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She realized then that she’d had her hopes up, which was something she normally didn’t do on these quests, because the information hadn’t just come through her amateur online detective work. This lead had come from a professional.
If he couldn’t find her father with all of his expertise and connections, what chance did Viv have on her own?
* * *
As they droveto the motel, Glenn tried not to feel responsible for the look of disappointment on Vivien’s face. He should have come up here without her and checked it out before telling her anything about it. That would have been the right thing to do. Instead, he’d felt like he’d strapped her into an emotional roller coaster that she clearly wanted to get off of.
She was looking at her phone and hadn’t said a word since they got back into the SUV. He’d wanted so badly to hug her, but he feared if he did that, if he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to let her go.
He’d made the mistake earlier of putting his hand on her leg and he’d almost dragged her across the console and crushed his mouth to hers. She was a live wire and unless he wanted to do serious damage, he needed to avoid touching her again at all costs.
“There’s a place off the highway about a mile down the road. It has an average of two-star Yelp reviews…but I think that’s as good as we’re gonna get.”
While Vivien was getting ready for the trip, Glenn had done his research and taken care of their lodging for the night.
“I got us an Airbnb,” he explained as he pulled up the address he’d already programmed into his navigation system.
Her head spun so she was looking at him. He was staring straight ahead at the road, but he could feel her stare heating his cheek. “You did?”
He nodded.
“Oh…okay…” She opened her mouth again as if she was going to say something else, but then she closed it.
Rendering Vivien speechless was something he was finding himself enjoying a lot more than he should. He loved that she spoke her mind, was bold and unapologetic in her opinions and thoughts. But he also loved that sometimes, when she was around him, she had nothing to say.
It was something he took way too much pride in. And if he wasn’t careful, he could feel himself getting used to.
She looked back at her phone and began typing furiously.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just sending Audrey the address. She always wants to know where I’m staying.”
Glenn loved that the sisters looked out for one another. Now that he knew a little bit more about their background, he understood why. They’d been through multiple traumas together, which was something he could relate to.
He and Gabe had dealt with the death of their parents and faced cancer together. Thankfully, his brother had made a full recovery and was now considered cancer free, but he knew the pain of diagnosis and treatments. They both knew the toll that those life-altering situations took on people.
The brothers had always been close, but those experiences had bonded them in a way that few people would understand. But Vivien did. They were silent the rest of the drive until the voice on the navigation declared, “You have arrived at your destination.”
He pulled up in front of a small cabin that looked nothing like the pictures that had been advertised. This was supposed to be a two-bedroom cottage. This house looked smaller than his first studio apartment.
“This place is adorable!” Vivien exclaimed as they both got out.
He grabbed both of their bags and hoped for the best but he had a bad feeling. When they got to the front door, he saw that the lockbox was right where the email said it would be. He put in the code and retrieved the keys. When he opened the door, he saw that there was a couch, a kitchenette and a bed. One bed against the far wall.
He dropped their bags and pulled up the listing on his phone. The address was the same. The couch the bed were both in the photos but they were taken at an angle that made them appear to be in much larger spaces.
“This is…cozy.” He heard Vivien say beside him.
“This is supposed to be a two bedroom.”
He glanced around and noticed that there were three closed doors off the small square space.
“Well, let’s see what’s behind door number one.” Vivien walked over and opened it.
He was right behind her. She flipped a switch on the wall and a light flickered on. The space was no bigger than a small walk-in closet and there was a foldup cot like you would get in a motel pushed against one wall. Even though Glenn could only see the side of the mattress there were clearly yellow and brown stains.
“Bedroom number one, I presume.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, clearly amused by the situation they found themselves in. “And now, door number two.”
