Through the main house and out to the small parking area, they walked to an old compact car. It’d seen better days, but it was one of those rice burners Sophie’s dad loved. Old man swore the engines in those little cars would last forever. This one hopefully was taking good care of Elisa.
She’d retrieved her purse from behind the front desk and was fishing around for her keys so he took the opportunity to look for what else there was to see. The back of the car was neatly packed with items. In fact, he’d bet there was a lot more tucked into the back of that car than anyone would guess. It was like a master game of Tetris back there. If the trunk was similarly filled to capacity, she could live out of her own car.
And probably was.
“Do you have a place to go tonight?” He winced. He probably could’ve put it in a more diplomatic way, but diplomacy hadn’t been his thing. Ever.
She went rigid. Clearing her throat, she responded, “Yes.”
Not quite a lie. “Do you have a safe place to sleep tonight? Inside your car does not qualify as sufficiently safe.”
Silence.
Deliberately, he leaned against the driver’s side door. She started to protest, but he held up a finger and pulled out his own smartphone. “Hey, Boom? You going to be okay if Uncle Brandon checks in on you?”
He and Brandon had taken turns through the morning checking in on her, but despite her request to watch television shows she’d napped a lot. Now she sounded more awake.
“You’re not coming up to the house?” Boom’s young voice came across loud and clear, and he watched Elisa to be sure she could hear.
“I’ve got a couple of errands to run if you think you’ll be okay.”
There was a pause. “Will you bring me back frozen yogurt?”
He grinned. “I will definitely bring you back frozen yogurt.”
“Awesome.” Boom sounded all sorts of better than yesterday. “I’ve got my phone right here so I’ll text Uncle Brandon if I need anything before he checks on me.”
“Perfect. You’re the best.” And he meant it. His kid rocked.
“Nope. You are. Love you, Dad.”
Ending the call, he looked at Elisa. “Let’s get you someplace safe so you can get a good night’s sleep then decide what you want to do in the morning.”
Elisa regarded him warily. “Where?”
He shrugged. “I know this place right next to the best frozen yogurt shop in the area.”
*
“How are you going to get home?”
It was a good question. Elisa was full of them. She was possessed of a detail-oriented mind and a no-nonsense practicality he was coming to enjoy. It was also fun to mess with her some more now that she’d had a chance to recover from earlier. “I could walk home. It’s only a dozen miles, give or take.”
She scowled, her hands gripping the steering wheel hard. “It’d be dark before you even got halfway home, and your daughter is waiting.”
“True.” He couldn’t help baiting her, though. He’d bet she got spunky if her buttons were pushed in the right order. Even though she was quiet on the surface, he got the impression she was a woman of passion by nature. Her controlled fa?ade was a learned behavior. “Turn right into this parking lot and go ahead and park in one of the first row spaces.”
She did as requested. Despite whatever was going on inside her head, her driving was smooth. She wasn’t heavy on the brake or jerky with the turns in response to his directions. He appreciated her slow acceleration and deceleration, too. Erratic driving set his teeth on edge, and he couldn’t take most drivers’ habits around here. He’d actually made the walk back to the kennels from here a time or two, rather than accept a ride from a driver who’d set off too many memories.
Turning off the engine, Elisa waited expectantly. She didn’t turn her head to look at him. Her posture was tense, her shoulders hunched. He got out of the car to give her space and walked around to her side to open the door.
“This doesn’t look like a hotel.” Her statement was laced with a hefty dose of wariness.
She hadn’t gotten to the point where she was ready to bolt yet, but she was close. He backed up as she got out of the car, reining in the temptation to put his hand on her lower back and guide her. She might take it as an invasion of her private space.
“No. Exactly the reason this place will be safe as a temporary fix until you can find a more secure solution.” He walked alongside her again, gesturing to the MMA school. “Boom and I train here. The owners are good people. They renovated the space above the school into a sort of studio. It’s got a private bathroom and everything you’d need for a short stay without ever having to come down to the school part of the facility.”
“Oh.” Beside him, Elisa blinked quickly a few times.
Alarm pinged in his chest. Could be she’d caught some dust in her eyes. More likely he’d bothered her somehow. “Did I say something to upset you?”