t have to be a cop just because our father and our grandfather both were. And helping me to explain it to Granddad.”
Levi shrugged. “I just thought it was important that you follow your heart and do whatever was going to make you happy.”
“Yeah, well so should you,” Jeremiah said, fixing his brother with a determined gaze. “You deserve to be happy, Levi. And you and I both know that Stacy made you nothing but miserable.”
“Okay, will you stop harping on Stacy,” Levi replied. “I told you, this is not about wanting to get back with Stacy. It’s about wanting to move on from that whole nightmare relationship, but not knowing if I’m ready.”
“Not ready?” Jeremiah repeated with raised eyebrows. “Levi, it’s been almost a year since you asked me to stop trying to fix you up with someone.”
“I know that,” Levi sighed.
“And you never got excited about any of them. Not one,” his brother stated, referring to the women he had tried to introduce him to.
“I know.”
“But this Kelly chick … man, do you realize how much you have talked about her in the last three weeks? How many of our conversations during that time have been about nothing but her? Levi, you are seriously into this woman, after just seeing her across a crowded bar. And I’ve got to tell you, I am so relieved, because it means that you are finally coming out of this funk you’ve been in for so long. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you don’t ask this girl out, I will be forced to do it for you!”
Levi frowned at him. “What do you mean, do it for me?”
“I mean just what I said,” Jeremiah warned. And Levi laughed. He knew his brother meant well. Jeremiah smiled. “Don’t make me have to dye my hair and pretend to be you.”
Levi’s laughter grew.
“It’s been a long time since we tried that trick, huh?” Jerry asked.
“Yeah,” Levi nodded. “Like maybe middle school.”
They were quiet for a while as they both finished off their sandwiches. And as he was sipping his iced tea, Levi thought about something.
“You know, Jerry, even if I do ask this girl out … she supposedly has this thing about cops, remember?” he asked. “Her sister said that she refuses to date them. So, I can’t just ask her out. I’ve got to convince her to take a chance on me.”
Jeremiah shrugged his shoulders. “Then that’s what you’ll do. You’ll tell her all the reasons why she needs to give you a chance, despite your being a cop.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?” Levi asked.
*
Marina thought about her mystery man all morning long as she worked away in the kitchen. And as she listened to the low buzz of chatter out in the front of the store, she thought yet again about how Levi didn’t ask for her number when he left. And as she mulled it over in her mind again, she finally let herself wonder about that strange expression she had seen on his face right before he went out the door. That flash of uncertainty. What had that been about? And had she really seen it at all or was it just something she imagined? It bugged her as she pondered it. What would he have to be uncertain about? They had only just met.
She rolled her eyes at herself as she worked. Maybe he was uncertain about whether he was interested in her or not. Maybe he was trying to decide if he wanted to ask her out or not. And she sighed when she realized that that was probably it. In that moment, he had asked himself the question and decided against it. Just her luck, she thought as she made an unpleasant face and got back to work.
At one o’clock, after she had gotten about fifteen dozen cookies and dog treats out of the ovens and into the display cases out front, Marina prepared to take a much needed break from the hot kitchen. She wiped her hands on a towel and grabbed her dress shirt from the hook she’d left it on. Then she exited the kitchen.
She spoke to several of her regular customers and their dogs seated in the dining area as she passed through. And Bear attached himself to her side the moment he spotted her emerging from the kitchen.
“Hey, buddy! Have you been the perfect host while I’ve been baking, huh?”
“Oh, Marina, he’s always such a sweetie,” one of her customers said as she sat with her Bichon on her lap. The dog was busy lapping up some breath-freshening parsley and peppermint water from a small dish on the table while her owner enjoyed a cup of coffee.
“Yeah? He didn’t try to steal Princess Fluffy’s peanut butter treats this time, did he?” Marina joked, and the older woman laughed.
“No, no. He was a perfect gentleman this visit,” the woman smiled.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” she smiled. “You ladies enjoy your beverages, okay?”
“Oh, we will!”
Marina and Bear made their way through the dining area and into her small office where she closed the door behind them and then proceeded to strip out of her chef’s jacket and back into her dress shirt. Then she took a few moments to check her email on her phone while she waited. She was replying to a question from one of her suppliers when they heard the knock on the door.
“Come in,” she called out. The door opened and Marina looked up and smiled as her sister stuck her head in.
“Hey. Hi Bear,” Frankie Kelly exclaimed as the dog ran to greet her. She spent a few seconds scratching his head and loving on him before she looked up at Marina. “Are we still on for lunch?”
“Yep. You’re right on time,” Marina said as she put her phone away and stood up. “Just let me make sure everything’s okay out front and we’ll go.”
“Okay.”
“Nap time for you, Bear,” Marina said to her dog as she and Frankie exited the room. “You stay here and be good.” She closed the door of her office, leaving the dog inside, and then went to check on the girls behind the counter.
“all right, I’m going to lunch now. I’m just going to the café so I won’t be long. Bear is in my office.”
“Okay, Boss,” Liz said.
“Hey, can I have a dozen of those paw print treats for Bo?” Frankie asked, referring to her police K-9 partner as she reached for her credit card in the small wristlet purse she was carrying. “I don’t know what you put in those things but he goes nuts for them.”
Marina turned and grabbed one of the prepackaged containers sitting on the counter and thrust it at her. “Here. And put that thing away. You know your money’s no good here.”
“Marina!”
“Let’s go. I’m hungry,” she said, ignoring her sister’s protests as she walked to door of the shop. Frankie followed after her, still fussing.
“How do you expect to turn a profit if you’re always giving these things away?”
Marina smiled at her. “Well, I only give them away to you, you know,” she answered as they stood outside the shop. “Everyone else pays full price for them. Now come on, I really am hungry and I don’t have much time.”
“I’ve got all day,” Frankie boasted smugly, rubbing in the fact that this was her day off. Marina giggled at her and then hooked her arm through her sister’s as they started walking.
“Any new wedding plan developments now that you and John have finally set a date?” she asked.
“Only that we’ve agreed on keeping it really small and intimate. Just family and a few close friends. Of course, the only problem with that is that there are a million of us Kellys,” she smiled.
Marina smiled. “Exaggerate much?”
“Okay, fine. Not a million. Just a few hundred thousand,” Frankie joked.
“So, I met the most gorgeous guy this morning on my way into the shop,” she said as they walked across the street to the Chez Food Bistro, a little café that served some truly amazing sandwiches.
“Really? Well, do tell,” Frankie giggled. And as they leisurely made their way across the street to the restaurant, Marina gave her the condensed version of her chance meeting with “the mystery man.”
“So, did this mystery hottie have a name?” Frankie asked as they stepped through the door of the place.
“Yes. His name was …”
Marina stopped as she looked across the café and spotted the very subject of their conversation. She couldn’t believe it.
“Marina?” Frankie asked with a puzzled frown.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry, Frankie,” she smiled, glancing at her sister and then back at him. “You’re not going to believe this, but that’s him!”
“That’s who?” Frankie said, trying to follow her sister’s gaze.
“That’s my mystery man, right over there,” Marina whispered loudly.
“Where?”
“Right there! Sitting at that table with that other guy.” And as she looked at the scene, Marina suddenly did a double take. The guy her mystery man was sitting with looked just like him! Sort of. She frowned as she tried to work that one out. They had to be related in some way.
“Wait a minute, are you talking about …”
“Come on,” Marina ordered, cutting Frankie off and ignoring her question as she marched off in the direction of the men's table. And Frankie sighed as she followed after her.
Levi saw the approach from his peripheral vision, and when he looked up into her beautiful face, he was every bit as surprised as she had been.
“Hi,” he stated, staring up at her.
“Hi,” Marina smiled. “Twice in one day! If I didn’t know any better I might think you were stalking me.”
Levi was momentarily speechless as Jeremiah tried hard to stifle the laughter.
“But, of course, you were obviously here first. So, I guess that doesn’t apply, does it?” Marina smiled.
“No. It does not,” Levi said, finding his voice as he smiled at her. “In fact, I think I may have a stalking case against you.”
Marina giggled, loving the fact that he was joking with her. Then she glanced at his lunch companion.
“Oh, I’m sorry. This is my brother, Jeremiah. The man who stole half my egg, obviously.”
Jeremiah smirked at him. “That is not how genetics works, man. The egg splits into two separate parts. And obviously, I got the more handsome part,” he shrugged.
“Obviously,” Levi agreed with a sarcastic smile, and Marina giggled some more.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Marina Kelly,” she said as they shook hands. “And this is my sister, Frankie.”
“Hey, Hawks,” Frankie smiled. Then she waved at Jeremiah. She didn’t know the brother as well, but their paths crossed occasionally in a professional capacity.
Levi smiled nervously at her. Until Marina introduced her, he hadn’t realized she was there. Frankie could blow everything!
“Wait a minute. You two know each other?” Marina asked, looking from her sister to Levi and back again.
“Well, yeah,” Frankie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Hawks is …”
“An investigator,” he said loudly, cutting Frankie off before she could say any more. “With the coroner’s office. I … investigate suspicious deaths for the coroner’s office, so … yeah, I sometimes run into many Kellys during the course of my job,” he explained as his eyes darted back and forth between the two women. Frankie gave him a “what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about” look, but she said nothing as she smiled at him.
“And, of course, John Myles … he’s one of my closest friends,” he added, referring to Frankie’s fiancé. “Uh, I … didn’t realize you were one of those Kellys,” he lied, looking back at Marina. And he could feel his stomach knot up as he smiled at her.
“Yeah, well … it’s hard to find someone named Kelly in this town who isn’t,” she joked, and they all laughed. “So that’s very cool. You guys all know each other!” In her mind she instantly pictured the many double dates and fun outings they could all go on together.
“Yep,” Frankie smiled, trying to fill the awkward space. And one glance at Jeremiah told her that he was just as amused and equally perplexed as she was. “Well, we should let you gentlemen finish your lunch. I’m sure you need to get back to the coroner’s office soon,” she said, smiling at Levi.
“Yeah,” he said, glancing down at his watch. And he actually did need to get back to the police station. “But it was really good seeing you again,” he said to Marina. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that coffee all day. Best cup I’ve had in a long time.”
Marina smiled brightly at him. “Well, like I said … you are welcome anytime.”
“I may take you up on that,” he smiled bashfully.
“I hope you do.”
They stared at one another for a moment, both of them feeling the intense crackle of chemistry they had felt earlier that day in her shop. Finally Marina looked away with a coy smile as she waved. Then she and Frankie walked away and sat down at their own table. And Levi looked back at Jeremiah with huge, disbelieving eyes.
“Oh, my God.”
“What the hell, man?” Jeremiah laughed at him.
“Well, what was I supposed to say? If she finds out I’m a cop now she won’t go out with me! I had to say something. And your job was the first thing that came to mind.”
“But what happened to just convincing her to give you chance even though you are a cop?” Jeremiah asked. “I mean, how long do you plan to keep this up, Levi?”
“I only have to keep it up until she agrees to go out with me,” he countered. “Then maybe it won’t matter to her that I’m a cop.”
“No. But you know what will matter to her? The fact that you lied, man,” Jeremiah stated. “You have got to fix this! You can’t start a relationship lying about what you do for a living.”
“I know that,” Levi whispered harshly. “It’s just until I get her to go out with me.”
“Oh, you’re doing that right now,” Jeremiah stated, looking his brother in the eye.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we’re going to get up and walk over to that table, and you are going to ask her out right now, before we leave this restaurant,” he answered.
“I can’t ask her out now. Not in front of you and her sister,” Levi stalled anxiously.
“Either you do it or I will,” Jeremiah warned, threatening to make good on his earlier statement.
“You’re actually serious,” Levi said.
“I’m dead serious,” Jeremiah said, picking up the check and standing up.
“Okay, fine,” Levi said as he stood up beside him. “You go pay the bill and I’ll go over to the table.”
“Oh, no. Nice try though,” he said, placing the check into his brother’s hand. “You are going to pay the bill, and I’m sticking right with you. That way I know you’ve really asked her.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Let’s just call it peace of mind,” Jeremiah smiled.
Levi rolled his eyes at him, but he knew he was stuck. They walked up to the register where he paid for their lunch. And then he turned and slowly headed toward Marina’s table. He could feel his chest tighten with every step he took. Why the hell was he so nervous about this? She looked up at him as he and his brother approached the table, and he saw her pale blue eyes sparkle as she smiled at him. That tight feeling in his chest evaporated as he smiled back.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but, uh … well, I was actually wondering if … you might want to go out with me sometime?” he asked, feeling as though he had stumbled his way through it.
“I was beginning to think you were never going to ask, Mr. Hawks,” Marina smiled. “I would love to go out with you!”
He smiled at her. “Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” he said. “Well, I … I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
“Or, you could just make a date right now,” Jeremiah said with a shoulder shrug, examining the ceiling instead of looking either of them in the eye as he interfered.
Levi shot him a look and then turned back to Marina with an embarrassed smile. “Pay no attention to my meddling sidekick,” he said anxiously.
“Wing man,” Jeremiah interjected. “I’m your wing man.”
“You’re gonna be my victim in a minute! Would you shut up?” Levi whispered loudly while Marina and Frankie giggled.
“Actually, I just happen to have a free evening tomorrow,” Marina said as she smiled up at Levi. “I mean, if you’re free. And if your wing man here thinks tomorrow is soon enough, of course.”
“I think tomorrow is an excellent idea,” Jeremiah confirmed, smiling down at her.
“That’s great,” Levi smiled, looking from Marina to Jeremiah. “That’s … that’s great. Tell me, am I actually allowed to go on the date that you have just set up for me, Jerry?”
“Well, it’s your date,” Jeremiah smiled, looking proud of himself.
“Yeah. My date. Thanks for your help, man,” he said sarcastically.
“Anytime, bro,” he said, slapping a hand on his shoulder.
Levi shook his head and turned back to Marina. “Dinner and a movie?” he asked.
“Sounds great,” she answered.
“I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“Seven sounds great,” she smiled.
“Okay,” he smiled.
“Here.” She took a business card from her purse and scribbled something on the back of it, and handed it to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He glanced down at the card and smiled when he saw that she had written her cell number and her address on the back of it. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he smiled. “Bye, Frankie.”
Marina couldn’t stop smiling as she watched them go. And when they were gone, she turned to Frankie and gushed, “Oh, my God, he is so freaking hot. And absolutely adorable! And he’s not a cop.”
Frankie smiled at her, but she kept quiet, wondering frantically what Hawks was up to. And she couldn’t help feeling like the world’s worst sister. She should tell her, shouldn’t she? She should tell Marina the truth. But what the hell was going on? What game was Hawks playing here?
She could tell that day when Levi first asked about Marina that he was interested in her. But she never expected him to take what she had told him about her sister’s decision to never date cops as an excuse to lie to her. And now, he had Frankie lying to her too, which she didn’t appreciate. She frowned as she wondered what exactly his intentions were. Just how long did he plan to lie to Marina? If he wanted a relationship with her, he surely couldn’t keep this up for long.
Frankie had actually gotten to know Levi pretty well over the past year since he and John were so close, and she knew him to be a really nice, thoughtful, intelligent man, and a great detective. For John’s sake, maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt for now and trust that he would come clean to Marina soon. But if he didn’t, he was going to have to answer to her.