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He’d captured a love story.

And now that it was over, it only broke my heart more.

57

Levi

I worked at the coffee shop with Grandpa all day, which meant my phone had to be in the employee cubbies under the counter. Gramps was a great boss, but a little old-fashioned—no phones allowed at work.

The days usually went by pretty fast, though, which was good because not texting Alyssa, even for eight hours, seemed like such a long time. After work, I always laid out on the couch and texted her til Mom and the younger two got home a few hours later.

But today when we finished cleaning up the shop and locking it up, Grandpa didn’t take me to my house; he brought me back to his.

“Did you need to pick something up before we go to my house?” I asked him in his car. It was the same one he’d had since I was a kid—an Oldsmobile with leather seats. I could still see the dark gray gum stain Andrew left in the middle seat when he was four and promised he was big enough to have bubblegum in the car.

“I’m taking you to practice tonight,” he said.

My eyebrows drew together. We’d gotten in late last night from Lake Texhoma, and I hadn’t spoken much with Mom. She cried a little more than normal, saying it was because she’d missed us. I figured she’d want to hound me with questions before practice at least.

“Did she have to work late?” I asked.

Grandpa was quiet a second too long, and my stomach sank.

“Did she lose her job?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“What is it?” I asked, trying not to get frustrated. I felt like I had a right to know.

But then my phone went off with a text, and I stared at the screen.

Alyssa: Dallas Deets said your mom and Gage broke up. :( Is she okay?

I looked from the phone to Grandpa. “Mom and Gage broke up?”

He cringed as he nodded. “I don’t know too much about the how or why of it all but seems like she’s taking it pretty hard.”

My hand clenched around my phone. So that was it? Gage could go from taking us all to the zoo last weekend like we were one big happy family to getting rid of us all? How had he fooled everyone into thinking he cared for us when it was all going to end without so much as a word to any of us kids?

Andrew thought of Gage like he was a god, and Cora loved him too. They would be so broken up. And here was yet another guy in my life, promising to show up to my baseball games without any intention of following through.

By the time we got to Grandma and Gramps’s house, I was seething mad. “I’m taking a walk,” I said.

He studied me for a moment over the top of the car, then nodded. “Just remember the toothpaste rule.”

“Yeah, I know. Can’t put it back in the tube once it’s out.” I really didn’t want a lecture right now. But luckily, that was enough for Grandpa. He lifted his hand in a wave as he walked to the house.

I turned and paced down the narrow sidewalk, the late June sun beating on my back, already making me sweat. It was so freaking hot and only pissing me off more. I jabbed my finger at my phone, dialing Gage’s number. He’d given it to me a couple of weeks ago “in case I ever needed anything.”

After a few rings, he picked up. “Levi, how are you—”

“I guess you’re not coming to my baseball game anymore” were the first words out of my mouth. And in that moment, I realized just how tight that feeling in my chest was, just how close I was to tears. And I really hated to cry. Especially in public, even if everyone was inside their air-conditioned houses.

Gage was silent for a long moment as sweat beaded at the spot where my phone touched my cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s it?” I demanded. “What the hell happened?”

“It’s complicated.”