Before Today Read online

  “I don’t mind how much I have to bring. This is wonderful. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “You’ve already thanked us,” her mom said. “Your dad and I have enjoyed helping you.”

  Brooke slid her bag off her shoulder and pulled out an envelope. “I’ve got some news for everyone, too. The fire marshal emailed me a copy of his report. The fire started in the wall behind the stove in my apartment. He thinks a rat chewed through the cables, which in turn, sparked a fire.”

  Megan held her hand against her chest. “Does this mean you’re not a suspect anymore?”

  “I hope so.” Brooke smiled at her friend. “But more importantly, it means the insurance company will process my claim. Do you think you could make cakes in this kitchen?”

  “It’s perfect. Can we use it straight away?”

  Levi handed Brooke a set of keys. “You can use it whenever you like. While we’re sharing information, you’ll want to see this.” He gave her an envelope.

  Brooke lifted the flap and pulled out the sheet of paper. “It’s the Bakery License for this kitchen. How did you get it so quickly? It took me more than a month to have Sweet Treats certified.”

  “I spoke to one of the staff in the licensing department. They helped push it through.”

  Megan sighed. “I wish they could supply bakers to go with the certificate. I enjoyed every minute of our honeymoon, but now I have lots of customers waiting for cakes.”

  “I could help.” Virginia looked uncertainly at Megan. “I’ve made cakes for my friends’ birthdays and lots of weddings, too.”

  “Mom’s a great baker.” Brooke turned to her mom. “You could make a cake for Megan to show her what you can do.”

  “Show her the photos,” Karl added. “They’re on your cell phone.”

  Virginia found the folder of images and handed her phone to Megan. “It was Karl’s idea to take the photos. These are some of the cakes I’ve made over the last twelve months.”

  Brooke looked over Megan’s shoulder as she scrolled through the images. There were cakes of all shapes and sizes. Some were multi-tiered, others were much simpler. Each of them was beautifully decorated.

  “They’re incredible, Mom.”

  Virginia smiled. “I enjoy creating something a little different for each person. You wouldn’t have to pay me, Megan. I’ve always wanted to work in a bakery and this would give me that experience.”

  Megan handed Virginia her cell phone. “One of my orders is for a single-tier birthday cake for a five-year-old girl. How about you bake and decorate the cake, and we’ll talk about working together after that?”

  “That sounds like a wonderful plan.”

  Brooke held Levi’s hand. His firm grip made her sigh. This was the beginning of something amazing for each of them and, maybe, it would change their lives forever.

  Chapter 18

  Four Months Later

  * * *

  Levi waited in front of the arrivals area at Polson airport. His mom and dad’s flight had landed fifteen minutes ago. With any luck, they should be coming through the doors in the next few minutes.

  It had been six months since he’d last seen them. For some people, that wouldn’t be unusual. But for Levi and his parents, it was the longest time they’d been separated since Peter had died.

  More passengers strolled through the double set of doors, their luggage carts full of suitcases and carry-ons. Finally, he saw his dad. His mom was beside him, looking anxiously around the room. When she saw Levi, she smiled and waved.

  Levi’s heart squeezed tight. He loved his parents. Through his tour of duty, his slow acceptance of what PTSD would mean to his life, and the tragic events surrounding Peter’s death, they had been his rock. It didn’t matter what he said or did; they were always there for him, encouraging him to be the best he could be.

  His mom rushed to meet him. “Levi! It’s wonderful to see you.”

  When her arms tightened around him, Levi relaxed into her embrace. This was his mom, the woman who would always be special to him. The woman who brought joy to his life and others through her unfailing loyalty and crazy sense of humor.

  “It’s great to see you, too.” A light tap on his shoulder made Levi smile.

  “It must be my turn for a hug,” his dad said. “It’s been too long since we last saw you.”

  Levi and his dad were the same height, but where Levi was long and lean, his dad was built like a boxer. With broad shoulders, narrow hips, and a glare that could cut someone in two, Jeff Montgomery wasn’t the type of person anyone overlooked. But underneath all the bravado, was a man who felt things deeply and had many regrets.

  When they parted, Levi felt a sense of loss. He’d never realized until now, how much he missed his mom and dad. “I’m glad you could come to Sapphire Bay.”

  His mom’s eyes filled with tears. “We wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Your dad and I feel privileged that you asked us to be here.”

  Levi took a deep breath. Tomorrow afternoon, he would ask Brooke to marry him. He had a plan, a ring, and their families and friends were ready to toast the newly engaged couple.

  He hoped.

  If Brooke didn’t want to marry him, he doubted his heart would recover. Because this time, there wouldn’t be another chance for either of them.

  The next morning, Levi leaned against the rail of Zac’s balcony. He’d stayed up talking with his mom and dad until after eleven o’clock last night. They’d caught up on what they’d been doing, and enjoyed each other’s company.

  A chorus of birdsong filled the still morning air. Next week, Levi was moving into Sapphire Bay. A friend of Pastor John’s was looking for a new tenant and Levi hadn’t been able to turn down the small two-bedroom home. It had everything he needed, including a four-car garage that would easily double as a workspace for the construction company he was starting.

  Yesterday, after weeks of working long hours and dealing with multiple issues, they’d finished remodeling Brooke’s building. For the last month, they’d banned her from seeing anything other than the first two floors. She hadn’t liked the idea of leaving everything in the attic to Levi, but she didn’t have a choice—especially with four eager building apprentices on site. If Brooke even looked as though she was going near the attic, they stood guard, keeping their secret safe.

  “Is this where you do your early morning meditation?” his dad asked half-seriously.

  Levi looked across his shoulder as his dad settled against the rail. “If my brain slowed down enough to meditate, this would be the perfect place. How did you sleep?”

  “Like a baby.” Jeff sipped his cup of coffee. “It’s going to be a big day. How are you feeling?”

  Levi didn’t have to think twice about his answer. “Nervous.”

  “Do you think Brooke will say no?”

  “She has once before.”

  Jeff stared at the pine and spruce trees surrounding the house. “I felt the same way before I asked your mom to marry me.”

  “But she hadn’t already turned you down.”

  “That’s because I only asked her once. While we were dating, she kept reminding me that she never wanted to get married. In the beginning, it didn’t worry me. But falling in love with someone who saw marriage as an archaic ritual for the foolhardy wasn’t easy.”

  Levi thought about Brooke’s reaction when Megan had thrown the bridal bouquet. She had more in common with his mom than he thought. “How did you manage to change Mom’s mind?”

  His dad smiled. “Your mom has an uncanny ability to read someone’s mind before they know what they’re thinking. She knew how I felt about her and about marriage. By the time I found the courage to ask her to be my wife, she’d already decided she would say yes. To this day, I have no idea what changed her mind.”

  “It was your sexy legs,” Levi’s mom said from behind them.

  Jeff choked on his coffee.

  By the time Levi rescued his dad’s drink and
thumped his back, his mom was smiling from beside them.

  Jeff took a deep breath. “You never told me you liked my legs.”

  “Yes, I did,” Allie Montgomery replied. “But you didn’t believe me.”

  Jeff rolled his eyes. “You say a lot of outrageous things. How do I know which ones I should take seriously?”

  Allie looked around her husband at Levi. “Good morning, Levi. The secret to a successful marriage is listening to your wife. It doesn’t matter whether you think she’s joking or not. Listen, learn, and act. You won’t go wrong.”

  Levi didn’t have the heart to tell his mom that her husband looked as though he was about to burst into laughter. “Is that why you and Dad have been married for so long?”

  A soft blush turned Allie’s cheeks pink. “No. The secret to our happy marriage is your dad’s inability to say no to me.”

  Jeff’s dramatic sigh made Levi smile.

  “It’s true,” his dad said. “Your mom is a lovable, energetic, tyrant. And I wouldn’t change a thing about her.”

  Allie kissed her husband’s cheek. “And you’ve still got the sexiest legs in Spokane. Would anyone like breakfast?”

  Levi shook his head. “I’ve already had some toast. What about you, Dad?”

  “I put some bread in the toaster before I came out here. I’ll eat that.”

  “Okay,” Allie said. “If you change your mind, I’ll be in the kitchen making an omelet.”

  Levi smiled as his mom walked across the deck. “Did you hear that, Dad? You’ve got sexy legs.”

  Jeff looked down at his legs and frowned. “Sometimes your mom confuses me. Why on earth does she think I’ve got sexy legs?”

  Levi studied his dad’s legs. “You have well-defined thigh and calf muscles. Maybe she thinks that’s sexy.”

  “She’s probably playing with my mind. When Brooke wants you to do something you don’t want to do, remember what your mom does. She finds a way to confuse my brain so that I think her original plan was mine.”

  “I can hear you,” Allie yelled from the kitchen.

  “Your mom has supersonic hearing, too,” Jeff whispered.

  Levi leaned against the rail. He really wanted to ask his dad about Peter, about how he was coping after his elder son’s death. “Are you okay, Dad?”

  “Do you mean with life in general or something in particular?”

  “Something in particular. Are you getting enough sleep and eating the right food?”

  Jeff patted Levi’s shoulder. “You’re a good boy, but I don’t need looking after. My blood pressure has come down and I haven’t had any more health scares.”

  “You had a heart attack after Peter died. I want you to know that I’m here for you, if you want to talk.”

  Instead of brushing off Levi’s comments like he usually did, Jeff’s hands tightened around his coffee cup. “Peter was an incredible man, but he was like me. He kept everything bottled up inside him. If I’d been able to show him how to express his feelings, I wonder if his life would have been different.”

  Levi looked down at his hands. “Committing suicide was the last thing anyone thought Peter would do. If he wasn’t depressed, he might have been able to find his way through what was happening. But he couldn’t. It wouldn’t have mattered what you’d done. Peter would have found a way to end his life.”

  Jeff didn’t seem surprised by Levi’s words. Maybe, on some level, he thought the same thing. “Do you ever wonder if anything was going through his mind when he was on life support in the hospital?”

  This time, Levi didn’t answer his dad straight away. Peter’s death had affected them in ways they’d never expected. Sometimes, Levi heard the beep of the machines as they breathed life into his brother’s lungs. He smelled the sharp tang of the antiseptic, and felt the anxiety of other people as they’d visited friends and family in the Intensive Care Unit.

  Levi swallowed the knot of grief in his throat. “When we were sitting beside Peter’s bed, I used to imagine him opening his eyes and telling us one of his awful jokes. After we’d all groaned, he would let us know he’d made a mistake, that he knew he shouldn’t have tried to hang himself. But then reality would hit and I’d look at his still body. He didn’t want to live. If he could have talked to us, he would have said he wanted to find peace.”

  Jeff wiped the tears from his eyes. “I failed Peter. He was my son and I should have realized what was happening. We could have worked together, found something that made him feel good about himself.”

  Levi hugged his dad. “You didn’t let Peter down. He never told anyone how he felt until it was too late. Even his counselor didn’t realize he was thinking about committing suicide. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

  Jeff’s arms tightened around Levi. “I love you. No matter what happens in your life, you can always count on your mom and me to be there for you.”

  “I love you, too. You’re a great Dad, and Peter knew that, too. We knew we were loved, that you and mom would always be there for us. If anything, Peter taught me that we have to live good lives and not take the people we love for granted.”

  Levi’s dad took a tissue out of his pocket. “Especially when they’ve got sexy legs.”

  “Or they’re lovable tyrants, like Mom.”

  Jeff smiled through his tears. “What do you love the most about Brooke?”

  “She’s kind and thoughtful, and makes me happy.” Levi took a deep breath. “Before I saw her in Sapphire Bay, I didn’t know if I would ever be happy.”

  “I’m glad you found each other again.”

  So was Levi. And he’d be even happier if Brooke agreed to marry him.

  Brooke and Megan stood outside Sweet Treats, waiting for Levi and Brooke’s parents to arrive. After four months of remodeling, Brooke couldn’t believe that she was finally going to see her attic.

  Levi had banned her from going anywhere near it while his construction team was there. In the beginning, it hadn’t been easy to ignore the whine of the electric tools or the thump of the hammers, especially when she went into her apartment. But as more and more candy orders arrived, she’d been too busy to think about the attic.

  “I still can’t believe this is the same building,” Megan said. “The windows are incredible.”

  Brooke lifted her gaze to the stained glass windows above the entrance. Some of the original windows had been damaged in the fire. Instead of replacing all of them, Brooke had decided to make a feature of those her customers saw as they walked into the store.

  In her spare time, Levi’s mom enjoyed making stained glass windows. She’d offered to fix the windows that could be salvaged and, two days ago, the wooden boards covering the frames were removed and Allie’s windows installed.

  Allie had done an incredible job of matching the old glass with the new, of keeping the original character of the building, while introducing new elements.

  “Do you know what type of store is opening beside us?” Megan asked.

  “It’s going to be a jewelry store.” For the last two weeks, a construction crew had been working on the small building beside Sweet Treats. They’d replaced the narrow windows with large panes of glass. The small, quirky rooms that used to be filled with antiques had been opened into one large, light-filled retail space.

  Brooke touched the opal pendant hanging around her neck. “Casey Harper, the jeweler who made my necklace, is moving in next week. The store she leases has been sold. When she saw this building was for sale, she jumped at the chance of owning a store on Main Street.”

  “That’s fantastic. Casey is a lovely person. When we were looking at different ways to raise money for your store, she offered to donate some jewelry if we held an auction.”

  That sounded like the type of thing Casey would do. Brooke had met her at a small business workshop over a year ago. Since then, they’d sent the occasional email to each other or popped into each other’s store to see how they were doing. It would be great to get to
know her a little better.

  “I invited her for coffee with us on Sunday. It’s about the only day she isn’t working.”

  Megan smiled. “Why does that sound familiar?”

  “Don’t worry. One day we’ll have a normal life.” Brooke checked her watch. “I wonder where Levi and my parents have gone. They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”

  “They might have been slowed down by the traffic around Flathead Lake. Why don’t you call Levi?”

  Brooke held her hand above her eyes and peered down the street. If the silver truck coming toward them wasn’t her parents’ vehicle, she’d call him. A few seconds later she smiled. “Here they come.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “I wasn’t this morning, but I am now. Are you sure you can’t tell me about the attic?”

  Megan grinned. “I’m not saying anything. It will ruin the surprise.”

  Brooke was beginning to think surprises were overrated. After seeing how many boxes Levi’s construction team took upstairs, she really wanted to know what was going on. Even though the insurance company had covered the cost of fixing the building, Brooke didn’t have a lot of extra money.

  Her dad parked his truck outside the store. “Hi, Brooke and Megan. Sorry we’re late. The traffic coming into town was horrendous.”

  “It’s probably because of the Saturday market,” Megan said. “You’re lucky we’re still here. If you’d been a few minutes later, I would have had to stop Brooke from having a sneaky peek at what you’ve done.”

  Levi kissed Brooke’s cheek. “I’d already thought of that.” He dangled a shiny, brass key in front of her nose. “This is for you. It’s the key for the attic. After today, you probably won’t need it.”

  “You thought I’d have a look before you got here?”

  Levi’s eyes shone with laughter. “Of course I did. You’ve been asking everyone what they’ve been doing. Even the apprentices were worried they’d say too much.”