Page 11 of How Sweet It Is (Willow Shade Island #3)

I slink back from Levi, feeling terrible. I know I’ve hurt his feelings repeatedly. It pains me to keep lying about my celiac disease, but Rafe told me not to say anything. However, he said it only after I pressed him about it. If I hadn’t asked, he might not have told me to keep it a secret.

I mean, it can’t be the end of the world if I tell Levi, right? A lot of people have celiac disease. It doesn’t give away who I am. It’s really only a small piece of trivia. I bite my lip and try to decide who I want to be madder at me, Rafe or Levi.

“I’m sorry,” I squeak out, my throat not working properly. “I haven’t been totally honest with you.”

Levi scrubs a hand over the back of his neck and slides the drawer closed. “Yeah, I figured that part out.”

“I can’t eat gluten,” I say quietly. There. That’s not exactly disobeying Rafe. He only said not to tell people about the celiac disease. There are other reasons why people don’t eat gluten. Then I add, “It makes me sick.”

Levi studies me, and I can see him weighing my response in his mind, trying to figure out if I’m telling him the truth.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

I sigh. I can’t tell Levi why I was lying about it. “It’s not something I like to tell people.”

He pulls a chair over and sits backward, straddling it. “Why not?”

“It’s extremely personal, and I feel uncomfortable talking about it.”

His features soften. “Hey, it’s not that big of a deal. My younger brother is allergic to peanuts. They make his face swell up and everything. I know a lot of people with food sensitivities.”

I try to think of a reason why I didn’t want to admit I can’t eat gluten. Different situations flit through my brain. I say the only thing I can think of. “Well, my reaction to gluten is a bit more embarrassing.”

Levi grins at me. “Do you get gassy?”

“Much worse.”

He wrinkles his nose. “Explosive diarrhea?”

I can’t think of anything more embarrassing than that, so I nod. “Yeah.”

“Oh, man. That’s terrible.” He says it like he means it, although I can tell he’s having a hard time keeping a straight face.

“You’re laughing at me. I can tell.”

He shakes his head while trying to hold his laughter in. “No, I’m not.”

I poke him. “You look like a twelve-year-old boy who just got to work the words ‘explosive diarrhea’ into a conversation.”

He dissolves into laughter. “All right. It’s funny. But I’m not laughing at you.”

His laughter is contagious, and I can’t help but snicker along with him. When we sober, I lean back in my chair. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth.”

He looks thoughtfully at me. “What other lies have you told me?”

I turn away from him, guilt rising inside of me. I’ve told him a lot of lies. But I can’t admit them to him. “We should probably get back to your books.”

“You know, I’m trusting you with some sensitive information. I gave you access to my bank account. You could steal my money and run.”

I look down at my hands. He’s right. I’m a stranger to him, and all I’ve done is lie. How does he know I’m trustworthy?

“But you know, even though I know you’re lying to me about where you’re from, and who that guy is sitting outside of my bakery…”

I jerk my gaze to Levi. He’s seen Rafe outside?

Levi stares at me, his blue eyes drilling holes in me. “I still trust you for some reason. I don’t think you’d steal from me. I’m being stupid, right?”

I shouldn’t say anything. I should ignore Levi and go back to his books. But I feel too guilty to sidestep him right now. “There are some things about me I can’t tell you,” I say quietly.

His eyebrows furrow. “Can’t or won’t?”

I want to impress upon him the truth, that I wouldn’t lie to him if I had any other choice. “Can’t,” I stress. “I really wish I could. But I would never steal from you. I want to help your business succeed.”

He rests his arms on the back of the chair and studies me. “All right. I believe you.”

Relief makes my spirit soar. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “I don’t know why. I can tell you’re not lying to me right now.”

I have no idea why this is so touching to me, but I start to tear up.

I haven’t been able to talk to anyone without lying since I moved to Willow Shade Island.

I didn’t think it would affect me as much as it has.

But right now, I’m being real with Levi, and for some reason, he feels it.

That means a lot to me. “Thanks for believing me.”

He lifts one eyebrow. “That, and the rest of my inheritance is locked away in a trust fund you can’t touch. So if you take off with two mill, it’s not the end of the world.”

I laugh at his joke. “That’s really good. I’m glad you have the rest of your millions safe.” I turn back to my computer.

“Is Rafe your bodyguard?”

I cringe, because even though he’s wrong, he’s not that wrong. “No. He’s my cousin. Seriously, don’t ask me more questions.”

Levi grins like he knows something. “Well, I’m going to call him your bodyguard, because I know he’s not your cousin, and he’s been sitting outside my bakery for over an hour. If he’s not your bodyguard, he’s a super creep.”

I don’t say anything to him as I call up my accounting software.

Levi leans closer to me. “And in case you aren’t aware, your bodyguard has a thing for you.”

I snort. “Rafe was just sending you a message to back off.”

Levi shifts in his backward chair. “I got that message loud and clear.”

“Good. Then let’s move on to the budget part of this evening.”

Levi groans but lets me ask him questions about how much his utilities are, how much he projects he will spend on ingredients, and his other expenses.

He doesn’t know all the answers and brings me crumpled receipts at one point, but I get the gist of what his expenses are.

As we work, I remember what Kiera said about selling Italian sodas, and I mention it to Levi.

“It wouldn’t be really expensive to start selling drinks like that. ”

Levi raises his eyebrows. “That’s a great idea. I could even get cappuccino and espresso machines and start selling coffee too.”

“Yes. That will be more expensive, but a lot of bakeries sell coffee, and it’s always a good draw.”

He rubs his hands together. “I could sell specialty blends.”

I slowly nod. “Yeah. That would make you stand out. However, you might have a hard time with a higher price point, since this island isn’t very large.”

“You’re right. Maybe I can start with the regular stuff and carry one or two more-expensive blends to see how well they sell.”

“That’s smart.” I pat him on his knee. “You just might be able to make it in this business after all.”

He gives me a once-over. “I might? You mean, you think there’s a chance I’ll fail?”

“Approximately twenty percent of businesses fail in the first year. And that goes up to fifty percent after five. Those aren’t good odds.” I watch his face fall, and I quickly backpedal. “But you’ve got a ton of capital, so you’re already ahead of most people.”

“So what you’re saying is, I could lose a lot of my inheritance trying to make this bakery work,” he says quietly.

I feel awful as I see the insecurity in his eyes. He’s afraid of failing at this. His thumb taps the back of the chair as he pretends it doesn’t matter.

“If we invest the bulk of it, it can be earning you money each month.”

“You think my bakery won’t bring in enough to live off of?”

I sigh. “It’s just really hard to make a business like this work. My family’s business struggled for years. It’s still struggling. I was spending long hours at my family’s business until I had to—” I stop midsentence when I realize what I’ve said.

“You had to what?”