Well Played by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 31
Presley
The next week flew by, and before I knew it, I was stepping off of a plane in Denver and checking into the Four Seasons Hotel near the stadium. Just being in the same city as Levi had me on edge, and I found myself looking over my shoulder and all around every two minutes, even at the check-in desk.
Shelby had flown in yesterday, but she was waiting in the lobby when we arrived. She walked over and stood next to me as I waited on the clerk to give me a room key.
“He’s not staying at the hotel.”
“Who?”
She smiled. “Levi.”
I sighed. “Am I that obvious?”
She bumped her shoulder with mine. “Well, you’re scanning the room better than a Secret Service agent waiting for the president to walk in.”
I smiled sadly. “And here I thought I was being so nonchalant. Thank you for telling me. I do feel like I can relax a little knowing I might not accidentally walk into him. At least now I can concentrate all my worry on leaving The Palm in the care of the woman we hired to clean only a few weeks ago.”
“Is she not working out?”
“No, no. I’m just teasing. She’s been great. Melinda is super organized and capable, but it still feels strange to be away.”
Shelby glanced over her shoulder. Tanner had taken the same flight from Beaufort, along with a few of his cousins, but he’d taken a different Uber from the airport, so he was a few people behind me in line to check in. She waved to her son and turned back.
“You also won’t have to worry about walking into my other son. I had the manager put you in a room at the opposite end of the hotel from Tanner. I figured if he wasn’t in the room next to you, it wouldn’t be so easy for him to make excuses to pop over.”
I blew out a jagged breath. “Thanks, Shelby. I really appreciate that.”
“And as far as Levi, he’s at practice now. But he will be at the dinner tonight.”
A bunch of Tanner’s and Levi’s dad’s old teammates were in town for the ceremony, in addition to their entire extended family. So tonight there was a dinner in a private room at a nearby restaurant to give everyone a chance to catch up before the ceremony tomorrow.
I nodded. “Okay. Thank you for the heads up.”
With no chance of running into Levi, and Tanner on the other end of the hotel, I had about three hours to try to relax—or to worry about how I was going to handle being in the same room with Levi again later. Unfortunately, I was pretty sure the latter was going to win out.
Once I was checked in, Alex and I went to our room. I spent a restless hour flicking through television channels before deciding the best thing to do to conquer my nerves was to take a hot shower and start to get ready. At least it would give me something to focus on. I’d brought a green silk dress that was casual, yet showed off a little cleavage and leg. And since I had time to spare, I put on more makeup than usual, creating a smoky-eye effect and contouring my cheekbones. When I was done, I looked in the full-length mirror and was really happy with what I saw. It had been a while since I’d gotten myself all done up, and it gave me just the confidence boost I needed to get through tonight.
Alex was still in the bedroom watching TV, and when he came out, his eyes widened. “Wow. You look pretty, Mom.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I have a hot date tonight, so I wanted to clean myself up.”
“Dad?”
“No, silly. I was referring to you.”
“Oh.” Alex smiled.
But because of the way he’d assumed Tanner was my date, I thought it was a good time to set the record straight.
I sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to me. “Come sit for a minute, honey.”
“You’re not going to put stuff in my hair like you did for that wedding we went to last year, are you? I hate when my hair is hard.”
“No,” I chuckled. “I just want to talk for a minute.”
“Okay, Mom.”
I pushed a lock of hair from my son’s face and smiled. “I thought we should talk about Dad for a minute, about my relationship with him.”
“Are you guys getting married?”
My smile wilted. “No, honey. Your dad and I are just friends. That’s what I wanted to chat with you about.”
“But you’re dating, right? Don’t dating people get married?”
I shook my head. “We’re not dating. I know your dad has used that term at least once in the past when we went to dinner with some friends, but we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend, and we weren’t on an actual date. He just kind of called it that. And I know it can be super confusing because Dad is staying at the inn right now while he gets settled, but that’s also not the same as me living with Dad. So he lives in the same house as us, but he doesn’t really live with us.”
Alex shrugged. “You guys are weird.”
I smiled. “I guess we are. But I’ve been worried that you might think Dad and I are a couple again, and then you’d be disappointed when you realized we weren’t. Someday Dad is going to live somewhere else, and he might even have a girlfriend or something.”
“Would that make you sad?” he asked.
“Not at all. I want your dad to be happy.”
Alex seemed to mull that around for a minute, and then he shrugged again. “Okay. Can I go back to watching TV now?”
I laughed. He’d certainly taken that talk better than I’d expected. “Actually, it’s almost time to go to dinner. Why don’t you get dressed? I laid out your clothes on the chair next to the bed.”
“But no crunchy-hair stuff, right?”
I patted my son’s hand. “No gel. I promise.”
***
“Uncle Levi!” My heart nearly stopped when my son yelled. I’d been watching the door ever since we were seated, but when the waitress started making her rounds to take orders, I became distracted, looking down at the menu.
Alex was seated next to me, and both of us across from Tanner. Alex pushed back from the table, scraping the bottom of the chair along the tile, and bolted for the door. When he got to Levi, he leaped into his uncle’s arms with a huge smile. My heart squeezed for so many different reasons. They hugged, and then Levi set him down on his feet, and they did some long handshake with slaps, shakes, and fist bumps. I’d been so caught up in my own feelings about seeing Levi, I hadn’t stopped to think about how happy Alex would be. They’d grown close over the summer, and the looks on their faces made it clear they’d missed each other.
Seeing Levi, a few of the others in the room got up from the table and walked over to say hello. Tanner’s back was facing the door, but he turned to watch all of the commotion, like everyone else. When a crowd started to form around his brother, Tanner remained in his seat. His jaw was set tight, and he raised his hand and called the waitress over.
“I’ll take another vodka seltzer.” He sucked back the remnants of the drink in his glass and held it up for her, rattling the ice.
She looked across to me. My wine glass was nearly drained, but I needed to take the edge off, not get sloshed. I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’m good.”
After a few minutes, the crowd around Levi started to dwindle, and my heart raced as I stole glances at him. He looked beautiful. His hair had grown longer, reaching down to the collar of his shirt, and the ends curled up in a messy sort of way that I found insanely sexy. He wore a French blue dress shirt tucked into navy dress pants, and the outfit really showcased his masculine silhouette. Broad shoulders created the mouth of the V and led down to a narrow waist. God, he is even more gorgeous than I remember.
Fawning over him sort of caught me off guard. I hadn’t been thinking about what he looked like lately. I missed the man inside that body. But seeing the full package on display tonight made me ache for all of him. When Levi finally shook the last person’s hand, he scanned the room, and his eyes landed right on me. I felt his gaze all over. My heart jumped into my throat, my body tingled, and my eyes watered. Luckily, my son tugged at his uncle’s hand, which caused him to look away. The two of them walked over to Shelby, and Levi hugged and kissed his mother. There were empty seats at her end of the table, but Tanner, Alex, and I were seated in the middle, and there weren’t any open spaces.
Levi made his way around the table, saying hello to everyone he hadn’t greeted yet, while my son dutifully stayed by his side. When he got to his brother, Tanner didn’t even bother to get up. He knocked back half the glass of vodka the waitress had delivered two minutes ago and held his hand up.
“You still know how to make a grand entrance, I see,” Tanner grumbled. “Being late means extra attention, all of it on you.”
Levi’s lips flattened to a grim line. “I came as soon as practice was over.” He looked over at me and nodded. “Presley.”
I forced a smile. “Hi, Levi.”
Alex grabbed Levi’s hand and started to tug. “Uncle Levi, come sit next to me.”
Levi’s eyes flashed to mine before returning to Alex. “There aren’t any seats open, buddy. I’m going to sit down at the end near Grandma.”
“I got it!” My son took off, darting down to the end of the table. He grabbed a chair that was almost the same size as he was and carried it back to where we were seated. Setting it down, he looked pretty pleased with himself. “Now there’s a chair. Mom can move over a little and so can I. There’s plenty of room.”
There really wasn’t. But Alex was on a mission, and before I could say anything to discourage him, he was already moving his chair down and asking the woman next to him on the other side if she could make room.
“Mom, can you move down a little?”
“Ummm… Yes, sure.”
When my eyes caught Levi’s, I could see he was as hesitant as I felt. But he glanced around the table and found everyone looking at him. Rather than make a scene, he smiled. “Thanks, buddy.”
Levi was a large man, so even though my son had managed to squeeze in a chair, his shoulders and legs barely fit when he sat down—which meant our bodies were practically touching. His muscular leg was less than an inch from mine. I could feel the heat emanating from it, and it seemed to travel up my own leg and warm everything below the waist. I had the strongest urge to shift my thigh to rest against his. Because I knew this was the closest I’d be getting to Levi all weekend, and I longed for his touch—even a leg pressed against leg, as sad and desperate as that was.
Instead, I took a deep breath, looked up, and smiled. Surviving dinner sitting all together was going to be a challenge.
Even though other people, including my son, monopolized most of the conversation, there were points when Alex roped me into joining, telling Levi stories about the different guests who had stayed at the inn. The entire time, I had to act like my heart wasn’t racing, and that I wasn’t utterly and completely consumed by the man sitting next to me. A few times our eyes met, and so many unspoken words passed between us—all under the watchful eye of Tanner, who was now draining his fourth or fifth cocktail. I’d lost track.
Tanner looked around with his empty glass in hand. “Where the hell is the waitress?”
“She’s busy bringing out desserts,” Levi said. He picked up the full water glass in front of him and set it down in front of his brother. “If you’re thirsty, how about some water?”
Tanner scowled. “I’ll leave the agua for the professional athletes in training.” He slid the glass back across to Levi, sloshing it onto the table along the way. Then he looked around again. With the waitress still nowhere in sight, Tanner pushed his chair back. “Looks like I have to go get my own. Anyone want anything?”
Levi and I shook our heads, not that Tanner waited for our responses. He was already heading for the door, presumably to the bar in the main restaurant. He definitely didn’t need another drink, but I was relieved to have a minute without him watching me like a hawk.
Levi leaned in and whispered, “Has he been drinking like this a lot lately?”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
Levi’s eyes roamed my face. It looked like he wanted to say something more, but then he nodded and turned away.
A few minutes later, the door to the private dining room opened again, and Tanner strolled back in. Only now, he was no longer alone. A tall, shapely redhead wearing a dress that was definitely a size too small for her walked next to him.
I held my breath as he approached the table with a full drink and a vicious smile.
“This is Arielle.” He pointed to her and then took a big slug from his glass. “Like from the Disney movie, Aladdin.”
I mumbled under my breath. “Or The Little Mermaid.”
“Hey, big bro, Arielle here is a Broncos aficionado.” He pointed to the woman again. “Go ahead. Tell him his passer rate last year.”
The woman flashed a glossy smile. “Sixty-seven point seven percent. Highest in the NFL.”
“And how many yards did he throw for?”
“Four-thousand, seven-hundred and seventy.”
“How about the year before?”
“Four-thousand, three-hundred and twelve.”
Tanner tilted his glass to his brother. “You’re welcome.” Then he announced to the table as a whole. “Can everyone please move down to make room for Arielle?”
I wanted to tell him to cut it out, but if I challenged him, I was afraid he would make an even bigger scene. A few people looked over at Tanner with concern on their faces, yet they shifted their seats. Tanner strolled down to the end of the table and grabbed an empty chair, then returned to make it fit next to his seat.
If this was an attempt to make me jealous, he’d failed to realize it wouldn’t work. Jealousy only rears its ugly head when something you want is threatened.
He held his hand out for Arielle to sit and flashed a wicked smile at me. “Presley, honey, why don’t you come sit next to me so Levi can sit with his new friend?”
Levi looked over at me and then at his brother. His teeth were clenched as he spoke. “That’s not necessary, Tanner.”
“Sure it is. And Presley doesn’t mind at all, right, babe?”
Through my peripheral vision, I saw practically the entire table watching the scene. So I quietly got up and walked around to the other side, hoping to diffuse the situation. Arielle squealed a thank you and ran around to take my seat next to Levi.
Tanner proceeded to finish his newest drink and snaked his arm around the back of my chair. Levi said nothing, but kept staring daggers at his brother. I began to worry things might come to a head. I did my best to remain calm, but when I noticed Arielle’s hand slip into Levi’s lap, I’d had enough. I tossed my napkin on the table without touching my dessert.
“It’s getting late. I’m going to take Alex back to the hotel.”
“What? The night is barely getting started,” Tanner said.
“Actually, I think this night has gone on long enough.” I stood.
Tanner tried to stand, but he stumbled back into his seat. “I’ll go with you.”
I placed my hand firmly on his shoulder. “Please don’t. Maybe Arielle can find a friend for you.”
I looked at my son. “Come on, Alex.”
Then I caught Levi’s eye. “Goodnight, Levi. Enjoy your evening.”
***
An hour later, I was back in my hotel room and still hadn’t calmed down. My heart pounded, and I found it difficult to hear with the sound of the blood whooshing through my ears. That was probably why my son had to tell me someone was at the door of our hotel room.
“I didn’t hear anyone knock.”
“I heard it.”
I dreaded the thought of another scene with Tanner. “Okay. You stay in bed. Let me check.”
Looking through the peephole, I was relieved to find it wasn’t Tanner; it was his mom. But even though I could breathe a little easier, I still wasn’t in the mood to talk. Yet I slipped the chain from the top lock and opened the door.
Shelby smiled warmly. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“You didn’t. Alex is in bed, but he’s still awake, and I was…unwinding.”
She nodded. “Pretty sure I’d need two bottles of wine to unwind after what you were tangled up in tonight.”
I sighed. “It was not a relaxing evening.”
“I understand.” She lowered her voice. “I hate to bother you, especially at this late hour, but my son asked if I would come keep an eye on Alex so he could speak to you.”
“It’s late, Shelby. And to be honest, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to speak to Tanner right now. I need to cool off a little.”
“Oh…no.” Shelby shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean Tanner. It’s Levi who asked me to come.”
