Melodies of the Heart: A Pinewood Grove Sweet Romance (7 page)

While she knew she’d made the right choice in turning him down, Kassidy couldn’t help but let the regret in her belly bubble up. She’d wanted to kiss him, but she’d used her head and now it was her heart that was suffering.

It had been hard for Kassidy to act like herself the last few days. Disappointment ran through her veins and she was convinced that she had lost her chance with Levi after brushing off his attempt to kiss her.

Despite how much it upset her to realise that, she refused to let herself regret what had happened between them. She’d made a choice and she knew it was the right one. If they had kissed, she would have only let herself fall for the guy and instead of disappointed, she would be heartbroken when he eventually left town to return to his real life.

At least Murph had been giving her updates about the bike. He’d put the new muffler on it on Wednesday, but he still had some things that needed some tuning, at least, that was the case as of two days ago. He hadn’t been back to the bakery since, and part of her was tempted to bring him another loaf of rye bread as a bribe for more information, but she’d thought better of it.

Word had been getting around that a famous rock star was in town, and Kassidy wanted to believe that a part of the reason she hadn’t seen Levi since they’d gone their separate ways on Sunday was that he was laying low. He obviously didn’t want the attention that he was sure to bring once people knew where he was, and she wanted to respect his wishes and keep it that way.

At least Mary Alice was good at keeping her mouth shut about her latest tenant. Levi was the only one staying at her boarding house, so they needn’t worry about another person informing everyone where he was staying, which would only make things worse. The only issue was her neighbors finding out that she had someone staying with her again.

But deep down, Kassidy knew that wasn’t the only reason he was laying low. She had shot him down and she had known what the consequences of that would be. She’d turned guys down before, only to have them never want to speak to her again. Really, the only man she’d ever said no to that still tried to talk to her was Paul, but she was certain that was only his pride making him want to try again.

Kassidy tried to avoid thinking about Levi, but she couldn’t help it. Every thought that drifted through her mind somehow found its way back to him and only made her heart ache more. The littlest thing brought her back to him and she knew she couldn’t fight it on her own.

She had begged her parents to let her do work in the back, but there wasn’t anything to do. Instead, she was sitting at the cash register, rarely seeing a customer, and her mind was too active for her own good.

Another wave of sadness overtook her and she knew she needed some fresh air before she broke down and started to cry. Not once in the last five days had she let herself cry over him, but she was getting too close to it and she grabbed a Panini out of the display case, warned her parents she was going outside for lunch, and stepped outside just before the first tear could tumble over her lower lashes.

The fresh air was exactly what she needed to get her emotions in check. A light breeze flowed down Main Street and cooled the heat in her face and a bite of her lunch helped her swallow the knot in her throat. Her heart still hurt, but at least she’d gotten control of her symptoms once more.

As she ate – each bite calming her down more and more – a deep rumble began to fill the air.
On their way to the state park
, Kassidy thought as she listened to the noise swell around her. On a beautiful day in May, it was a common sight to see people on their bikes headed toward the campground for the weekend.

It wasn’t until she saw the motorcycle that she realised it wasn’t just some biker on his way through town. It was too familiar and her heart clenched as she realised it was Levi that was about to go right by her.

It was easy to convince herself that he was going to drive right past her. That he would ride out of town and out of her life for good. She’d gotten her chance and wasted it, and now he was headed back to his real life.

But she was wrong. He didn’t just keep riding down the street and off into the horizon. Instead, he pulled over to the side of the road, not five feet from where she sat eating her lunch, and turned off the heavy machine.

“Hey,” he said as he pulled off his helmet. His dark brown hair fell almost too easily back into place and his dark brown eyes met hers.

“Um, hi,” she said while she tried not to get her hopes up.

“You okay?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at her.

“Fine,” she insisted once she swallowed the bite she was working on. “What’s up?” It was a struggle for her to appear like she didn’t care, and at least she could blame her choked voice on the sandwich.

“Well,” he told her as he got off the bike. “I got you something.”

“Oh?” she asked, too nervous to stand. If she got to her feet, her knees would be shaking and she didn’t want him to see just how nervous she really was.

He didn’t answer her attempt at a question. Instead, he went into one of the saddlebags of his bike and pulled out a shiny, robin’s egg blue dome. It was only when he handed it to her that Kassidy realised it was a motorcycle helmet.

“Oh!” she mumbled, suddenly a little more relieved.

“So you want to go for a ride?” he asked as he held out his hand to her.

She barely even let herself think of it before she said, “Yes.”

The bakery wasn’t busy and her parents could handle it. This was what she wanted and she wasn’t going to turn him down again.

It was harder than she expected to get on the back of his bike, and as he kicked it to life, her fingers instinctively dug into his waist. She’d never been on the back of a bike – she hadn’t even been comfortable riding a bicycle as a kid – and her fingers only dug in harder as they began to move back down Main Street.

By time they made it out of town and onto the highway, she wasn’t even scared anymore. Her fingers still dug into Levi’s waist, but it wasn’t because she was afraid. The thrill of being on the bike with him was unlike anything she’d ever known and she loved every second of it.

The highway flew by through the shaded visor of her new helmet. Thrill and joy overwhelmed her, but a new thought wiggled its way into her mind. If the bike was fixed, that meant that Levi would be going back on the road soon. He would promise to write or something, but that would be the end of it and she needed to be prepared to say good-bye.

By time they pulled over to the side of the road at a rest stop, that little thought had become a big worry and Kassidy didn’t want to take her helmet off for fear of him seeing all her emotions on her face.

Still, she took the beautiful gift off and let her long hair flow freely behind her. She wanted to get back on that bike and ride with him forever, but she had a feeling he’d taken her out there to say their good-byes.

“That was fun,” she said as she leaned on a guard rail. The rest stop overlooked the edge of the state park twenty feet below them and she kept her eyes on that to avoid looking at Levi.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he told her as he moved to her side.

“So,” she said, trying to force her voice to a calm stillness. “Now that your bike is fixed I assume you’ll be leaving.”

“I never said that,” he told her. “In fact, I haven’t really decided what I want to do.”

“Oh,” Kassidy said, finally looking at him. She wanted to find answers on his face, but there were none there for her to see.

“I need more time to think about it,” he explained. “I’m sorry I haven’t come by in the last few days, but I’ve spent just about all my time on the phone with my manager and the record company, and every moment I haven’t, I’ve been in no mood to see anyone. I didn’t want anyone to see me that pissed off. Especially you.”

“So what does that mean?” Kassidy asked, trying not to get too excited about the answer.

“It means I’m going to stay in Pinewood Grove for a while,” he told her. “I don’t know for how long, but as long as they don’t know I’m here, or at least where here is, it’ll give me time to figure out just what I want to do.”

“That sounds nice,” Kassidy told him. He still hadn’t mentioned how she played into his thoughts on the future, but she didn’t want to ask only to be let down by the answer.

“I like this place,” he continued. “There’s something about this town that I think can really help me get back to my roots. To help me decide what I really want to do next. I know my band is pretty upset, and the label is furious, but I don’t care. This is what I want right now.”

“And you should do what makes you happy,” Kassidy agreed while she fought back her own emotions. He was staying and she was overjoyed, and yet there was a melancholy that she couldn’t fight. He was staying for him, and she knew that was the best thing for Levi, but she couldn’t help but think of her own desires.

“You make me happy,” he said, his words cutting through her fears like a saber. “Kass, I hope it’s obvious, but you’re the biggest part of why I want to stay here. I can’t promise that I can stay forever, and I know that means you may not want to be with me, but at least as long as we can be friends...”

“But you’re staying,” she said. “At least for a while, right?”

“I promise,” he assured her as he took her hands in his.

She had just finished telling him that he needed to do what made him happy, but she was so afraid to take her own advice. Taking that step might lead to heartbreak, but she was quickly realising that if she never tried, it would only lead to regret.

“I want you to stay,” she said, her voice quivering. What she wanted to say was, “I want you to kiss me,” but she couldn’t quite get the words out.

Levi knew what she meant, and this time when he leaned down and moved his lips close to hers, she didn’t turn away and pull back. She let him kiss her gently, and her hands squeezed his as their kiss deepened and filled her heart with joy.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you on the street,” he told her when his lips released hers.

“Me too,” she admitted, finally allowing herself to smile, and to hope that this was more than just a summer fling. Then another, more responsible thought hit her. “I need to get back,” she said, hating the way it sounded when the words left her mouth. “I don’t want to, but I have to. I was only stepping out for lunch.”

“That’s okay,” Levi said as he grabbed her new helmet and handed it back to her. “I really don’t want your parents to think I’m kidnapping you or something.”

“Or something,” she laughed, though she knew exactly what they were worried about.

Levi got back on his bike and Kassidy climbed on behind him, but as they pulled back on the highway she could tell that he wasn’t going nearly as fast on the way back to town as he had when they’d left. She didn’t mind one bit. Kassidy was happy to keep her arms wrapped around him while the wind blew past her.

When they arrived back at the bakery, Kassidy could see her father standing behind the counter and she knew she was in trouble, but she didn’t care.

“Give me your phone,” Levi said, not taking off his helmet.

Kassidy did as she was told and he began to type before he handed it back. “I put my number in there for you. Text me later, okay?”

Kassidy could only nod her head in agreement. She wanted to scream yes, but her throat was dry and her head was spinning in excitement. Even the threat of having to explain to her parents that she planned on seeing Levi couldn’t ruin just how happy she’d let herself become.

Out of all of the calls and messages that were constantly coming to his phone, there was only one that Levi was really hoping for. The rest were just noise while he waited for her to send him a message.

He’d given Kassidy his number, but hadn’t thought to get hers while he was at it. It was for the best, he didn’t want to push her too hard and if she came to him, then he could breathe a little easier knowing she wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her.

He couldn’t help himself, though. Every time he saw her, it was like seeing her for the very first time. That beautiful sundress she’d worn when they’d gotten ice cream and how it showed off her long legs, and that pretty blue dress she’d been wearing when she came out of the church. It made her hair look redder than it was normally and even more it made him want to kiss all the freckles on her cheeks.

Levi had never had a woman say no to him, not in the last six years, but when he’d gone to kiss her the first time, she’d denied him. There was no way he could fault her for it, she’d had good reason to say no to him and it only made it easier for him to decide he needed to stay in Pinewood Grove for a while to find out exactly what he wanted to do.

Even if his manager warned him the label may cause problems for him if he didn’t get on a plane to Los Angeles as soon as physically possible.

Each blip of his phone had him jumping as if he were an uncertain teenager and he laughed at himself for it. Kassidy had inspired him to write again, though he didn’t plan on telling her that. He’d already put a lot on her plate. Telling her she’d become his muse might send her running for good.

Finally, late Friday night, the text he’d been waiting for appeared. No other message mattered to him like hers did, and he quickly opened it.

“Hey,” was all it said.

“Hey,” he replied and then added, “What’s up?”

Her next message took five minutes to appear, but he could see why. She’d written a novel.

“The spring carnival is tomorrow,” her message read. “I know you want to keep a low profile while you’re in town, but everyone kind of knows you’re here already and it would probably be a lot of fun so I was wondering if you’d like to go with me. If not, I totally understand. Please let me know.”

A low chuckle left Levi’s lips as he read the message. Something about her run on sentence and insistence that he didn’t need to say yes only made him want to go more and he sent back a quick, “I’d love to. What time should I pick you up? We can take the bike.”

“Is ten okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” was his reply, and then, “I’ll see you then.”

She didn’t message him again, though he hoped she would. Levi thought about sending her another message, but he didn’t want to come on too strong and scare her away. A girl like Kassidy was special, and the more time he spent with her, the more he realised that.

Normally Kassidy didn’t care what she wore to the spring carnival. Most years it rained anyway, or was at least too muddy to wear anything nice, but for once the sun was out, the ground was dry, and she was going with Levi Thayne.

Even better, he was driving them there on his motorcycle.

When he’d made the suggestion about taking his bike, she almost told him not to worry about it. The fairgrounds were only a twenty minute walk away, but she decided against saying that. Going on the bike would be fun and it would give her an excuse to wrap her arms around him once more.

Just texting him the night before had been thrilling. She worried that she sounded like an idiot, but he had replied quickly and she’d giggled with glee when he’d said yes. It had taken a lot of debate before she’d gotten her parents blessing to go with Levi to the annual event, but once she had, she wasn’t going to waste it.

For hours they’d hashed out the issues they had with her dating him and her reasons why it would be okay. She even played them some of his music – the older stuff that she loved – and assured them that she wouldn’t do anything stupid or immoral.

“What about church?” her father asked. “You should have him come to church with us before you consider dating the man.”

“Um,” Kassidy had mumbled at that. She’d already asked him once before and he’d turned her down. She figured the answer would only be the same if she asked again. “I’ll ask.”

“Good,” her parents said in unison before her mother said, “We just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I know,” Kassidy assured them. “And I wouldn’t be bringing it up if he wasn’t staying in town for a while, but I’m an adult and you need to let me make my own choices now, even if they might turn around and bite me on the butt sometimes.”

“We know,” her father had agreed. “We just picture you as our little girl still.”

In the end, they had relented and recognised that it was her right to make her own choice in the matter. Thankfully, they’d only brought Paul up once and not long after that topic had been raised they’d given her their blessing to go with Levi to the carnival.

Now she just needed to figure out what to wear.

In the end, she pulled out a pair of shorts, cowboy boots, and a peasant shirt that had been her mother’s when she was Kassidy’s age. She’d gone to bed the night before with her hair up in rags, giving it a gentle curl come morning. It was a little cowgirl, a little bohemian, and the outfit showed off her long legs.

She just hoped that Levi liked the look as much as she did.

Her worries on that were quickly squashed when he showed up out front of the bakery. Levi wore his usual jeans and she was starting to wonder if he’d only had the one pair with him, and he had put a plaid shirt over a black t-shirt.

With her helmet on, Kassidy hopped on the bike and cried out in glee as Levi began to speed down Main Street toward the fairground. This was a date, a real date, and Kassidy squeezed him just a little tighter when she thought of that.

“So what do you think?” Kassidy asked when they walked through the main gates and into the carnival. There were rides, games, and vendors everywhere and she wasn’t sure where to start.

“It’s nice,” he said as he took her hand in his. “We had a fall fair in my hometown every year. It’s nostalgic, though I doubt I would trust any of the rides.”

“Says the man with the motorcycle,” she laughed as they walked down the first aisle of games.

“You didn’t offer any complaints about my bike,” he laughed with her.

This was how she’d always pictured going to the carnival. Walking hand in hand with a man who made her laugh, who gave her butterflies, and who wanted to be there with her. She’d been dreaming of this moment since she began to notice boys, and it was nearly perfect.

Until some girls started to recognise Levi.

They’d been about to get on a ride, one of the more gentle and safe ones, when a pack of middle school girls came running up to him, phones out and excited tears in their eyes.

“Can we get a picture?” they all asked him, each of their requests adding to the growing cacophony around him.

“Sure,” he said, though some of the light went out in his brown eyes and Kassidy stepped back while each girl took her turn getting a picture with the rock star that had come to town.

When they were finally done, Levi took his place at Kassidy’s side and whispered his apology.

“It’s okay,” she said. “It was nice of you to do that for them.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But they’ll post those pictures on Instagram or Twitter and I was really hoping I’d have more time before my manager found out exactly where I am.”

“Oh,” Kassidy said, realising the issue.

“It’s okay,” he said as he took her hand in his again. “Let’s just enjoy the day together.”

That was easier said than done. They’d given up on the ride, but they only got another ten feet when a couple of the girls that had been in Kassidy’s English class in high school came running over under the guise of talking to her, but it quickly became obvious whose attention they were really after.

“This is going to keep happening,” Levi said when they were alone again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think we would get mobbed. Maybe I should go so you can enjoy the carnival.”

“Please don’t,” Kassidy said. “I have an idea.”

Thankfully, he trusted her and let her lead the way. She’d been coming to the carnival every year since she was a kid and she knew exactly the place to go to be alone.

“What’s this?” Levi asked when they stopped in front of the worn façade of an old attraction

“A haunted house,” Kassidy told him. “Come on.”

The carnie running the ride let them pass through without a word and once they were inside they were finally alone.

“I think we have the place to ourselves,” Levi said as he looked around at some of the props.

“Probably,” Kassidy told him. “It’s too boring for the older kids, but the parents of the younger ones don’t let them come in, so it’s usually deserted.”

“And you?” Levi asked. “I didn’t make you out to be a horror maze fan.”

“I can be,” she said. “I would sneak in here when I was really little. I also snuck the occasional horror film when I was a kid. My parents forbid that stuff in the house, so it was a small act of rebellion for me when I hit my teen years.”

“More surprises,” Levi laughed and then put a tiny kiss on her cheek. “But I like surprises.”

“Well, my parents didn’t,” she laughed. “They caught me watching
Halloween
when I was fourteen and I wasn’t allowed TV for a month. I guess you could say they are a little overprotective.”

“You don’t say,” Levi joked with her. “But really, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I just don’t think they’re ready to recognise that I’m an adult.”

“Probably,” Levi noted, but then he stopped when Kassidy paused in her tracks. Kassidy had been through the maze every year since she was a kid and she knew they were about in the exact center of the attraction. The perfect place to be alone.

“So,” she mumbled as she turned to face Levi.

“So,” he repeated before he raised a hand to her chin. Gently, in the dull green light of the haunted house, he tilted her gaze up before he lowered his lips to meet hers.

Kassidy let herself wrap her arms around his waist and the butterflies in her stomach were throwing a fit as Levi’s lips danced with hers. He was a gentle kisser, sweet and giving, and exactly what she imagined he would be like.

But as their kiss grew deeper, he became hungrier with her. His kiss turned more passionate and he let himself explore Kassidy’s mouth with his tongue while she returned his touch in kind.

She liked the more passionate side of him, but that was also what scared her. She didn’t trust herself to stop him before things between them went too far, and she knew she needed to take a step back before it was too late.

“Okay,” she mumbled as she pushed herself back from him. “That’s enough, tiger.”

“Is everything all right?” he asked, his concern obvious even in the dull lights of the maze.

“Yes,” she assured him. “It was just
too
all right, you know?”

“Ah,” he said, but there was no denying the hurt on his face.

“Come on,” Kassidy mumbled as she began to lead the way out of the maze. “I think I’ve had enough ghosts and ghouls for now.”