Katie's Glimpse (The Glimpse Series) Read Free Page A

shirt and tennis shoes, as Levi had suggested.
I slipped my coat on and grinned as the woodsy smell invaded my senses.  
    I made my drive to the
nursery surrounded by the incredible scent of Levi. There was only one vehicle
visible when I pulled into the parking lot. A fairly new and expensive looking black
truck was parked near the front door. I hustled out of my car, attempting to
outrun the cold. I pulled open the door, stepped inside, and immediately
noticed a large older man standing behind the counter. I watched as his meaty
hands flew over the computer keyboard. He glanced up, noticed me standing there
and frowned. I saw that his eyes were blood shot and sweat covered his face.  
    “Who are you?” he
asked gruffly.
    I took a step back
and nervously replied, “I’m Kaitlyn and today is my first day on the job.”
    The man continued to
look at me, his eyes shifting from my face to the door behind me. He didn’t
speak and quickly looked over his shoulder towards the back offices. His shifty
behavior made me extremely uncomfortable. The hard look in his eyes brought
painful memories to the forefront of my mind, but I wouldn’t look away. I let
out a yelp when I heard a sound behind me. Strong arms came around my waist and
I didn’t need to look to know who it was.
     His smooth voice
was in my ear, his warm breath on my neck. “Hey, it’s just me. You okay?” I
nodded my head but continued to watch the man behind the counter.
    “Dad, what are you
doing here?” Levi called out behind me.
    Dad?? Taken aback, I squirmed hoping Levi would
release his grip on me. He reluctantly removed his arms and softly asked, “Would
you please go wait in my office?”
     I tried to find my
voice, but my “okay” ended up coming out as a whisper. I rushed past his father
and into the office. I closed the door and took a few deep breaths. What in
the world is going on? That scary guy is Levi’s dad? That’s not
good.
    I moved to a chair
and waited quietly for a few minutes. The door opened suddenly, startling me. I
started to scream but clamped my hand over my mouth when I realized it was only
Levi. He hurried over, concern etched on his face and crouched down at my side.
He pulled my hand away from my mouth, and I knew he felt the pulse pounding in
my wrist.
    He spoke gently, as
if I were a child. “You’re safe, Katie. Please don’t be afraid.”
     Suddenly embarrassed
at my overreaction, I pulled my hand from his. He stood and edged past me to
the chair at my side and sat, facing me.
     I gave him a weak
smile. “I’m sorry. Your dad scared me a little.”
     He shook his head.
“Don’t apologize. He should never have been here. Did he say anything to
you?”
    “He asked who I was.
He was doing something on the computer and acted nervous when he noticed me.”
    Levi let out a deep breath,
running his hand over his face. “Katie, I’m so sorry he was here. This used to
be his business. He started it when I was a little boy, but his drinking got to
the point where he couldn’t run it anymore, and I had to take it from him. He
has no right to be here and no right speaking to you.”
    I didn’t know how to
process his news, but I did know that if his dad was going to be around, I
wasn’t. “Is he going to show up here like that again?”
    “He better not. I
had a talk with him. He said he needed some money. I give him an allowance
every few weeks. I told him if he showed up here without speaking to me first,
I would cut him off. Please don’t be afraid because he won’t be back,” he
pleaded, looking into my eyes.
    Gathering my
courage, I replied, “Okay, if you’re sure he’s not going to be around, I’ll
stay.”
    He reached over and
patted my knee. “Come on out front. Sydney should be here to start showing you
what to do.”
     I followed him to
the front counter where Sydney was waiting with a friendly smile.
    “Katie got to meet
my dad this morning,” Levi informed her.
    The smile vanished
from