Nico paused. “What, ever?” He looked out the window as if trying to picture a new life here on the outskirts of Goderich.
“No, tonight. We can find a hotel and get dinner. Relax.” Feeling that wouldn’t be enough to tempt him, she added, “Talk about next steps.”
That got his attention but she could tell he was struggling with this sudden change of plan. “Roger is expecting us back.”
“He’ll probably feel better if we don’t try to drive through the night.”
“I don’t have a toothbrush.”
A reasonable concern and one she shared but had a solution for. “Hotels usually have them.” Was Nico creating obstacles in order to avoid saying no to her face?
But the availability of dental hygiene tools was apparently enough to convince him. “All right,” he agreed. “Can you check to see if there’s a place close by?”
“I prefer to navigate by heart,” she said as loftily as possible. She could feel Nico die a bit beside her.
“Map apps exist,” he said.
“There’s no magic in that. No mystery detours where you find a cute little café that has a single bewitched table that changes your fate depending on which seat you take.”
“There’s no magic in getting lost with no gas,” he pointed out. “Or sleeping in the car.”
“That’s fair,” she conceded, pulling out her phone. “I shall navigate by heart through the internet.”
“Great.”
As they lurched along, another question rose up to roll around Valerie’s mind like an unsecured can in a car trunk.
One room or two?
If the hotel conveniently only had a single room left with preferably one bed, it would solve her problem of having to choose. But what were the chances of that? Obviously she wouldn’t force him to share space with her, but she couldn’t think of how to tell him she was open to the idea without making him obliged to do it. Then again…she went back and forth, worrying about the best way to handle this.
Wait, why was she taking on the responsibility of thinking about it? It was a joint problem.
“Nico, do you want to share a room?”
His hands tightened enough on the steering wheel for her to see, but she couldn’t tell if that was good or bad. “Don’t you think we should find one first?”
“I like to live in the future. You can say yes or no, and I won’t take either choice badly.”
“What would you like to do?” He hesitated. “I’m not trying to throw it back on you, but I want you to be comfortable.”
“I’d like to share.” There it was, out in the open. She fought adding a wimpyIf you don’t mind. Valerie Peng was in charge, taking names and kicking ass.
“Okay.”
That was it. She felt a little let down, like this should be some sort of a milestone in their relationship, instead of a sensible agreement between two adults with no drama or fuss. But she liked a bit of those things.
Then he said, “I want to share a room too.”
Suddenly, the car felt smaller, closer, and much hotter.
Twenty-One
Two motels later, Valerie had come to the conclusion that no one would be sharing any rooms.
“We’ve been booked up for weeks,” said the receptionist. “I don’t know if you’ll find a bed anywhere.”
“That’s what we’re hearing,” said Nico. “Is there an event?”
