cloth bag he’d put his takeout order into. He preferred using the bags he already owned instead of plastic ones whenever possible.
“George is really cute,” Dez said. Her devilish smile suggested all kinds of things Levi wasn’t ready to explore with George.
Slater poked her in the ribs. “He’s also been through a lot and has just begun coming out of his shell. Don’t play matchmaker. The kid’s probably straight, and even if he isn’t, he’s still learning how to walk, let alone run.”
“Fine, fine.”
Levi left the pair to their craftwork and ascended the stairs to the Thompson apartment. Knocked sharply twice. The sounds of Ginger’s meowing greeted him at the same time George opened the door on a terse, “Hey.”
“Hi, everything okay?”
“Sure, Ginger’s just been a bit unsettled this morning.” He let Levi inside and took the bag from him. “Go see her. Please.”
The words sounded like a direct order, so Levi did as told. Ginger meowed pitifully in her crate, and she swished her long tail when she spotted him. Levi sat beside her and stuck his fingers through the slim bars. She immediately rubbed both cheeks against his knuckles and started to purr. “I missed you, too, baby girl.”
Tears smarted behind his eyes, and Levi rubbed at them with his free hand. Ginger was safe and purring, so why was he so emotional? Probably because he hadn’t spent a night with only two of his three girls since he found her and her siblings. They hadn’t even needed to stay overnight at the vet when he had them all spayed. The most difficult week of his life had been last December when Levi had come out to the ranch to see Robin again. Separated from his girls that entire time.
He petted her for a while, until his stomach grumbled for food. “I’ll be back in a few, okay?”
He started to stand, only to spot George in the doorway with two plates. “I thought maybe you’d want to picnic with Ginger and me,” George said, his cheeks stained pink.
“I’d love that.”
George handed Levi a plate with his sub and a handful of potato chips, then put his own plate on top of Ginger’s crate. “I’ll be right back with drinks. I have ginger ale, water and almond milk.”
“Water is fine, thank you.”
“Of course.”
Levi waited for George to return with drinks and napkins, and to settle before he tried the veggie sub. The flavors were amazing, with lots of crisp vegetables and a drizzle of Italian dressing, and he’d eaten three big bites before he realized George was staring at him. Watching him eat.
“You are definitely enjoying that,” George said.
“It’s delicious. Oh, and they had chicken.”
He grinned. “I saw the marking on the wrapper, thank you.”
“You are very welcome. Especially considering I imagine Ginger was being a bit whiny this morning?”
“She wasn’t too bad until about an hour ago. I think the pain pills help, and I gave her one with her breakfast, but I also think she just misses being outside.”
“I’m sure she does.” Levi popped a chip into his mouth and chewed, noting George had chosen a few sourdough pretzels for himself. “I’m sorry if her fussing brought down your mood.”
“She didn’t. I wear headphones when I work and can kind of tune her out, and Orry isn’t home.” His lips bunched into a frown before he ate a pretzel.
Levi’s own mood drooped. “Is Orry upset about Ginger?”
“He said he isn’t.” George put his sandwich down and huffed. “He lied to me last night, and he doesn’t lie to me. At least, not that I’ve ever noticed before.”
“What did he lie about?”
“Having a bartending shift. I checked the website of the place he works for and they were closed last night. It was Thanksgiving but that didn’t really occur to me until this morning.”
Levi couldn’t hope to understand the complex relationship of the Thompson twins, but he didn’t like seeing George upset. “Did you ask him about it?”
“Not yet. He’s working one of his other jobs. The food delivery one, I think. I just...he can tell me anything. We’ve always been honest, ever since we were sixteen. He knows all my secrets, and he’s never judged me for them. I can’t fathom what he thinks I won’t understand.”
“Maybe he was embarrassed to tell you he was going out on Thanksgiving to shop Black Friday deals for a cheap flat-screen?”
George snorted. “Unlikely. Did you notice we don’t have a TV? We do everything on our phones and live as