I wanted Ashley to feelbetter. Embarrassing as it was, Ilikedhim. I wasn’t used to likingclients, I was used to being level-headed enough to put up with the mostspoiled, entitled ones. Easy-going. That was what Gray had called me when hegave me my first spoiled twentysomething to babysit.
It’d served me well, but thistime it was so much harder.
I was choosing not to thinkabout how much I wanted to wrap him in my arms and promise him everything wasgoing to be okay.
That feeling wasmuchmore embarrassing than accidentally kissing him. My brain had settled on itbeing an accident, now, though I wasn’t sure that’d hold up if I gave it anyserious thought.
When I got back inside,Ashley was sitting at the kitchen table toying with the lid of a batteredshoebox. He looked as lost and forlorn as he had when I’d taken the trashdownstairs. Worse, even. Shoulders slumped and hair falling into his face, eyesfixed on the box but not quitethere.
This rabbit had a lot ofcheering up to do.
“Look who I found,” I said,closing the door behind me.
Ashley glanced over, hisface lighting up as he took in the white and gray lump in my arms.
“Mr. Lumpkins,” he enthused,getting up and rushing over to me.
A thrill of…somethingwashed over meas he reached out toward me, running his hand along Mr. Lumpkins’ back with quietgentleness.
“Where did you find him?”Ashley asked, looking at me.
His eyes were so pretty upclose.
What?
I was staring. I wasdefinitely staring.
“Uh. By the dumpsteroutside,” I said, blinking as I remembered myself. The last thing Ashley neededwas me staring at him.
“Silly rabbit,” Ashley said,a soft smile spreading over his face. “Come here.”
I passed Mr. Lumpkins overas Ashley reached out, his fingers brushing against my hand as he took therabbit from me, holding it against his own chest and cooing softly.
This was exactly what I’d been hopingfor. A distraction.
“What’s in the box?” Iasked.
Ashley’s warmexpression vanished.
Oops.
“The notes,” Ashley said. “The…all the notes I’ve collected from…”
“I get it,” I interrupted,not wanting to make this any worse for him. I shouldn’t have asked.
The notes he’d collected fromhis stalker.
“I was going to add thelatest one but it’s just… it’s so overwhelming. I don’t know if I can.”
On the surface it seemedlike a simple task—put an envelope in a box. But I got where Ashley was comingfrom. He had toopenthe box to put the envelope in there, and that boxcontained all of his worst nightmares.
I didn’t like pokingold wounds, either.
My leg twinged, reminding methat I’dmisused it.
“What if me and Mr. Lumpkinshelp?” I asked, nodding to the rabbit in question. “I’ll put the note in, youhang onto him.”
Tension lifted from thelines on Ashley’s face. “Yeah?”
