Pretending Hearts by Heather Topham Wood Page A

considered him. I got to my feet and walked over to his vantage point. I leaned against the retaining wall while he remained seated. As I shifted, I felt his leg brush against my arm. I looked out into the distance as I spoke. “Well, it’s been less than four hours since my boyfriend dumped me and my roommate kicked me out.”
    “What happened?”
    “They found out a secret about my family and they weren’t happy about it.” My pulse thrummed as I thought about the self-righteousness of their reactions. “My ex’s family is in politics and he accused me of trying to ruin his family.” I shook my head. “And my roommate is one of his best friends.”
    “Their loss then,” Levi said. I smiled at him. He put his hand into his brown paper bag and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. He held it up for my inspection. “Are you hungry?”
    “Starving,” I admitted. He passed the sandwich to me and I took it greedily. I broke off half of the sandwich and handed the other piece back to him.
    “Nah, I’m good.”
    “Please, I don’t want to steal your dinner.”
    “I’m not hungry,” he insisted. “Besides, there are vending machines in the basement I can raid if I get hungry before my shift is over.”
    “Well, thank you,” I said and took a bite. I was surprised by how delicious the sandwich was. I had expected a typical brown bag sandwich with soggy bread and warm lunchmeat. Instead, I tasted spicy turkey, provolone, pepper and pesto. The roll was fresh and crusty and I took another voracious bite.
    “This is so good,” I mumbled between mouthfuls.
    Wyatt laughed. “Do you need a drink?” He held out a silver thermos and I really hoped he had the container filled with hard liquor. With the day I’d been having, I could use a stiff drink.
    I took the thermos and pulled a long swig from it. I waited for the burn of alcohol. As I swilled the liquid in my mouth, I suppressed a giggle. “Is that… chocolate milk?” I asked with disbelief.
    Levi snatched the thermos back and gave me a mock hurt look. “Yes.”
    “What are you, like seven?” I teased.
    “I’m actually twenty,” he said. “But my mom does insist on packing my lunches for work.”
    “I don’t know if that’s creepy or adorable.” I laughed and I could feel some of the tension in my body dissipate.
    “I have two older brothers and she still considers me her baby,” he said with a shrug. “I want to move out soon and I think she’ll have an apoplectic fit when it happens.”
    His words made me think about my own family. The pain returned and I wondered if I’d keep longing for the normalcy others had. The stark truth was I’d never have that life. Moreover, I probably would never have a normal relationship because of my father. Resentment for his past reared up, but I pushed back against it. I didn’t want to think too hard about what my father had done or hadn’t done. Playing the “what if” game would only bring up old questions I didn’t want answered.
    “So you’re going to be okay? You have somewhere to go?” I could feel Levi’s eyes on me and I was curious what he saw. Did he see how broken I was? Did he sense how hearing about his idyllic family was tearing me from the inside out?
    “Yes, I’ll be fine,” I said with more resolution than I felt. I was a month into college and I already had a failed relationship under my belt. I’d been bred to always succeed. My father parented Blake and me in the same way he coached. His doctrine was based on the idea winning was the only thing that mattered. I had not won at love because I wasted time on someone as undeserving as Wyatt. At least, my tarnished reputation would keep Wyatt far away.
    “What was the secret?”
    “Huh?” I asked as Levi’s voice broke into my thoughts.
    “You said your boyfriend and roommate found out a secret about your family. What was the big secret?”
    I gaped at him and wondered at his nerve. I never thought of myself as approachable. My