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“Bye, Ash. See you tomorrow.”
“Please don’t come in if you are like this tomorrow,” Ashlyn pleaded.
I gave her a thumbs-up.
“Oh, and by the way, I spoke with Brady today. He wasquiteworried.”
“Bye, Ashlyn,” I said softly, fluttering my hand in her direction.
She grinned and then ducked behind the door, shutting it carefully.
I sagged back into the couch. Just as my eyes began to close, I heard the abrupt knocking at my door.
“I get it, Ashlyn. I get it.” I shifted my legs over on the sofa, pressing my hand to my gut as I did. Remarkably, everything stayed put.
But it wasn’t Ashlyn’s voice that spoke back. “You look like shit, girl,” Luna said, heavy frown lines wrinkling her face.
“Thanks, Luna. Like I didn’t know,” I grumbled back, not hiding the frustration in my tone. She was part of the family. But right now, I wasn’t fit to deal with her particular brand of assholery. I dropped my head into my hands.
Delicate, strong fingers suddenly gripped my chin, guiding my face back up to hers. Light-blue eyes, the color of ice, blazed into mine. I was surprised to see that her face was really worried as she looked down at me.
“You don’t feel hot to me. That’s good news.” Luna pressed the back of her hands against my forehead and then my neck. They felt blessedly cool against my skin, and I sagged into her attention. “Let’s get you home.”
“It’s fine. I’ll drive myself.”
“The hell you will. Now, give me your keys.” Her hands snapped open in front of me.
Groaning, I pointed over at the purse I’d thrown to the floor when I’d come spiraling in. Luna dug out the keys to my pride and joy, a bright-red Miata I’d bought for myself when I graduated from college.
“What will you do? Once we get to my place?” I was more than fine letting Luna stay. But I couldn’t imagine her sleeping on a couch, and my little one-bedroom wasn’t exactly welcoming for guests.
“What do you think?” Luna said.
I stared, waiting.
Finally, she rolled her eyes, coming to my side to slide her bony arm under my elbow and helping get me to my feet. “Don’t worry. I’ll just ride my broomstick home,” Luna cackled back at me.
“Har-har,” I mumbled, letting her slight body shift me forward, where I stood for the first time since I’d come sprinting in this morning. “Ugh, that feels…special.”
She grunted. “I bet it does. I still can’t believe you ate that kid’s sandwich.”
“I know, I know. Don’t you think God is punishing me enough?”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Please, let’s just get home.”
Luna was a tiny thing, barely five feet tall with her mane of gray curls. But today, her grip was like iron. I sagged against her, my bare feet slapping against the pavement as she led us out of the tiny back parking lot. In a blur, I was loaded up, and the next thing I remembered, I was being tucked through the front door of my apartment.
“Ah, home,” I murmured. “Now at least I can vomit without worrying about disturbing Peter.”
Luna chuckled, letting go of me when I tugged away to the couch. “Shouldn’t you try a bed?”
I stopped just short of plopping down. She had a point. “Good idea, Luna. This is why you are the best.”
She snorted. “Clearly.”
I set off down the hallway, letting my weary body guide me as I easily found my bed in the dark. I lay across it, my legs dangling as I heard Luna’s shuffle approaching.
