“Thank you, Ford. So much. Really.”
“Last, but not least…” He held out a key to her on a small, plastic Tipsy Goose fob.
“What’s this?” Curious, she opened her palm, and he laid it there.
“This is the key to my place. The cabin’s nothing fancy, but I have a guest room. You’re welcome to it.”
“Oh.” Her heart took a funny little jump in her chest. She switched her attention to him. “That’s not necessary. I’ll get a room at The Castaway.” It wasn’t the Captivity Inn by any means, but one of the small, single-level cement block rooms of the motel at the tail end of town would do until she found a rental. And a job. Yes, the tail end of town could be a bit mangy, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
He braced his forearms along the top of the door, lowered his head, leaned in, and looked at her. The meager cab light turned his eyes the shade of something potent he might pour from behind his bar. It threw hints of gold into the sun-burnished brown hair half the women in Captivity longed to run their fingers through, and hers, she realized with an muscle-weakening shiver, were close enough to do the honors.
“Honey, we’re heading into high season. There are no vacancies at The Castaway, the campgrounds, or anywhere else. I figure you know you have an open invitation from Trace and Izzy, and also from Bridget and Archer, but I can also figure a few reasons why you might hesitate to take them up on their offers just now. My offer”—he tapped the key in her palm—“comes with no conversations, if you don’t want to talk, and no guilt about feeling that way.” He held up his hand and ticked points off on his fingers as he spoke. “No advice. No questions. No planning of next steps. No strings attached.” He dropped his hand to her arm and gave her a squeeze almost as comforting as his words. “Just peace, quiet, and a place to rest. A shoulder to lean on—or cry on—if you need it. An open ear to listen if you want one.”
His hand on her arm was sure and steady. Reassuring at a moment when she felt unsure, unsteady, and so very tired. She nodded and closed her fingers around the key, too overwhelmed at that moment to speak.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Lilah,” he said softly. “Everybody wants to help. Let me be the one to help you right now.”
Just for tonight. With that promise firmly in her mind, she nodded again. “Thank you.”