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"You should go to bed. You could use the sleep." She handed him a fluffy towel from the nearby basket. "Are you sober enough to handle things yourself from here on out?"
"Yeah. The food helped."
"Okay. I'll clean up the leftovers and put them away."
He flicked a button to drain the tub, then stood and knotted the towel around his waist while she grabbed the empty boxes.
"Holly?"
She glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Thanks. You know, for listening. For all of this."
He looked embarrassed and vulnerable standing next to the tub, dripping wet. He probably needed a hug, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him.
But they'd already crossed enough lines tonight.
"Sure. Get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay. Goodnight."
"'Night."
She went to the kitchen to throw away the boxes, then headed to her room. Miss was stretched out on the bed, snoozing. She let out a gigantic yawn when Holly stepped into the room.
"Wow, what a ferocious feline," Holly teased, flopping down next to her. "Think you'll be ready to explore the rest of this place in a few days?"
Miss rolled over onto her back and purred, waiting for belly rubs.
"I'll take that as a yes." She smiled at the chubby cat and ran a hand down over her soft fur.
Holly’s thoughts drifted to Eli and what he was going through with his mom. How was he dealing with all of this while trying to win the Cup? She couldn't imagine how stressed out he must be over everything. No wonder he'd gotten wasted.
She bent to kiss Miss's little head. "Looks like we're in early for the night, Moo. What do you say? Should we catch up on someDynasty? I need to see what Fallon's been up to lately."
Miss let out a tiny meow, and Holly laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, too."
6
"What the hell?"
Holly sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. A tinny-sounding tune played repeatedly in the distance. "It's freaking one in the morning," she grumbled, climbing from the bed.
Tiptoeing down the hall in search of the source of the music, she found Eli's cell phone on the island in the kitchen.
"Mom" flashed across the caller ID screen.
"Shit." She grabbed the phone and ran to his bedroom. Not bothering to knock, she threw open the door.
"Eli." She hurried over to the side of the bed and shook him gently. "Eli, wake up."
He launched himself upright, squinting against the light that spilled in from the hallway. Two beer bottles sat on his nightstand, empty.
"Holly? What's that noise?"
"Your cell." She held it out to him. "It's your mom."
"Fuck." He took the phone and jabbed the green button to answer the call. "Hello? Mom? Wait, Jessie? What's going on?"
