Lucky Bounce: Game On, Part 2 by Jennifer Lazaris

2

"I've got to stop thinking about it." Holly flopped down on her bed and covered her face with her hands. "Right now. No more thinking."

She'd had a bowl of cereal for dinner, taken a shower, and watched a few shows on Netflix, but she still couldn't get Eli out of her head.

When he'd shown up at the hotel with all of those thoughtful, nostalgic gifts, she'd been stunned. The sincerity of his apology was an amazing start toward making things right between them after all these years.

But the sex?

Holy freaking hell. It had been the hottest, most intensely emotional sex of her life.

Not that she was surprised. He'd been the only guy to ever own her heart.

And now, he claimed to want her and no one else.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. It was exactly what she'd always wanted to hear, but she hadn't been at all prepared to hear it.

Miss, her calico kitty, jumped up on the bed and began taking a bath.

"I've got to be professional for the next thirty days, Miss. I can't think about what happened... or about how much I want to be with him again."

Miss glanced over at her with wide, vivid green eyes, then went back to licking her paw.

"I'm just going to put him out of my mind right now."

It wouldn't be easy. Her heart whispered that she couldn't fully trust him, while the rest of her wanted to rip his pants off.

"Nope. His pants have to stay zipped the entire time. Right, Miss?"

The calico glanced up at her again and let out a tiny meow.

She couldn’t help but laugh. "Exactly. Are you ready for your evening snack? It's late, and we should get to bed."

Holly stood, and Miss jumped down from the bed, weaving in and out between her legs.

"I guess that's a yes." She smiled down at the cat. "Come on. I could use a snack, too."

* * *

"What the hell?"

Holly struggled to sit up, rubbing her eyes as she came awake in the dark room. The scent of smoke hung heavily in the air as she scrambled from the bed.

She hurried into the kitchen and peered around. Had she left a burner on? She checked the knobs on the stove. Nothing was out of place. But when she walked out into the living room, the smell of smoke assaulted her, and her eyes began to water.

Something was very wrong.

Throwing open the front door, she peered to the right and gasped. Flames shot from the window of the unit next to hers and licked along the balcony rail.

"Holy fucking shit!"

Her neighbor, a bald guy in his forties, ran out of the apartment.

"Get out, now!" he cried, running down the stairs. "I called 911. Just get out! It's bad!"

Holly spun around and dashed into the bedroom, grabbing Miss's soft carrier from the cupboard. She stuffed the startled cat into the little bag and zipped the top lid shut.

She snatched her phone and charger from the nightstand then ran for the door. Smoke billowed from the window of the apartment next door as the sound of crackling and glass breaking grew louder.

"Holy fuck!" The wall of heat from the towering flames scared the hell out of her as she ran down the stairs away from the fire. The building's alarm kicked on as she reached the bottom step, and she winced at the screeching noise.

Holly jogged across the parking lot to join a group of other residents. After doing a quick head count, it appeared as if everyone in the small complex had escaped unharmed.

Dragging a sweaty hand down over her pajama shorts, she glanced back over at the building. The flames had engulfed her door entirely. Red lights flashed and sirens blared as fire trucks rolled up in front of the apartment complex.

She set Miss's carrier down on the ground and stared at her phone screen. Her fingers trembled as she jabbed at the icons, searching for Penn's name in her contacts. To her dismay, she accidentally hit Eli's number instead.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Holly squeezed her eyes shut, trying to fight back tears. A sleepy-sounding Eli answered before she could press the red button to disconnect the call.

"Wilkes? I didn't think you'd be up for a late-night booty call this fast."

"E-Eli." Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard.

“Holly?” The teasing note left his voice, replaced by alarm. “Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I... I meant to call Penn, but I hit your number by mistake. My building. It's on fire. My apartment—"

"Jesus Christ. Are you okay?"

"Yes. The fire department is here now. But I think it's all gone. My apartment is in flames."

Her clothes, her shoes, her computer. Gone.

Oh, fuck. Her computer!

"Stay where you are," he ordered. "I'm coming over there right now."

"No. I'll call Penn. I didn't mean—"

"Wilkes, I'll be there soon. Stay put. Call Penn, but stay there."

"Okay," she said, then ended the call.

A firefighter walked over toward the group. "Everyone, I'm going to need you to move to the farthest point away from the building."

Holly picked up Miss's carrier and headed toward the opposite end of the parking lot. A few of her neighbors hugged each other and cried while others talked on their cell phones. A news van pulled to a stop along the curb, and a reporter hopped out.

Punching Penn's name on her phone’s contact list, she sat down on the concrete block at the end of a parking space.

"Holly?" Penn’s panicked voice echoed in her ear. "It's 3:00 am. What's wrong?"

She ran a hand down over her face, trying not to cry. "Yeah, so listen..."

* * *

Eli rolled up to the red light and looked both ways before blowing through it. He broke the speed limit as he made his way toward Holly's apartment. When he turned onto her street, he hit the brakes and screeched to a halt as flames shot into the air all around her building.

"Holy fucking shit."

A cop carblocked the way, forcing him to park farther away than he'd like.

He killed the engine and scrambled from the vehicle. It was a chaotic scene with firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars everywhere.

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."

* * *

Eli opened the front door of West and Penn's house while balancing the coffee tray and donut box. He wasn't sure if Holly wanted to eat, but at least the donuts would be there if she needed a snack.

"Hey, guys." He gently pushed the door closed with his foot. "I've got the java. Decaf, though."

Holly cuddled next to Penn on their cozy blue couch. She glanced up at him. “Hey.”

West got up from his easy chair and took the tray. "Thanks, D." He placed it in the middle of the coffee table.

"There's creamer and sugar in the bag. I wasn't sure if anyone was hungry, but I bought donuts." Eli set the box down on the table and took a seat at the end of the couch.

"Thanks, Eli." Holly shot him a grateful look. She dumped a creamer and sugar into her coffee. “I needed this.”

"Of course." He glanced around the room. "Where's the kitty?"

"In one of the guest bedrooms with some food and a litter box," Penn told him. "We didn't want her to get freaked out."

"I still can't believe this," Holly mumbled. "I just can't wrap my head around it. What am I supposed to do next? I know I have to contact the insurance company, but I don't even have clothes."

"We're going to help you," West assured her. “Our house is your house.”

"I appreciate that, but I can't stay here. I don’t know how long it will take until I can find another apartment. Maybe the renter's insurance covers a hotel for a period of time. That would help."

"You aren't staying in a hotel." Penn waved a hand. "You don't want strangers coming in and out to clean with Miss there. You'll stay here. We'll figure out the Bo situation."

"Ugh," Holly muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Guys, I appreciate the offer, but this is Bo's home. I'm not going to have you banish him to the basement or go to the puppy ranch for who knows how long until I can get my shit together. It's not fair to him."

"The student I sublet my apartment to for the summer is moving out in a month," Penn told her. "When she leaves, you are welcome to the place. It's less rent than you were paying before, and it's furnished. We just have to get you through the next thirty days."

"You can stay with me," Eli offered, picking up a coffee from the tray. "I have plenty of room."

Holly sighed. "No, I can't."

He held up both hands in front of him. "I just want to help, Wilkes. And you do have the feature to write. I was going to spend a lot of time with you over the next thirty days because of that, anyway. It isn't a bad idea."

"A feature to write when I don't even have a computer," she said with a sigh, then took another sip of her coffee. "This is a nightmare."

"It will all work out. Just take me up on the offer."

Holly rubbed her forehead. "Listen, I appreciate everything you guys are trying to do for me, okay? But I just want to go to sleep. My eyes are killing me, and I'm so exhausted I can't even think. Can we talk about this in the morning?"

"Of course." Penn squeezed Holly's hand, then leaned over to study her face. "Babe, your eyes look weird. Like they are drooping or something."

Holly stood. "Sometimes that happens when I'm tired. I'm going to crash for a few hours. See you guys in the morning."

She disappeared down the hall as Eli settled back in the recliner with his coffee. "I've never seen her look so defeated. What happened sucks, but she's always so full of fight, and that fight is gone."

"I know what you mean," Penn murmured. "She's always been a rolling stone. And she's never been attached to things or places. I didn't expect her to be quite so rattled. When Holly's upset, she rarely shows it. I'm used to her game face in every situation, and that's gone, too."

"Yeah, but you told me before that she really liked that apartment," West pointed out. "That it was the first place that ever felt like home to her."

"True."

West turned his gray gaze in Eli's direction. "Were you serious about her moving in with you, D?

"Yeah. She's been through some shit, and she needs her friends to step up and help."

"Is that what you are?" Penn asked, giving him a small smile. "Her friend?"

Eli shrugged. "I just want to help."

"Your place is actually the best option," Penn said, reaching for a donut. "You live in a penthouse, so Miss can't escape to anywhere but a hallway with no one else around. You don't have any pets, and since she's going to be working on the feature, it just seems a logical choice."

"True," West agreed. "But will she go for it? Are you guys cool now?"

"Yeah, we're good," Eli replied.

"I wonder how long it will be until she gets some insurance money,” Penn mused. “It’s a shame about her clothes. Some of her outfits and shoes cost big bucks."

Eli frowned. "Holly wears some wild stuff, but I didn't know any of it was expensive."

"Her everyday clothes aren't, but over the years she invested in some nice designer dresses, and she had at least five pairs of pricey high heels. That's got to hurt."

He dragged a hand through his hair. "This really sucks."

West slapped his hands down on his thighs and stood. "We can talk more about all of this tomorrow. For now, we should sleep. Eli, do you want to crash here?"

"Yeah, I'll take the couch."

Penn rolled her eyes. "Eli, we have three guest bedrooms."

"Nah, I'm good out here."

"Suit yourself," West told him, pulling Penn to her feet. "See you in the morning."

After the two of them went to bed, Eli settled back on the couch and pulled out his phone. He made a list of the replacement items Holly would need. Even though he was certain she'd protest, he was taking her shopping tomorrow. Now was the time for people who cared about her to pitch in and help.

Besides, it couldn't hurt to earn a little goodwill.

* * *

"Afternoon," Eli said as Holly entered the kitchen.

She stopped short under the archway and stared at him. "Oh. Hi. I didn't think you’d still be here."

Her hair, still slightly damp from a shower, hung loose around her shoulders. Her outfit consisted of a Green Day t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts—obviously Penn's clothes.

Even though the two women were probably the same size, on Holly's curvier frame, the shorts and shirt looked snug. Not that he minded the view, but she seemed uncomfortable.

"Penn and West took Bo for a walk, but she made a ton of food first. There's a plate for you in the oven," he told her.

"Is there any coffee?"

"Yeah, I made a pot."

"Jesus. I can’t believe it’s after one. Have you been here the whole time?" she asked.

"No. West and I went to the rink for a few hours."

"Damn, I really slept. Other than getting up to feed the cat, I was out." She frowned at him. "Why did you come back?”

"Sit down. I'll pour you some coffee and get your plate."

He expected a quip about how she didn't need him to wait on her,but to his surprise, she didn't say anything.

Eli pulled a mug from the cupboard above the stove. "How do you take your java?"

"Two creams, one sugar, if we still have the stuff from last night."

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.

"If I 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.”

“Oh, right. You said that earlier. I forgot.”

“So, that means I can take you shopping since I'm free for the rest of the day."

Holly blew her bangs out of her face. "Uh, no thanks."

"Do you automatically say no whenever I offer you something?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It's a Pavlovian response."

"Really? Because you didn't say no when I had my face buried between your legs yesterday."

"Eli!" she sputtered. "Keep your voice down! I don't want anyone to know about that."

"Fine. Then let me be your driver today. We'll go wherever you want. You need stuff, and I have a car. Besides, West's truck is in the shop, so Penn is taking their other car to work. And I'm not going to let you Uber around Vegas when I can take you. It’s impractical."

"You're not going to let me?" Holly asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, you're hilarious."

"And you're stubborn."

"Fine," she said, relenting. "But only if I can call you Jeeves while you do it."

"Sure. I won't answer, but I won't object, either. You might want to start making a list of what you need."

Holly grabbed a pencil and a notepad that Penn kept near the house phone. She bent over, wrote something down on the paper, then ripped it off and handed it to him.

"Everything," the note read.

He balled it up and tossed it at her. "Funny. I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me. No bullshit, okay?"

Holly looked at him warily. "What? Why?"

"Will you promise to be honest?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. I promise."

"Can you afford to go shopping? Do you have the money for it?"

Holly's gaze flickered, and she glanced away. "I have a little bit of room on my credit card."

"How much room?"

She blew her bangs up out of her face. "Five hundred dollars. Money's been tight lately. I sunk a lot of cash into my car. You can see how well that worked out, considering it's still sitting in the parking lot of the Palisades Hotel & Casino."

"Then let me help you."

"No."

"Five hundred dollars isn't enough money to get everything you need," he argued. "A computer alone is going to cost more than that."

"I can use one at the library."

"Holly..."

"No. I can't do it, okay? I can't."

He leaned back in his chair. "Look, I'm not bragging, but I could take you out and buy you twenty brand-new cars, and I wouldn't miss the money."

She rubbed her forehead. “This is a nightmare."

"Okay, how about this? Let's bet on it."

"What do you mean?"

"We bet on something. If I win, I get to buy you everything you need. And you aren't allowed to bitch about it or try to pay me back. If you win, I'll leave you alone about it and never mention money to you again. What do you say?"

"I think you're nuts. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm a good Samaritan," he said, grinning. "Helping out damsels in distress and all that."

Holly snorted. "You don't exactly strike me as a knight in shining armor, Eli.”

West walked into the kitchen. "What are you guys arguing about?" He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a swig.

"We need a way to settle a bet, Kellz,” Eli told him. “And fast. Any ideas?"

West leaned back against the counter. "How about trivia? Three questions. Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins."

"Where are we going to get trivia questions?" Holly asked.

"We go over to Zoe and Ryder's for game nights once a month. I have a trivia game I take over there sometimes," West told her.

"Riveting." Eli smirked. "You aren't even married yet, and you already participate in a couples game night? Do you soak your dentures when you get home, too?"

West shot him the finger. "Do you want me to get the game or not?"

He waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Sure."

"Be right back."

Eli looked at Holly. "How confident are you in your trivia knowledge?"

"Depends on the trivia, I guess."

West came back with a box and pulled out a card. "Okay, here we go. Ready?"

Holly shrugged.

"Who wrote The DaVinci Code?" West asked.

"Easy," Eli replied. "Dan Brown."

She raised her eyebrows.

"What? I read."

"Yeah, I forgot about how much you read. You and your photographic memory, too. Fucking hell."

He started to laugh. "Hey, you agreed to this."

"Okay," West said, peering at the card. "Next question. What was Fonzie's catchphrase on Happy Days?"

Holly smacked the table in excitement. "Aye!" She glanced over at him. "How can you not know that?"

"That show was way before my time."

"Mine too, but there are reruns."

"Tied. Next question wins." West told them, holding up the card. "What blood type qualifies a person as a universal donor?"

"O Negative!" Eli yelled. "West?"

West shrugged. "Sorry, Holly. He's right."

She groaned. "Son of a bitch."

"Yep, I win. And you know what that means."

"What does it mean, exactly?" West asked.

"Nothing," she snapped. "It means nothing."

West placed the card back inside the box. "And on that note, I'm out of here."

Holly huffed out a breath and stood. "No, you stay. I'm going to feed Miss. Meet me outside in five minutes, Donnelley."

She glared at him and flounced from the room.

"What's going on?" West asked. "That was..."

"Dramatic."

"Yeah, very."

"She's majorly low on funds," Eli told him. "I wanted to help her out, and she refused. So I told her we could bet on it. If I won, I would pay for her new things. You know how stubborn and independent she is. She'd rather go without than take a handout from me. I didn't know any other way I could make it happen."

"What if you had lost?"

"Please. I wasn't losing. I even let her have the Happy Days question. I knew the catchphrase."

"Me and Penn were going to help her get back on her feet, but she refused us," West said. "I have to admit, your way was pretty smart."

"I better get out there before she does," Eli told him, getting to his feet.

"Good luck today," West said, snickering. "I have a feeling you are really gonna need it."

* * *

Eli pulled into yet another discount department store parking lot and groaned. "Are you picking these places on purpose? I'll take you wherever you want to go, Holly. You don't have to pick the cheapest stores on earth."

"Believe it or not, I shop at these stores, Eli. Like I said before, not everyone has millions in the bank."

"I understand that. But I'm offering you the chance to shop wherever you want. Money isn't an object." He paused. "And frankly, this violates the rules of the bet. You weren't supposed to complain. You were supposed to get what you needed."

She crossed her arms and gave him a withering glare. "I haven't complained one bit! We've been to three stores, and I've bought essential items. Hairbrushes, dental floss, mouthwash, socks, makeup remover, and more. I let you pay; I didn't say one word."

"I don’t think I’ve spent a hundred dollars," he argued. "Come on, can we please do this right?”

"Don't you get that this is difficult for me? Yes, you won the bet. But don't you care that I'm having a hard time? I'm not used to people taking care of me. I don't like relying on anyone. And now, I have to rely on you, of all people.”

"All I'm trying to do is help you. And after the shit you've been through, I hoped you'd have some fun with this. I want you to have fun."

Holly bit down on her lip and stared out of the passenger window of the SUV. "I don't mean to be difficult. What you're doing is incredibly generous. It's not your fault I'm struggling with it. It takes a lot for me to trust people. And that goes double for you. Especially with whatever we have going on between us right now."

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "I know I have a long way to go to earn it, but I wish you would try to trust me."

"Look, I can't deny that you’ve stepped up for me as much as Penn has, and despite everything, I appreciate it." She glanced down at her hands. "My father is a wealthy man. Not your level of wealth, but he's got money. I watched my mother take advantage of that while I was growing up. She never learned how to do anything for herself because she relied totally on my father. When they split up, she started going from man to man, because she needed somebody to take care of her. She became whatever they wanted to get what she needed."

Holly ran her hands down over her face. "I love my mother dearly, but I never want to be like her. I made up my mind early on that I was going to be independent and take care of myself. So yes, it's hard for me to rely on a man for anything. It's always been hard for me to lean on people in general, but especially men."

"You never have to worry about being like her, Wilkes. You're one of the strongest women I've ever met, and one of the most independent. This is a setback. Nothing more, nothing less. This moment in time isn't going to determine your life, or its outcome. It's just a drop in a very large bucket. And the money I'll spend today is exactly like that—a drop in a very large bucket. So, can you please stop agonizing over it? Haven't you ever watched Pretty Woman? Let me spoil you today."

Holly gave him a little smirk. "Well, I'd hate to spoil your elaborate 90s romcomfantasy."

Eli glanced over at the department store. "Then don't. Can we at least go to a mall?"

"Are you sure you won’t get mobbed?”

He started the SUV and pulled out of the parking lot. "I've got a hat, and the beard helps. Now get ready because we're going to burn up my fucking credit card. Got it?"

"Fine. Drive on, Jeeves."

* * *

"I think we should start with the electronics store," he told her, pointing to the bright yellow and blue sign. "You're definitely going to need some things in there. A computer, smart watch, headphones, maybe a video game system..."

Holly shot him an amused look as they walked toward the entrance of the store. "Eli, I don't need a video game system. I've never played a video game in my life, and I'm not going to start now."

"Why not? It's never too late to have fun. Remember fun?" He playfully elbowed her in the ribs. "Just repeat to yourself: fun is good."

Holly tipped her head back and rolled her eyes. "Right. Fun is good. But video games are not fun for me. Let's start with a computer, okay?"

"Sounds good." Eli led her toward the back of the store where there were rows upon rows of laptops.

"Holy crap," she said, peering around. "This is overwhelming."

"What kind of computer did you have before?"

"Just something basic. I used it for writing, surfing, email, and watching movies." She shrugged. "It wasn’t anything fancy.”

Eli grinned and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Basic, eh? Stick with me kid. I'll hook you up."

"This is not professional," she reminded him, slinking out of his embrace. "And we're all about being professional now, remember?"

He sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

By the time he was done talking to an eager young salesperson, he'd picked out a top-of-the-line laptop, an iPad, a fancy mouse, ergonomic wrist and mouse pads, a laptop cooling pad, a Bluetooth speaker, a pair of wireless headphones, and warranties for everything.

"You didn't get a smart watch," he commented, studying the pile of boxes. "We should get you one."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather get a regular watch. I don't need anything fancy."

He flashed her a grin. "If that's what you really want."

After the woman helping them rang up the items on the cash register, the final total ended up close to $6000. Holly's eyes bugged out of her head when she saw the tally, and he held up a hand. "We haven't even reached that drop in the bucket yet, Wilkes. Don't stress, okay?"

She pursed her lips and gave a small nod. "Okay. Not stressing. Or at least trying not to stress."

Eli handed over his credit card to the salesperson. "Where to next?”

"I guess we can head into the mall now. I need to get some clothes."

"Sounds good."

For the next two hours, they hit almost every clothing store in the mall. Holly obviously didn't like shopping for electronics, but when it came to clothes, she was in her element.

Though she hadn't asked his opinion on any outfits she'd selected, he'd enjoyed the view more than a few times when she'd exited the dressing room to glance at herself in the larger mirrors. She'd paraded past him in tight jeans, short skirts, and fitted tops. He'd had to fight off a hard-on the entire time. Fuck, she was hot.

Her taste in clothes was unusual, especially when she paired things that didn't seem to go together. But somehow on her, it worked. She had style, even if it was on the wild side.

"Where should we go next?" he asked.

"Makeup store," she told him. "I'm missing every single essential I use, and it's giving me a panic attack to not have all my stuff.”

"How about I meet you there after I put these bags in the SUV? That way we don't have to keep lugging it all around."

"Do you need help?"

He waved her off. "No, I'm good. I'll see you there."

After packing everything into the rear of the SUV, he headed back into the mall and stopped to grab an extra-large smoothie before going to find Holly.

A few minutes later, he walked into the bright, airy makeup store. Glancing around, he spotted Holly a few aisles away.

"I got a smoothie," he told her, holding out the cup. "Strawberry and banana with some protein powder. Thought we could share."

She took a big sip, and her eyes lit up. "Strawberry smoothies are my favorite. Well, anything strawberry is my favorite. They're the perfect berry."

"Good thing I got those chocolate-covered strawberries for us last night, then."

Holly blushed, and he smiled as he took the cup back. Of all the things to get excited about today, she'd chosen the smoothie.

Yeah, she was definitely different.

"Doing some damage, I hope?" he asked. "What's in the basket?"

"My face wash, moisturizer, toner, and foundation. That's it so far." She bent over and peered at a row of little pencils. "I love this brand of eyeliner so much. They've got the funkiest colors, and they go on smooth and stay on forever with no smudging."

Holly picked up a teal-colored pencil and marked it on the back of her hand. "Ooh, I like this one."

Eli took another sip of the smoothie and raised his eyebrows. "Why are you drawing on yourself?"

She laughed. "I'm trying to see what the color looks like. I don't want to buy something that's not going to work."

"You seem to favor black eyeliner from what I've seen."

"Black is definitely my go to, but I also like other shades." She picked up a brown pencil with tiny sparkles. "This shade would look fabulous on you with your eyes.”

"Yeah? I'll take your word for it. No need to mark up the back of my hand."

Holly chose a few pencils and dumped them into her basket. "I'll go grab a few of my regular items. I'll be fast. Meet me at the perfume wall."

Eli took another sip of the smoothie as he walked over to the massive section of perfumes and colognes.

Some scents gave him a headache, so he kept things simple and used only one cologne—something he knew he could tolerate.

Holly walked over to him and gestured at the display. "See anything you like?"

He winked. "Yes, and she just got here."

She shook her head, then grabbed a pink box and dumped it into the basket.

That perfumemust be her signature scent. She always smelled like vanilla and cupcakes.

He followed her over to an aisle full of makeup brushes. "Okay, this is insane. How many brushes does one person need?"

Holly laughed as she picked up a big fluffy one. She turned around and playfully dabbed at the end of his nose before tossing it into her bag. "There's a reason they call it makeup artistry, you know. All of these brushes do different things."

Eli held out the strawberry smoothie, and she took another sip. "You're not wearing any makeup today, and you still look pretty damned good to me."

"Well, you're not wearing any either."

He winked. "Yeah, but you know I could totally rock that eyeliner.”

After the makeup store, they took a break to grab some lunch at the food court, then spent the rest of their time purchasing luggage and other items she'd need for traveling.

"I'm exhausted," Holly said, as she wheeled a small suitcase behind her. "I think we should hit the pet store next, then call it a day. I need to get some stuff for Miss. She needs her special food and supplements."

"Why does your cat need supplements?"

"She's got a health issue that can make her really sick, and I have to do a lot of work to keep it at bay. The supplements and food are part of that work."

"That sucks."

"Yeah. We better get moving. I don't want to leave her alone at Penn's for too long. I left out plenty of food, but I need to be careful."

"Sure. Penn told me you lost a lot of expensive dresses and shoes in the fire. I want you to replace them. Even if it means ordering them online, I want you to take a credit card and get the rest of everything that you need. Okay?"

"Whatever you say, Jeeves."

Eli dumped the empty smoothie container into the garbage can. "Walked into that one, didn’t I?"

"You did say I could call you Jeeves, you know. That was part of the deal."

"I did. And thanks for not fighting me over getting the rest of your clothes."

"I'm too tired to fight right now."

They headed for the exit in companionable silence, and a few moments later, she stopped walking, coming to a halt near the railing surrounding the upper level.

Eli looked down at her. "Is everything okay?"

Holly took a deep breath and tucked a purple lock of hair behind her ear. "Yes. I just... well, thank you."

Her cheeks flushed as she glanced away, unable to meet his eyes.

Damn. This really was hard for her.

"You don't have to thank me, Wilkes. I'm happy to help."

"Yes, I do. I know I bitched about things before, but that's my own issues and not your problem. This was so sweet of you. I'd be ripped apart figuring out how to deal with all of this if you hadn't helped me. So, thank you, Eli."

She stared up at him with those big hazel eyes, and the vulnerable expression on her face made his heart squeeze.

"You're welcome. More than welcome. Now let's go get the stuff for your cat and head back to our house."

"Our house?"

"Yes. For the next month, it's our house. Unless you decide to be my permanent roommate. I could totally get on board with that if certain benefits were provided."

"Don't you just wish."

She gave him a dirty look as they walked toward the exit, and he stifled a laugh.

Yeah, he definitely wished for more of her.

And the sooner, the better.