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Holden slid back into the driver’s seat and yawned. “Let’s get breakfast. Maybe another coffee would help clear my head and make a better plan.”
* * *
The smell of a greasy breakfast in the tight space of the car was surprisingly heavenly. I enjoyed the egg and bacon sandwich and the salty crunch of a hashbrown. The coffee needed more sweetening, but it was palatable at least, and I looked forward to the caffeine rush. If Holden was staying awake, it was only fair that I should too. Or at least give it my best effort.
“I’m going to need the ladies’ room before we go. Can you park by that store?”
I pointed to another convenience store we passed on the way in. Beside it was a worn-down motel. I’d be foolish to not check on room availability. Surely, we could crash for a couple of hours. For safety, we owed it to ourselves.
We chowed down on our surprisingly filling breakfast in the parking lot.
“Let me go toss the garbage and go to the bathroom while you call your grandparents.” I tapped the clock on the dashboard for good measure.
Garbage in hand, I dropped it into the receptacle and peeked quickly at Holden before I dashed into the main entrance of the rundown motel.
Old fashioned wouldn’t even begin to describe the interior. Ancient industrial carpet from the 1950s was wall to wall, and the check-in counter looked like a basement bar set, the kind from the 1970s with the padded front. Hopefully, the rooms were in better condition, or at least the bed was reasonably comfortable.
“Can I help you?”
I leaned on the counter and gave my weariest smile. “I sure hope so. My friend and I have been travelling cross country for hours without any rest, and we’re flat out exhausted. There’s no way we’ll make it through the mountain pass without a couple of hours of sleep.” I yawned, which added to my plea. “I’m hoping you have a room I can rent for a couple of hours. Nothing fancy, just a clean place to crash, so we don’t drive off the side of a mountain by accident.”
She gave me a hard stare and cocked an unruly brow which was a complete flip from her perfectly styled hair and expertly applied makeup. “We don’t rent rooms by the hour.”
That was all she heard. Damn. Needed a change in direction.
“Please. I desperately need a bathroom that isn’t an outhouse on the side of the road, where I can wash my handswith soap, and I need to stretch my legs.” I was grasping at a rapidly fraying rope. “Please. Just for a couple of hours. You can even put me in a recently vacated room as long as one bed is still made up. Surely there must be one of those the cleaning staff haven’t yet attended to.”
Gross? Absolutely. But sadly, I’d encountered worse. We just need a couple of hours and sleeping in a car didn’t provide the best sleep, as I could attest to.
I reached across the counter and used my sweetest voice. “Please. I don’t need any amenities, aside from the basics. I can pay cash too, help keep it off the books, if you will? My friend hasn’t slept in thirty-six hours, and I swear he’s going to nod off soon. I’m terrified we’re going to be a mountain-side casualty if he doesn’t get any sleep.” I glanced at her nametag. “Cindy, please. I’m begging here.”
She lowered her voice. “My uncle got an impaired for being so tired.”
“That’s rough.” I mirrored her soft voice. “You understand my pleas, right?”
Nodding her head as her gaze darted around, she typed on the computer. “I’ll see what I can find.” Her fingers typed rapidly, and once again she searched the area. We were alone. “I have a room,an untouched room, on the main floor. I won’t give you a code to the pool though.”
“That’s completely fair. My only plans are for sleeping, not swimming.”
Another scan of the lobby. Head down, her fingers clicked faster, and she leaned toward me. “Are you an AMA member?”
I shook my head, not even sure what that was.
She winked and typed extra fast, raising her voice. “I thought you were. With your AMA discount, the best rate I can give you is fifty percent off the regular rack rate but it’s a full night’s cost.”
“How much is that?” I swallowed. My meager savings weren’t going to last long between the gas and the food and now a motel cost.
Thankfully, the quote was less than what I had expected to pay for a couple of hours. Even if we only slept for a few hours, it was money well spent.
“I’ll take it, thank you, Cindy. You’re a life saver.” I beamed and put my hands over my heart.
A few minutes later, I walked outside flashing my key.
Holden hung up and met me halfway.
“A rest on a clean mattress beckons you. Two hours, three tops. You’ll feel so much better. As will I, and therefore I’ll be able to keep you talking all the way to grandma’s house. I need you to rest that big brain of yours because I want all the facts as we head west.”
He sighed and covered his yawn.
