Okay with having to come to Lincoln to ask him a favor because I couldn't find a goddamn hotel? Not one I could afford anyway. I was far from okay. “Sure,” I said.
“Do you want to come back when Mr. Ford is home? Or you can call him…”
The man must have thought I was crazy because, yes, calling Lincoln before coming here would have been the logical thing to do. The problem was, I wasn’t in the headspace to be logical. After callinganddriving around trying to find another hotel, I just… ended up here without much thought.
“I don’t want to disturb him,” I said. “I’ll wait a few more minutes.”
The man didn’t react. He was probably trained to remain unreadable. He simply nodded and went back to looking at his computer.
I blew out a breath. Asking Lincoln to spend the night until I figured something out was going to be hard. He’d probably tell me no after the way I stormed out on him the other day. Maybe I could spend the night in my car…
Lincoln walked in then. He froze when he saw me sitting there with my arms wrapped around myself and my little suitcase at my feet.
My face burned as if a thousand lit candles were being held close to it. I should have left the suitcase in the car. I slowly stood up as he greeted the concierge and walked over to me. He was dressed for a casual night out in a button-down and jeans. Maybe he’d been on a date. That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it shouldn’t have.
“Ava…”
“Hey, Lincoln.” Was it weird that I wanted to throw myself in his arms and cry because his presence had always made me feel safe? Probably.
His eyebrows pulled together. “What are you…” He glanced at my suitcase. “Are you okay?”
I stared at him, trying to keep my chin from wobbling. “Um… no, actually. I need a favor.”
“Done.” He was watching me with open concern. I imagined how pale and stressed I looked.
I let out a little laugh. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”
His eyes were steady on me. “Still done.”
My heart constricted. Why was he being so nice to me? “I couldn’t find a hotel… I was wondering if I could spend the night… You know until there’s a vacancy somewhere…”
He studied me for about two seconds more before picking up my suitcase without a word. Palm on my lower back, he led me to the elevators. I peeked up at him, shocked that he didn’t ask questions.
When we boarded the lift, he finally spoke. “How long were you waiting?”
“A little over an hour.”
He gave me a reprimanding glance. “Why didn’t you call?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt your night.”
He sighed. “You should have called. I’m glad you’re here.”
“You are…?”
“There’s something I want to talk to you about. But after you settle in.”
I blinked, stunned by the way he was acting so cool with me popping up here. You’d think I hadn’t been an ass to him the other day. My heart softened. But hadn’t that always been Lincoln? Sweet—to me, anyway—and forgiving?
A couple of hours later, after settling into a guest room, I was curled up on a sofa, cradling a mug between my palms. Lincoln said to make myself at home. I did. I found chamomile tea in the kitchen. Hopefully, it would calm my nerves.
Lincoln appeared. He didn’t come in but leaned against the archway to watch me. “Is your room okay? Do you need anything?”
I smiled. “It’s perfect. Thanks for this. It will only be for a day?—”
“Ava, stay here as long as you need. I don’t mind. I’m actually relieved you left that dump.”
I snorted softly. “So, you’re not going to ask why I left?”
