“Because everyone got real nervous when I started asking questions.”
“They did?”
“Yep, and they weren’t giving out any information, either.”
“So, she’s still there.”
“That’s my guess. I’ll try again tomorrow night.”
She fidgeted nervously. “I can’t afford to pay you for another night. I suppose I could go myself, but I’ve never been to a strip club. The activities are probably more than my imagination will allow.”
“It’s not a day at Sunday school,” he told her. “But don’t worry about it. The next night will be on me.”
“I can’t let you do that,” she said. “Your time is valuable.”
“I want to find out what’s going on in that place for reasons of my own, so we’ll call it even. Now I think we should both get some sleep.”
She didn’t move or say anything.
“Something wrong?” he asked guardedly.
“No. I knew it would be late when I saw you, so I told my grandmother I had business in Dallas and would be spending the night. There’s a No Vacancy sign outside, and I didn’t want to leave in case I missed you.” She should’ve left earlier, but she’d wanted to see Ethan. Now the thought of driving around looking for a room wasn’t appealing and neither was the prospect of going home. She could stay here with Ethan. He had a big room with a sofa. As the idea crossed her mind, she wondered where it came from. It was so unlike anything she’d ever contemplated; Ethan was a stranger and male, and that alone should make her think twice about such a situation. But for some reason, she didn’t fear him or worry that he’d take advantage of her.
He sighed, not wanting to think about what this meant.
“Do you mind if I stay here? I can sleep on the sofa,” she offered quickly, suspecting she’d lost all common sense. She should just go home. But, somehow, she wasn’t inclined to leave…and she wasn’t entirely sure why. “I really don’t want to drive back to Fort Worth this late. I’ll explain it to your wife.”
“I’ve been divorced for ten years.” He knew he didn’t have to tell her that. The fact that she thought he was married would have kept a barrier between them, but he was always honest. It was a code he lived by.
“Oh.” Her eyes grew big. “Then there isn’t a problem.”
Yes, there is. “No” was the word that came out of his mouth.
Silence. A long, tense silence.
Ethan wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted to get her out of here so he could deal with his hip, but he hated to see her on the road this late. Still, being in the same room with her all night, especially when he was in pain, was more than his nerves could take—probably more than he could take under any circumstances. But how did he say no to her? Did he even want to say no to her?
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