“Is it true Valerie’s crashing at my apartment right now?” Ashley asked Arthur, her voice tight right after she shot back a reply to Valerie’s text.

She’d been so thrown off by what Valerie wrote that she immediately dialed Arthur. On the other end, Arthur gave a short, clipped confirmation. Silence stretched between them for a few beats before Arthur finally broke it, unable to hold back. “Why are you suddenly asking about your property? You don’t want Valerie staying there or ...