Page 7 of Daddy's Heart

She took the carry-on suitcase and smiled up at him warmly. Her eyes, a perfect mixture of blue and green, met his. His chest clamped hard at the impact of their locked gaze, and he shook it off. George didn’t ask him to seduce his young friend, he asked him to let her borrow a room. She was off limits.

Period.

No second guessing.

“The elevators are this way,” he said with enough gruff to wipe away her smile. Stalking off toward the lifts, he checked over his shoulder to make sure she was keeping up with him. His longer legs meant she had to hurry to stay close by, so he slowed his gait, still checking to be sure she hadn’t lost her way.

Grown women don’t get lost in a parking garage. Stop checking on her!

He stabbed the call button for the elevator and stared at the lit arrows, waiting for it to arrive.

“I hope having me here isn’t inconveniencing you,” she said as the elevator slid open.

“Not at all.” He held the doors and gestured for her to move inside before following her in and hitting the button for his floor.

She pulled her phone back out of her purse while the elevator started to ascend, a frown on her lips. With a heavy sigh, she put the phone away and cleared her throat.

“Everything okay?”

She shook her head slightly but didn’t look at him. A telling sign, but he wasn’t going to press. She wasn’t his to pressure. She was a guest in his home until she found her own place.

The elevator dinged their arrival. He followed her out into the hall with her suitcases, then gestured toward the left.

“All the way at the end. I got lucky with an end unit.”

“It’s a nice building.” She filled the silence as he worked his key into the lock.

“Thanks.” He unbolted the door and pushed it open, letting her enter ahead of him.

“Oh, wow.” She smiled brilliantly at the open room before her. He hadn’t been lying; he’d struck gold with the end unit. The living room faced the lake, and they were high enough to be able to see it well. At first, he hadn’t been thrilled with so many windows in the room, but once he’d gotten a good look at the view, he couldn’t pass it up.

He watched her as she made her way through the living room furniture to the windows. The sky was clear enough, she could probably make out Navy Pier if she leaned against the glass, but she seemed too enthralled with what was right in front of her.

“Are we close enough to walk to the beach?” she asked in an airy voice.

“About seven blocks, but it’s doable.” He stayed in the hallway, watching her explore the view with abandoned excitement.

“That’s definitely doable.” She spun around to face him. “And it’s hot enough to take a dip today.”

“You’ve had a long day. Maybe put off a beach trip for a few days,” he said, merely suggesting, but he couldn’t stop the authority from wiggling its way into his voice. She’d been driving all morning and hadn’t taken a break. She hadn’t eaten at the coffee shop, so she must be starved. She needed a good meal and a nap.

Her lips scrunched up in disappointment. “I can’t go tomorrow. There’s a book festival near the library I’m planning to go to. I’ll just unpack and take a stroll down there.” The smile popped back up on her lips.

Reminding himself he had no say in what she did, he clamped his jaw closed.

“Your room’s this way.” He led her down the hall to the bedroom across from his. The room was set up for guests already. His mother, before she passed three years ago, had visited him quite often. It had been more her room than his. Since her passing, he hadn’t changed anything.

“This is great. Thank you so much,” she said, breezing into the room and lifting her bag onto the bed. “The bathroom?”

One at a time, he picked up the suitcases and placed them on the bed. “Door to the left. My room is across the hall. The kitchen was right off the living room.”

“I saw it. Thanks.”

He rubbed his palms together. “Okay…well, I need to get a load of laundry done before I head to the club tonight, so I’m going to take care of that.”

“Okay,” she said, unzipping her smaller suitcase and tossing the lid open. “I’m going to unpack a little and shower, if it’s okay?”

He smiled. “Anything you need is already in the bathroom. Towels are in the cabinet.”

---