“Are yousick?”Cash asked, his eyes horrified.
“I’m not sick. Why would I bring my cats to work if I were sick?”
“I don’t know. Comfort? The thought worried me.” Cash’s shoulders lowered, and his hands dropped to his sides. “All right, whatever it is, you can tell me. No matter what it is, I’ll help you.”
He was standing really close to her. They never stood this close together. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, sure, when they were going over paperwork or sitting at a table, negotiating a contract. On airplanes, they always flew first-class, so the seat armrests were solid all the way down to the cushions.
They never touched each other, though, unless it was absolutely necessary, and even then, as little as possible. It was one of the unspoken rules of their relationship that kept them friends, good friends, and nothing else.
The light scent of his cologne, sweet wood and delicious spices like cinnamon and vanilla, mixed with the warmth drifting out of his suit, even though he wasn’t ranting.
They didn’t stand this close together, ever, and Rox’s forehead only came up to his chest, even though she was wearing heels.
If she leaned forward, she could rest her forehead against his chest.
His low voice was gentle, almost like he murmured to her, “We’ve been friends too long for this. Tell me what’s going on.”
She couldn’t quite open her throat enough to talk.
He raised his hand beside her shoulder, and for a minute, she thought he was going to wrap his arms around her.
She should step back if he did. She should gently push him off of her and not let anything get out of hand.
Rox leaned forward two inches and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
It was ridiculous that the square inch of contact of her forehead against his suit jacket suffused comfort through her. She hadn’t told anyone what was going on, and the isolation was the worst part.
She breathed in the subtle scent of his cologne and natural musk.
Her shoulder warmed, and she realized that, instead of wrapping his arms around her, he was stroking her shoulder and upper arm. He whispered somewhere near her hair, “Roxanne, tell me. I’ll help you.”
“Something stupid happened,” she admitted.
He took a deep breath, and his chest expanded. She angled her head, and his suit brushed her cheek.
Cash asked, “Did you have an auto accident? Is there a legal problem, perhaps you panicked and left? I can help you with that. I’ll bring the full power of this firm into play.”
“Nothing like that. It’s just—I got evicted from my apartment.”
A pause.
Which lengthened.
He finally asked, “You live in an apartment?”
“I’ve really only been making good money the last couple years, and I was saving for a down payment for a house, but I bought the car.”
“I don’t need to know this.” He shook his head and stepped back to peer down at her. Her forehead chilled. “Why would you be evicted?”
“They found out about the cats. The lease said no pets. And the eviction notice was effective immediately. They put a bolt on my door. I just took my cats and some clothes and left.”
“You can’t be evicted without due process. An eviction proceeding usually takes months, even if there is a lease violation.”
Cash looked down at their feet.
Pirate leaned so hard against Rox’s leg that her knee almost buckled, and his bottle-brush tail coiled around her thigh like a furry snake.
“I suppose I shouldn’t ask why you even have cats, then,” he said, “if the lease forbade them.”
