AllFreeNovel
Share Us
3
SADIE
Silently cursing, I pulled into a space in front of the run-down motel a few miles from Broody McAsshole’s place. He’d never introduced himself, so that was what I called him in my head. Maybe I should be grateful he’d growled any kind of alternative lodging suggestion at me before slamming the door in my face. Instead, I spent the ten-minute drive lamenting the wasting of such good looks on a colossal douche.
I mean, sure, he obviously didn’t rent his place out and was surprised to have a rando show up on his porch near midnight trying to invite herself in. But he could have at least helped me sort out how his place ended up being listed on that sketchy-ass vacation rental site. Especially since I was pretty sure he had an idea how it happened, after he muttered some dude’s name when I made him read my confirmation email.
Lauren, the office manager for the website I worked at, was legit the worst. She was a classic example of penny-wise, pound-foolish. Once, instead of using a regular rental car agency, she found an “amazing” deal renting a car for two weeks dirt cheap on Craigslist. When I showed up to pick up the car, the owner informed me that as part of the agreement he got to take a video of me washing the car in a bikini in his parking lot before I could use it. I ended up renting the cheapest economy car I could find from a legitimate rental place on my dime instead.
Now, whenever I was on an assignment that required I drive instead of fly, I told Lauren I had it under control. That was why I’d driven my best friend Ward’s old Range Rover this trip. He lent me his car whenever he could so I could avoid spending money on a rental.
The Kelly Bay Pines Motel was about what you’d expect for a small Midwest town. Tan paint peeled off the wood siding and the neon roadside sign flickered so hard it was impossible to tell if they had any vacancies or not. There was only one other car in the parking lot though, so that boded well.
Bright lights shone through the huge rental office window and a woman about my age sat behind the front desk. I unplugged my phone—ignoring the missed call alerts—grabbed my wallet and slid out of the car.
“I’m so glad the office is still open,” I said. “How are you doing tonight?” I was determined to start this interaction off on a better foot than my last one.
“Can’t complain. No one would listen if I did,” she quipped.
I wondered if there was something in the water in this town. Or if they gave some kind of tax break to retired catalog models. She was striking, with long dark waves past her shoulders and eyes a sort of amber color I’d never seen before.
“Do you have a reservation?” The undercurrent of apprehension in her question put me on edge.
I glanced back out the window. “No, but I’m hoping you have a room open based on your parking lot.”
“Thank god.” Her shoulders dropped a few inches. “If I have to listen to one more corporate asshole threaten to call my manager about their canceled reservation tonight, I’m gonna lose it.” She cupped her hand around her mouth to mimic shouting. “Spoiler alert, Greg: my manager is the reason your reservation was canceled.”
“So…you have open rooms?”
“No. Well, I mean technically…yes, but you can’t stay in one.”
This day caught up to me and I couldn’t wrap my head around what she said.
“Look.” She leaned in. “Even on a good day, you probably don’t want to stay here. But a few days ago, we had an infestation, and we had to call in Pete.”
“Pete?”
“Pete’s Pest Patrol. He finished fumigating all the rooms a few hours ago. Told the owner he recommends waiting seventy-two hours before reopening the rooms, but state law says minimum twenty-four hours. Knowing Mr. Mercer, that means we’ll be back in business tomorrow night.”
I pushed down the sour taste in my mouth. “What’s the next closest hotel?”
She swallowed before answering. “Thing is, there’s a big conference in Rosewood at the university. All the hotels and motels in the area are booked up. I just helped the last guy we canceled a reservation for find a room in Teaksville, forty-five minutes from here, and that was the closest open room around. And the last open room in Teaksville. You’re going to have to go to Hawks Creek on the other side of Rosewood to find anything.”
My dreams of a hot shower were going up in smoke before my eyes. At this point, I’d be happy with a bed and no shower. “How far away is that?”
“About a ninety-minute drive.”
“Great.” I let out a maniacal laugh. “What’s another hour and a half on top of the sixteen I already drove?”
“Are you sure you’re up for that? No offense, but you look like you’re about ready to pass out.” She pointed across the room. “You can crash on our couch for a couple of hours if you need to.”
A stained couch sat across from the desk. It looked like it was once a hunter green, but the seat and armrests were worn down to black now. A crack ran through the middle of the pleather and a small piece of duct tape held the left bottom corner together. A shudder ran through me as I imagined what kind of creepy-crawlies lived in it.
“Thanks, but I’m going to find a room with a bed somewhere.” The cold night air blasted me in the face as I pushed back out of the office.
“If you change your mind, I’m here until six a.m.,” she called after me.
As well-intentioned as her offer might have been, I wasn’t interested.
