Sweet Southern Nights. Rochelle Alers
mouth to tell Levi that tonight would be the first and last time he would cross her threshold, but changed her mind when she remembered Levi was to be her date for her cousin’s wedding.
“Please come with me. It’ll be another twenty minutes before dinner is ready, so I thought we could take some time to become better acquainted,” she said instead.
Levi glanced around the alcove off the living room where two facing club chairs, one with a matching footstool, a low mahogany table with rosewood inlay and two floor lamps with Tiffany-style shades created an inviting and comfortable seating area. A decoratively carved credenza doubled as a bar, its surface covered with lead-crystal decanters filled with clear and amber-colored spirits.
He hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t the young woman who appeared to be no nonsense and all business. What he did like was her natural, flawless face. Beyond her beauty, he didn’t know anything about her other than her name and that she lived in a sprawling, exquisitely decorated house in a gated community. Yet he was curious and wanted to know more about her.
A woman’s looks were not as important to him as her intelligence and femininity. Levi had come to the conclusion that he was somewhat old-school when it came to women. He wasn’t a chauvinist, but he liked women who were more traditional.
Angela suddenly turned and stared at him, her eyes large and her gaze unwavering in the flattering warm light. “Please sit down, Levi.”
“After you, Angela,” he said, smiling.
He waited for her to sit down, then followed suit, trying not to stare at her legs, which were stretched out and propped on a footstool. The soft light from the floor lamp spilled over Angela’s delicate features, and her serene expression reminded him of the female images in Renaissance paintings. Her rich golden-brown complexion was reminiscent of autumn leaves and his gaze lingered on her temptingly curved lips.
Angela was slender but with enough curves to get a man’s attention. If he had to describe her looks, Levi would have to admit that Angela Chase was easy on the eyes—very, very easy on the eyes.
He smiled. “I suppose you’d like to know a little something about me before our big date tomorrow.” The question was more of a statement.
Angela’s smile matched his, charming him with the gesture. “I’d like to know more than a little something about you.”
Levi sobered. “Ask me whatever you like.”
Settling back in the chair, she studied the man sitting only a few feet from her. His close-cropped hair, smooth jawline and dark suit, white shirt, striped navy and white silk tie and imported slip-ons bespoke exquisite taste and grooming.
“How old are you, and where were you born?”
“I’m thirty-six. Born in Philadelphia and grew up in Miami, Florida.”
I know you’re a doctor, but do you have a specialty?”
“Pediatrics.”
Angela’s expression did not change as she continued to stare at Levi, wondering why Duncan had neglected to tell her that he’d added a pediatrician to his staff. After he’d set her up with his part-time dentist, Patrick Demorest, she’d stopped visiting her brother in Maywood Junction to avoid Patrick. “Why did you decide to become a pediatrician?”
Levi stared at his hands. “I like children. Why do you ask?”
“If I had to take a guess as to your specialty, it wouldn’t have been pediatrics.”
“What did you think it would be?”
“I would’ve thought cardiology, or maybe obstetrics.”
“One ob-gyn in the family is plenty.”
“I take it you come from a family of doctors,” Angela said.
Levi nodded. “There are quite a few doctors, lawyers and teachers. What else do you want to know about me?” he asked.
“How long have you lived in Kentucky?”
He paused before saying, “I’m only here for six months.”
Angela sat up straight. “Why just six months?” she asked.
“When I was in med school I agreed to do community service and provide medical care to places like Maywood.”
“So, when your commitment is up you plan to return to Florida?”
“No. I live and work in a suburb just north of New York City.”
Angela digested this information. She usually spoke to Duncan several times a month, but he hadn’t said anything about Levi. The fact that Levi worked with her brother provided the perfect reason for why they were attending the wedding together.
“Perhaps you should tell me about yourself, Angela, and why it’s so important that your brother recruited me to be your date for tomorrow’s wedding,” Levi said, breaking into her thoughts.
“It’s not that I couldn’t get a date, but—”
“That’s obvious,” he interrupted, “because you’re beautiful, and I assume you’re quite intelligent.”
Her cheeks grew warmer. “Should I take that as a compliment, Levi?”
He shook his head. “No, Angela. It’s the truth.”
Angela knew she had to be careful with Levi Eaton. Very, very careful or she would find herself succumbing to his charisma and obvious sex appeal.
A slow smile ruffled the corners of her mouth. “Thank you.”
Levi shook his head. “There’s no need to thank me.”
“My cousin is marrying the cousin of my ex-fiancé.”
Levi crossed his arms over his chest. “Is there bad blood between you and your ex?”
“No. The truth is I haven’t seen him in five years.”
“Is he married?”
Angela nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed after a pregnant pause.
“You need a date because you don’t want him to believe you’ve been pining away for him.”
She wanted to tell Levi that she hadn’t been pining away for Robert, since right after their canceled wedding she plunged back into the dating scene with a vengeance. It was only when she began writing in earnest that she’d slowed down so much that she hadn’t been on a date in months.
“I need you to dispel any idea he might have that I’m pining away for him since I’m still single.”
Levi’s expression remained impassive. “Are you single by choice?” he asked. His voice was barely above a whisper.
Angela angled her head, offering him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Are you single by choice?” she asked, answering his question with one of her own.
“What makes you believe I’m single?” said Levi, asking her another question.
This time Angela’s smile spread over her face like bright rays of morning sun. “If you weren’t, or should I say if I were married to you, I doubt that I’d let you go away for six months without me. And I’d hope if you are married, you wouldn’t accept an invitation to escort other women.”
Levi leaned closer and gave her a prolonged stare. “Perhaps I’m more like your cheating ex than you think.”
She went completely still, as if she’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. A slow, uneasy panic seized Angela, making it virtually impossible for her to speak. Had Duncan told Levi the circumstances of her breakup with Robert even though he, along with everyone else in her family had sworn never to talk about it?
“What makes you think he cheated