Charitable Hearts Read online

  “Okay.” Levi had never met anyone with such a passion for helping people. Sure, he partied with people who donated money, but they just threw dollars at a problem so other people could solve it. Maggie actually cared about the problem and coming up with the solution.

  Gary watched the tension between Maggie and Levi. Part of him wished he’d stayed home, but when he looked at Maggie it was clear that would have been a mistake. He caught Levi’s eyes and they had a moment of unspoken understanding. Maggie needed some levity.

  “So, I’m thinking it’s game time!” Gary clapped his hands and headed into the house.

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Levi agreed.

  “Go ahead and start and I’ll be there in a moment.” Maggie pulled her slice of pizza out of the oven and took a small bite.

  Gary and Levi jumped up together and walked into the house. Being around Levi was harder than Maggie thought it would be. She should have never kissed him. Then she wouldn’t know what she was missing. Is kissable really a thing? Because he always looks kissable.

  Maggie rubbed her temples with her fingers, took a deep breath, and walked back into the house while she finished her slice of pizza. The guys had pulled out every snack that had been hidden in the coffee table.

  “Where did you get these?” Gary held up a pastry.

  “There’s a bakery in North Carolina. I spring for them every so often. I thought you’d like them.”

  “It’s like heaven in my mouth.” Gary pulled off another large bite and chewed it noisily.

  While Gary snacked, Levi opened the game and put it in the machine. He turned the television on and the picture came to life with the opening credits of the game. The graphics were incredible.

  They didn’t need to know that the game which was based on her fifth book was the reason she had it early because it was part of the contract Laura had negotiated. I bet Gary would lose his mind if he knew.

  “All of these games have been awesome. Famished, World Lost, Ghost Out, Looking Glass, and now Grey City, they’re all just amazing.”

  “I had no idea.” It was the truth. Maggie had never even opened her copies when she received them. She just tucked them away somewhere in the house.

  “They’re based on a series of books by a guy named M. G. Law. It started with Famished, a zombie apocalypse book. The movie was awesome.”

  “It was okay,” Levi spoke up without taking his eyes off the game.

  “You only say that because you tried out for the part and didn’t get the lead.”

  “The author didn’t think I was right for the part.”

  Maggie turned to keep him from seeing her smile. Levi did not need to know she had been the reason he didn’t get the part. “The author? I thought once they wrote the book, the publisher was the one that did all the other stuff.”

  “Yeah, but this guy, he kept some rights or something. There was a whole big thing when it came out that it was being made into a movie.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Apparently, he saw my screen test and said when he wrote the character he saw him as a little less lanky. I even tried bulking up for it, but it was a bust.”

  That’s because your head looked too small for your body. Maggie giggled. Levi thought she was laughing at Gary because he was moving around with the game so much. Maybe it would be a good idea if it never came out that she was the author of those books.

  “Come on, Maggie. Grab a controller and a headset. Let’s do some damage here,” Gary said and scooted over to give her some room next to him without even glancing her way.

  She picked up a controller and put on the headset. Her character lasted all of fifteen minutes before wolves came out and killed her. From that point, she watched Levi and Gary play.

  They had a dynamic which intrigued her. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been friends, but it must have been a long time because of the way they talked to each other. They had their own system of communicating and most of the time they didn’t even need to finish their sentence to be understood.

  Maggie moved to her chair after Gary nearly sat on her for the second time. It was her spot in the living room and it always felt weird when she sat somewhere else. Not long after she switched seats, she caught herself dozing off. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she excused herself, climbed the stairs and fell into her bed.

  The guys were free to stay as long as they wanted. At one point she woke up and could still hear them playing. She rolled over, stuffed her hands under her pillow and promptly fell back asleep.

  When she woke up the next day, they’d left, but not before cleaning up the snacks, which surprised her. Maggie had no idea when they left, but her home was starting to feel empty when they weren’t there.

  Twenty One

  The next few weeks for Maggie and Levi were all business. The Geeks for Fibrosis Fan Experience was coming quickly, and they both wanted the event to outshine the last two years.

  Based on the meeting minutes, the board members were more interested in discussing their current projects rather than discussing the event. Levi trusted people he shouldn’t have. When Levi fired the CPA and board members, he’d asked Maggie and Laura to be on the board and he’d put Gary on it too. Gary could be a little child-like, but he loved Levi and he had enthusiasm which made up for most of his antics at meetings.

  A couple of the board members Levi selected left Maggie a little star struck. Graham North and Gina Redford were both legends. Graham was known for his movie scores, and Gina was the first actress to be paid more than her male co-star. How Levi managed to get them on the board, Maggie had no idea.

  When she asked him, he simply shrugged and said, “A guy has to have his secrets.” She’d rolled her eyes and punched in the arm.

  Of course, game night was a weekly requirement and shop talk was strictly forbidden because all of their conversations revolved around the upcoming event. After Hamper agreed to sponsor the karaoke, a few other companies ponied up sponsorships too. The gaming stations were being provided by the two largest gaming companies.

  Maggie used her power of persuasion to get TriCam to use the Geeks event to release their newest game, Girl Assassin. Plus, she’d managed to rope a food supplier into donating to the concession stand.

  Other than the rent for the building, everything was being donated and fans volunteered to run the different stations. It was quite remarkable the way the whole thing came together. Feeling the deadline crush really pushed them to work harder so the event was a success.

  The night before the event, Laura flew into LA to meet Levi and Gary face to face since she was in charge of the finances and meetings. She and Laura didn’t run events, they only planned them. The fact that Laura flew in to see the Geeks event put together meant this charity was close to her heart. Maggie was just glad she got to see her friend whatever the reason.

  Levi offered to pick Laura up from the airport and bring her to Maggie’s house which made Laura grateful. Maggie was sitting on the front porch waiting for her. So when Levi parked his car, Laura was out and running to Maggie.

  “He is so freaking cute,” Laura whispered in Maggie’s ear as they hugged each other.

  “I know.” Maggie smiled as she pulled back.

  “Where do you want your bags, Laura?” Levi asked.

  “Just set them inside the door. We’ll figure everything out later.”

  “How did Greg feel about being a babysitter this weekend?” Maggie wrinkled her nose.

  “Hey, he’s a parent too. It’s not really babysitting if they belong to you.” Laura hung an arm around Maggie’s shoulder and they laughed as they walked into the house. “I never remember just how small this house is.”

  “It’s not that small.”

  Laura turned around and looked at Levi. “He barely fits through the front door.”

  “I can’t help it that he’s over six-feet tall.”

  Laura smiled and Maggie knew she was just playing
around.

  “So, I got burgers and stuff to make s'mores.”

  Gary was standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets looking like he was being left out of everything. When Maggie mentioned food he immediately perked up. “I’m sorry, did you say burgers and s'mores?”

  “Yes, Gary, I thought you might like to cook them. I got you something. It’s hanging the handle of the grill.”

  Gary’s flashed a smiled and bolted for the patio. They all jumped when they heard him yell. “This. Is. Awesome!”

  Levi looked at Maggie puzzled.

  “I got him an apron with a mash-up of the Famished games in the shape of Voltron, and a grilling kit.”

  Levi raised an eyebrow. “Should I feel jealous?”

  Maggie looked at Laura and laughed. “I’m sure given time I’ll find something for you too.”

  “I have an idea if you’re looking for suggestions,” he said and winked at her.

  Laura jerked her head to look at Maggie with a puzzled look on her face. Maggie tucked her hair behind her ear as Laura leaned in and said, “You and I will be talking later.”

  Maggie forced a smile and spoke without moving her lips. “No, we won’t.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Maggie sighed, grabbed a drink out of the fridge and walked out to the patio to join Gary. He was already working on the burgers in his apron. “Maggie, this is awesome. I can’t believe you got this for me.”

  “I like you, Gary.”

  Gary shook his head and took a deep breath. “If this is like, I’m thinking love must be incredible.”

  “Stop it,” she said as she took a seat next to the fire pit. The sun was setting and the best part of Maggie’s house was the way the sun peaked through the trees as it disappeared for the day.

  Levi followed Laura as she walked out onto the patio with a glass of wine and sat next to Maggie. “I have to give it to you. This patio is the greatest part of this house. When you planned this, I thought you were completely nuts, but,” Laura and took a deep breath, looking around, “this is simply amazing.”

  “I told you I knew what I was doing.”

  “I thought you were nuts buying this place. One person on twenty acres?”

  “It’s perfect. People hardly know I’m here. It’s like I’m hiding in plain sight.”

  “You’re certainly good at hiding, that’s for sure.” Laura slapped a hand over her mouth and Levi snapped his attention to her.

  “Good at hiding? What’s that mean?”

  “I’m just talking about the house. I mean, look at this place.” Laura tried to cover, but Levi eyed her and Maggie like he didn’t buy her explanation at all.

  “Right,” Levi said and picked his conversation with Gary back up. “You’ve got the grill too hot, buddy.”

  “No, you sear the burgers first to seal in the juices, then you turn it down so they can cook on the inside. I know what I’m doing.” Gary carefully watched the burgers and took a drink of his Strawberry Yoohoo.

  “So,” Laura said, and took a sip of her wine, “Levi, how are you feeling about tomorrow?”

  Levi strolled to a seat and sat down. “I feel pretty good. This is the first year I feel like I’ve done my best.”

  “That’s awesome. I think it will be great. The sponsors are excited to be helping, and the tickets sold out in twenty minutes this year.”

  “Well, it helped that TriCam used this event to release Girl Assassin.”

  “Did Maggie tell you they’re donating ten percent of the sales at the event?”

  Levi’s mouth dropped open. “No way.”

  Laura nodded and smiled. “Yep. Once they saw the fan response they felt like it would be good press.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “This thing would not have been as amazing if it weren’t for you and Maggie. I never thought when I met Maggie that night the Geeks event would ever have a chance to be this great.”

  “Maggie is pretty amazing.” Laura smiled at Maggie.

  Maggie playfully punched her arm. “You’re pretty good too. Besides, I’m just the middle man.”

  “We both know you’re more than the middle man. It’s because of you we have the gaming stations and karaoke sponsored.”

  “Yeah, but you take care of the finances.”

  Laura giggled. “Let’s just agree we make a good team.”

  “Agreed.” Maggie smiled and pointed between Levi and Gary. “You two are going to meet the fans at midnight right? To interact and give out goodie bags to the fans who are standing in line, right?”

  Gary ignored the question. The burgers were taking all his focus.

  Levi nodded. “Yep, and if it weren’t for you those goodie bags I’m handing out wouldn’t be nearly as cool.”

  “Hey, anything to help a good cause,” Maggie said and shrugged her shoulders.

  “They’re awesome and the fans are going to love it. Those first one-hundred people are going to be in for a surprise.”

  Maggie nodded. “Yep, and when word spreads, next year’s event will be even bigger.”

  Levi looked at his phone. “Gary, you need to hurry up with those burgers. It’s getting late and we need to get back to the city.”

  “Burgers are done. Thank you very much. I was just waiting for you guys to finish talking.”

  The four of them sat around the fire pit enjoying their burgers and talking. When the guys finished their burgers, they barely had time to make s'mores, but Gary insisted on it even if it made them late getting home to get showers before showing up for their pre-event goodie bag giveaway.

  Having Laura there when the guys left kept the house from feeling so lonely. Laura immediately started in on her. “You have forgotten to tell me something about Levi.”

  “I haven’t.”

  “Yes, you have. What was that wink about?”

  Maggie shrugged as she picked up around the house. “I have no idea.”

  “Maggie, he is cute and sweet and so funny. That smile of his could melt the polar ice caps.”

  “Don’t start, Laura.”

  “But he’s so great.”

  “It’s not going to happen.”

  “You are only thirty-six years old, Maggie. It’s been long enough. You can’t just be alone the rest of your life. I hear the sadness in your voice when you call. Or heard, I should say. Since those two have been around it’s almost like it was before…”

  Maggie turned on her. “Stop.”

  “We’ve never even really talked about what happened.”

  “And we aren’t going to talk about it now either.”

  “But Maggie…”

  “No.”

  Laura sighed and sat down on the couch. “Seriously, Maggie, I’m worried about you.”

  “Why? I’ve lived like this for the better part of five years. I have my house, I live my life, and I’m happy with the way things are.”

  “That is a lie. You are not happy. You are lonely. I am the only friend you have and you haven’t been with anyone since…”

  “Don’t, Laura. LA is a large city. I’m sure I can find you a flight out tonight.”

  Laura sagged and frowned. “Don’t be like that Maggie. You know it’s just because I love you. I love you and I want to see you happy.”

  Maggie stopped and chewed on her lip. She took a deep breath and sat down in the chair across from Laura. “I know you do. I know you love me and want what’s best for me, but I can’t. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to…” Maggie couldn’t even get the words out.

  Laura popped up off the couch and planted herself closer to Maggie, placing a hand on her arm. “I know. I’m sorry I’m pushing you. I just think Levi is great. Maybe if you just talked about it. Maybe with him? There is just something about him. He’s sweet and you can see by the way he looks at you that he really, really likes you.” Laura took a drink of wine. “Plus, his hair is so wild, and how it curls over his ears. It’s curlier than I expected. You just wanna run yo
ur hands through it.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that. He’s totally adorable with the wild hair. I think I’d cry if he cut it. Plus, the last few weeks working on the Geeks event, I’ve gotten to know him better. He’s an amazing person. He’s got such a great heart.”

  “See, I know you. I see the way you look at him when you don’t think anyone is watching. The two of you have gotten close and you have feelings for him.”

  Maggie gave her a pointed look. It was Maggie’s ‘stop or I’ll send you home’ look. “You know what? It’s time to talk about something else or go to bed.”

  “I think bed. I’m pretty tired and I can see bags under your eyes.”

  “Hey, don’t talk about my bags when yours need a hand truck.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Come on. Let’s get ready for bed. I need to be well rested when we go into town tomorrow.”

  “Is it ready to ride?”

  “It’s been ready. I’ve just been waiting so we could ride it together on its first trip to town.”

  Laura squealed and clapped. “I can’t wait. Does Levi know?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh, now I really can’t wait. Now how am I supposed to sleep?”

  “Easy, stop talking and close your eyes.”

  Laura punched her. “Shut up.”

  Maggie giggled, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Up in Maggie’s loft, they talked and laughed longer than they should have, and by the time they fell asleep they were going to be glad there were no alarms to wake them up.

  Twenty Two

  When Maggie rolled her bike to a stop in front of the building, she couldn’t believe how many people were still around. When she looked at her watch, it was well after closing time.

  Laura dismounted the bike, took off her helmet, and Maggie followed suit. They tucked their helmets under their arms and walked to the front door. She and Laura stepped into the building and scanned it for the Levi and Gary.

  When one of the volunteers passed, Maggie got his attention. “Have you seen Levi Martin?”