shot him an exasperated look. “Well, I have to get back to the store.” She said her goodbyes, pausing to whisper in Mila’s ear, “Life’s for living, doll. Now you call that boy, and let him help you live it.”
Mila just smiled. “Take care, Grams.” Her smile faltered when none other than Joel and Adele walked in just as Ingrid was leaving. Shit. Mila’s cat stood with a hiss, hackles raised, fangs bared.
As Adele and Ingrid paused to chat, Joel headed straight to Mila. Like Dominic, he was tall and had quite the smile. His shoulders were a little broader, though, and his skin didn’t have GQ’s sexy tan or . . . Why was she comparing them? Ugh.
“Hey, stranger,” said Joel, grinning. “Haven’t seen you in at least a week. I came to pick up Adele from work, so I thought I’d pop in and say hi.”
One thing Mila was grateful for was that Joel, unlike most of the pride, didn’t work on this street. If he had, he’d have probably popped in quite regularly. Adele worked at the pawn shop a few stores down from the barbershop, but she rarely visited. It also helped that they lived in their own house as opposed to Mila’s apartment building where many of the pride resided.
He spared Adele a brief glance, noting she was still engaged in conversation with Ingrid, and then turned back to Mila. “Notice the flowers?” he whispered.
Yeah, Mila had seen the huge beautiful bouquet that Adele was carrying.
His voice still low, he continued, “I went on a night out with the guys and didn’t get back until five the next morning, even though I told her I’d be home no later than midnight. She was pissed.” His brows dipped. “If I’m honest, she was beyond pissed—to the point of overreacting. Seriously, you’d have thought I spent the night at a strip club or something.”
Mila frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Adele anything but happy.”
“Well, she doesn’t hold on to her mad for long, but she sure can yell. She’s had a real bug up her ass lately. The slightest thing sets her off. If it wasn’t for the fact that I didn’t scent pregnancy on her, I’d have wondered if she were pregnant.” He shrugged, his smile returning. “Luckily, she’s a sucker for roses—they always get me out of trouble.”
Mila forced a smile. He often confided in her about his relationship with Adele, and such conversations were never fun.
“Do you think maybe you could talk to her and check that she’s okay?” asked Joel. “There’s something she’s not telling me, and I’m worried about her.”
Oh fuck, he couldn’t ask this of her. “Adele and I aren’t close, Joel. If she has some kind of issue, I’m not someone she’s likely to share it with. I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready.”
His shoulders lowered. “Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t ask you to get involved, I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m just worried about—” He frowned, his gaze locking on her hand as she lifted it to push her curls away from her face. “What’s this?” He grabbed her hand, his jaw hardening. “You wrote a guy’s number on your palm? Wait, this isn’t your handwriting.” Joel’s nostrils flared. “Who was he?”
Pulling her hand back, Mila shrugged nonchalantly. “A client. His name is Dominic Something.”
“What is he? Human? Cat?”
She sighed. “He’s a Phoenix Pack wolf. An enforcer.”
Recognition flashed across his face, and Joel folded his arms. “Dominic . . . Yeah, I remember him from the battle. You don’t want to get involved with that wolf, Mila. He reminds me a lot of your ex, Grant. The ultimate ladies’ man. You can do better. And let’s face it, the Phoenix Pack aren’t the kind of shifters anyone should get too closely acquainted with. Their Alpha male’s wolf turns feral during battle, and his mate’s just plain crazy.”
“We’re pallas cats, Joel—we’re really in no position to judge others on their level of craziness.”
“So you’re gonna call this Dominic guy?”
She could tell he wasn’t keen on the idea, but it wasn’t jealousy—just a protectiveness that someone would feel for a close friend. “No, I’m not.”
He exhaled heavily. “Good. It would be just like dating Grant again, so you already know exactly how it’ll turn out—like shit.”
Just then, Adele came toward them, her smile bright. The pretty blue-eyed blonde really had that girl-next-door look going on. “Hi, Mila, how are you?”