Page 40

When the park closes, I drive around the country club until I find a hidden driveway nestled between some trees. It looks like a service road, and my car barely fits the width of it, but it’s far enough away from the clubhouse that none of my coworkers will find me there.

Reclining my passenger seat with my pillow and a blanket, I make myself as comfortable as I can. All my belongings are in this car. How pathetic is that?

The tears come only when I’m on the verge of sleep. They stream down my face and when the sobs come, they’re so powerful they rack my whole body. Finally, exhausted and all cried out, I drift into a restless sleep.

I jolt awake, holding the blanket tight to my chest as I look around for the source of the knocking sound. I squint up at the window and try to make out the person on the other side.

He knocks again and bends down to glare at me. Those green eyes pin me to the spot and a muscle ticks in his jaw.

Shit. Levi.

I close my eyes tight against the wave of embarrassment and reach out to open the door. I slip my feet slip into my sandals and I do my best to exit the car as gracefully as I can.

It doesn’t help that I slept like shit, my eyes are without a doubt puffy from tears, and—oh yeah, the very rich man I have a crush on just found out I’m living in my car.

“Hazel, what the hell are you doing here?” he asks, pinching the bridge of his nose.

I swallow hard, taking him in. He’s wearing a pair of running shorts and no shirt. I stare, unblinking, at his perfect form. His dark hair is slightly damp from sweat and there are even a few drops on his pecs. My eyes trail those drops down to his abs, then lower to his Adonis belt.

He takes a step toward me, looking down with a mixture of concern and frustration. Right. This is the part I’m supposed to tell him I live in my car now.

Instead, my bottom lip wobbles and I burst into tears. Full sobs and wails that I can’t seem to control or contain any longer. “I broke up with Brody, and he—” I hiccup.

Levi takes another step closer, his hands landing firmly on my shoulders. “Did he hurt you?”

I shake my head no, but the tears continue to come. “I can’t live there anymore.”

He relaxes at this, but his eyes are still concerned as he watches me cry. “What about Rosie?”

I just shake my head no. “Her place is too small, and I can’t bother her, not when she’s with—” I stop, unsure if I should tell him about our two best friends having sex.

The groan he lets out tells me he knows, and he’s not too happy about it. “You can’t live in a car. Jesus, Hazel,” he scolds me, his hard gaze boring into me.

I cross my arms across my middle and look away, all my walls crumbling. Damn him for finding me.

“I don’t have a choice,” I say, voice trembling.

His hands squeeze my shoulders in response and I look back at him. For some reason, everything comes out. “I can barely pay off my student loans and my bills, let alone food. The only savings I have are for my certification, and I’m still nowhere near close to my goal. My dad needs money for his medication, and I—” The words cut off as another sob takes over.

Levi’s arms envelop me completely in a hug, and I slowly wrap mine around his narrow waist. My tear-soaked face meets his chest, and I don’t even care about the sweat. I just let him hold me. He’s solid and warm and his breaths are even. Subconsciously, I start to mimic them until my own breath slows and my sobs turn into heavy breaths.

“I’m such a mess,” I give a self-deprecating laugh and pull back enough to look up at him.

He slowly shakes his head and pushes a curl behind my ear. His thumb lingers at the edge of my jaw and I hold my breath.

“You’re not a mess. There’s just a lot going on right now,” he says calmly.

I nod along and take a few deep breaths.

“Come on, let’s go figure it out,” he says, nodding to the car.

“How?”

He purses his lips in thought and opens my passenger door, getting in.

“We’ll figure it out over breakfast,” he says.

I stand there, stupefied. Is this a good idea? I don’t know much about this man except that he’s rich and divorced. Although I do also know he seems to be a good friend, and he’s never treated any of the staff poorly, so he can’t be that awful.