The Apple Tree Read Online Free Page B

manager and nodded. Strange timing for a break. Did Kate encourage him?
    Levi raised his eyebrow. “Would you like to sit with me? I could use the company. My book’s boring anyway.” He tossed it aside.
    She shifted her weight. The guy was a little strange, but there was also something intriguing about him. “Yeah, sure. Just let me grab a salad.”
    When she returned with her food, she sat across from him. Pushing the lettuce around, she searched for something to say.
    “ No pizza?” He nodded toward her plate.
    “ I eat it sometimes. I like the barbecue chicken pizza here.”
    He scrunched his nose. “Barbecue pizza? That sounds awful.”
    “ Have you tried it?” She took a bite of her salad.
    “ No, and I don’t plan to. I’m happy with my pepperoni and green pepper.”
    “ I’ll give you a dollar if you try it. I think we have some on the buffet right now.” She stood. “I’ll get a slice.”
    Before he could stop her, she went to the buffet and returned, setting the plate in front of him. “Try it.”
    He stared at the pizza covered in cheese, chicken and barbecue sauce. “Fine,” he grumbled and took a bite.
    The sweet smoky flavor drifted across the table, making her mouth water and she briefly considered getting a piece for herself.
    “ Okay, it’s not awful.” He took another bite.
    A smile spread across her face. She dug through her pocket to find the dollar she’d been given as a tip earlier and held it out to him.
    “ No.” His hand waved. “Keep your money.”
    She put the dollar back in her pocket and pointed to his book. “What were you reading?”
    “ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .” He held it up for her to see.
    “ Isn’t that a kid’s book?” She speared a cucumber with her fork.
    “ We’re all kids at heart. Besides, I like the tin man.”
    She laughed. “Because you wish you had a heart?”
    “ Wow, I must have been really rude last night.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin. “No, I like his back story. He’s frozen in tin forever by an evil witch so that he won’t be able to marry the woman he loves. I think he’s interesting. What do you like to read?”
    Her gaze darted around the parlor at the other customers while she considered the question. A young girl sat in the far corner, hunched over a paperback and it brought back memories of herself as a child, reading her favorite book. “Well, as long as we’re going with the theme of children’s classics, I’d pick The Little House on the Prairie. ”
    He nodded. “And why do you like it?”
    “ I guess, because of their determination and hard work. The Ingalls worked harder than anyone I know in real life. That must’ve been what it was like back then. Sometimes, I think we’re all going soft.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she took a bite of her salad.
    He pinched the hair on his arm between his fingers. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
    Kate cleared dishes at a nearby table. Her eyes darted toward them as she stacked each plate with care. Could her eavesdropping be any more obvious?
    “ So, are you a student?” Bianca asked, ignoring her friend. Corvallis was home to Oregon State University.
    “ No, not currently. I manage some properties and work on my homestead. What about you?”
    She stared at him. “How old are you?”
    He chuckled. “Twenty-four. Why?”
    “ You’re the most hard-working, responsible twenty-four year old I’ve ever met. You built your own house and you manage properties. Do you own the properties?”
    “ Yes… I’m like the Ingalls, I guess.” He smiled.
    Bianca grinned along with him as her mind spun with everything he’d said. Do they still make guys like that? Responsible guys who don’t spend all their time goofing off? Apparently, she’d found one.
    Kate walked by with a tray of glassware. Turning to give Levi a huge grin, her foot caught on a table leg. The tray flew through the air and landed with a crash, sending broken glass scattering