Page 7 of Hushed | AllFreeNovel

His cup pauses on its way to his lips. Just for a half-second, but I catch an expression crossing his face. Not wariness, exactly. More like I’ve touched a bruise he forgot was there. Then his expression resets. “Military family?” he asks, and his voice is careful in a way it wasn’t a moment ago.

“Goes way back. Granddaddy, great-uncles.” I leave it there. It’s true. It’s just not all of it.

He nods, and the tension in his shoulders drops, like I’ve passed some kind of test I didn’t know I was taking. Then the warmth comes back into his face, and he takes a sip.

“That actually sounds pretty cool, seeing the town.” He chews his lip again, and I can almost see the argument he’s having with himself. “I wish I could tag along. It sounds way more fun than going home and trying to find where the movers put my blender.” He shrugs. “Speaking of which, I should go and find it.” He extends his hand. “It was nice to meet you, Levi.”

“Listen, I know a great little place not far from here. Kevin—that’s my best friend—and I always go there when I’m in town. Indian food. What do you say we grab lunch and then see where it takes us?”

I try to keep my voice casual, like it doesn’t matter all that much, but I find myself holding my breath, waiting for his answer.

I watch his expression change, a little fuck-it flicker, like someone deciding to jump off the high dive. He takes a breath. “I might not be very much fun to be around right now,” he says. “Just so you know. But if you don’t mind that, I think I’m game. It’s just lunch, after all.”

I put my hand on his arm. His skin is warm, and the muscle underneath tenses at the contact. “Just lunch. But I reserve the right to try to change your mind about what happens after it. I think you’ve got more fun in you than you know.”

His breath catches, just barely. For a half-second, he looks at me like I’m someone he used to know. Then it’s gone, and he laughs. “Wow. That was not what I was expecting. Does that work on total strangers?”

“If it didn’t, I wouldn’t use it. So. Lunch is a yes? Or are you holding out for authentic Canadian food? You know. Moose kebabs drizzled in maple syrup and sadness.”

“It’s normally served with cranberry pie. Sadness costs extra, unless you’re in the Maritimes, I’ll have you know.”

I laugh, and he laughs, and the sound of it fills up something in my chest that’s been hollow for a while. Behind us, a customer pushes open the door, and a gust of rain-washed air rolls through the coffee shop. Bastien turns to look over his shoulder, and I get a flash of the line of his neck, the dark hair curling just above his collar. The air smells of wet stone and ozone and the sharp, clean scent of soaked leaves. He turns back to me. “It looks like the rain’s over.” He stands up. “Okay, Levi. Lead the way.”

Chapter three

Bastien

The mimosas are hitting me. I think I actually giggled. Levi, whose drink has remained almost untouched, is beaming at me like I just won a trophy at a race. “So what’s down there in Virginia, since you’re from Canada and there’s no Mr. Bastien checking his watch right now?”

“Saint-Jacques,” I say.

“Nice.”

“There’s a townhouse I rented based on a virtual tour. And mostly because it’s four minutes from the nearest grocery store. I checked.”

“Did you, now?” His tone has become a little suggestive. “And what other things have you checked?”

“Oh, let me think. Hmm. I checked out my lunch companion. And I have a theory.”