“Happy-ending long-distance relationships sure are. Just like all other happy-ending relationships.”
He pins me with a look. The corners of the pancake are darkening dangerously. “And ours will end poorly, too?”
“Nah.” I wave my hand. “We’ll be fine, because we’re casual.”
He stiffens, lips thinning. “I see.” He relaxes with visible effort, and... there’s something odd about his expression.
“What’s that face?” I ask.
“What face?”
“That one. The one you put on when you’re about to try to convince me that Nirvana is better than Ani DiFranco.”
“I’m not going to try to convince you.”
“Ah. So you admit that I’m right.”
“You’re not right. You’re stubborn, and misguided, and often wrong—about music and other things. But there’s no use in trying to reason with you.” He leans closer and kisses me—lingering, soft, deep. I lose myself a little. “I’ll just have to show you.”
“Show me wh—?”
Levi’s phone rings. He takes a moment to turn off the stove before picking up. “Yes?”
The voice on the other end is almost familiar—Lily Sullivan.
“Hey. I’m with Bee.” I give him a curious look. Why would Lily know who I am? “Sure. Of course... I’ll ask.” He presses his phone against his shoulder, looking at me. “Any interest in spending a few hours hanging out with a six-year-old who wants to be a spider vet and has strong opinions on Pokémons?”
I’m briefly confused. Then I realize what he’s asking and my face splits into a grin. “Lots of interest. But, Levi?” I whisper as he puts the phone back to his ear. “Pokémon is uncountable.”
•••
LILY SULLIVAN IS warm, personable, and sweet in a delicious Southern way that has me instantly liking her and feeling welcome in her beautiful Early American home. Penny Sullivan, though... I fall in love with Penny the second I lay my eyes on her.
Not true. I fall for her when she looks up from lying facedown on the living room rug and moans with wide, pleading eyes, “My kingdom. My entire kingdom for a Twinkie.”
“She’s on her fourth day of Keto,” Lily whispers. “For her epilepsy.” She gives me the doleful look of a mother who’s been feeding her kid eggs and avocados for too many meals. “I don’t think she ever asked for a Twinkie before today.”
I remember the cravings of nine-year-old Bee, who was brutally informed by her cousin Magdalena that gummy bears are made with animal bones and didn’t find out about vegan alternatives for years. “Yeah, diets are funny like that.”
Though Penny seems fine now that Levi’s here, laughing uncontrollably when he picks her up, throws her over his shoulder, and starts making his way across the house. “Penny Lane and I will be in the backyard, if you want to join us.” It’s clear that they have a routine, which consists of Levi pushing a long swing that dangles from the branch of a tall tree, and Penny yelling, “More! More!” as Lily sits on the patio and smiles fondly at them. I take the chair next to hers, and thank her when she pours me a glass of lemonade.
“I’m so glad you came over. Penny was supposed to have a sleepover tonight, but we postponed after the seizure earlier this week. She didn’t take it well.”
“I’d be grumpy, too. And it’s no problem at all—your home is so lovely, thank you for having me.”
She smiles, covering my hand with her palm. “Thank you for not thinking that”—she gestures vaguely to herself, the house, Levi, and even me—“all of this is weird. Having this woman who’s always calling the man you’re dating—”
“Oh, it’s not like that. We’re just—” My eyes dart to the swing. Can I talk about sex within one hundred feet of a child? Is there a law against it?
“It must be uncomfortable, considering that Levi and I once...” She gives me an apologetic look. I want her to stop talking about this for many reasons, including the fact that while I have no right to be jealous, judging by the little pang in my stomach I... apparently am? A little bit? Yikes, me. “It’s long over,” Lily continues. “And it was just a few weeks. We met here in Houston when he came to spend the summer with Peter, before the last year of his Ph.D. Then he went back to Pittsburgh. We were supposed to try long distance, but he said he met someone else....”
The pang turns into a thud. Who did Levi meet in his fifth year? Well, me. Duh. But he can’t have broken up with someone like Lily for—
“When he told Peter that we’d split, Peter admitted that he liked me and asked me out.” She spreads her hands, as though she cannot believe her own story. “We got married two months later, and I got pregnant right after. Can you believe it?”
I smile. “It’s so romantic. I’m so sorry about what happened to Peter.”
“Yeah. It was... It’s not easy.” She looks away. “Thank you for what you’re doing for BLINK. I know it’s high security and you can’t talk about it, but when you came on board, Levi mentioned what an asset you’d be. It means a lot, having someone like you carry out Peter’s legacy. And thank you for sharing Levi with us.”