[Open - Irish Coffee]

[detectivecontrary]

Levi had been enjoying the pleasant weather they were having lately, which had been a nice change after the storms of a week or so ago. It wasn't quite warm enough for him to switch away from his regular morning coffee, but it was getting there.

Sipping from his mug, he took another bite of pastry before checking that morning's news paper. Since Folly was relatively small, nearly everything was news. There wasn't anything too interesting though, nothing he didn't already know from work, so he folded it carefully and left it for the next person.

Taking a bite of his Danish, Levi leaned back in the booth and enjoyed the idea of a relatively relaxing work day.

Comments

[detectivecontrary]

"Oh, I have a feeling you've been getting off quite a bit, Mags," Levi said, unable to resist as he flashed her a broad smile. She had practically walked right in to that one.

"And I don't think you have to worry. She was surprised to find out we hadn't ever slept together but, I think... at least I hope she knows, she doesn't have to worry about anyone else."

[irishcoffee]

She couldn't deny it, and she really, really didn't want to. Hell, she didn't even care that she'd walked into his joke. She was too busy trying not to freaking purr again. "More than I ever thought possible."

Maggie picked up her mug and blew warmth back into it. "You hope she knows? Love, that's danger right there. If you want to make sure she knows, tell her outright. Assumptions are only going to come back and bite you in your rather well-formed ass." She paused, grinned, "and not in the good way."

[detectivecontrary]

"I have made it clear to her, she just... doesn't accept things like that so easily, sometimes," he said, frowning a bit. Bella had trouble believing good things about herself sometimes. Levi hoped that, gradually, he could change that about her.

"She's seen herself as a monster for so long it's hard for her to see herself as anything else."

[irishcoffee]

"If anyone can convince her, it's you. You could probably convince a polar bear to buy air conditioning," Maggie smiled fondly. "Give her time, she'll see herself through your eyes eventually. Took me a while, but I got there, too."

[detectivecontrary]

"I am very charming and convincing, aren't I?" he said with a grin. If Maggie thought that he could get through to Bella then he was pretty sure that it could happen. He just hoped it didn't take quite as long as it did with Maggie.