Page 24 of Love Decoded

Looking me up and down, she asks, “Well, what are you doing out?”

I let out my tired exhale. “Client dinner. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

Charli’s snort makes me grin. I love when she does that.

I open my mouth to ask her—fuck, I don’t know what, I just want to talk to her and hear that sound again. But before I can say anything, the sound of nails on a chalkboard splits the air.

And then the elevator jerks to a stop.

My gaze locks with Charli’s, our eyes going wide and all amusement dropping from our faces.

“Uh…” she says nervously, her eyes darting around the tiny enclosure. “Is this a common occurrence? Please tell me this is a common occurrence.”

I wince. “Umm… I can’t say this has ever happened to me.”

“Shit,” Charli hisses, hurrying over to the panel. “Shit, shit, shit.” She hits the Doors Open button a dozen times, her movements jerky and panicked.

“Hey,” I say gently, reaching for her hand before she can press all the other buttons. “Hold on. I’ll try the emergency button.”

I keep hold of Charli’s hand as I push the red button. A tiny, distant part of me is grateful when she doesn’t pull away.

“Hello?” a tinny voice greets us over the speaker. “Everyone alright?”

“No,” Charli squeaks beside me. “The elevator’s stuck.”

“Uh oh. Let me take a look at what’s going on. Hang tight, folks.”

As they talk, my focus slides back to Charli’s face. She’s wide-eyed and breathing quicker than normal.

“What’s your cat’s name?” I blurt out.

Her head whips toward me, her eyes narrowing on me in confusion. “What?”

“Martha May,” comes a joyful voice over the loudspeaker.

Now both of our heads are turning toward the elevator panel.

“I was talking to my companion,” I say dryly.

“Oh… Right. Sorry.”

The sound of Charli’s huff of laughter is a relief. I’m grinning as I turn back to her.

“Your name has to top that now,” I murmur so only she can hear me.

She drops her face into her hands. I try not to mourn the loss of her hand in mine. “It doesn’t,” she squeaks with a hiccup of laughter.

I tsk playfully. “Well? What is it then?”

She looks up from her hands with a pout. “It’s Milton.”

I cock my head. “Not a bad name, but… why Milton?”

Another wince. “Because that’s what the rescue named him, and when I tried to rename him, he’d become a raging asshole until I called him Milton.”

I blink. And then…

I burst out laughing.