“—wondering if it would be all right if I park here overnight.”
Even if he didn’t consciously give his feet a direct order, his steps slowed.
Zee stood at the front desk with Gabe, morning light spilling over her face. Church stopped as he saw how pale she looked.
Gabe shrugged. “Sure. Leave your vehicle wherever you want in the lot. It’s safe here. Cameras cover the whole perimeter.”
Her shoulders eased just a fraction.
Church walked over. “Wait—where will you be if your vehicle is here?”
She didn’t turn to face him. And from a woman who knew that in the military, you showed respect to the speaker by facing them, the action was telling.
She didn’t respond to his question.
He took a step closer. “Will you be in the vehicle overnight?”
Her chest heaved. “Maybe.”
Gabe jerked his head to fix his stare on her.
Pitching his voice low, Church said, “Is this a money thing? Do you need money?” His hand twitched toward his wallet.
She threw up a hand to stop him. “I don’t need money. The place where I was staying doesn’t have any more nights available. It’s leaf peeper season.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me, but what the hell is that?”
She swung to face him at last. “Tourists come from all over to see the changing seasons and the colors of the leaves.”
“That’s a thing?” He shot a look at Gabe.
Gabe nodded. “The town fills up with tourists. It’s difficult to find places to stay.”
Zee raked her fingers through her hair. “It’s only a few nights. I’ve stayed in my car before.”
He damn near choked. “Stay with me then. Notwithme. Just with me. I have space,” he stumbled over words.
Emotions rippled across her pretty face, from disagreement to rejection, and finally…amusement?
“Is this move-your-daughter-in-with-you day?”
He groaned.
Gabe chuckled. “What’s that about?”
“It’s nothing. An inside joke,” he grated out, holding Zee’s stare.
Gabe pushed away from the desk. “I’ll leave you to figure this out. I have a phone call in five.”
Church waited for Gabe to get out of earshot before turning back to Zee. “I can’t let you sleep in your car, Zee.”
She dropped her stare to his chest. He watched her struggle for a moment before she finally nodded once. “All right.” She lifted her gaze to his, her hazel eyes burning. “Thank you, Grant.”
He nodded, his chest gripping.
“I don’t want to be in your way.”
He thought about saying she was so small she wouldn’t take up any space at all. Or that he would hardly notice she was there. But the latter wasn’t true at all.
