Page 42 of The Love Ambush (The Sullivans #1)

Levi

I ’ve been circling this ballroom all night, trying to get close to Gentry and failing.

I can’t even get close to her father, who has somehow become best friends with everyone here.

He didn’t say more to me than a ‘hey, Brodie’s friend,’ in passing, just like he did when we were kids.

Either he’s dismissing me as a guy who can’t do anything for him, or he knows I was behind Brodie finding him and telling him not to come to the wedding.

Finally, right after dinner and before the cake cutting, I bump into Emily and Sophie. “Hey, girls,” I say. “Have you seen Gentry?”

“She left,” Emily says. “She said she had a headache, but I think she just really hates our dad.”

“She doesn’t hate him,” Sophie says.

“Then why was she so rude to him?” Emily asks. “He’s going to leave again if we aren’t nice.”

“If he leaves again, it won’t be our fault,” Sophie says, like she’s said the same thing about ten times tonight. “Just like it wasn’t our fault the first time. Right, Levi?”

“Right,” I say. “Parents have to stick around no matter how rude their kids are.”

“Whatever,” Emily says.

“Gentry said you’d give us a ride back to the farmhouse after everything’s done?”

“Of course,” I say. “Just find me when you’re ready to go.”

“Think we can go now?” Sophie asks. “All the fun stuff is over and the music sucks.”

I’ve already given my best man speech, and Brodie and Daphne won’t even notice I’m gone judging by the way they don’t seem to see anyone but each other. “I’m ready.”

The girls hug their new cousins goodbye, and we head out into the crisp evening air. Sophie and Emily are quiet, somber. I don’t point out that they didn’t say goodbye to their father. For all I know, they’ve said everything they need to say to him.

I could ask, but it’s not my place. The last thing I need to do is stick my nose in without talking to Gentry first. I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I learn from my mistakes.

“What did you think of the wedding?” I ask once we’re all in Brodie’s SUV and on the road.

“It was kind of boring,” Emily says. “I mean, I’m happy for Brodie and everything, but I thought it was never going to end.”

“Yeah,” Sophie says. “I guess it’s romantic or whatever, but it seems like a lot of money to spend for a basically lame party.”

I laugh as I turn onto Main Street. The gallery is all lit up and looks like it’s open. I make a split decision and pull into the first available spot on the street.

“What are you doing?” Sophie asks.

“There’s something I want to see. Want to come with me?”

Emily sighs. “Only if you promise it’s not boring. I’m so bored I could fall asleep right here.”

I chuckle at her dramatics. “I promise it’s not boring. Come on.”

The girls follow me out onto the sidewalk and to the gallery.

“An art gallery?” Sophie asks. “Do you need to buy a painting before we leave?”

“Ugh,” Emily says. “This will definitely be boring. I want to go back to the car.”

“Just give me five minutes,” I say. “If you’re still bored, you can go.”

“I can tell you right now. I’m going to be bored.”

“Just humor him,” Sophie says. “We still need him on our side.”

“What does it matter if Dad’s moving in with us?” Emily asks. “He might be worse than Gentry.” She’s complaining, but she’s smiling while she says it, clearly happy about her dad coming home.

I get the buzz of a bad feeling under my skin, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Why would a man who’s shown no interest in his kids until now give up the life he’s built in another place to move back in with them?

I shake it off. I don’t know enough of his story to judge him, but my gut is rarely wrong.

“Please,” Sophie says. “He’s got his child bride to pay attention to, and he’s going to need to find a job and everything. I guarantee Gentry’s going to be all over us all the time, just like always, unless we get her and Levi together. They didn’t even dance at the wedding.”

“Oh, yeah,” Emily says. “Why didn’t you dance with Gentry?”

I rub a hand over the back of my neck, choosing my words carefully. “Gentry’s not very happy with me right now. I might have known your brother was in touch with your dad, and I didn’t tell Gentry.”

“So?” Emily says. “That’s a stupid thing to be mad about. It was a nice surprise for her.”

But Sophie narrows her eyes at me, clearly not impressed. “Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because I’m an idiot?”

“Just like all men,” she says with a huff. “You better fix it, Levi.”

“Got any ideas how I can do that?” I ask,

Sophie shrugs. “I’m not so sure you’re the right guy for her anymore. I guess you have to prove yourself to both of us.”

I sigh. “That’s fair.”

“I’m still on your side,” Emily says. “I’ll help you.”

“Thank y—”

“Nope,” Sophie says, shoving open the gallery door. “No Lendew is helping Levi. He has to earn his place in this family.”

Despite her harsh tone, I can’t help smiling as I follow her and Emily into the gallery. I like the sound of earning my place in their family.

Emily looks at me over her shoulder and mouths, “I’ll help.”

I give her a thumbs up, and she grins.

Holly is seated at the desk, attention on the screen in front of her, but she looks up when the three of us make our way across the gallery toward her. I scan the walls, but don’t see Gentry’s painting up yet.

“Hello again,” Holly says. “Levi, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Gentry not with you tonight?”

“No. These are her sisters. I’m hoping we can see her painting before we fly out tomorrow.”

Holly smiles. “I haven’t had a chance to get it framed yet. It’s still in the back.” She gets up. “Come on, I’ll take you.”

“Gentry has a painting here?” Sophie asks. “How? She didn’t bring it on the plane.”

“She painted it here,” I say. “When I took you hiking.”

“But she doesn’t paint anymore,” Emily says.

“I just don’t think she has time for it anymore,” I say.

“Here it is,” Holly says, flicking on the light in the back room. “Take as long as you want with it.”

Gentry’s painting is still on the easel where she left it.

Seeing it in person is so much better than seeing it in a photograph.

The beauty and skill is amazing, but there’s also so much feeling coming from it.

I’m not an art expert or anything, but I can say that her painting makes me feel something.

Next to me, Sophie and Emily have gone still and silent, barely breathing.

Holly leaves without another word, and the three of us just stare in wonder for several long moments.

“Wow,” I say.

“She’s really good,” Emily says. “She’s amazing.”

“She quit this for us?” Sophie says, her voice low. “She could have just sent us to live with our aunt.”

“She didn’t want to do that,” I say. “She loves you and wants the best for you.”

Emily steps closer to the painting. “That little hedgehog is so cute. And the alligator looks so real. It’s like I can touch it and feel its rough skin.”

Sophie steps up next to her sister. “I guess one good thing about Dad moving back in is that Gentry can start painting again. Maybe she’ll even go back to school for art.”

“I told you it’s good Dad’s moving in,” Emily says, but she sniffles and swipes at her eyes. “I’ve been so mean to Gentry.”

Sophie puts an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “That’s because she’s our sister. We can be nicer when she stays out of our business.”

“And she’d stay out of our business if she went back to art school.” Emily sounds much more cheerful. “We need to do whatever it takes to get her back to school.”

Not exactly the moment I was hoping for, but close enough.

“We should probably get back to the farm,” I say. “We’ve got an early flight tomorrow.”

The girls follow me out, and we say goodbye to Holly. I want to buy Gentry’s painting, but it’ll mean more to her if someone from off the street buys it. It’s the only way she’ll see her art as having the potential for income.

The farmhouse is quiet and dark when we get back. The sun set a couple of hours ago, but it’s way too early for Gentry to be sleeping. Maybe she’s with Josephine in the back of the house where we can’t see the light.

“Thanks for the ride,” Sophie says, hopping out and hurrying inside.

“Yeah, thanks, Levi,” Emily says as she follows her sister.

I assume they’re headed to their rooms to text with their friends and watch videos on their tablets or whatever it is teenagers do. What I’m going to do is track down Gentry and try to get her to hear me out.

She’s not in our room, and neither is any of her stuff. She’s not in the kitchen or in her sisters’ rooms. She’s not in the den or the dining room. Neither is Josephine anywhere to be found. Did they go out?

The last place I check is the reindeer barn, but neither Gentry nor Josephine is there either.

My heart bucks with fear that Gentry never made it back here or that something happened to her, but then I remember that her stuff is gone. Did she get an earlier flight out?

No, she wouldn’t leave her sisters to fly alone. We’re on different returning flights, so she couldn’t have expected me to take care of the kids.

I hurry back into the farmhouse and knock on the only other door in the house that’s reserved for guests and is now closed. The answer has to be that Gentry moved to this room.

No one answers my knock, and I slowly open the door. My heart settles back into its natural rhythm when I see Gentry’s suitcase next to the bed.

Her purse is gone, which means she really did go out. Unless she called Josephine to move her stuff, and never made it back here.

The last thing I want to do is have my only chance to change Gentry’s mind about me happen over a phone call, but I need to know she’s okay.

I send her a text asking if she’s safe.

She answers with a curt ‘yes’ a few minutes later.

It’s not enough.

Chances are a kidnapper would’ve gotten rid of the phone to avoid being tracked, but I’m not taking any chances.

I need a sign this is really you , I text.

Jumping dots appear on my screen and disappear, then appear again. Finally, a message comes through. I’m still furious with you, Levi, and pretending to care about my well-being isn’t going to change that.

I sink onto the couch in the front parlor with a sigh of relief and text back, I’m never going to stop caring, Gentry. And I’m never going to stop working to make it up to you.

She doesn’t answer, but I don’t expect her to.

I settle onto the couch within sight of the front door and find something interesting on my phone to pass the time. I’m not going to bed without making sure Gentry gets back here safely.

I must doze off, because I’m startled awake by a huge crash and a laugh.

Popping up from the couch so fast my head spins, I see Gentry leaning against the wall, laughing, and the umbrella caddy on the floor next to her, three umbrellas spilled across the floor.

“Why does she need so many umbrellas in a town that gets mostly snow?” Gentry asks. She bends to pick up an umbrella and falls backward, which makes her laugh harder.

I hurry over and help her up. “Why don’t you sit down and let me clean up?”

She lets me lead her to the couch. “You’re so nice, Levi. You keep secrets, but I really like you a lot. Like a really, huge, gigantic a lot.”

“I like you too.” I leave her just long enough to pick up the umbrellas and put them in their stand before joining her on the couch.

She scoots to the end, as far from me as possible. “I’m too drunk. If I sit close to you, I’ll probably kiss you, and I can’t kiss you, because I’m still mad at you. I danced all night with Cherry and Peach and Blue, and I had so much fun I almost forgot why I’m mad at you. But I remember now.”

“You danced with pie?” I ask entirely confused.

“What?” She narrows her eyes like she’s having a hard time focusing on me. “Why would I dance with pie?”

“You said you danced with fruit. It sounds like a pie.”

She laughs so hard she tips forward. “Not pie. People. Cherry, Peach, and Blue are my new friends. They’re soooo pretty, and they’re really nice. Cherry’s husband owns a candy store. Can you imagine anything better than being married to candy?”

I can’t help but smile at her silliness. “I met him. Her husband is very nice too.”

“Oh, my candy,” she says, bouncing on the couch. “I want to take it back from the raccoons.”

“Do you think you’ll stop being mad at me anytime soon?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” she says. “It hurts too much to think about it.” She sighs heavily. “But it doesn’t matter. I don’t trust Dad until I’ve figured out what he’s up to. I have to focus on what’s best for the kids.”

I drop back against the couch. “You really don’t trust him to have your sisters’ best interests in mind? Maybe he’s changed.”

“Maybe.” She stares at the floor, swaying slightly. “I hope so, but I have to be ready for anything and everything. He’s smart, and I need to be smarter.”

I want to be with Gentry, but I’ll take being in her life any way she’ll have me, if it keeps her and the kids safe. “Will you let me help you?”

She stares at me, blinking slowly. “Maybe. But not until I’m not mad at you anymore.” She rubs her face. “We’re supposed to be a team, but you cut me out. You lied to me, and you decided what was best for me without asking my opinion. That’s not the kind of partner I want.”

“I didn’t lie,” I say, but it sounds weak even to my own ears.

“Mom was wrong to let Dad become her whole world, her whole purpose, but Dad was wrong too. He manipulated her. I can’t be with someone who manipulates me, and that’s what it feels like you did.

You and Brodie made a decision about my life, and now you just want me to believe it was the right choice, like I’m a stupid child. ”

“You’re right,” I say, feeling like the biggest asshole. “I fucked up.” And I don’t think I can fix it this time. “Can I at least help you to your room?”

She pushes to her feet. “Nope. I got this.”

I follow her anyway and make sure she lands in bed okay.

“I told you not to help me,” she says as she curls up under the comforter, fully clothed.

“I’m leaving now.” I go, shutting the door behind me, but I’m determined to help Gentry, whether or not she wants me to.