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The woman with Dex was dressed to the nines, like she was either going to a gala or coming home from one. The Barbie-pink ballgown—because that was the only way to describe it—looked rather incongruous in the building’s dimly-lit corridor.
She turned, sending her platinum blonde hair in a gentle flyaway over her shoulder. It was like something a model or one of Willa’s fairies would do.
“Hi, there,” she said cheerfully.
“Hello.”
The woman held up a cute clutch in one hand. “Just got in and ran into Dex. Shooting the breeze and all that.” She thrust her hand forward. “I’m Georgia, Dex’s next-door neighbor.”
“Ashley.” She took the woman’s fine-boned hand and gave it a shake.
“Ash, what are you doing here?” Dex cut in, sounding a touch testy. He was wearing a T-shirt that said “Adulting” with one of five stars filled in, and the words, “Would not recommend.”
Georgia gave him a sharp look, then raised a conspiratorial eyebrow at Ashley. “Someone’s a little cranky.”
“Any chance you might not be throwing a wall-banging party tonight, Georgia?”
She giggled in a very pretty, but also kind of evil way. “You never know how I’ll feel after I take my nap. Oh my gosh, is that a kitten?” Her mouth dropped along with her gaze to the cat carrier in Ashley’s hands.
“It is, and I really should get him inside. Georgia, it was lovely to meet you but right now I need to have a chat with Dex.”
Go, Ash, bringing the mom energy.
“Got it!” Georgia sounded like she approved immensely. “Later, Dex.” Lifting her voluminous gown like a Disney princess, she took the few steps to her apartment’s door and was inside before Mittens had started meowing.
“Ash—”
“Hold on, can you take this?” She handed off the shopping bag, which he took, albeit reluctantly. “I brought soup and cupcakes. I know you said you had a bug, but I figured one of those will hit the spot. When I’m feeling out of sorts, soup or cupcakes always make me feel better.”
“Okay.” He sounded—and looked—confused.
“It’s a cheer-up visit, Dex. On the phone, it sounded like you’d had really bad news. You don’t have to talk about it, but I just wanted you to know that Mittens and I are thinking of you.”
His eyes went shiny, and he took a quick breath. She’d made the right call: he needed someone right now.
“I can’t believe you brought Mittens and left Bandit behind.”
“Bandit’s not ready for field trips. Can we come in?”
“You don’t play fair, Ashley Adams.”
She shrugged. “Mittens needs out.”
He stood back and let her in, placing the shopping bag on the floor. She followed that with the cat carrier, which she opened. Mittens came flying out like a mad thing and immediately went for the shopping bag.
“We probably should pick that?—”
She didn’t get a chance to finish because she was suddenly wrapped in the strong, steely arms of a gorgeous hockey player.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered against her hair.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t deserve it.” Before she could respond, he said, “I am sick, y’know.”
“Oh?” She tried to draw back because if he truly was, she didn’t want to catch anything.
“But it’s not contagious,” he murmured against her temple. “At least not in the way you think. I’m down and I can’t really go into it because I’m not going to drag you into my messed-up life.”
