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He fixed the coffee and brought over her plate, setting them both down on the table in front of her.
"Thank you," Holly murmured, sounding weary. "I'm not even sure if I'm hungry."
"Try a little. You can't run on coffee alone."
She shot him an amused look. "Yes, mom."
He ignored her comment. "Have you given any thought to what I suggested last night?"
"Yes, and it's not a good idea." She tucked a lock of purple hair behind her ear. "I appreciate it, but... no."
"You're being stubborn. We can do this, Wilkes."
Holly closed her eyes and sighed. "Penn already sold me on the benefits of being your roommate until this all gets straightened out. I think she likes you."
"Of course she does. What's not to like?" He reached over and plucked a strawberry from her plate, then popped it into his mouth.
"IfI decide to take you up on your offer, then you need to understand the one thing I take very seriously is my cat. If you don't like cats, this isn't going to work."
"I've never had a cat, but I don't see the big deal. I'm not allergic or anything."
"Miss is really important to me. I can't board her or anything. She has to be with me."
"Wilkes," he said gently, "Miss is welcome in my home, okay? Just as welcome as you are."
Holly blinked rapidly, then looked away. "Shit." She shoved back her chair and stood. "I hate this. I fucking hate this."
"It's okay to accept help. It's not a sign of weakness."
She wiped her eyes. "I've never been good at that. I've been on my own since college, and I have always paid my own way. But that wasn't what upset me. It was hearing you talk about your home."
Holly sank back down into the chair. "Las Vegas is the first place that's felt like home to me since Lakensville, where I grew up. I'm not sure why, but having Penn here is probably a big part of it. My apartment was all mine. It wasn't much, but it was home. And now, it’s all ash, along with my stuff. I’ve got nothing. I don’t know when insurance money will kick in, either."
"The feature will fetch you a nice chunk of change," he told her. "That will help."
"It will, but that's not going into my bank account for at least another month or more. I need clothes, shoes, makeup, a computer, and everything else I lost. I can hold off on furniture since Penn's old apartment is furnished, but still. This is a mess."
The front door opened, interrupting their conversation.
"We're back!" Penn called.
"Come on, Bo." West led the friendly golden retriever through the living room. "Time to go downstairs. You can laze around in my man cave while I get you some fresh water."
Penn came into the kitchen and smiled at Holly. "Good, you ate a little bit."
"Thanks for putting something aside for me. I didn't mean to sleep as long as I did."
"You needed it." Penn rinsed off the empty plates and placed them in the dishwasher. "You know, my clothes don't exactly fit you. I can wear your stuff, but you're curvier than me, you lucky duck. You better get out and get some new things today."
Holly shifted in her seat, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Yeah, I guess."
Eli ran a hand down over his beard. He remembered her making a comment the other night about not getting a new car even though hers was a wreck. Maybe she was having deeper financial issues than she let on.
Penn glanced down at her phone. "I have to go get ready for work. Feel free to use anything of mine you need, Hol. What's mine is yours."
"Thanks, Curly Cue." Holly looked over at Eli after Penn left the room. "Don't you guys have practice? You start the Western Conference finals against San Jose soon."
"We already put in time at the rink today.”
