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Spectators milledaround the area, filming the fire with their phones, but Holly wasn't among them.
At the end of the lot, he spied a group of people in their pajamas. The bright purple streaks in Holly's hair stood out underneath the yellow glow of the parking lot lights.
He jogged toward her as she stared at the building, a shell-shocked expression on her pretty face. She appeared younger than her twenty-five years with her hair in pigtails that hung over her shoulders. She donned a black and silver pajama set with the words "Give Me Coffee" emblazoned across the shirt, and her feet were bare.
"Wilkes?" he asked gently.
Holly turned toward him, her big, hazel eyes bloodshot and tear filled.
"Is this really happening?"
Eli ran a hand down over his beard at the defeated tone of her voice. Fuck. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.
"I'm so sorry, Holly. Do you know what happened?"
She shook her head. "No. I woke up to the smell of smoke, and then I saw flames shooting out of my neighbor's window. It all happened so fast. I could only grab my phone and the cat. There wasn't time for anything else."
Eli tentatively put an arm around her shoulder, wanting to offer her comfort. "It's just stuff. You and the cat got out safely. That's what's important. Everything that matters is safe. The rest of it can be replaced."
She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. "Yeah. I know. I have renters' insurance, but—"
"Holly!"
They both turned as Penn Foster, Holly's best friend, tackled her in a hug. West Keller, the Kingsnakes starting goaltender and Penn's boyfriend, walked up to the group a few seconds later.
"Thank God you got out!" Penn gave Holly another squeeze. "I'm so grateful. And Miss is safe, too."
Eli glanced down at the carrier. Bright, wary, green eyes stared up at him. The cat looked scared but hadn't made a sound since he'd arrived.
"D, what are you doing here, bud?" West asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Holly accidentally called me when she meant to dial Penn," heexplained. "I wanted to make sure she was okay, so I came out."
Though he and West were good friends, he wasn't going to let on what had happened between him and Holly. She'd probably rip his balls off if he told anyone they'd slept together, and it wasn't the time or place for that kind of talk anyway.
West stared at the building and shook his head. "Jesus. What a fucking mess. I'm sorry, Holly."
"Babe, we need to get you out of here. There's no reason for you to stay and watch this," Penn told Holly.
"I don't even have shoes." Holly stared down at her feet. "There wasn't time."
"Why don't you come back to our house?" West suggested. "You can figure out your next steps."
"I can't go back to your house with Miss," Holly argued. "Bo's there, and she doesn't do well around dogs. I don't have a litter box for her, either. Or her cat dishes. I don't even have her food. Oh, fuck." Holly rubbed her temples. "You know how she is, and—"
"Don't worry. I have a litter box and litter," Penn assured her. "Remember when I watched Chance for Nic and Fally the week they went away on vacation? I cleaned out the box and saved it. And I still have some of the food from last month when I babysat Miss that one night. Bo can go downstairs, and we can put Miss in one of the bedrooms."
"Okay," Holly said absently. "Let's get out of here."
"Are you coming over for a while, D?" West asked him.
"Yeah. I’ll stop and grab us some coffee first. Might be a long night."
Holly picked up the pet carrier. "Thanks. I could use a coffee. I doubt I'll get much sleep anyway."
"That sounds good," Penn told him. "Just come straight in. If you knock, Bo will get all excited, and I don't want to freak out the cat."
He pulled his car keys from his pocket. "Got it. See you soon."
