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He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It didn’t make him feel wanted, that was for sure. But it did mean that he had some leverage.
So they could do with money. Tara said he shouldn’t try to buy his way out of it, but an anonymous donation would be a good thing, wouldn’t it? At least, he’d know then that he wasn’t a one-trick pony. He helped charities!
But what he really needed to do was work his magic on Ashley.
“So what’s the deal with the boss lady?”
“Cora?”
He shook his head. “Ashley.”
He was taking a chance that Perry might have a touch of the gossip hound about her, not unlike some of his teammates who liked dealing in a bit of dirt.
“Ashley is wonderful. Works harder than anyone here, is amazing with the animals and the humans. Never has an unkind word for anyone.”
Dex couldn’t agree with that last observation. She’d called him an “attention whore” when she found him in her office. But maybe she was right.
“Is there a Mr. Ashley?”
Perry passed him a couple of small bowls and pointed at the boxes on one side of the room. “There was. She’s recently divorced.” She lowered her voice. “He cheated.”
“Sounds like a jerk.”
“But she’s dating again. I heard her talking about it with Toby. Using her phone.”
Like an app? Apps were filled with weirdos and people looking for casual sex. Not that he’d ever used one, but he’d shared a hotel room with Hudson Grey a few times and that guy had met his firefighter fiancé on a hook-up app.
“Must be tough to get out there, especially for a single mom,” Perry continued, clearly enjoying the room to run Dex had offered with his nosy questions. “But a woman like that has so much to offer. She’ll be snapped up in no time.”
Probably. Though guys had weird ideas about single moms. They came with responsibilities that tended to interfere with most men’s need for undiluted attention. Dex didn’t like the idea of Ashley getting the runaround from some guy.
He didn’t like the idea of her dating at all, which was strange considering he’d only met this woman a week ago.
“Perry, tell me more.”
9
“Hey, girl, how’s it going?”
Ashley looked up from the order sheet she was working on to see Kennedy Clark with Bucky the Wonderdog. Kennedy used to volunteer at the shelter before her concierge business took off, and every now and then she stopped by to say hi. She also happened to be married to Reid Durand, one of the Rebels centers.
“Hey! It’s been ages.” Ashley stood to hug her friend, a gesture made slightly awkward because of her baby bump. “When are you due?”
“Beginning of June. Three months and I am so ready.”
“I remember that. Enjoy the quiet time now.”
“That’s what my gran says. But Reid just wants it over with, too. Mostly because he’s dying to meet the baby.” She thumbed at Bucky, who was waiting patiently like the good one-eyed dog he was. “He thinks his experience with this little guy makes him qualified.”
Ashley laughed as she gestured to her friend to take a seat. “Wait until the baby’s keeping him up all night—we’ll see how qualified he thinks he is then.”
Greg had been pretty much useless when it came to the nighttime feeding. Fairly useless overall. But Willa said he got up in the middle of the night the few times she’d stayed over with him since his new baby was born. This time, he seemed determined to get it right.
Not bitter. Not at all.
“You should see him with Bucky.” Kennedy was still waxing lyrical about Reid’s father-to-be potential. “Plus he’s reading all the books. Reid’s big on research.”
“I’m thrilled for you guys.” She meant it even if her lived experience didn’t quite make the grade. “I do miss you around here, though.”
